32

I have an HP pavillion 15-bc235nd that, quite frankly, I don´t really like that much (way too loud of a fan, cannot adjust the fan curve, keyboard and trackpad are terrible, etc).

I was planning to replace with laptop with something else, but in the meantime, I was thinking of something. Instead of getting this laptop in the landfill or give to someone else (no one needs an emergency laptop right now), I could potentially use this has a server machine to be used as an off site backup location.

Right now I am missing the off site backup part out of the 3-2-1 backup strategy. Since this laptop has more than enough horsepower to do the job, it could be a solution. But personally, I am not sure how reliable a laptop turned into a server can be. This laptop would be around 3000km away from me, so I have to be really sure it works at a distance without much problem.

For those who turned a laptop into a server: what is your mileage? Are there any specific considerations about this setup that a regular desktop/server does not have or specific issues?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] sxan@midwest.social 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Yeah, what they said.

OP, invest in a UPS - cheap or less cheap - you can get them as big as your bank account, and they're worth it. I tend to like Cyberpower for price, because they're common enough that I've never found a model that nuts didn't already know about, and they tend to have replaceable batteries. As parent said, the nightmare is if power goes out, and even though the laptop has a battery, you're buying yourself extra time. Plus extra surge protection and all that.

I'm not probably saying anything you don't already know, OP, but I feel there's a general under-valuing of UPSes when I hear about people's set-ups. They may mention a surge protector, but rarely do I see folks taking about their UPSes.

[-] ZeDoTelhado@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

I actually have contingencies for this. There is a ups around that I can use. It is good advice for sure, specifically for countries with fluctuations on the electric grid

[-] lka1988@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 years ago

It would be nice if there was firmware available for the charge controller that turned the laptop's own battery into a UPS, avoiding the whole "spicy pillow" debacle.

One can dream...

[-] I_Miss_Daniel@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

A smart switch that turns off the power when the battery hits 80% and turns it on at 78%? Dunno if that would actually work.

[-] lka1988@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 years ago

That's actually a thing some people do, usually with IFTTT or Home Assistant.

this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2025
32 points (100.0% liked)

Selfhosted

61647 readers
241 users here now

A place to share alternatives to popular online services that can be self-hosted without giving up privacy or locking you into a service you don't control.

Rules:

Detailed Rules Post

  1. Be civil.

  2. No spam.

  3. Posts are to be related to self-hosting.

  4. Don't duplicate the full text of your blog or readme if you're providing a link.

  5. Submission headline should match the article title.

  6. No trolling.

  7. Promotion posts require active participation, with an account that is at least 30 days old. F/LOSS without a paywall has exceptions, with requirements. See the rules link for details. Tags [CBH] or [AIP] are required, see the links in Rule 8 for details.

  8. AI-related discussions and AI-involved promotional posts have additional requirements for tagging, as noted in Rule 7 and the AI & Promotional Post Expanded Rules post, and find example disclosures here.

Resources:

Any issues on the community? Report it using the report flag.

Questions? DM the mods!

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS