Physical setup

The server

The tala.family server is a single physical machine located in Switzerland with a residential fiber connection (Init7). It runs Fedora Linux and hosts all services as containers managed by Podman.

The server is always on. If power or internet is interrupted, it restarts automatically and all services come back up on their own.

Storage

Data is stored on ZFS, a filesystem designed for reliability. Key features:

• Automatic checksums — Every block of data is verified when read. Silent corruption (bit rot) is detected and repaired automatically.
• Snapshots — The server takes regular snapshots of all data. If something is accidentally deleted, it can be recovered from a recent snapshot.
• Replication — Snapshots are continuously replicated to a second server (Wahch) at a different location. If the primary server is lost, data can be restored from the replica.

Backups

Data protection works in layers:

1. ZFS snapshots — Taken every 15 minutes, kept for varying durations (recent snapshots kept longer).
2. Off-site replication — Snapshots are sent to the backup server shortly after they're taken.
3. App-level exports — Some services (like photos) can export data independently of the storage layer.

Network

The server connects to the internet over IPv6 via a fiber line. A VPN (Tailscale/Headscale) provides secure remote access for family members. Public-facing services go through Cloudflare for DNS and DDoS protection.