Hey everyone, I'm considering switching my Windows NAS over to Linux, but I need some advice. I have a fairly powerful machine and while I've enjoyed using Linux Mint before, I feel that the Ubuntu interface might suit my needs better right now. I'm primarily focused on getting the best performance and stability out of my NAS setup. What do you think is the better option for me, Ubuntu desktop, Ubuntu server, or perhaps Mint?
1 Answer
For a NAS, it's generally best to avoid a desktop environment since it could slow down your system. Both Ubuntu Server and a minimal Debian installation are great choices; they share similar package management systems and repositories, which you might find familiar already. While you'll have to configure a lot of things through the terminal, it's pretty straightforward to find commands for the settings you need. If you really want a GUI for administration, check out the Cockpit project—it offers a web interface to monitor and manage your NAS. If you’re looking for advanced features like RAID and easy network sharing, I'd suggest trying out TrueNAS Scale, which is entirely web-based and simplifies the setup process.
Thanks for the tips! I'm definitely looking for some sort of GUI to make things easier.