VM for a Linux server? Or just use Ubuntu Desktop?
reddit / selfhosted

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_throwawaylater_ · 2023-09-29 22:27

I'm setting up a Linux server on an old (fairly low spec) laptop,
probably just to run plex, but I'd also like to use to download
torrents

Would using the Ubuntu server distro to host plex, and then logging
into a VM when I want to download stuff be the best of both worlds? Or
is that overkill and I should just use a desktop environment?

Using this as a way to learn Linux, so sorry for the noob question!
Cheers

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JunglistFPV · 2023-09-29 22:40

I would run the containers directly on the OS. You could also consider
proxmox and you get a nice ui and stuff to set up VMs if you want (and
its just Debian under the hood). I personally run a single vm on
proxmox, but i like having the ability to expand.

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borouhin · 2023-09-30 00:03

Maybe I misunderstood your case, but you could install qbittorrent-nox
on Ubuntu Server for torrents and access it via WebUI without "logging
into a VM".

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_throwawaylater_ · 2023-09-30 00:12

So to clarify, using qbittorrent-nox and a WebUI I'd be able to
browse(the Internet?) and download torrents?

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borouhin · 2023-09-30 00:31

You will be able to download torrents without setting up X server
(desktop environment) on the server. Of course, you will browse the
Internet and download .torrent files (or copy magnet links) from your
desktop PC. Afterwards you go to qbittorrent WebUI and upload those
.torrent files (ot paste those magnet links) there to download.

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_throwawaylater_ · 2023-09-30 00:40

Okay! So I'll be finding my torrent files through my desktop and then
sshing the urls into the qbittorrent-nox server... That makes sense,
thanks for your help!

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borouhin · 2023-09-30 00:44

You may just open qbittorrent WebUI in your browser, press "Add
torrent file" button there and upload the .torrent file. Or you may
set up qbittorrent to monitor a particular folder for .torrent files
to automatically download and upload .torrent files to that folder in
any way comfortable to you.

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sodium111 · 2023-09-30 03:15

You’re partially right - you’d be in your web browser on the desktop
computer, and you’d point that web browser to the server on your lan,
(using the correct port). The Qbittorrent on that server has the webui
setup, and this acts basically like a miniature web server, feeding
the necessary web page data to your web browser so that you can view
and interact with your torrent client. You get the benefit of a gui,
which is more user friendly than a command line, but you don’t have to
run a full gui interface on the server computer.

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_throwawaylater_ · 2023-10-19 02:31

Just to come full circle - I'm back here 3 weeks later with prowlarr,
radarr, solarr and qbittorrent (via a vpn) all running through docker
containers. Thanks for your time fielding my early questions!