User:CounterPillow/Quartz64 Minecraft Server Guide

Warning: This article is a work-in-progress and incomplete, if you came here from a search engine, turn back.

This guide details how to build and set up a small Minecraft (Java Edition) server on a Quartz64 Model B single board computer. The guide is intended to cover the basics in detail so that inexperienced users can follow it.

Note: If you have a 12+ year old child interested in computers and have some experience yourself, this could be a great guide to work through with them.

Introduction

Motivation

You may ask yourself why one would want to host a Minecraft server themselves instead of renting one. That is a valid question, and one big consideration is running cost. Buying the hardware and running the software yourself from your own internet access means that you're only paying a one-time cost (ignoring the minuscule power draw), whereas renting a server would usually incur a monthly fee. Since it's your server, you also have complete control over the software you run. Lastly, it's a great and fun way to learn about Linux system administration.

As for disadvantages, the server will only be as available as your home internet connection and electricity supply, and you yourself are responsible for keeping your system safe and up-to-date. The server is also not very high performance. It's best for a small group of friends, and not suitable for a public server that is likely to come under DDoS attacks.

In the below table, you can see a comparison between paying Microsoft for a realms server and self-hosting it according to this guide.

	Minecraft Realms	Self-Hosted
Setup Cost	USD 0	USD ~130
Monthly Cost	USD 7.99	USD 0
Modifications	No	Yes
Players	10	Uncapped
Availability	Always	Depends on you
Security	Provided by Microsoft	Your responsibility
Performance	High	Low
Full Shell Access	No	Yes
Teaches You Linux	No	Yes

Ignoring all points other than cost and assuming a USD 0.30/kWh rate for power with an average power draw of 3W for the board, the Quartz64 Model B as it is set up in this guide will have paid for itself in less than 18 months.

Game Plan

Let's get a high-level overview of what will be set up in this guide.

The goal is to have the base operating system (Debian Bookworm, using the Plebian images) installed on the microSD card. The Minecraft server itself will read and write its data from an NVMe M.2 SSD. The Minecraft server we'll use is PaperMC. We'll run it as a locked down systemd service. To make the server available to others on the internet, we'll use ddclient with DuckDNS to get ourselves a domain name for our (likely) dynamic IP, and forward the ports on the router.

Shopping List

Total cost: Around USD 130 excluding shipping.

From Pine Store

Note: When choosing "Courier Shipping" on Pine Store, you may unfortunately be charged additional import duties once the package arrives. How high these are depends on your jurisdiction, the order value and the courier Pine Store chooses.

• Quartz64 Model B 4GB — USD 59.99
  • Pine Store has been known to have sold Model B's with defective ethernet or defective debug serial. If either of those things don't work, file a ticket for a return as soon as possible as to not miss the 30 day warranty window.
• Small Fan Type Heatsink — USD 0.50
• Serial Console "Woodpecker" Edition — USD 1.99
  • For debugging any boot problems that might occur.
• "Model B" Acrylic Open Enclosure — USD 7.99
• 5V3A International Switching Power Supply — USD 8.99
  • Feel free to choose the US-only or EU-only variant instead to save two bucks.

From Elsewhere

• A good 32GB microSD card for the operating system — USD ~15
  • SanDisk Max Endurance is a decent brand, Samsung EVO is fine too.
  • Even if the brand looks correct, buy from a reputable marketplace and seller: fakes are common! Double-check who's selling it to you on e.g. Amazon.
  • Avoid no-name cards, like the ones from Pine Store, or cards that aren't intended for longevity but maximum speed.
• A TLC flash 500GB or higher capacity NVMe M.2 drive — USD ~35
  • Look at the SSD spreadsheet and pick a cheap one with TLC, and either DRAM or HMB
  • PCIe 3/4 doesn't matter, it'll run at one lane of PCIe 2 anyway
  • Decent usually cheap options: Kioxia Exceria, Patriot P300, Lexar NM620, WD Blue SN570
  • Avoid: Kingston NV1/NV2 (no cache, meaningfully slow here), anything with QLC flash (could be meaningfully slow here), anything SATA/AHCI (won't work), anything Aliexpress (fraud).
  • Shop around for deals and used drives! Just look up the manufacturer and model in the spreadsheet to verify that it's both TLC and has either DRAM or HMB cache. Bandwidth will be severely limited by the Quartz64's one lane of PCIe 2 here so paying a lot is not worth it.

Things You Hopefully Already Have

• A microSD card reader (your laptop may have one built-in already), USB3 microSD card readers are cheap and useful.
• An ethernet Cat5e or Cat6 or Cat6a cable (though technically you could run it on Wi-Fi)