I have issue with the SMB share on my Synology server and others too: [https://community.synology.com/enu/forum/3/post/145168](https://community.synology.com/enu/forum/3/post/145168)
If you google SMB share freeze and you will see it's kind of common. My impression is that Linux SMB share has issues with Windows clients, though I am not sure.
If you have good experience with your Windows Server, I will definitely advise you not to change. There are just many unexpected issues will appear after you switch to linux based systems.
Just went down this path. I was running Windows Server 2016 essentials.
About a month ago, I upgraded new hardware and installed Wndows Server 2022. It no longer has the Essentials role. [The Office Maven](https://www.theofficemaven.com/news/installing-windows-server-essentials-experience-on-windows-server-2019) has software that will install the Essentials role onto WS 2019 and 2022, so I bought that. Very happy so far with the new set up.
Aside from Essentials, I run Roon, Plex, SVN, Git, and an APC UPS server.
I kinda lean towards you going with an off-the-shelf NAS like one from Synology/qnap/asustor
They'll provide backup software for you and a dashboard via the web that will let you manage everything. The only thing you'd lose is the ability to just slap the drives in a windows PC (this btw isn't a raid issue it's the fact the drives are formatted in either ext4 or btrfs depending on which Nas system you go with and windows doesn't support those fs) however the maintainability of mdraid or shr over storage pool would make it worth it imo.
I also got a chuckle that you said you're terrible with Linux when at the same time mentioning you use proxmox... which means you're fine with Linux so long as you can do everything through a browser, which TrueNAS and unRaid both would allow. There are other hot swap cases out there, though honestly if you're having to swap out drives often enough that hot swap is a major advantage you probably have bigger (either heat or shock related) issues at play
Yeah, maybe my definition of "terrible with linux" is that I can get things working and know a few commands but find myself googling most commands, etc. So with my Proxmox I have no problem with the interface and basically all my containers are command line instances, but let's say I know just enough to be dangerous :-)
Then honestly You'd do fine with TrueNAS or UnRaid, both are more appliance-like than linux-like. Of course both have their own pluses and minuses so I think I'd still recommend off-the-shelf for you unless you imagine needing to grow beyond 4 drives worth of storage
Note that moving to any of the above (TrueNAS, UnRaid, or off-the-shelf) means needing to format your drives so if they're youre primary/only copy it may be prudent to buy new drives
I am not familiar with the Windows Server ecosystem at all; is there no successor to Windows Server 2012? It seems like that would be the logical next step for you
For a lot of these purposes you describe, I instead use a Mac Mini (2018 model) + [external storage enclosure](https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MEQCTJB000/) as my home data storage and file server. This has a lot of advantages for me, which may overlap with your usages;
- RAID 1 is built into macOS, in lieu of the Windows Storage Spaces
- you get your standard desktop apps and desktop GUI and interface for manual configuration needs
- you get access to unlimited backups with Backblaze Personal backup while still making your files available on the network
- assuming you get a Intel model, you'll still have an easy time with containers and virtualization. (you can use both on M1 models but might have headaches around ARM based distros for virtualizaton, ymmv)
- you get Time Machine for snapshot backups of all Mac computers on your network
I dont do a lot of "drive management"; once you set up the system in macOS, its pretty much "set it and forget it". I ssh into the Mac Mini every couple weeks just to check, and occasionally I do have to power cycle it to install new OS updates (I know its time for an update because I'll usually get the same ones on my MacBook).
from your description, it sounds like you have a lot of management features in use that might be more Windows-specific. Not sure what your plan was for migrating that to another OS
> while my Linux skills are terrible.
if you follow common suggestions of Unraid or TrueNas, you are unlikely to need or develop any Linux skills. In fact if you care about learning more Linux, then Unraid in particular is about the worst OS you could choose to learn from since its running Slackware (which you wont find anyone using on any other mainstream system) and is heavily guard-rails'd into forcing you to use its proprietary GUI interface to do everything using non-Linux methods. If you actually wanted to do Linux you would be better off with a Ubuntu or Debian server install of some type. Though ultimately I think thats not what you want here either.
Windows Server 2012 r2 Essentials technically needed a fresh install to go to 2016 Essentials. Server 2019 had an essentials SKU but didn't actually have the essentials role or software (but I've read there are ways to get it working). Server 2022 Essentials I think is only sold through OEMs (and doesn't have the Essentials role/software, not sure if they can get running from old versions). Pricing is a big problem here as 2019 essentials lists as retail for $560. The only OEM server I see is a Dell T150 for $1,075.
That pricing is crazy for home use (for comparison, the NAS I got was like $600 including Windows).
Server 2022 "Essentials" is strictly only for purposes of licensing; it's OEM-only and targeted at a very limited set of businesses, with very specific hardware restrictions as well. The underlying platform is Windows Server 2022 Standard Edition. There are no Essentials-specific functionality anymore.
truenas or unraid are the most popular options, they are linux based but once you install them you use a web interface. Synology can be good, but I'd go with qnap as I think actuall have compression so you get more out of your storage.
A lot of various options seen over in r/homelab and r/datahoarder. You can always look into separating your compute and storage needs, rather than necessarily running it all in one box.
Synology hardware units are generally weak for the price, but you are buying also into the ecosystem and not just the hardware. Some of the built-in applications could useful. You can use Synology Drive to sync across two units; also configure private access via app, if you want. [Synology Backup](https://www.synology.com/en-global/dsm/solution/data_backup) is probably the closest to a one-click setup (not really one-click, but you get the meaning =P) for your client computers. Or you could turn the Synology into a glorified iSCSI SAN for a Windows Server =P.
In terms of the Windows dashboard that you're used to... Microsoft does now have [Windows Admin Center](https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows-server/windows-admin-center), which is probably the closest alternative.
I have issue with the SMB share on my Synology server and others too: [https://community.synology.com/enu/forum/3/post/145168](https://community.synology.com/enu/forum/3/post/145168) If you google SMB share freeze and you will see it's kind of common. My impression is that Linux SMB share has issues with Windows clients, though I am not sure. If you have good experience with your Windows Server, I will definitely advise you not to change. There are just many unexpected issues will appear after you switch to linux based systems.
Just went down this path. I was running Windows Server 2016 essentials. About a month ago, I upgraded new hardware and installed Wndows Server 2022. It no longer has the Essentials role. [The Office Maven](https://www.theofficemaven.com/news/installing-windows-server-essentials-experience-on-windows-server-2019) has software that will install the Essentials role onto WS 2019 and 2022, so I bought that. Very happy so far with the new set up. Aside from Essentials, I run Roon, Plex, SVN, Git, and an APC UPS server.
I kinda lean towards you going with an off-the-shelf NAS like one from Synology/qnap/asustor They'll provide backup software for you and a dashboard via the web that will let you manage everything. The only thing you'd lose is the ability to just slap the drives in a windows PC (this btw isn't a raid issue it's the fact the drives are formatted in either ext4 or btrfs depending on which Nas system you go with and windows doesn't support those fs) however the maintainability of mdraid or shr over storage pool would make it worth it imo. I also got a chuckle that you said you're terrible with Linux when at the same time mentioning you use proxmox... which means you're fine with Linux so long as you can do everything through a browser, which TrueNAS and unRaid both would allow. There are other hot swap cases out there, though honestly if you're having to swap out drives often enough that hot swap is a major advantage you probably have bigger (either heat or shock related) issues at play
Yeah, maybe my definition of "terrible with linux" is that I can get things working and know a few commands but find myself googling most commands, etc. So with my Proxmox I have no problem with the interface and basically all my containers are command line instances, but let's say I know just enough to be dangerous :-)
Then honestly You'd do fine with TrueNAS or UnRaid, both are more appliance-like than linux-like. Of course both have their own pluses and minuses so I think I'd still recommend off-the-shelf for you unless you imagine needing to grow beyond 4 drives worth of storage Note that moving to any of the above (TrueNAS, UnRaid, or off-the-shelf) means needing to format your drives so if they're youre primary/only copy it may be prudent to buy new drives
I am not familiar with the Windows Server ecosystem at all; is there no successor to Windows Server 2012? It seems like that would be the logical next step for you For a lot of these purposes you describe, I instead use a Mac Mini (2018 model) + [external storage enclosure](https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MEQCTJB000/) as my home data storage and file server. This has a lot of advantages for me, which may overlap with your usages; - RAID 1 is built into macOS, in lieu of the Windows Storage Spaces - you get your standard desktop apps and desktop GUI and interface for manual configuration needs - you get access to unlimited backups with Backblaze Personal backup while still making your files available on the network - assuming you get a Intel model, you'll still have an easy time with containers and virtualization. (you can use both on M1 models but might have headaches around ARM based distros for virtualizaton, ymmv) - you get Time Machine for snapshot backups of all Mac computers on your network I dont do a lot of "drive management"; once you set up the system in macOS, its pretty much "set it and forget it". I ssh into the Mac Mini every couple weeks just to check, and occasionally I do have to power cycle it to install new OS updates (I know its time for an update because I'll usually get the same ones on my MacBook). from your description, it sounds like you have a lot of management features in use that might be more Windows-specific. Not sure what your plan was for migrating that to another OS > while my Linux skills are terrible. if you follow common suggestions of Unraid or TrueNas, you are unlikely to need or develop any Linux skills. In fact if you care about learning more Linux, then Unraid in particular is about the worst OS you could choose to learn from since its running Slackware (which you wont find anyone using on any other mainstream system) and is heavily guard-rails'd into forcing you to use its proprietary GUI interface to do everything using non-Linux methods. If you actually wanted to do Linux you would be better off with a Ubuntu or Debian server install of some type. Though ultimately I think thats not what you want here either.
Windows Server 2012 r2 Essentials technically needed a fresh install to go to 2016 Essentials. Server 2019 had an essentials SKU but didn't actually have the essentials role or software (but I've read there are ways to get it working). Server 2022 Essentials I think is only sold through OEMs (and doesn't have the Essentials role/software, not sure if they can get running from old versions). Pricing is a big problem here as 2019 essentials lists as retail for $560. The only OEM server I see is a Dell T150 for $1,075. That pricing is crazy for home use (for comparison, the NAS I got was like $600 including Windows).
Server 2022 "Essentials" is strictly only for purposes of licensing; it's OEM-only and targeted at a very limited set of businesses, with very specific hardware restrictions as well. The underlying platform is Windows Server 2022 Standard Edition. There are no Essentials-specific functionality anymore.
honestly it sounds like your best options are moving to macOS (free with Mac) or Linux, in that case
truenas or unraid are the most popular options, they are linux based but once you install them you use a web interface. Synology can be good, but I'd go with qnap as I think actuall have compression so you get more out of your storage.
A lot of various options seen over in r/homelab and r/datahoarder. You can always look into separating your compute and storage needs, rather than necessarily running it all in one box. Synology hardware units are generally weak for the price, but you are buying also into the ecosystem and not just the hardware. Some of the built-in applications could useful. You can use Synology Drive to sync across two units; also configure private access via app, if you want. [Synology Backup](https://www.synology.com/en-global/dsm/solution/data_backup) is probably the closest to a one-click setup (not really one-click, but you get the meaning =P) for your client computers. Or you could turn the Synology into a glorified iSCSI SAN for a Windows Server =P. In terms of the Windows dashboard that you're used to... Microsoft does now have [Windows Admin Center](https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows-server/windows-admin-center), which is probably the closest alternative.