Does it make sense to mix my uses, i.e. media server, open project, etc. co-existing with file server for my docs and general files. Can I segregate portions for only local access?
Yes and yes.
I don’t have tons of time to maintain this. Nextcloud hasn’t been a pain, I log in here and there and make sure everything is updated (nextcloud and the server) and I run the NextCloud security scan to make sure I get an A+. Does it make sense to go for something like the better Synology NASs that can run docker images or would it provide better affordability/functionality to use a mini-pc or a FBmarketplace/craigslist slim pc hooked up to a drive enclosure or something else frankenstein-y. I don’t mind doing basic maintenance, but I can’t afford to spend every other weekend rebuilding things.
Most of the time, setting up for the first time and tweaking for maybe couple weeks top is a pita. I have not spent more than an hour a month after the initial setup phase. Realistically, you wouldn’t need more than what I spent.
I had one time that my OMV fucked up my docker containers but spent about 30 min and it was back to normal. All the other problems were network problems which will happen even if I used Synology.
I have a dead WD MyBook Live and MyBook Cloud on my shelf. WD never updated them to fix the critical security issues, I missed the 40% off upgrade window, and they’re not safe to run with network access. They also sucked even when they were new. I want to avoid products doomed to become dead-end abandonware before I’m ready to upgrade. Are there NAS brands that are known to be better/worse with this? How does homemade NAS fare as far as hardware support and having to upgrade/rebuild when OS versions change.
In the end, if you go with the premade NAS, you will want Synology. There are no real competitors in the market atm.
Homemade NAS has been constantly getting better. Trunas is amazing. OMV is nice although I’m using it just because I’m too lazy to upgrade to Truenas.
I can’t say anything about other NAS brands but homemade NAS is going to get basically the best and the fastest updates there is, depending on the OS of uour choice. They will be painless for most of the time.
Can I purchase/build a simple NAS that I use for storage and serve the files for my media server through a different device like my laptop? Is this better/worse than just streaming from the NAS itself or will I not notice in most cases?
If you’re using homemade NAS, that will be more than enough. If you’re using something like Synology, you’ll be fine but also want something better depending on your usecase.
It sounds like some of the pre-built machines can use drives of different sizes which would allow me to re-use the barely used drives inside of the WD devices. Do any of the self-build solutions allow for this
Check out Unraid. I personally would not do that though.
I would LOVE some book/media/community recommendations for digital hygiene and how to handle store, backup, maintain the deluge of information in our modern lives.