I’m in the process of designing a home server and am curious how many ethernet ports are required at minimum and how many people recommend. The single board computer (SBC) I plan to use has two built in and has a pcie slot to add four more if necessary. If I don’t need the four extra I’d like to use the pcie slot for a pcie Coral Edge TPU (preferred over the USB variant but still an option).

I expect to plan to use the server to connect to my home network so any device on the network via WiFi can access NextCloud. Besides that I want to use Frigate in another container for home video surveillance. I don’t know if I can or want to yet also add a Plex or Jellyfin instance to then connect to my TV or use a separate SBC for that.

What are your thoughts? I’m new to all of these things and just don’t want to waste money on the wrong hardware. Thanks!

  • Faceman🇦🇺English
    3•1 year ago

    I have 6 ports on my main server and I used to use them all just because I could, but I only really use 3 these days.

    1x 10gbe for file server access, plex, downloaders, nextcloud etc.

    1x 1gbe for DNS (Adguard Home), home automation stuff, web hosting, etc etc.

    1x 1gbe for VMs

    I could do them all with one 10gbe and split out subnets with Vlans in software, but I like dedicated connections where possible as it is easier to manage and monitor.

    If you are looking to run a plex or jellyfin server it is usually best to use a dedicated player for those (nvidia shield, apple Tv, chromecast GTV etc…) as they always tend to have better support for things like multiple HDR formats and things like Atmos or DTSX compared to running a DIY HTPC box.

    • @sic_semper_tyrannis@feddit.chOPEnglish
      2•1 year ago

      Thanks! It gives me context and better understanding with your example. Good to know about the extra features dedicated movie boxes might have. I’ll keep that in mind when looking for or designing one.