Tour of Cash-Server

The Custom Automated Smart Home-Server, also known as the "Cash-Server," is a cutting-edge, self-hosted server built on a robust Dell PowerEdge R820 system. With an impressive 96 cores, 1TB of RAM, and 8TB of SAS storage connected through a meraki 48 port switch, the Cash-Server runs on strong performance and large storage capacity however this could all technically run on a RaspberryPi just depends what interests you. Seven sets of four 1GB ports are aggregated into 4Gbps links, providing lightning-fast connectivity to a router with a 5Gbps uplink via fiber. The OS and services on the Cash-Server have undergone 850+ build time hours, with the handling of everything from researching and resolving installation issues to troubleshooting kinks that caused other services to malfunction to finalizing with a fully running service. With the "How-To" section of the website, users can find easy-to-follow tutorials on how to install and quickly start using the services offered by the Cash-Server. The goal of the site is to help users reduce the time and effort required to set up a self-hosted server with advanced capabilities. Thank you for your interest in the Cash-Server.

• Heimdall is my choice for my personal Dashboard. In my opinion, between all the other available dashboards, Heimdall is the best when it comes to setup simplicity and elegant design that is mostly customizable

• Proxmox Virtual Environment is the main OS that is running directly to the hardware. This allows me to spin up multiple virtual machines that I can access and use as long as I'm connected within the network. This helps to delegate services being ran so that multiple services aren't constantly hitting each other but it still allows connection between them if needed

• Casa OS was at first my least favorite docker application tool however I have grown very fond of this service. It actually makes docker container deployments much easier than using CLI or even Portainer!

• Nginx Proxy Manager is the tool I use to route my services from their IP address:Port Number to a domain name. However even though its now going to a domain name it still does not hit the public internet because all the DNS records are within the network and not a public IP address. Therefore implementing more zero trust. Also along with the domain name you can create and sign your own SSL certificates that passes with the Certificate Authority. I would highly recommend to NEVER enter your internets public IP address into a DNS record and open a port on your network as once that public IP is registered on a DNS it can never be removed and will always be able to search. As with this application and a VPN, you can register all your DNS records with local IP addresses which are in 95% of world wide households and have no way of tracing back to you.

• NetData is the program I use to monitor all my hardware and network performance. This gives me very in-depth details about my server both for maintenance and threat prevention

• UpTime Kuma allows me to quickly look at the status of my services to make sure they are currently operational without having the need to physically look at them

• Emby is probably one of the most used as well as favorite service I have. This takes any digitally owned movie you have and by simply having the folders linked together with this service it will automatically turn all your movies into a netflix style interface and will also allow you to stream your movies from anywhere. True story watched a entire movie in 4k on a planes "In-Flight Wifi" Definitely a must have!

• Komga is very similar to Emby however instead of your digitally owned movies, this is for your digitally owned books/comics. Takes your file and automatically adds it to your system and gives it its proper thumbnails the exact same concept Emby runs on

• SyncThing is a very useful application when running multiple virtual machines or have multiple devices because this allows you to connect folders on multiple devices including Windows, Mac, Android & IOS and all files will always sync with each other

• FileBrowser is a great tool for having easy on the go access to all your files. Provides a very simplistic file explorer right through any web browser

• NextCloud is my most used application when it comes to every day to day life. This is truly your own personal cloud and allows you to connect just about everything in the logistics part of life. Definitely a must have no questions in any home server lab or even small business

• AdGuard is a great tool that you can implement either on a specific device, a router or depending which VPN you use, you can even point your VPN DNS at this and when connected to VPN it will block a high portion of ads in your network

• Another useful tool is your own internet speedtest server. This will allow you to speedtest directly to your server. I used on my cases to work kinks out in my network and I have actually made almost twice as much data pass through just by using this for instant data. Its very accurate and you can expect a actual download and upload speed of about 10% of the test. For example the above test would catch me about 6.4MBps download speed from my server and 5.6MBps upload speed to my server on my current network.

• Home Assistant is a great dashboard not only for a lot of your home lab services, but also a lot of your smart home devices. Some examples would be your smart light bulbs or your smart home thermostat even all the way to your houses sprinkler system. It puts everything you have into a Dashboard that makes your network a one stop shop. Mine is always being built on and constantly updated.

• If you have IP cameras in your house/business, iSpyAgentDVR is definitely a useful tool. You can connect all your cameras to this system to have a quick easy website view of your cameras. If you have the processing power and storage, you can also record to this system as well. This system has many features that I haven't gotten deep into however definitely worth looking at

Lets first begin by understanding what a VPN is! A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a technology that provides a secure and encrypted connection over the internet, allowing users to access resources, communicate, and browse the web as if they were connected to a private network, even if they are using a public or untrusted network. The primary purpose of a VPN is to enhance privacy and security by creating a private and secure "tunnel" for data transmission.

Wondering why you should consider using a VPN? Well, it's all about enhancing the privacy and security of your data—a crucial aspect in today's digital age. A VPN achieves this by implementing robust encryption, turning your network into a fortress against unauthorized access.

Consider this scenario: when you open a port on your firewall to make a service accessible, it's not just you who gains entry. The entire world could potentially access it. I once ventured into the deep web and managed to infiltrate an entire home network—firewall, sprinkler system, smart lights, smart garages, smart door locks, and all files and data. The vulnerability? The individual had exposed their camera system to the public web by directly opening the port on their firewall and I was able to retrieve his password which was the same everywhere else in his network.

Subsequently, I located his residence by identifying the county through his public IP address. Leveraging his cameras and satellite imagery, I cross-referenced the surroundings until I successfully pinpointed his home address. With this information in hand, I conducted public searches, uncovering his name and phone number. Initiating a call, I disclosed the extent of what I could access. Remarkably, this entire process consumed less than an hour. Following our conversation, he thankfully and promptly took action, closing all the ports on his firewall as a precautionary measure.

Now, contrast that with a VPN connection. It allows you to access your services within your network securely, without the constant worry of unauthorized eyes prying into or accessing your valuable services and data. In essence, a VPN acts as a shield, ensuring that your digital presence remains private and secure and most importantly unseen!

In this tutorial, I'll guide you through the installation of two VPNs: WireGuard and Tailscale. While both operate at the same high level of security and encryption, their methods differ. Tailscale boasts an easy setup with minimal firewall configurations, offering a slight performance difference without the need to open ports—this aligns with the "Zero Trust" approach, prioritizing security. On the other hand, WireGuard is straightforward to install but requires a specific port to be opened on the firewall, resulting in a slightly improved performance.

You might be wondering about the contradiction regarding open ports on the firewall. The truth is, it depends on the service and its security measures. Tailscale's unique approach eliminates the need for open ports on the firewall, enhancing security through "Zero Trust." However WireGuard, while requiring a port to be opened, mitigates risk by employing VPN keys, ensuring that unauthorized access is thwarted. In the realm of VPNs, some level of port opening is common practice, often complemented by robust security measures.

Now that we've established the significance and necessity of a VPN, let's dive into the steps to set them up in your network. Given the length of this page, individual links for each VPN installation have been provided below. Click on the respective link to access detailed instructions for the VPN of your choice.