Network

Network: cloud data server

Nick Vermeulen

06 Apr 2026 — 1 min read

Cloud data became popular with the introduction of Dropbox and today we have iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive etc. that are all massively popular. While everyone accepts their small print conditions without even reading them, we know from sources like Snowden that governments do mass data surveillance including hacking and threatening to gain access to your data. Also, conditions change like the cost of service or features become more limited.

Besides those negatives, there are many positives as well: it is very convenient and with data being replicated over multiple sites it becomes almost impossible to lose it. When we want to create our own cloud services, we must keep these features in mind.

A MacMini comes with MacOS and that has file sharing built in, turning your Mac into a LAN fileserver. To gain access from remote locations you can simply use the Wireguard VPN service which puts you back onto your LAN from wherever you are. All client operating systems have support to access such servers including iOS where your own server becomes an option just like iCloud.

But we also want to share files or allow someone to upload a file to us. For this I opted for the open source FileBrowser, which allows one to create links to share files for a specified duration or forever and allows creation of users that can login and get their own folder and a configurable amount of disk space. I tested this recently by sharing a 3D design on this blog.

I used a simple external 3TB travel hard disk to store this data but you could use a NAS with disk redundancy if you like. As a first measure of data security I made a full backup onto another hard disk manually but there must be an automated system doing backups to an offsite location. For me that will be another MacMini installed aboard Jedi, as these use each other as a Time Machine backup destination via a Wireguard VPN.

All this shows the importance of the VPN service: not only to allow the functionality but also by making it very secure using authentication and encryption.

Galvanic Isolator: not!

I previously called these gadgets a scam or at least a barely allowed trick and I did receive some feedback on that, asking if a company like Victron really is selling a scam product so let me put this into context with this post: I call these gadgets scams or

Line Isolation Monitor

You can buy a LIM for $1000-$2000, which is a great deal for a hospital operating room but a bit stiff for a sailboat where nobody dies when AC power is disrupted. A couple remarks before diving in: the diagram above is conceptual, not an actual schematic, which requires

AC power diagram part 2

In part one we arrived at the input bus where incoming AC power, if any, is present. This incoming power is used to charge the batteries and/or to feed the distribution panels for use throughout the boat. Multiplus inverter/chargers I recommend two identical units that are special-ordered from

AC power diagram part 1

For these posts I am using a diagram that closely follows our actual installation aboard Jedi. In this post I discuss the input side: the shore power and generator inputs, the transfer switch, the input bus and the P conductor busbar. I present a detailed description of an installation that

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Galvanic Isolator: not!

Line Isolation Monitor

AC power diagram part 2

AC power diagram part 1