I was wondering what OS would be the best to use for a personal Cloud Server? Cause seeing I am planning on using one of the computer systems that I am getting from a friend to use as the Cloud Server itself. Cause I want to be able to access some of my files outside my local network.
I am not sure what your describing can actually be called a cloud server, however if you just want to access your files then there are a few solutions.
One solution is Windows Home Server 2011, it isn't free (not surprised) but its a good quick and easy solution.
Pros: (That i can think of)
- It's made by microsoft so it supports microsoft devices well
- It's easy to set up and configure
- It comes with remote access to computers connected to it out of the box
Cons: (That i can think of)
- It's made by microsoft so the support for apple, linux or other devices is going to be abismal
- It is a standalone operating system so the server cannot be used for multiple functions (as far as i know)
- (i think) You cannot customize it with third party modifications
Another solution would be freenas. It allows you to access your files from anywhere on the internet and is a very good solution for backing up your files, with very few operating system restrictions.
Pros: (That i can think of)
- It is an open source solution, which means lots of community support and third party modifications
- It is quite easy to set up and configure and the web interface can get a lot done fast
- It is compatible with a large list of hardware, due to the fact it is based on freeBSD
Cons: (That i can think of)
- It is linux based so some users may not be familiar with it (linux ftw tbh)
- It is a standablone operating system so the server is limited to freenas functions (as far as i know)
- Some people may find the web inteface daunting, as it has many features.
The last solution i can think of is running a linux server (like ubuntu) and running a ftp service on it:
Pros: (That i can think of)
- There are lots of FTP servers out there for linux
- A lot of devices can get FTP clients
- It is fairly easy to set up for somebody who has a basic grasp of the linux command line
- The server can be used for multiple services, for example running a web server
Cons: (That i can think of)
- Some people might have issues with using the linux command line
- There is no web interface or desktop interface for configuration of the server
- Configuration can be hard, especially making sure your installation is secure
Just a final comment, if you are going to go for the last option, i reccomend installing webmin first, as it will help you in installing the FTP server and any other services later on down the line as well as configuring them.
Hope this helps.
You don't really need a Windows server to host files. A windows 7 client got the same capabilities.
I use Windows server 2008 R2
With:
- Hyper V
- SSTP VPN
- File Services
- Remote Desktop/Terminal Services
FreeNAS is BSD. file systems pretty much the same and runs like linux but then again they are both Unix like systems.
I got a Win7 homeserver as well, couple it with a good remote control program - I use Teamviewer - and the sky is the limit.
It servers my movies and software throughout my house and I let it run as a download/torrent box at night. All my clients store a secondary copy of their backup (standard Ghost feature) on it.
Flexible is the keyword : want to run a website=just install it. Using Tonido you can use it to stream music over the internet and stuff. The flipside is of course you need to configure it to do so, but that is true for every custom server as opposed to a turnkey solution NAS.
In the end though it boils down to what you're most comfortable with.
"One solution is Windows Home Server 2011, it isn't free (not surprised)"
If you are a student you can get Windows Server 2012 for free from DreamSpark. Along with Windows Server 2008
Just try Debian minimal.
If you feel comfortable with only having a command prompt don't install it at setup but do install ssh and ftp when it asks.
If you are new to this. Get a static IP from your internet service provider. The OS could be a debian minimal install or just freeBSD (it has a good reference manual for setup) and just set it up as a ftp server. There are a dropbox-like choice if you want that (but that requires a setup of an apache server for SQL) called ownCloud.
I'm currently running owncloud on my Raspberry Pi, but you can run it on anything all you need is a webserver that runs PHP. Works like dropbox/google drive/box.net etc.
http://owncloud.org/
Comes with Sync apps for all OS's even Android and iPhone and has a webinterface. Also has a load of plugins for calendars and contacts, can even sync your Firefox data too it. Also contains webdav so you can map it as a network drive on Vista and above (XP with some updates).
I highly recommend it if you want something like dropbox.
Edit: Oh, and its free
FreeNAS has an owncloud plugin, so you are able to run owncloud on a FreeNAS server. I haven't tried it, but probably will in the next week or two.
my web server runs on ubuntu with owncloud. also runs plex too
yunohost.org
'nuff said...
There are many different ways to go about accessing files over the internet. I'll assume a Windows machine would be the intended client. In any case, you'll want to sign up with some free dynamic DNS service (such as dnsdynamic.com) so that you can access the server from a fixed name rather than having to know your home IP address, which may change from time to time.
To keep things super simple, you could use WinSCP on the client, run an SSH daemon on the server with FreeBSD as the OS, and forward a random high-numbered port on your home router to port 22 on the server. You won't have to install anything except the server OS and a dynamic DNS client to keep the DNS records up to date (ddclient). WinSCP traffic between the server and client is encrypted, so it is safe to run over the internet without a VPN.
If you prefer to use a protocol supported by Windows natively, you can choose between WebDAV and CIFS.
WebDAV enables remote file access over standard HTTP or HTTPS. Over HTTP it is of course not very secure, so you would need a VPN. HTTPS is encrypted, so you could get by without a VPN. FreeBSD has an owncloud package that will take care of the WebDAV server for you (I'd run it in a jail for security). As mentioned above, there is also an owncloud plugin for FreeNAS, if you prefer your server OS to have a web interface for administration. Forward port 443 on your router to the server and you should be ready to map your drive in Windows!
If you don't mind setting up a VPN, Samba (CIFS/SMB) is the standard Windows file sharing protocol. It has no encryption over the wire, so you'll have to set up a VPN to keep your privacy. FreeNAS is probably the way to go for this, as setting up Samba and OpenVPN can be rather involved. With FreeNAS, it should be a bit easier to manage.
You could accomplish any of these things with a Linux OS as well, but FreeBSD is known for its stability, performance, and security in server applications. FreeNAS is built on FreeBSD and is a top notch OS for file storage. I definitely recommend at least trying it out, as well as other alternatives, before making a final decision.
owncloud only requires apache, php5 and the php5-sqlite driver. and sqlite is perfectly adequate for small instances like this
haha i was about the chime in and say there was this thing that zoltan mentioned..
Can you use the Ubuntu packages and run Plex on Debian? I just like Debian better personally, I don't like the stuff canonical adds in Ubuntu. And also Ubuntu doesn't run as well as Debian on older hardware.
https://forums.plex.tv/index.php/topic/51427-plex-media-server-for-debian/
I just use a Windows 7 with Owncloud and BTsync for syncing as it has LAN syncing which the Owncloud client still doesn't have even after 2 years of regular requests by many users.
As Zoltan mentioned Yunhost is a great way to set up personal web services.
Debian with webmin can do some amazing things with Own Cloud and BTRFS. But will require more time to setup. Fore running VMs it is one of the best Xen, KVM, and LXC are solid on it. Virt-manager acts as a nice glue to hold it together.
Freenas is great for data integrity via ZFS and has some limited virtualization capibilites.
Ubuntu Server has juju which is a tool for managing cloud infrastructure but it is more for enterprise.
Centos, Redhat, Suse Enterprise, have many of the same strengths as Debian and you can get real support for them if you pay for it. Dell has Centos support if I remember correctly.
Windows Server is nice for exchange and handling share points.
For an out of the box solution Synology (runs custom Debian) and Qnap are brilliant little boxes. They have Plex, Owncloud, email, torrent server and most of the stuff people want.
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