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Your home server, on the computer you already have
A home server —or DIY NAS— is a computer that stays on in a corner and keeps everything for the whole household: phone photos, movies, documents and backups. LGM-OS is the operating system that turns an old PC or a mini PC into one, and you run all of it from your browser.
What you can do with your home server
- Keep your phone photos safe without thinking about it. The LGM Connect app copies them to the server on its own, and the Gallery sorts them by the day they were taken, with albums and videos.
- Your own home cinema. Movies and shows with their artwork, in the browser, on your phone or on the TV. If a format won't play, the server converts it on the fly.
- Backups with versions. Delete or break a file and you go back to how it was yesterday. Plus one more copy away from home, on another disk or in the cloud you choose.
- Security cameras that record to your disk, not to the maker's servers, and that you can watch live from your phone.
- Thousands of apps in one click, such as Jellyfin or Home Assistant, from the catalogue and without typing a single command.
- Your files away from home, with the app or with your own VPN.
What computer you need
Almost any. An old PC, a laptop you no longer use or a mini PC will do: it just needs to be 64-bit, with 4 GB of memory and a disk for your data.
For peace of mind, use two mirrored disks: if one fails, the other holds the same data, the server warns you and you replace the disk without shutting down. And since a home server is on all day, you can schedule it to switch off at night and back on in the morning.
How to set it up
- Download the installer and write it to a USB stick.
- Boot the computer from the USB stick and answer a couple of questions.
- Open the browser on any computer at home and do the rest from there: disks, folders, users and apps.
No Linux knowledge needed. If you already have Debian installed, it can go on top of it too.
Your data, in your home
Everything you store stays on your disks. There is no monthly fee and no storage limit beyond the size of your disks, and your photos never pass through anyone else's server. The licence is for life, with updates included.
Need it for the office? See the server for businesses. Mainly want to stop paying for a cloud? See the private cloud.
The usual questions
Do I need to know Linux to set up a home server?
No. Everything happens in the browser: disks, folders, users and backups. There is a regular Debian underneath, but you never have to touch it.
What happens if a disk fails?
With two mirrored disks you lose nothing: the server warns you and you swap the broken disk without shutting down. With a single disk, schedule a backup to another disk or to the cloud, from the same panel.
Can I reach my files away from home?
Yes. With the LGM Connect app for phones and computers, which needs no changes to your router, or with your own VPN.
Will an old laptop do?
Yes, as long as it is 64-bit and has 4 GB of memory. If it only has one disk, you can plug in another one over USB for your data.