TrueNAS Home Server
Homelab case study · August 2025
Building a TrueNAS Home Server on a UGREEN DXP2800
Replacing the appliance’s factory software with TrueNAS SCALE to create a self-hosted storage and application platform for file services, backups, media, containers, and remote access under my own administration.
A home server built for learning, control, and practical self-hosting.
This project started from a simple objective: use the UGREEN DXP2800 as a general-purpose homelab and storage platform rather than relying only on the appliance’s original software. Moving to TrueNAS SCALE gave me a familiar storage model, dataset-level control, application hosting, and a platform I could extend as my lab evolved.
The system was designed to support media streaming, file storage, backups, containerized applications, and secure remote access. More importantly, it became a practical environment for testing services before introducing similar concepts elsewhere.
Compact hardware with enough headroom for a multi-service lab.
Preparing the appliance for TrueNAS SCALE.
The installation required changing the appliance boot behavior so TrueNAS could be installed and used as the primary operating environment. On my unit, BIOS access was available during boot and the original watchdog/boot behavior needed adjustment before the installation was reliable.
Write the TrueNAS SCALE ISO to a USB drive using a tool such as balenaEtcher.
On my DXP2800, the BIOS was accessible during startup using the keyboard shortcut available on that unit.
I disabled the appliance behavior that interfered with booting and running TrueNAS reliably.
Boot from USB, select the intended system disk, complete the installation, and reboot into TrueNAS.
After the system received an address on the LAN, the remaining configuration was completed through the TrueNAS web interface.
Datasets separate applications, backups, and media.
The primary pool is named mainpool. Rather than placing every workload into one directory, I separated application configuration, stacks, backups, and media into distinct datasets so permissions and backup behavior could be handled independently.
Dataset layout
Permissions model
The server became a small platform rather than a single-purpose NAS.
Local media streaming from storage hosted on the TrueNAS system.
Self-hosted photo and media management.
Asset-management application used for inventory testing and homelab workflows.
Outbound tunnel used to provide selected remote access without exposing service ports directly on the router.
A self-hosted service included in the lab application stack.
Applications were deployed using the mechanisms available in the TrueNAS environment and, where appropriate, Docker Compose-style stack definitions. Persistent data was mapped to dedicated datasets instead of being left inside ephemeral container storage.
Local-first administration with selective remote access.
Administration is performed primarily over the local network. For remote access, the design uses an outbound Cloudflare Tunnel rather than forwarding application ports directly from the internet to the NAS.
The NAS still needs its own recovery plan.
Local storage is not the same thing as backup. The lab uses snapshots and external-copy workflows so application configuration and important datasets are not dependent on a single storage device.
The troubleshooting work became part of the value of the lab.
The application stack was running but database authentication was not aligned with the configured application credentials.
After validating the MySQL credentials and application environment values, the service became available normally.
Dataset ownership and permissions did not match the user/group expected by the application containers.
UID/GID ownership and file modes were adjusted for the affected datasets so persistent volumes could be accessed correctly.
The tunnel process was present, but the configuration file did not describe the intended ingress routes correctly.
After fixing the tunnel configuration, the selected services were reachable through the intended hostnames.
Reduce unnecessary exposure and keep administration deliberate.
A homelab is useful because it can keep evolving.
Future expansion is less about adding applications for their own sake and more about using the server as a safe place to test infrastructure patterns. Candidate workloads include DNS filtering, home automation, and lightweight virtual machines where the hardware capacity and operational value make sense.
Potential additions
Design priority
Bikram Bhujel is an IT Infrastructure Specialist based in Nepal, writing about enterprise networking, server administration, and home lab setups at bikrambhujel.com.np
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