Schemerhaven Server Handbook

“A small harbour deserves a reliable lighthouse.”

1. Introduction

This document describes the complete technical setup of the Schemerhaven server.

It serves four purposes:

• Documentation
• Disaster recovery
• Future maintenance
• Design rationale

Rather than being a collection of commands, this handbook explains why the server has been built in a particular way.

The server intentionally remains small.

Whenever possible the simplest solution is preferred over the most feature-rich solution.

The server should remain understandable by one person.

2. Design Philosophy

Schemerhaven intentionally avoids unnecessary complexity.

The server exists to publish information.

It is not intended to become a general-purpose Linux server.

The following principles guide every decision.

2.1 Static first

The website is generated using Hugo.

No CMS.

No database.

No PHP.

No server-side rendering.

All pages are static HTML.

Advantages:

• Fast
• Secure
• Minimal maintenance
• Compatible with old browsers
• Very low hardware requirements

2.2 Open Standards

Whenever possible open protocols are preferred.

Current examples:

• HTTP / HTTPS
• SSH
• SFTP
• XMPP

The server deliberately avoids dependence on commercial communication platforms.

2.3 Minimal software

Every installed package increases maintenance.

Software is only installed when it directly contributes to Schemerhaven.

Current stack:

• DietPi
• OpenSSH
• Nginx
• Certbot
• GoAccess
• Prosody
• Micro

2.4 Long-term stability

The server is considered feature complete.

Future work should primarily consist of:

• security updates
• backups
• documentation
• website content

Major software additions require a clear justification.

3. Hardware

Server

Hardware:

Raspberry Pi 1 Model B

Purpose:

Static web server

Services:

• Website
• XMPP
• SSH
• SFTP
• GoAccess

Why a Raspberry Pi 1?

The hardware itself is part of the project.

The website demonstrates that modern websites do not require modern hardware.

The server consumes little power and has more than sufficient performance for serving static HTML.

4. Network Topology

Internet │ ▼ KPN Modem / Router │ ├── Raspberry Pi │ └── Google Nest WiFi │ └── Workstation

The Raspberry Pi is connected directly to the KPN modem.

The workstation connects through Google Nest.

5. Software Overview

Operating System:

DietPi

Installed services:

OpenSSH

Nginx

Certbot

GoAccess

Prosody

Installed editor:

Micro

Shell:

Bash

Deployment:

Hugo → FileZilla (SFTP)

Monitoring:

GoAccess shipstatus

6. Directory Layout

(To be written)

7. User Accounts

(To be written)

8. SSH & SFTP

(To be written)

9. Nginx

(To be written)

10. HTTPS

(To be written)

11. Hugo Deployment

(To be written)

12. DNS

(To be written)

13. Router Configuration

(To be written)

14. GoAccess

(To be written)

15. Prosody

(To be written)

16. Maintenance

(To be written)

17. Backup Strategy

(To be written)

18. Troubleshooting

(To be written)

Appendix

Configuration snippets

(To be written)