Imagine all your photos, videos, documents, and even the music you love, all in one safe place that you control. That’s what a home server does for you. Setting up a home server serves as your personal hub for digital activities within your home network. It’s like having your own mini data center right at home. The primary purpose of a home server is to centralize and manage various services and resources, making your digital life more convenient and efficient.

This post offers a step-by-step guide for setting up your own home server.

Hardware Requirements

You don’t need a high-end setup to create your own home server. Here are the basic hardware requirements:

  • Computer: Any laptop or PC will do.
  • Storage: A hard drive or SSD with sufficient storage space for your needs.
  • Memory (RAM): 4GB or more is recommended for smoother performance.
  • Processor: A standard CPU will suffice.

Prerequisites

Before you get started, make sure you have the following:

  • Ubuntu: Ensure that Ubuntu is installed on your laptop or PC. If not, you can download and install it from the official Ubuntu website.

Now that you have the necessary hardware and software, let’s begin the setup process.

1 Enabling SSH on Ubuntu

To enable SSH on your Ubuntu system, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Terminal: Press Ctrl + Alt + T together to open the Terminal or find it in the applications menu.

  2. Install the OpenSSH Client: In the Terminal, run the following command to install the OpenSSH client:

    sudo apt install openssh-client

You may be prompted to enter your user password to confirm the installation.

1.1 Accessing Your Server’s Terminal from Another Computer

Once you’ve enabled SSH on your server, you can access its terminal securely from another computer, acting as a client. Here’s how:

  1. Open a Terminal on the Client Computer: On the computer you want to use to connect to your server, open a terminal. The procedure may vary depending on your client’s operating system (e.g., Windows, macOS, or Linux).

  2. Connect to the Server: In the terminal on your client computer, use the following command to connect to your server, replacing server_ip with the actual IP address or hostname of your server:

    ssh username@server_ip

  3. Configuring SSH to Start Automatically

    To ensure that SSH starts automatically after your server boots up, you can follow these steps:

  4. Start SSH Service: Open a terminal on your server and run the following command to start the SSH service:

    sudo systemctl enable ssh
sudo systemctl start ssh

1.2 Allowing SSH Access Through the Firewall

By default, the firewall on your server may block SSH for security reasons. To enable SSH access, follow these steps:

  1. Allow SSH Through the Firewall: Run the following command to allow SSH traffic through the firewall. This command opens port 22, which is the default SSH port:

    sudo ufw allow ssh

2 Converting Ubuntu Desktop to Ubuntu Server

With the fundamental steps completed, the next task is to convert your Ubuntu desktop into an Ubuntu server environment

  1. Install Ubuntu Server Package: Run the following command to install the Ubuntu server package:

    sudo apt install ubuntu-server

2.1 Switching to Multi-User Mode for Enhanced Performance

In some cases, you may not require a graphical desktop environment on your Ubuntu server, especially when you want to optimize system resources, such as RAM and CPU usage. To achieve this, you can switch to a multi-user target, which provides a text-based console interface for interacting with the system.

Here’s how you can switch to multi-user mode:

  1. Run the Command: Execute the following command within the terminal:

    sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target

Congratulations! You now have a fully functional Ubuntu server running at your home, ready to serve your needs. If you prefer an intuitive and beginner-friendly way to manage your server’s console through a web interface, you have several options to choose from, such as CasaOS, Cockpit, and Umbrel.

For a user-friendly and straightforward experience, I recommend going with Umbrel. Here’s why:

  • Simplified Management: Umbrel provides an easy-to-navigate web interface that simplifies server management tasks.

  • Bitcoin and Lightning Node: If you’re into cryptocurrency and want to run a Bitcoin and Lightning node, Umbrel offers an all-in-one solution.

  • Community Support: Umbrel has an active community and a wealth of resources, making it ideal for beginners.

To get started with Umbrel:

  1. Visit the Umbrel website and follow their installation instructions to set up the web-based interface on your server.

  2. Once installed, access your server’s console and manage it conveniently through the Umbrel web interface.

With Umbrel, you’ll have an accessible and user-friendly way to interact with your Ubuntu server, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced users.

Hopefully, this post has given you a starting point for your Ubuntu server journey. Your server, your choices! Explore Nextcloud (file storage), Plex (media), Bitwarden (passwords), and more. It’s time to make your server work for you!