Homemade NAS, or off the shelf NAS? (1 Viewer)

[porky996t]

Hi Guys,

I have been doing some clearing out of 'junk' (this is what the GF calls it; I say it is useful stuff just set aside for future use)

I have come across an old mini-tower PC case which would lend itself to becoming a file server I could tuck away in my basement. I could then move the HDD's out of the HTPC and into the file server, add some more HDD's, and hopefully give it some backup facility by turning it into a RAID device (don't know much about RAID, so would have to read up).

I have never done this before, so would appreciate some input from others who have done this.

Obviously, I would have to get a new MoBo to go in there; any suggestions? I would like to have plenty of support for HDD's; is it possible to expand the provision of HDD support. Onboard graphics would be useful, but no need for a high spec GPU on there as there will be no monitor attached.

Is Win7 OK as an OS do this?

Is the idea a useful one, or am I best just getting an off the shelf NAS?


Many thanks,



M.

 

[pilehave]

Idea is fine, there are some considerations regarding power consumption. Do you use your HTPC for TV? And if yes, do you plan to move the tuners to your "NAS"?

I build my own server from scratch, using theis board:
MSI E350-E45 mini-ITX preview | bit-tech.net

The entire system only uses 20W when idling (is never in suspend/hibernation).

Besides that, it has 8 GB RAM, a dual DVB-T tuner, 4 x 3.5" disks (1.5-2 TB each) and a 2.5" disk for OS (which is Win 7 x64). Oh, and an extra 1.5TB backup-disk on USB

It works really wel IMHO.

 

[BillyTheFish]

If you aren't moving your TV card to your NAS, you could look at FreeNas. FreeNas 8, which is what I'm using, is very easy to use and can be managed via a web interface over the network (so no monitor needed after you have set up the box). They are adding more features and I think it is due to get UPNP, a bittorrent client, print server etc soon.

Have a look for their recommended motherboard / CPUs as it can be a bit picky. You won't need anything expensive, just something with enough SATA ports for your needs, onboard graphics, Gigabit LAN port and low power.

How do you plan to network it? Mine is running on a Gigabit LAN but via Solwise HomePlugs. They're pretty good but seem to run at half the speed I get by plugging the NasBox directly into the router. It's fine for streaming though.

Do you plan to RAID it at all? FreeNas is good for software RAID and even supports RAIDZ2 (which I'm using as I'm paranoid about hard drive failures!).

 

[porky996t]

Thanks Pilehave & Billy The Fish,

I have been doing a lot of reading and getting more and more confused, but this is helping me establish what I want to do.

I won't be moving the TV Tuner cards to the server; it will be for the file storage only. Although, I may use it to recode my movies and TV series to .mkv for efficient storage use. I guess that knocks FreeNAS out of the picture. If I use Win7 as the OS can I simply control the server remotely from another PC and see what is happening as I don't want to permanently add a monitor or keyboard.

I have been looking at this mobo - GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H and a AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor. They seem relatively cheap on eBay and that Mobo has built in graphics and a Gigabit LAN. It has 5 SATA connectors and 1 x IDE. I would use the SATA connectors for storage and the IDE for the OS as I already have an IDE drive - erm, set aside for future use. ...and if I need any more storage I could easily get a SATA expansion card.

That particular Mobo also has a built in RAID support - although I have read that just setting up a simple backup procdure is easier should the RAID controller fail.

Is it practical to have media servers such as this go into S3 sleep mode and use WOL to bring back it back to life??

I am going to be installing a 1Gb LAN throughout the house in the next couple of weeks and this will feed to the basement - the GF doesn't know yet. I wish I had done this when I built the house.


Mant thanks for the response so far. All food for thought.

This is a very interesting read >>> here <<<

M

 

[pilehave]

There is no problem in controlling your server through RDP (remote desktop). But obviously you need the monitor when installing the OS and setting up basic networking

The motherboard you mention, (GA-MA78) is the same one I have in my HTPC. I use an AMD x2 4850e (the e indicates that it has a low-power TDP of 45W).

If I didn't need integrated graphics, I would however opt for an Intel Core based board. The board in my own NAS is probably too small for you (not enough expansion ports, only 4 SATA plugs). The Core processor is good because it can go into low-power, and still kick any AMD CPU off the field, when allowed to suck some wattage

 

[BillyTheFish]

It doesn't knock FreeNas out entirely

Does your HTPC have a faster processor than the Nas Box will? You could just map your NAS as a drive on the HTPC and do the encoding from there. That way you won't have to mess around with remote desktop and can just use the web interface to control your Nas if needs be (I rarely use it). You wouldn't have to use the IDE drive as the whole OS installs to a flash USB drive and runs entirely from memory.

Anyway, let us know which OS you decide upon.

Good luck with installing that LAN without the GF noticing!

 

[porky996t]

Good luck with installing that LAN without the GF noticing!

It is going to be a "slowly, slowly, catchee, monkey" job. Hopefully, all she will notice is a new brass faceplate in the wall and a confused expression when her hairdryer/straighteners won't plug in to it.

I'll keep the thread updated.




M.

 

[SiLenTYL]

im wondering how heavy bittorrent use and the tv server would work well together?

 

[BillyTheFish]

im wondering how heavy bittorrent use and the tv server would work well together?

I suppose it depends on how fast his internet connection is but, generally, shouldn't his internet connection top out before his Gigabit LAN?

 

[porky996t]

Hi,

I don't have much Torrent use at all.

As Billy The Fish says:

how fast his internet connection is

Don't get me started on this... I live in a rural area and get a whopping 1.2 - 1.3Mbps. None of the Teleco's will upgrade the cabling or provide FTTC as it is not economic for them to do so. Bloody annoying as I still pay the same as those who get 8x this speed and a real pain to get OnlineVideos working really well.




M.