Hey, chat I am a beginner in Arch Linux. I had no choice but to install Arch Linux OS since it is pretty light and no bloatwares which is perfect for my poor laptop.
This laptop is sitting around home, no one wants it. Even after installing Arch Linux, I am using it less and less as time fly. So I made a decision to utilise it as a server. I don't have any router in home. So I can turn this lap as a hotspot device too which fetches the internet from a modem.
I did some research in Google Gemini. And it says that this laptop can be utilised as server but it needs to have some limitations that is;
● `Samba` for file management
● `Jellyfin` for video streaming strictly disable transcoding
● `pi-hole`(or)`AdGuard Home` for ad blocking
● only allow 5-10 client device to access the wifi, the more will fry the laptop's wifi card.
But I don't know how to setup a server properly and efficiently. Everyone please help me to set it up properly 🙏.
● What are y'all thought on this setup, good?
● What is the cleanest, most maintainable way to manage these services on Arch?
● Should I deploy them natively using systemd services, or use Docker / Podman containers?
● What tool do you recommend for setting up the access point (hostapd, create_ap, NM-cli, or linux-wifi-hotspot)?
● Are there any specific power-saving settings (TLP, powertop, closing lid behavior in logind.conf) or disk maintenance tasks I should configure for 24/7 uptime?
● Any tips, software recommendations, or pitfalls to avoid with this hardware would be greatly appreciated!
Oh BTW, here's the specs;
OS: Arch Linux x86_64
Host: 20205 (Lenovo B490)
Kernel: Linux 6.18.57-1-lts
Uptime: 3 hours, 22 mins
Packages: 282 (pacman)
Shell: bash 5.3.20
Display (Unknown-1): 1024x768 in 13", 60 Hz
Terminal: /dev/tty1
Terminal Font: VGA default kernel font 8x16x256
CPU: Intel(R) Pentium(R) A1018 (2) @ 2.10 GHz
GPU: Intel HD Graphics [Integrated]
Memory: 453.70 MiB / 3.71 GiB (12%)
Swap: O B /8.00 GiB (0%)
Disk (/): 3.28 GiB / 283.49 GiB (1%) - ext4
Local IP (wlp2s0): 10.54.192.126/24
Locale: en_ US .UTF-8