☁️ Personal Home Cloud Server (DIY) Using Nextcloud + Linux Mint XFCE

🚀 Turned an old Lenovo G550 laptop (with a broken screen) into a fully functional home-based personal cloud server using Linux Mint XFCE and Nextcloud.
🌍 Accessible over local Wi-Fi and ready for DuckDNS-based global access.

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🧠 Problem Statement

Family members often face storage issues on their phones, and cloud services like Google Drive have limitations or privacy concerns. The goal was to repurpose an old, low-spec laptop into a self-hosted, reliable, and secure cloud server — accessible from both mobile and desktop, and usable even without a working built-in display.

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🎯 Objectives

• Build a 24/7 file and media cloud server on old hardware
• Enable mobile-to-server file sync (like Google Photos/Drive)
• Make the server remotely accessible (via DuckDNS and port forwarding)
• Prevent system sleep or shutdown on lid-close
• Showcase full-stack integration using Linux, Web UI, mobile, and network config

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💻 Hardware Used

Component	Specification
Laptop	Lenovo G550 (Core2Duo, 3GB RAM, 320GB HDD)
Screen	Broken — relied on HDMI external display
Network	Wi-Fi LAN (router with port forwarding)
Clients	Android phone, Dell laptop (secondary machine)

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🧰 Software Stack

Layer	Technology
OS	Linux Mint XFCE 22.1
Server App	Nextcloud (Snap version)
Mobile Bridge	KDE Connect (Android ↔ Linux sync)
DNS	DuckDNS (Dynamic Public Domain)
Sleep Control	Caffeine + XFCE Power Config + systemd
Access Protocols	HTTP, WebDAV, Web UI, local mount

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🔧 Step-by-Step Setup Guide

1. 🧑‍💻 Install Linux Mint XFCE on Old Laptop

• Created a bootable USB using another PC (Mintstick)
• Booted Linux Mint Live session via HDMI (since screen was broken)
• Installed OS to internal HDD
• Set up persistent external monitor using xrandr and ~/.xprofile

2. 🔌 Prevent Sleep, Lid Suspend, Screensaver Lock

• Edited /etc/systemd/logind.conf:

HandleLidSwitch=ignore
HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore
IdleAction=ignore

Disabled screensaver:

xfce4-screensaver-preferences
xfce4-power-manager-settings

• Added caffeine & to auto-start session to prevent sleep

3. ☁️ Install and Run Nextcloud Snap Server

sudo apt update
sudo apt install snapd
sudo snap install nextcloud

• Accessed the server from another device on the LAN: http://192.168.1.XX/

📂 Exposing Local Folders to Nextcloud

Since Snap version can't access /home, we moved files to /media/.

sudo mkdir /media/nextcloud-data
sudo cp -rv ~/Videos/. /media/nextcloud-data/
sudo cp -rv ~/Documents/. /media/nextcloud-documents/

Then configured them via:

Nextcloud Admin → Settings → External Storage Set type to: Local Path: /media/nextcloud-data and /media/nextcloud-documents

✅ Successfully browsed these folders on both mobile and web interface.