Dig up an old laptop, put a beginner OS on it (like Ubuntu). Pick something you want to do on it - like a shared network folder. Then figure out how to build it

Dig up an old laptop, put a beginner OS on it (like Ubuntu). Pick something you want to do on it - like a shared network folder. Then figure out how to build it. If you need a full server to do it - that's a toy that'll get in your way.