I’ve wanted to try using a laptop as a server for my nas. On face value it seems lime a good idea to me:
- built in battery backup
- built in keyboard and trackpad for manual configuration
- relatively low power
- use my usbc drive enclosure
- doesn’t take up very much space (important since downsizing to 1bd apartment with partner who for whatever reason doesn’t think my second hand rack from the 90s is “aesthetic” (joke))
I actually do this for work sshing as the build environment for some firmware is on a very specific version of ubuntu. (Which shall not be changed for reasons that are beyond me but i digress)
However, the thing that has generally annoyed me is battery management. Letting it sit at 100% all day is not great for it.
However each laptop vendor (at least to my understanding) seems to have their own hooks (often via a closed source windows program x.x) or none at all for stopping and starting charging etc.
Could just wire up a relay controlled over usb; or a smart home plug, but takes away from the encapsulation.
Any recommendations or good standards for laptops which have these hooks would be much appreciated. Thanks!
ThinkPads have to be the gold standard for Linux laptops, so id be surprised if battery management wasn’t something they could control (i.e. stay 80% charged)
Though, why keep the spicy pillow at all? Take the battery out and just make it a normal computer attached to your nas. In a power outage your Nas won’t have power anyway, and if you have a ups it could also run the laptop… A spicy pillow always powered on is just a consumable you have to manage
My ThinkPad lives in Fedora and sits between 75%-80%, all day, every day.
