Learning Computers #
As a millennial, I grew up with the internet and computers. I had an ICQ account. I can set DIP switches and pick the correct IRQ lines for sound cards. I’ve been building my own PCs since before Hackers came out. I’ve had a Steam account for as long as Steam has existed.
It’s only recently that I’ve switched to Linux. I was getting fed up with Windows and it’s AI integration, so I’ve begun my journey of actually learning to use a computer and building home services.
The main reason is Big Tech greed. Companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Meta have fundamentally changed how they operate since “the good old days”. They no longer see you as a customer, or even a human, but a data point to be mined and sold. They’re no longer making products that people want. Their goal now is to collect, store, and sell as much of your data as possible. Google made this business model official when they removed their motto of “don’t be evil” in 2015.
So during the tail end of COVID, I decided to finally learn how to set up and run my own home services.
Doing it yourself #
It’s important to understand that “The Cloud” is a corporately controlled computer. With Open Source Software, you can run all the same services that they do, on your own hardware, and control your own data. I highly recommend doing this, as the digital space becomes more and more hostile to privacy and personal security. Instead of renting digital services, you own them. Your personal details stay on your server. Your photos live on your drives. Your documents exist under your control. No one can change the terms, raise prices, or delete your account. There is a learning curve to this, but these are survival skills in our digital age.
It’s important to stress that this is a hobby. A hobby where you can become digitally self sufficient and ditch Big Tech. (huge win)
My Setup #
My home servers are set up in a closet and placed on an IKEA shelving rack. It’s not going to win any beauty contests, but it works for me!
All these machines run on Linux. Even if you aren’t planning on building a home server, I highly recommend you switch to Linux.
Web server #
This is the heart of my home setup. It runs the services over my network that are accessible inside my home. The hardware is more than capable, and it’s usually only running at ~2% CPU usage.
- OS: Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT
- RAM: 32 GB
Here are some of the services I run
Jellyfin #
This is what got me into building a home server in the first place. As streaming costs continue to rise, I started to host our own internal streaming service. Jellyfin allows you to stream video and music that is on your hard drive to any TV, phone, or computer in your home. We no longer pay for streaming services.
And we no longer get any ads while watching TV.
Immich #
This was a big one as AI companies begin to scrape your pictures for AI training. Immich is a powerful, self-hosted photo and video backup solution that gives you complete control over your memories. When you upload your pictures to the default Google or Apple services, those companies search, review, and keep copies of all your pictures.
I do mean All of them. 👀
And they use your pictures to train their AI models. Moving our pictures to our own server is a safety measure.
Open WebUI #
This is my own personal ChatGPT. It’s the portal that I use to access my local AI. That means I get all the benefits that AI can bring, without paying Big Tech for the privilege. Gen AI was critical in troubleshooting my setup and helping me build the services that I have now.
Paperless-ngx #
Paperless-ngx is a community-supported open-source document management system that transforms your physical documents into a searchable online archive so you can keep, well, less paper. I use this to store all my important paperwork like tax records, health information, and insurance documents. You can scan in your own files, or upload PDFs. I also use this to keep all my manuals so that I don’t have to keep looking for them all the time, and I can quickly reference how I put my coffee maker into self-clean mode.
AI Machine #
This is a dedicated Gen AI machine. It’s a Framework using the Ryzen Strix Halo chipset.
- OS: Ubuntu Server
- CPU: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16C/32T, up to 5.19 GHz)
- GPU: AMD Radeon 8060S (Strix Halo integrated)
- RAM: 124 GB
I’m running Qwen3.6-35B-A3B (Q8_K_XL) using the Strix Halo Toolboxes to set up the llama.cpp configuration. If you want to learn about local AI, check out Donato Capitella’s YouTube. He goes into detail on how to set up models on specific hardware.
Gaming Emulator #
I’ve been gaming forever, and having an emulator hooked up to an old TV has been an absolute treat. I picked up a stack of used Lenovo ThinkCentre M710q and they are more than capable of running old school games, and could probably power my home services if I’m being honest.
- OS: Linux Mint 22.3
- CPU: Intel Core i5-7500T
- GPU: Intel HD Graphics 630
- RAM: 8 GB
This is not a powerful machine, but it can run SNES and PS1 games no problem. I’m replaying the old classics that were a big part of my life growing up. And with the price of things these days, its financially responsible to dip into the old catalogue. :)