After 10 years as an AWS customer and open-source contributor, they deleted my account and all data with zero warning. Here's how AWS's 'verification' process became a digital execution, and why you should never trust cloud providers with your only copy of anything.
I have an old Toshiba laptop that put Linux on, I wouldn’t mind turning into a server. I want to build a new gaming rig, then I can take my current rig and turn it into a big server. Definitely like to just wire me and my two sons rigs into our own private network.
Just try it with the old laptop. I personally found dietpi the incredibly easy entry. Super bare bones Linux actually meant for raspberry pi and such, but you can run it on any old laptop. Using your all gaming rig might be a high energy usage if you’re just gonna run barely more than a NAS. If you do it with the laptop, take out the battery or put a timer on charger outlet, permanently connected and charging with a system that isn’t actively managing the battery and charging could get you a spicy pillow quickly.
I’m guessing they don’t live with you? And you need to setup a VPN? If so you can do that with a pretty low powered machine. Even a rPi is good enough.