MultiHub Forum

I've been really pleased with the stability and features of modern home server operating systems for self-hosting. My setup is based on a Proxmox VE 8.2 hypervisor running on a used HP Z440 workstation with 128GB of RAM, located in a home office in the Midwest, primarily to host services like Nextcloud, Home Assistant, and a few game servers for friends. The virtualization layer works flawlessly, but I'm now facing a significant challenge with storage performance and organization as I've expanded to over 20 Linux containers and a couple of VMs; my current setup uses a mix of SATA SSDs and hard drives in a ZFS pool, which is causing I/O wait issues during backups and when multiple services are active. I'm considering a storage overhaul with a budget of roughly $800. For those managing similar hyper-converged home labs, what's the most cost-effective storage configuration you've found that balances speed for VMs and capacity for backups—should I invest in a used SAS HBA and a shelf of enterprise SAS drives, or is moving to a dedicated NVMe pool on PCIe cards the better path forward? Also, how do you handle backup strategies for such a mixed workload, particularly ensuring quick restoration of individual containers without needing to recover an entire massive disk image?

I started with a ruthless pass at apps and subscriptions and kept only what I actually used daily. Emails go to one inbox with strict filters, files live in one tidy cloud folder, and I cancel services the moment they stop serving a real need. The result is calmer screens and better focus.

Be careful not to swing from owning nothing to feeling trapped by way too many manual rules. If you prune hard you might lose tools you rely on. Have a simple replacement process and a quick rollback plan for critical workflows so you dont break your day.

Try a 30 day trial of trimming then re add one thing at a time. Start with email and cloud storage and keep only what you actually touch. This helps uncover what each tool really costs in time and attention.

What exactly helped you most in your cleanup journey Do you track time spent on apps or do you do a periodic purge The thread could use a concrete checklist that people can follow.

Consolidate accounts whenever possible and enable local backups for essential data It makes moving between devices smoother and reduces the risk of data loss during a purge You can pair this with a simple folder structure and a weekly review.