Background – my private cloud and home datacenter project
I believe it’s important to store my computer files on my own network, and not the public cloud – because that can fail at any time. For several years I have operated a small datacenter and home network. It is used to provide “self hosted cloud” services internally in my home. As a solar power and computer enthusiast, I tend to use efficient 12V Atom-based motherboards to build these systems – because they are easy to operate off of solar battery banks, affordable and use very little power.
As part of this project, I built a small low power (12V DC) Intel Atom based network attached storage (NAS) server (there is a video posted below in addition to the article).
The Case for Private Cloud
For years I have warned people in business and from all walks against storing their personal data and files in the cloud. As an IT and computer veteran who started working with technology in 1997, I have personally seen all sides of the coin. It seems the general public may not be aware of the risks they take with their data.
The idea of the cloud is a marketing term that got started many years ago. In effect, it’s just a another word for “someone else’s computers”. That is not to say using someone else’s computers is never a good thing. But, if one is going that route, he should know all the components and risks, while understanding what is actually at stake.
I rarely use 3rd party hosting – but if I do, I always have a backup. And I know for a fact it could go down or be lost at any time, so I am prepared.
Public Cloud Risk Management
Here are some points to consider when using or planning to use cloud services:
1. Cloud services can fail at any time
Cloud providers can go down anytime. They are not invulnerable, they make mistakes, and anyone in the IT (information technology) industry knows bad stuff happens. The world is increasingly unstable, and it’s wise to embrace reality and realize everything can be affected.
2. Lack of transparency
Cloud services are not necessarily transparent, which complicates things. WHERE is the datacenter? WHO manages it? HOW much experience do they have? WHAT kind of hardware and configuration is behind it? What happens if there is a failure? What is the SLA? What happens if my data is lost? There are many more questions than answers, but this should get you pointed in the right direction.
3. The Cloud provider holds your data – bottom line
It’s their network, their storage, and they effectively own everything and are in possession of your data – do you have a backup copy of it? Or perhaps it’s not even their datacenter, and so if it gets bought out, they might lose access or be forced to move. There are all kinds of behind the scenes liabilities and pitfalls, many which are hidden from public view.
4. Cloud providers don’t necessarily guarantee data backup
It’s often in the fine print. Some cloud providers take no responsibility for the end user’s data. If it’s lost, it’s lost. How many public cloud end users are aware of this, and have they taken it into account? Do they have a backup of their cloud data? More often than not, the answer is simply NO. The person thought the cloud was reliable, redundant, safe and secure – well that’s how it’s marketed anyway.
What is a private cloud
The term “cloud” is nebulous and ambiguous, perhaps by design. The term “private cloud” isn’t much clearer. Simply put, private cloud means you host your own centralized data store and application hosting for your computers and family. You own the data, the hardware, the software, and even the closet where the data equipment is stored. If there’s a problem, you are also responsible for troubleshooting, backups, etc.
What could be the first building block at the center of a private cloud? It is often called a home NAS server.
Home NAS Servers
Generally speaking, a home server is something that is a little too complex for the average home user. But there are many off the shelf devices on the market that are essentially plug and play home NAS servers.
A NAS, or Network Attached Storage, is simply a stripped down computer with hard drives that stores only stores data and presents that data on the home network as file shares (shared folders and/or mapped drive letters) for general access. Some of them can also run applications (apps) and can be tremendously powerful and flexible.
A home NAS is unbelievably useful. It can store or support just about anything: files, computer and laptop backups, music, videos, homework, tax documents, security camera footage, pictures, applications, email, the list goes on. Whatever you want to copy to it, go ahead.
(Notice the word copy: using a NAS as a backup or second copy of files makes a lot more sense than making it the exclusive storage location of files you value.)
General Principles of Data Security
Data security means, at the very least, more than one copy of a file should exist, and unauthorized access should not be permitted!
So make sure the NAS backs itself up somehow, or that you have 2 places to store files. Another important task is ensuring only authorized people can see and access stored data and files (one must learn how to properly configure NAS access control functionality).
Off the shelf home NAS servers don’t take all the complexity out of the self hosted private cloud, but they put some of the basic technology and building blocks within reach of many end users.
My Low Power 12V DC Home NAS Server Project
For computer enthusiasts like myself, building my own home NAS server (private cloud) out of commodity and even older / used hardware is within reach and makes a lot of sense. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, check out my video documenting the build of my own simple and cheap 12V low power home NAS server.
This small server I built runs natively off of 12 volts DC at around 1 ampere of current (about 12 watts) and can hold multiple terabytes of data. It backs up my network and computers and can run any applications or tasks I need. The foundation is an old used Intel Atom based motherboard from 2012 – why throw away or shun technology that still works perfectly good?
I like to collect older PC and server hardware, a trip down memory lane if you will. While the motherboard I used to build the NAS is certainly not the latest technology, it’s functional and valuable to me.
Intel introduced its Atom line of low power processors (or CPU – central processing unit) around 2008. The Atom processor is designed for power efficiency versus performance – so it makes an ideal platform for small home servers that don’t run up the power bill too much.
With the Mini-ITX / PC based architecture, flexibility is off the charts – I can pretty much modify or upgrade my NAS server anyway I want. I used SATA (Serial ATA) Solid State Drives (SSDs) which have no moving parts, but traditional hard disks can work as well.
Due to a penchant to take trips down memory lane, I used an older operating system to run my NAS server. It is not the latest Server OS available, but it functions well as a home NAS server, and is in fact overly qualified for the task. The operating system can be just about anything though, including Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 – because even a desktop operating system can function as a NAS at some level.
To round out my server, I added some extremely cheap RGB LEDs that cost less than a buck, and some free software to back up my network and computers over the network. No monthly fees, simplicity, commodity (non proprietary PC based) hardware and low power consumption – a winning combination overall.
Summary
While public cloud storage services are ubiquitous these days, they carry a heavy risk, and the general public does not seem to be aware of the problem.
Leveraging off the shelf and/or custom built home computing technology to provide one’s own private cloud also has risks and challenges, but can be very rewarding, save monthly costs, and build knowledge and DIY skill sets.
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Thanks for reading and have a good day – DD, SPE
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