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I have a Drobo 5N for file server use. It has been great because it is very small and doesn't need a keyboard or monitor for me to use it. I can install/reset/manage the device fully from another laptop.

Now, I'm looking for a home server that does more than just serve files. I can go with a Synology 1517+ which also needs no additional hardware and has more functionality. But, that functionality is limited by what DSM offers.

I can also go with a DIY NAS. I would be basically building a computer in a case that can house many hard drives. I can then install whatever software I want, but it comes at the cost that I will need a monitor and keyboard for the install, and then always need to keep the monitor and keyboard around in case something goes wrong, and I'd like to avoid this. I'm going for minimalism here.

Is there any way I can build a DIY NAS with just the computer and no connected monitor & keyboard? A KVM over IP device might work, but seems pricey. Any other options?

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  • Once you've set up the NAS OS, you should need a local keyboard and monitor. Most of them have a web interface for management. FreeNAS is one example, once you've got it installed, you don't need an attached keyboard or monitor, you can manage it remotely via a web browser.
    – essjae
    Commented Mar 28, 2018 at 23:40
  • @essjae This is why I explicitly mention install as well as maintain.
    – Roxy
    Commented Mar 28, 2018 at 23:50
  • USB or even PS/2 keyboards are cheap as hell. Get one of them, and connect your DIY NAS to your TV for the first setup. If you don't have a TV, ask a friend. As soon as the initial installation is complete, you don't need any peripherals anymore. If you use some NAS Linux like FreeNAS, there's a webinterface, and for anything else you can use SSH or even VNC if you really need GUI. Thats how I would do it. I would certainly not spend a couple hundred bucks for some KVM over IP device, especially since even monitors are cheaper.
    – LukeLR
    Commented Mar 28, 2018 at 23:58
  • @LukeLR Thanks. I guess the answer to my question is "no".
    – Roxy
    Commented Mar 29, 2018 at 0:00
  • In terms of if you can do the install without peripherals: Yes. But i don't think that it's impossible to find a temporary setup for first installation, is it? And for anything else, no peripherals are needet anymore. That's what I wanted to say :)
    – LukeLR
    Commented Mar 29, 2018 at 0:01

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The only real requirement is that the BIOS supports running headless (no monitor connected) and won't generate stop errors on keyboard/mouse failures (it can report a missing keyboard, but you want it to continue booting even if the keyboard is missing).

While not every BIOS supports this, most desktop BIOS' do.

You'll need the keyboard, mouse, and monitor while performing initial setup, but most NAS-specific OSes really only require the original boot and first steps to be run at the system, and everything else is done via a web interface.

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