AKGuidebooks Home Server Admin

Part 2: Connect from your computer

6. Find your server on the network#

What you'll do: give the server a name you can type (homeserver.local) and check that your Mac or PC can reach it. Time: 15 minutes. Both computers must be on the same home network for now. Chapter 14 removes that limit.

Two ways to reach the server#

flowchart LR
  Y["Your Mac / PC"] -- "by number<br/>192.168.1.50" --> S["Server"]
  Y -- "by name<br/>homeserver.local" --> S
  • By number (IP address): always works on your home network, but the number can change after the router restarts.
  • By name (homeserver.local): easy to remember, and it keeps working when the number changes. Home network only.

How homeserver.local works#

Nobody registers this name anywhere. The server announces it on your home network by itself:

sequenceDiagram
  participant Mac as Your Mac / PC
  participant Net as Home network (everyone)
  participant S as Server (avahi-daemon)
  Mac->>Net: "Who is homeserver.local?"
  Net->>S: (the question reaches every device)
  S-->>Mac: "That's me: 192.168.1.50"
  Mac->>S: ssh connects to 192.168.1.50

Three things make this work, and the steps below set up each one:

Piece What it does Where it comes from
The server's hostname The homeserver part of the name You typed it in the installer (Screen 5)
avahi-daemon Answers "who is homeserver.local?" Installed in Chapter 5, step 4
Port 5353 (UDP) open Lets those questions through the firewall Chapter 12

The .local ending is added automatically. Don't add it to the hostname itself.

Step 1: Check the server's name#

Type on: the server
hostname

It should print homeserver. To change it:

Type on: the server
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname homeserver
sudo nano /etc/hosts

In /etc/hosts, change the old name on the line starting with 127.0.1.1 to the new one, so it reads 127.0.1.1 homeserver. Save and exit.

Step 2: Make sure the name announcer is running#

Type on: the server
sudo apt install avahi-daemon
systemctl is-active avahi-daemon

It should say active. If it doesn't, run sudo systemctl enable --now avahi-daemon.

Step 3: Test from your computer#

Open Terminal: press Cmd+Space, type Terminal, press Enter.

Type on: your Mac
ping -c 3 homeserver.local

Open PowerShell: press the Windows key, type PowerShell, press Enter.

Type on: your Windows PC
ping homeserver.local

Good result: lines like 64 bytes from 192.168.1.50: ... time=4 ms. The number shown is the server's current address.

If the name doesn't work but ping 192.168.1.50 does, the name part is the problem. See Troubleshooting.

Windows and iPhone

Recent Windows 10/11 and every iPhone understand .local names. On an older Windows PC that doesn't, use the number, or skip ahead and use the Tailscale name from Chapter 14.

The .local name follows the server around, but a fixed number is still useful as a backup. Give the server a fixed address in your router:

  1. Open your router's admin page. Its address is often printed on the router, e.g. 192.168.1.1.
  2. Look for DHCP, LAN or Connected devices, and find homeserver.
  3. Choose Reserve IP, Static lease or Always use this address.

Write the address in your notebook.

Done when: ping homeserver.local gets replies from your Mac or PC.

Next: 7. SSH from a Mac or 8. SSH from Windows

Made by Anish · 2026