You can try making a virtual machine with a 20 GB virtual hard drive to try out different Linux distros in the meantime.
I just installed TrueNAS on a desktop with a lot of SATA slots. https://www.truenas.com/
The auto update client, it’s halfway down this page on how to automatically update your hostname/IP.
https://www.noip.com/support/knowledgebase/dynamic-dns-ddns-troubleshooting-guide
That’s what I do. Funnily though, I can’t remember which device is hosting the auto update client to update ddns. As long as it’s still updated right? Lol
It will never stop because X is a terrible name and means nothing without “formerly known as twitter”