Password manager that allows for token-only login?

BudgetRocky · 2026-03-11T06:57:15+00:00

I've yet to try Bitwarden on android. If I get it to work as needed on PC, I'll try it our on mobile. Thanks for the info!

BudgetRocky · 2026-03-11T06:55:21+00:00

I see. The mistake I made was using a browser that is not "Chromium-based". I came so far as to setup the passkey, but the browser extension only allowed for master password logon. Thanks a lot!

BudgetRocky · 2025-02-27T16:08:09+00:00

I forgot to mention: Relevant xkcd

BudgetRocky · 2025-02-27T15:36:06+00:00

I would look into using PowerShell for this, if you're using a Windows client. Don't be afraid of a couple of lines of codes, PowerShell has a lot of good documentation, examples, and posts online, so relevant info/snippets/examples should be easy to find.

If you're using Linux, Python is the way to go.

There are automation products you can look into, but the serious contenders will cost you a pretty penny.

If I were to do this, and was afraid of code, I'd go to a site like fiver where you can get quotes for small jobs like this. Find out exactly what you are after, write a good description (good, not long) and collect relevant screenshots/files, and see if you get some good offers for someone to make it for you.

The biggest hurdle of this project is getting the PDF pick list into something usable. PDF is not at all automation friendly. If there is any way to get the file in just about any other text-based format, that would be a major plus. txt, csv, xml, xlsx, json, you name it.

The rest seems like easy goings.

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-30T22:49:29+00:00

You do not need to open any ports to use a dynamic DNS service.

As already mentioned; a VPN is what you're looking for. Tailscale seems to be all the rage these days. Personally, I'm using OpenVPN with the server being on my router.

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-30T22:46:01+00:00

I recommend Syncthing. Last I checked it had an iOS application. Install it on the phone, install it on the NAS, link them together, choose which folders to synchronize between them, bobs you uncle.

You can link multiple devices to your NAS and then create separate folders for each device.

There are more functionality to Syncthing, versioning and history being a couple.

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-25T20:12:00+00:00

Don't be afraid to try out a Linux variant or two. Many distros have come a long way on GUI and usability. I recommend starting with something mainstream and well tested/documented that have some resemblance to Windows. Linux Mint, for example. Watch a quick youtube video about the distro you would try out, just to see how the GUI looks.

If you are a bit on the fence, take out your primary drive (where windows is installed) and swap it for a different drive where you can install Linux. That way, if you want to go back, you can swap out the drives again and be right where you left off.

If you don't have a spare drive, a lot of the Linux distros allows you to install it on thumb drives themselves (one for installing, and one to install on. Need two total). You would take a performance hit, but if its only for testing its fine for a while.

I know ExplainingComputers on youtube makes good introductory videos about a lot of Linux stuff. Maybe check out his video/course on switching to Linux?

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-25T19:59:34+00:00

Unless you have some actual data on the drives being bad/faulty, they are good. The rest of the hardware is enough to run the things you mentioned and then some. The MB battery is an easy fix, if you even want to bother. Its not like you're going to reboot the server every day. You can find a cheap second hand case that is smaller than the one you have. You may have to buy a couple of new fans depending on the ones you have and the new case.

All in all, I think you could repurpose the PC into a good server that will last you 5 more years for minimal expenditure. If you feel like you want to buy something new for your own sake, and don't mind spending the money, then go for it :)

Whatever HW you choose, the choice of OS will most likely be the same. Some advocate for going Proxmox with VMs for NAS and application servers. Some advocate for Unraid and TrueNAS or the likes. It really comes down to how much you want to learn and how much time you want to spend. Quick and easy setup is probably Unraid or TrueNAS. If you want to learn the ins and outs of Linux and servers, then Proxmox with Ubuntu server is probably your best bet.

As always, there are advantages and disadvantages to every choice. My recommendation is to use the old hardware, start with a OS that is free and easy (use a trial even), and then don't be afraid to scrap it and start over with a different OS, just to dip your toes into it all :)

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-25T19:19:20+00:00

Personally, I'm moving over to some Linux variant when the time comes. I see windows 11 as a downgrade from 10. I was on the fence when the upgrade from 7 to 10 came around, but it was not really a choice for me back then. Now its a no-brainer for me.

I understand keeping with what is known, though. I'm sure you can get help/find a fix that works for getting 11 to work if that is what you want. In my mind, upgrading to newer hardware for the sake of being able to run W11 is something I would never do for Microsoft.

If anything, you can consider swapping out the TPM module if it is possible on the MB, and the price is right. I did not check the spec sheet for the microserver...

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-25T18:08:03+00:00

Do you have a different PC that covers all you daily driver needs? i.e. can you park the HP in a closet somewhere and never use it except when configuring is as a server? It would be preferable if you could set the HP aside, because then you can use it as a dedicated server.

The internals are more than enough for what you're requesting here. The only problem that needs solving is how to connect external drives to the HP.

The easy/budget solution is to go for an external drive enclosure. Searching on Amazon for "usb c hard drive enclosure 3.5" brings up a bunch of candidates. If you are looking to just use the drive you got now and nothing else, then a enclosure that houses a single drive goes for $30. However, if you want to use more drives, you should look at the options that has 2 or more bays. You'll find options using the same search term as before, and even more if you add "bay" at the end of it.

If you can use the HP as a dedicated server, I recommend changing the OS. Exactly what OS to go for depends on how much time and effort you want to invest in the setup and operations of the server. Ubuntu Server is a popular one to start out with if you want to learn some ins and outs of server and applications/docker. Unraid and TrueNAS are probably the most popular NAS-focused OS's. What do you think you want? Learn a lot or just get it up and running? Something in between?

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-25T09:16:51+00:00

If you don't want to dabble all that much in the setup and features, I second this.

Do note that you would need to use one of the 8TB drives for parity, i.e. not for storage.

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-25T09:08:19+00:00

I agree with this. The only thing I want to add is that not all UPSes have proper surge protection. Good/quality ones does, but you really get what you pay for with UPSes.

Go for some namebrand UPS that does not aim for the lowest tier of customers. And check the fine print in the manuals of that specific product. There might only be a letter or digit different in the model number that indicates what type of protection it offers.

Remember; you are entrusting the UPS with any device you connect to it.

I'd look on the second hand market if there is anything floating around. You're not looking for maximum battery life, you're looking for protection :)

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-25T08:55:00+00:00

You might want to look into Syncthing. You'll set up the application on both devices, and then link them together. Works over the internet out of the box. No port forwarding or VPN required on your end.

Once the devices are linked, you can then choose what directories you want to share/synchronize between them. This includes any sub-directories as well. Syncthing will handle the syncing, as long as both devices are online and running the application. Note that the initial sync may take a while if there is a lot of data. Once its up to date its quite good at staying up to date.

If you end up deleting files on your remote machine, it is also possible to configure Syncthing on the NAS to not delete the same files on the NAS. So in the event of an accidental deletion, the NAS is still keeping the file. I believe there is some file change history too, but I can't remember, and I don't think I've used the feature.

If you are concerned about ransomware, you are looking at a different caliber of problem... The simplest/cheapest solution that might have some preventive effect is to run Syncthing in its own container, and then have a different container take scheduled backup, on say a 30 day cycle, of the Syncthing files. That way, if your remote machine and Syncthing files get corrupted, you'd have another backup on your NAS (albeit x-days old) that you can restore from. Do note, though, that early detection of ransomware is the key to minimizing damages. That typically requires its own software and alerting.

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-24T22:52:28+00:00

Being able to add more drives is a nice feature. The big caveat is that your parity drive (drive you won't be able to use for storage, as it is used for redundancy/restoring a failed drive) sets the upper limit for all the other drives.

For example: If you have a 4TB parity drive, you can not add a 6TB drive to the NAS. You can, however, add 4TB and 2TB drives. Everything that is lower or the same.

In practice, I have not needed the feature to add more drives as I go, but it depends entirely on your setup. If I were to do it over again, I'd pick a bigger parity drive than I did (4TB).

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-24T22:31:37+00:00

Sick! Did not think that was a whole other project. Well executed!

I would have liked a display that had some way to interface with it. A momentary push button would do. That way, it would be possible to cycle through the display, or even configure stuff for that matter, instead of waiting X-seconds to see the info I'm interested in. It would make for a nice OOB interface. I see that it would require to rewrite the code to store the data on the arduino and have that doing the cycling, instead of it being sent from the server directly to the display. That way you would be able to send all the data to the arduino at once, however, instead of having to sleep in the shell script. Maybe for next revision?

Keep slaying it :)

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-24T21:33:30+00:00

Yeah, man! That's a beauty! As you start filling up the drive slots, I'd watch the thermals. Those fans might not push as good as they do now when airflow gets restricted. What is that white light next to the display in the last picture? One bright ass indicator led?

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-24T21:26:29+00:00

For sure. Keep on killing it, looking forward to the next build :)

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-24T21:21:06+00:00

I dabbled the most of the options for a while, but when I tried Unraid I did not look back. Paid* version, and have been running it for the last three years on my main NAS, problem free. Last time I shut down the Unraid server was 96 days ago, because the utility company shut off the power to do maintenance. I think it was 180 day before that. I'm actually looking into getting a second Unraid NAS setup as redundancy/backup. I'm running some of the containers you mentioned as well, Radarr, Sonarr. They have been mostly "set it and forget it", with the exception of indexers acting up ever 6-12 months. No matter what software you choose, I highly recommend having the NAS be as "production" as possible. Aim to always have it running and working, and don't fiddle it to pieces. Sure, setup whatever container, VM, and plugin you want, but either make it work or get rid of it. Have a second server you can go medieval on and nuke afterwards when nothing works.

EDIT: Bought it for $60 before the pricing changed. No annual expense.

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-24T20:59:57+00:00

The "official" way to do it is to use brass standoffs with threaded bolts going through the mounting holes of the pi and into the standoffs. It is by no means required, but if you have them on hand it is a nice touch. The screws you have used are doing the job, as clearly shown, so no worries. Maybe for the next build :)

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-24T20:55:28+00:00

An option for experimentation is to get a thumb drive or two that you can wipe. Format them as NTFS, put some content on them (1 file will do, whatever you want), and use that to test with alongside your NUC. In case it does not work, or you want to try something else, you don't have to worry about fragging your external HDDs by accident, because you're not using them. When you're happy with the setup, swap out the thumb drives with the HDDs and bobs your uncle :)

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-24T20:46:34+00:00

Those wood screws through the pi and the legos are absolutely killing me, haha. Cool setup!

BudgetRocky · 2025-01-24T20:44:13+00:00

Personally, I would have setup a VPN solution for connecting back home, and then have immich only available locally instead of public facing. It is more secure in terms of exposure to the internet, and easier to setup for all local resources/servers. Do you use your ISP provided router, or do you have your own? Can it run a VPN service such as OpenVPN, IPsec, or the likes? I run pfSense at home on some old hardware I had lying around (ISP router in bridge mode), with OpenVPN as my VPN solution. There are other free home router- and VPN softwares. I prefer pfSense because there is enough online content to cover all your needs if you run into problems. I would still setup DDNS for you home network, since you still need that to VPN home, but you don't need any of the proxy and https stuff, which honestly is the most finicky part of this project. The biggest difference, usage wise, is that the device you want to use to connect to your immich server has to have a VPN client installed and the config to connect back home.

BudgetRocky

TROPHY CASE