Self-Hosted

We chat with 45Drives about their ambitions to build a home-lab server that bridges the gap between enterprise-level servers and consumer-grade NAS products. And more.

Sponsored By:

• Tailscale: Tailscale is a Zero config VPN. It installs on any device in minutes, manages firewall rules for you, and works from anywhere. Get 3 users and 100 devices for free.
• Linode: Receive a $100 60-day credit towards your new account. Promo Code: linode.com/ssh

Support Self-Hosted

Links:

• Amazon is discontinuing Alexa’s celebrity voices, even if you paid for them — “After three years, we’re winding down celebrity voices,” Amazon spokesperson Eric Sveum says in a statement to The Verge. “Customers will be able to continue using these voices for a limited time, and can contact our customer service team for a refund.”
• 45Drives Needs Your Help Developing a Homelab Server — 45Drives here to talk about a new project that we are super excited about. We’ve realized it’s time to build a home lab-level storage server.
• Emby Security Advisory - May 25, 2023
• dua-cli — dua (-> Disk Usage Analyzer) is a tool to conveniently learn about the usage of disk space of a given directory. It's parallel by default and will max out your SSD, providing relevant information as fast as possible. Optionally delete superfluous data, and do so more quickly than rm.
• Developing inside a Container using Visual Studio Code Remote Development — The Visual Studio Code Dev Containers extension lets you use a container as a full-featured development environment. It allows you to open any folder inside (or mounted into) a container and take advantage of Visual Studio Code's full feature set.
• Alby: Your Boost companion for the web — Alby brings Boosts to the web.
• Self-Hosted on the Podcastindex.org — Send a Boost into the show via the web. First, top-up Alby, then head over to our entry on the Podcast Index.

Knowing which hardware to buy or which apps to run on that shiny new hardware can be hard. Chris and Alex discuss networking gear and where to find some of the best getting started documentation on the net.

Plex have been busy and launched two new apps, we cover that and more in this episode of Self-Hosted.

Support Self-Hosted

Links:

• Self-Hosted now has a Discord server! — Join us over on Discord!
• Plex Blog - Two New Delicious Apps — A post from Plex about their two shiny new apps.
• Plex Dash — A Medium post from Plex about their new app Plex Dash.
• Plexamp — A Medium post from Plex about their new app Plexamp.
• Healthchecks.io — Simple and Effective Cron Job Monitoring
• Self-Hosted Healthchecks.io Container (from Linuxserver.io) — Receive alerts when your nightly backups, weekly reports, cron jobs and scheduled tasks don't run on time.
• Let's Encrypt Docker Starter Guide from Linuxserver.io — The goal of this guide is to give you ideas on what can be accomplished with the LinuxServer letsencrypt docker image and to get you started.
• Linuxserver.io Docker 101 Docs — A quick intro to the basics of getting started with Docker.
• serverbuilds.net — A site dedicated to helping you find the best deals on used Enterprise gear.
• Alex's cheap x86 pfsense build — A build log for a $150 x86 based pfsense router.
• Unmanaged vs Managed network switches — What's the difference and do you really need a managed switch?
• How to transfer accounts for a SmartHome when you sell up — How do you ensure future owners realize the value of your smart home devices?

We each like different blogging platforms, and share why. Then our tips for keeping your server secure.

Plus a great way to score cheap drives, a Project Off-Grid update, making your household light switches smart, and Alex's review of the HDHomeRun.

Support Self-Hosted

Links:

• Telegram: Contact @hddsale — HDD Sales Telegram Channel
• What SMART Stats Are Telling Us About Hard Drive Reliability — As of September 30, 2019, Backblaze had 115,151 spinning hard drives spread across four data centers on two continents. Of that number, there were 2,098 boot drives and 113,053 data drives.
• How to disable the 3.3v pin on Western Digital USB White Label Drives - YouTube — This is an amazing way to get super cheap storage for your #Plex Media Server. The catch? The shucked #Western #Digital White label drives may not work right out of the box. Don't worry, the fix is simple..
• Amazon.com: StarTech.com 4X SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable (PYO4SATA): Home Audio & Theater — The PYO4SATA SATA power splitter cable (1-to-4) features a SATA male power connector that connects to a single computer power supply SATA connector and breaks out into four SATA female power connectors.
• OpenLiteSpeed-WordPress - Linode Manager — Blazing-fast WordPress with LSCache, 300+ times faster than regular WordPress
• LinuxServer.io Blog
• ktz. - Alex's Blog
• Shelly 2.5 - Shelly Cloud — Shelly 2.5 comes with a programming/debug header which can be used to flash alternative firmware on the device. It has an ESP8266 inside, with a 2MB flash chip. A USB-to-UART adapter is needed as well as a reliable 3.3V with at least 350 mA drive capability.

Home Assistant has changed our families' lives for the better. We share tips for getting started, implementing automation, devices we use, and our favorite integrations.

Plus Alex's thoughts on automating his new LG TV and be sure to check the links!

Support Self-Hosted

Links:

• Hard Drive Sales Telegram Group
• Nabu Casa — No longer worry if you left the garage door open. Quickly access your Home Assistant instance from your phone, your favorite coffeeshop or at work. All data is fully encrypted between your device and your Home Assistant instance. No snooping
• Home Assistant Cloud
• Chris' Z-Wave USB Dongle — Z-Wave Plus certified for wide compatibility
• Chris' White Noise Makers — The Original White Noise Machine - Marpac Dohm
• Chris' Fav sensor: Aeotec Multisensor 6 — Z-Wave Plus 6-in1 motion, temperature, humidity, light, UV, vibration sensor
• Chris' Outdoor Z-Wave Power Plugs — GE Enbrighten Z-Wave Plus Smart Plug, 1 On/Off Outlet, Weather-Resistant, Built-in Repeater/Range Extender
• 500-Watt Ceramic Small Space Personal Mini Heater — Compact personal space heater design that is small enough for tables or desktops
• Chris' Portable Oil-Filled Radiator — 1200 watts of heating power, silent operation, Best for small to medium rooms that need constant heat in the colder seasons.
• TP-Link Smart Plug two Pack — Smart WiFi Plug Mini by TP-Link
• Home Assistant Integrations Directory
• Alex's Fav Smart Plug — Teckin Mini Smart Socket with Schedule and Timer Function
• Smart RGB LED strips with Home Assistant — This article will detail how to build a fully open source, 3D printable smart LED strip for $16.38.
• Mosquitto - An open source MQTT broker — The MQTT protocol provides a lightweight method of carrying out messaging using a publish/subscribe model. This makes it suitable for Internet of Things messaging such as with low power sensors or mobile devices such as phones, embedded computers or microcontrollers.
• Complete guide on setting up Grafana/InfluxDB with Home Assistant

Alex tempts Chris with his Obsidian ways, our thoughts on Drobo going bankrupt, and Photoprism adding paid tiers. Plus, the slick suite of tools you'll want to run on your LAN.

Sponsored By:

• Linode: Receive a $100 60-day credit towards your new account. Promo Code: linode.com/ssh
• Tailscale: Tailscale is a Zero config VPN. It installs on any device in minutes, manages firewall rules for you, and works from anywhere. Get 3 users and 100 devices for free.

Support Self-Hosted

Links:

• Garden - planning with Canvas — I am using Obsidian to keep track of my gardening stuff. I have notes for all vegetables i am growing, how much i harvested etc...This year i decided to use the canvas feature to help with planning.Overall its a rough sketch of my garden and the beds, thats also why there is a huge empty spot in the middle as there are my garden-house and lawn etc...
• obsidian-text-extractor — Text Extractor is a "companion" plugin. It's mainly useful when used in conjunction with other plugins (like Omnisearch), but you can also use it to quickly extract texts from images & PDFs.
• Drobo, having stopped sales and support, reportedly files Chapter 7 bankruptcy — Company posted in January that it had "transitioned to a self-service model."
• Drobo - Wikipedia
• 45Drives Needs Your Help Developing a Homelab Server — 45Drives here to talk about a new project that we are super excited about. We’ve realized it’s time to build a home lab-level storage server.
• Pricing & Editions – PhotoPrism — Simple, affordable pricing. Upgrade or downgrade at any time.
• Fasten — Fasten securely connects your healthcare providers together, creating a personal health record that never leaves your hands
• CorentinTh/it-tools: Collection of handy online tools for developers, with great UX. — Useful tools for developers and people working in IT.
• IT Tools - Demo site
• Split DNS Magic with Tailscale - YouTube — Tailscales Split DNS function within the MagicDNS feature allows us to access devices by name, not IP. But what if we could also access any service running in a remote subnet via a Tailscale subnet router? That's what we'll cover in today's video.
• Garden Gnomes Chat on Matrix — A chat room is for people who are interested in discussing all things gardening, and garden technology. Share your garden pictures, nerds out about about sensors, automated watering, build ideas, and more. We can share our experiences, ask questions, and learn from each other.
• OpenSprinkler — OpenSprinkler is an open-source, web-based smart sprinkler controller for lawn and plant watering, drip irrigation, farm irrigation, hydroponics etc. The current version is OS 3.2, with built-in WiFi (based on ESP8266) and OLED display. You can choose between AC-powered, DC-powered, or Latch version. OpenSprinkler supports a variety of solenoid valves (24VAC, Latch, DC, motorized ball valve etc.)
•