Blocking them locally is one way, but if you’re already using cloudflare there’s a nice way to do it UPSTREAM so it’s not eating any of your resources.

You can do geofencing/blocking and bot-blocking via Cloudflare:
https://corelab.tech/cloudflarept2/

It’s literally based off the NAS comparison guide I posted… This is like a text book way to move forward for someone. My solution is like a giant all in one+a NAS, but a lllooottt of people have a decoupled solution.

One of the beautiful things about self-hosting; do what you want.

Welcome to the self-hosting trenches. Don’t worry about the “burning yourself” part - in this hobby, we consider those “tactical lessons.” Everyone has ah, “re-started” things at least a few times!

Actually, your plan isn’t “not very smart”—it’s a classic move we call Decoupling Compute from Storage. It is the most future-proof way to build a Digital Fortress. By separating your “Brain” (HP Mini) from your “Vault” (Asustor), you ensure that if one fails, the other stays standing. This is a great move.

Here’s how I see your planned setup:
**The Command Center: HP Z2 Mini - Xeon and Proxmox **

The Xeon 1245-v5 is a beast compared to that Celeron. Running Proxmox here is exactly the right call.
The Strategy: Use that M.2 drive for your Proxmox “Data” (the LXCs and VM boot drives). Services like Immich and Navidrome rely on fast databases; running them on an SSD on the Xeon node will make them feel lightning-fast.

The Gear: With 32GB of RAM, this is what I’d call an “Elite Node.” You have plenty of head-room to grow.
**
The Vault: Asustor (Celeron N5105) **
TrueNAS SCALE is “Heavy Armor.” Running it on a 2-bay Celeron is like putting tank treads on a scout bike - it’s overkill and eats up the limited RAM that Celeron has to offer.

The OS Choice: I’d strongly suggest OpenMediaVault 8 (OMV) for the Asustor. In my 2026 NAS OS Comparison Guide, I categorize OMV as the “Lightweight Tactical” choice. It’s built on Debian 13, is incredibly lean, and is the best way to turn low-power hardware into a rock-solid network drive. You’ve already tasted the freedom of a custom OS. Going back to ADM now will feel like a “vendor-lock-in” cage. OMV is the perfect middle ground… **
How they talk to each other **
Wipe the Asustor, install OMV, and set up a simple NFS or SMB share. In Proxmox, you “mount” that network share. Your apps on the HP Mini will “see” the Asustor drives as if they were plugged in locally.

Is it a good idea? Yes . If you ever want more drive bays in the future, you just swap out the Asustor “Vault” for something bigger (like a 6-bay DIY build or a UGREEN box), and your HP Mini “Command Center” never even has to go offline.

I recently broke down the “Battle Card” for why OMV is the king of low-power storage nodes in 2026. You might find the comparison table helpful for your specific hardware: NAS OS Comparison

OOhh very nice! …

I’ve been hesitant to include links for this on the blog / guide but, this is quite the ‘educational resource’ you’ve shared!!!

Glad you read & enjoyed it! I aim for comprehensive coverage of a topic so some of the posts can be a bit long, but in the end cover a lot of ground.

Thanks - Cross-posted over there!

HHhhmm… Do container/docker install option. This is why it’s probably stagnated in adoption from the selfhosted community.

It needs a container based install, no one likes installing dependencies and crud onto their pristine environments any longer.

OOhhh I didn’t know about this!!! Thanks so much, I’ll be playing with that later…

Hahaha yes… I agree… I was very hesitant to include this as my header pic but I was like, eehhh, it’s realistic at least! The key is it shows certain ‘apps’ running on that Google TV. 😆

Yes sadly there’s a bit of a stranglehold on the market regarding sports. It’s the one thing that is held very close to the chest by the large Corps & broadcasters.

Thanks for taking a read through! Lots more to come ;)

I’ve been using Unifi APs since 2017 and they are fantastic. I control them with the Unifi Network Application via docker compose. Incredibly well priced APs that fit right into the ‘prosumer’ market for sure and still powerful enough to do SMB no problem.

As for FOSS Networking options - OPNsense FTW !!! It’s an open source firewall/router based on FreeBSD and extremely performant, feature rich, stable and secure… Absolutely love it, it’s the core of my network.

In regards to ZFS, I’ve been running a ZFS system of one type or another at home since 2013/2014… Totally valid & usable for home networks, many many do use ZFS storage systems. I’m very preferential to OpenMediaVault which is a NAS OS, but based directly on Debian! Debian is basically the Linux OS you want for reliability but paired with OMV’s gui - makes having a custom NAS easy.