Lab Data Server: A shared server from a spare tower

The lab needed one place to keep microscope images, simulation output and backups, reachable from every computer. Instead of buying a new machine, I turned a spare desktop tower into a dedicated server.

I stripped and rebuilt the case, re-routed the cables, fitted a system disk and a 16 TB data drive, and set it up with Debian and OpenMediaVault. It runs without a screen or keyboard, is managed entirely over the network, and shares its storage with the Windows, Mac and Linux machines in the lab.