NAS Newbie. Please help (first build).

[JEW UNIT NY]

Hey. How’s everybody doing today? I am writing today because I am planning to build a NAS soon and want to ask a few questions before I do. Before I continue, I would like to state a few things. I am planning to buy a prebuilt NAS just to do back-ups. The backups will be going somewhere else so I can have a safe backup. I don’t know what really my budget is for a decent NAS. How about somewhere between $500-600?

 

 

What I will be using it for:

 

HTPC and personal cloud so I can transfer things without having a ton of external HDD setups.

 

 

What I have:

 

1. 1TB HDD (WD Blue) X1

2. 4TB HDD (WD Black) X2

 

 

Will be getting (before this build):

 

1.4TB HDD (WD Black) X 1 (for an extra NAS build storage. Will have (3) 4TB drives and (1) 2TB drive.

These will be going into the NAS)

 

2. 2TB HDD X 1 (WD Black) (to replace the 1TB drive)

 

3. Synology DiskStation DS214 (for monthly backups)

 

4. (4) 4TB HDD (WD Black) (for the backups)

 

5. (1) 2TB HDD (WD Black) (for the backups)

 

6. 16GB USB flash drive for OS

 

 

Questions:

 

1. What OS should I use? I don’t really know which one is the “best” for I want to do.

 

 

2. For the OS above, what are the best plug ins (for cloud and HTPC)

 

3. How do I set up the NAS and how to make the OS run from the USB? Can you guys recommend a good tutorial for newbies?

 

4. Can you build me a NAS?

 

I don’t know which parts to get (this is my first build). If I can get a link to pcpartpicker. The stores I shop at the most (I will list most to least): Newegg, Tigerdirect, B&H Photo, and Amazon.  Also, I already picked out a case I want to use (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352035) just for further expansion. 

 

5. Do you guys recommending leaving the system on 24/7? Or consistent shutting off/on for each use?

 

6. What advice can you give me for first time NAS user? Is there anything to look out for? 

[Electrick]

1) Windows 7

2)idk

3-4) idk

5)Shut it off!

6) wtf is nas

[Blade of Grass]

Although WD Blacks are good drives, they are not recommended for a RAID environment (what you would normally see in a NAS). Although they will work, they are missing a few features that make them less desirable than RAID specific drives.

Personally, if I was building a NAS/server (like the one in my signature ) I would go with either WD Red drives, or Seagate NAS drives (both are great drives, so go with whatever your preference is/is cheaper).

Now, onto your questions:

1) I personally would suggest using some type of Linux/BSD distro, like Debian or FreeNAS. If you're willing to really commit to learning about Linux, I would suggest using Debian, because the realm of things you can do with it is endless, along with being extremely stable. If you want something easier, from what I've heard FreeNAS is also good.

2) Is this going to be used as a server/NAS or as a HTPC?

My favorite media streaming software would have to be Plex. It's free and works quite well. For cloud access of your files I would suggest installing OwnCloud, which would allow you to access your files from anywhere.

3) Surprisingly, running a Linux OS from a USB is quite easy.

4) By build, do you mean spec out a NAS, or physically build? I can do the first, the latter, not so much.

5) I personally leave my home server on, just because it's a server and it's designed to run constantly without issue. If you're using a Windows desktop OS you might have problems running it for long periods of time (of course, your mileage may vary). The only other issue is power, so if electricity is expensive in your area you might not want to run it all the time.

6) My advise would be do not be afraid to break things (if you're using Debian). Through building my home server and running a Web server, I have broken things most times than I can count, but by breaking and then fixing them you learn a lot more about how the system works.

I would also advise you to double and triple check stuff when you're setting it up (again, specifically to Linux). The amount of times I've seen people make simple typographical errors that result in something not working correctly is extremely high (and I have done it many times). So check, check, check!

I typed this on my phone, so if I missed anything, I do apologize, but I'd be happy to answer any more questions

[JEW UNIT NY]

Although WD Blacks are good drives, they are not recommended for a RAID environment (what you would normally see in a NAS). Although they will work, they are missing a few features that make them less desirable than RAID specific drives.

Personally, if I was building a NAS/server (like the one in my signature ) I would go with either WD Red drives, or Seagate NAS drives (both are great drives, so go with whatever your preference is/is cheaper).

Now, onto your questions:

1) I personally would suggest using some type of Linux/BSD distro, like Debian or FreeNAS. If you're willing to really commit to learning about Linux, I would suggest using Debian, because the realm of things you can do with it is endless, along with being extremely stable. If you want something easier, from what I've heard FreeNAS is also good.

2) Is this going to be used as a server/NAS or as a HTPC?

My favorite media streaming software would have to be Plex. It's free and works quite well. For cloud access of your files I would suggest installing OwnCloud, which would allow you to access your files from anywhere.

3) Surprisingly, running a Linux OS from a USB is quite easy.

4) By build, do you mean spec out a NAS, or physically build? I can do the first, the latter, not so much.

5) I personally leave my home server on, just because it's a server and it's designed to run constantly without issue. If you're using a Windows desktop OS you might have problems running it for long periods of time (of course, your mileage may vary). The only other issue is power, so if electricity is expensive in your area you might not want to run it all the time.

6) My advise would be do not be afraid to break things (if you're using Debian). Through building my home server and running a Web server, I have broken things most times than I can count, but by breaking and then fixing them you learn a lot more about how the system works.

I would also advise you to double and triple check stuff when you're setting it up (again, specifically to Linux). The amount of times I've seen people make simple typographical errors that result in something not working correctly is extremely high (and I have done it many times). So check, check, check!

I typed this on my phone, so if I missed anything, I do apologize, but I'd be happy to answer any more questions

 

Thanx for the recommendation of the WD Reds. I have been interested in them after the 6TB were announced.  I really don't trust Seagate drives.  I always have issues with their drives, never this WD. I know Seagate is a trusted HDD company, but just always had bad luck with them =(.  It's a shame because they have cheaper drives.  

 

 

1. Thanx for the suggestions. I will try both and I will experiment on both.  I won't mind learning  (slowly) Linux, if I want the best experience. 

 

2. I want to do both? I have a drive for my personal data (the 1 GB Drive) and the rest are just rips of my bluray discs (I don't want my original discs scratched or damaged), so I don't know what you want to conclude about that.  

 

3. Thanx. I will look up tutorials on youtube.  

 

4. Yeah, I need it spec'd out. I will physically build them myself.

 

5. Thanx. I will take that under consideration. 

 

6. Thank you for the advice.  I really appreciate it. 

[JEW UNIT NY]

Bump. Some more advice would be great. 

[Bottomburp]

Boring I know but I have been using Windows Home Server for many years now without any problems at all.

Currently WHS2011 booting off of an intel 180GB SSD in a heavily modified Dell R200 server. (plus a couple of 2TB USB drives for extra backup)

 

[JEW UNIT NY]

Daily bump. 

[Dimwitted]

You are a little confused. For the NAS, as above go with the Reds. For the O/S get whatever you want. Win7, 8 or 10 if you prefer. 10 would be a stretch tho. For the NAS it will have its own. And the install will be obvious when you finish building and starting your machine. The NAS will tell you what to do. Just follow instructions. The big difference between all the NAS's on the market is their software and Synology has had the best reputation for ages. That said, if you get nervous, you might look at WD's solution as well where a 2 disk NAS will be in your price range as well.

[JEW UNIT NY]

You are a little confused. For the NAS, as above go with the Reds. For the O/S get whatever you want. Win7, 8 or 10 if you prefer. 10 would be a stretch tho. For the NAS it will have its own. And the install will be obvious when you finish building and starting your machine. The NAS will tell you what to do. Just follow instructions. The big difference between all the NAS's on the market is their software and Synology has had the best reputation for ages. That said, if you get nervous, you might look at WD's solution as well where a 2 disk NAS will be in your price range as well.

 

Okay. Let's say, I want to go with a windows based system (lets say Win 7 Home Premium), are there specific program(s) I need to run order to transfer data to and from the NAS machine?

[d3sl91]

Okay. Let's say, I want to go with a windows based system (lets say Win 7 Home Premium), are there specific program(s) I need to run order to transfer data to and from the NAS machine?

Within a home network, just homegroups or shared folders - all built into windows.

 

For htpc streaming, I would use Plex. And then use the plex app on your smart tv, chromecast, etc. Or, just use DLNA file browser that is included with most network connected tv boxes.

[d3sl91]

Within a home network, just homegroups or shared folders - all built into windows.

 

For htpc streaming, I would use Plex. And then use the plex app on your smart tv, chromecast, etc. Or, just use DLNA file browser that is included with most network connected tv boxes.

I currently have a Windows 81. Pro - based NAS. It runs 24/7 with no issues.

 

I use Plex Server to share my media (both over LAN and over WAN).

I don't share any of my NAS storage over WAN, as my documents are shared via google drive on my computers anyway. 

I use Genie Timeline to run backups. It just backs up all my systems to my NAS in realtime, and the free version works fine

[JEW UNIT NY]

Within a home network, just homegroups or shared folders - all built into windows.

 

For htpc streaming, I would use Plex. And then use the plex app on your smart tv, chromecast, etc. Or, just use DLNA file browser that is included with most network connected tv boxes.

 

 

I currently have a Windows 81. Pro - based NAS. It runs 24/7 with no issues.

 

I use Plex Server to share my media (both over LAN and over WAN).

I don't share any of my NAS storage over WAN, as my documents are shared via google drive on my computers anyway. 

I use Genie Timeline to run backups. It just backs up all my systems to my NAS in realtime, and the free version works fine

 

Thanx. So, I can use a copy of windows 7 for the build? Is that what the "homegroup" thing was all about when I first set up Windows 7? It generated a password for me. Thanx for the suggestion.  I am very comfortable using Windows 7, so that would help out a lot.  

 

I was a little confused when I was watching youtube videos about it stating that it was recommended to use a OS that was made specifically for NAS (I believe it was from Eli the Computer Guy's youtube channel). 

 

Now how do I gain access to my data from my iOS and Android devices? 

[d3sl91]

Thanx. So, I can use a copy of windows 7 for the build? Is that what the "homegroup" thing was all about when I first set up Windows 7? It generated a password for me. Thanx for the suggestion.  I am very comfortable using Windows 7, so that would help out a lot.  

 

I was a little confused when I was watching youtube videos about it stating that it was recommended to use a OS that was made specifically for NAS (I believe it was from Eli the Computer Guy's youtube channel). 

 

Now how do I gain access to my data from my iOS and Android devices? 

Yeah, plain ole windows works. Sure, if you wanted a dedicated NAS OS, you could use that, and maybe after awhile you will. 

 

As @Blade of Grass said http://owncloud.org/ would be a good option, it looks like it has android and iOS apps. I might even install that pretty soon....

[JEW UNIT NY]

Yeah, plain ole windows works. Sure, if you wanted a dedicated NAS OS, you could use that, and maybe after awhile you will. 

 

As @Blade of Grass said http://owncloud.org/ would be a good option, it looks like it has android and iOS apps. I might even install that pretty soon....

 

Thanx. I really appreciate you helping me out .

 

Just one more question.  What hardware would be appropriate for this kind of build? I will be having like 5 WD red drives? It might need to be an ATX build since I want as much expansions as possible. 

 

1. 2TB (1) WD Red

2. 6TB (4) WD Red

 

 With more 6TB HDD to come if needed.  

[d3sl91]

Thanx. I really appreciate you helping me out .

 

Just one more question.  What hardware would be appropriate for this kind of build? I will be having like 5 WD red drives? It might need to be an ATX build since I want as much expansions as possible. 

 

1. 2TB (1) WD Red

2. 6TB (4) WD Red

 

 With more 6TB HDD to come if needed.  

There are a few mITX cases that have a ton of space for drives. 

 

Silverstone DS380: http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=452&area=en (Im in love with this right now... but cant justify rebuilding my NAS to be mITX)

Lian-Li PC-Q08: http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-q08/ 

 

Here is one based of of the i3 4130T 2 Core 4 Thread cpu. I have seen on plex forums, that this is enough for a 1080P stream, trasncoding or two at the same time. If power isnt a concern or you have plans for 3-4 people streaming HD content at the same time, bump it up to something beefier, a true quad-core maybe. 

 

I have put an 128GB MX-100 on here instead of USB. I personally like the idea of using an SSD internally rather than an external USB drive for an OS. And when not being used, all your HDDs can be powered down. 

 

Unfortunately, the most SATA 6GB/s ports you're going to get with mITX is 6. Which, unless you actually need more than 4x 6TB.... should be fine. And you can always get a nice pci-e raid card for a ton more drives. 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130T 2.9GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($127.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($97.48 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($35.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 6TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($284.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 6TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($284.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 6TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($284.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 6TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($284.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Lian-Li PC-Q08B Mini ITX Tower Case  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1561.36

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-21 14:09 EDT-0400

 

 

If you are fine with an ATX build... then you have nothing to worry about. Just grab a decent ATX mobo with tons of Sata ports, and a case you like, and voila. 

[Blade of Grass]

Thanx. I really appreciate you helping me out .

Just one more question. What hardware would be appropriate for this kind of build? I will be having like 5 WD red drives? It might need to be an ATX build since I want as much expansions as possible.

1. 2TB (1) WD Red

2. 6TB (4) WD Red

With more 6TB HDD to come if needed.

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that you need to use all of the same hard drive size for raid arrays, otherwise every drive will only be used to the smallest capacity. (so if you have two 3TB a one 2TB drive, you will only be able to use 2TB out of the 3TB drives).

It depends on whether or not you want to do hardware RAID. If you're doing hardware raid, you can get a RAID card for the drives to control them. If you're doing software RAID you can try to find a motherboard with enough SATA ports and use that, or use a RAID card in interface mode.

[JEW UNIT NY]

@d3sl91 and @Blade of Grass: Thank you guys for helping me find a good starting point and answering my question ...I appreciate you guys taking the time for the help!  B)

 

 

 

 

 

There are a few mITX cases that have a ton of space for drives. 

 

Silverstone DS380: http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=452&area=en (Im in love with this right now... but cant justify rebuilding my NAS to be mITX)

Lian-Li PC-Q08: http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-q08/ 

 

Here is one based of of the i3 4130T 2 Core 4 Thread cpu. I have seen on plex forums, that this is enough for a 1080P stream, trasncoding or two at the same time. If power isnt a concern or you have plans for 3-4 people streaming HD content at the same time, bump it up to something beefier, a true quad-core maybe. 

 

I have put an 128GB MX-100 on here instead of USB. I personally like the idea of using an SSD internally rather than an external USB drive for an OS. And when not being used, all your HDDs can be powered down. 

 

Unfortunately, the most SATA 6GB/s ports you're going to get with mITX is 6. Which, unless you actually need more than 4x 6TB.... should be fine. And you can always get a nice pci-e raid card for a ton more drives. 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130T 2.9GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($127.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($97.48 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($35.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 6TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($284.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 6TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($284.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 6TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($284.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 6TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($284.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Lian-Li PC-Q08B Mini ITX Tower Case  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1561.36

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-21 14:09 EDT-0400

 

 

If you are fine with an ATX build... then you have nothing to worry about. Just grab a decent ATX mobo with tons of Sata ports, and a case you like, and voila. 

 

 

 

Thanx for the build . You gave a perfect place to start. Do normal ATX motherboards support ECC memory (I'm going to do some research myself, just want an opinion)?  Also, I might beef up the specs. Would an i5 or i7 be overkill? Might upgrade the ram too.  Also, would a 650w power supply be overkill?

 

 

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that you need to use all of the same hard drive size for raid arrays, otherwise every drive will only be used to the smallest capacity. (so if you have two 3TB a one 2TB drive, you will only be able to use 2TB out of the 3TB drives).

It depends on whether or not you want to do hardware RAID. If you're doing hardware raid, you can get a RAID card for the drives to control them. If you're doing software RAID you can try to find a motherboard with enough SATA ports and use that, or use a RAID card in interface mode.

 

How about if I want to RAID only the 6TB HDDS (lets say 5 HDD and non of them are used for backups) and have a seperate one with all my precious data? Can they be seperated like that? So, one drive will show up as a "30 TB" (lower then that after formatting them and one shows up a 2TB HDD just for my documents. Would you recommend me a RAID card? Should I get two raid cards or can it be done on one?

[d3sl91]

@d3sl91 and @Blade of Grass: Thank you guys for helping me find a good starting point and answering my question ...I appreciate you guys taking the time for the help!  B)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanx for the build . You gave a perfect place to start. Do normal ATX motherboards support ECC memory (I'm going to do some research myself, just want an opinion)?  Also, I might beef up the specs. Would an i5 or i7 be overkill? Might upgrade the ram too.  Also, would a 650w power supply be overkill?

 

 

 

How about if I want to RAID only the 6TB HDDS (lets say 5 HDD and non of them are used for backups) and have a seperate one with all my precious data? Can they be seperated like that? So, one drive will show up as a "30 TB" (lower then that after formatting them and one shows up a 2TB HDD just for my documents. Would you recommend me a RAID card? Should I get two raid cards or can it be done on one?

It all depends on what you want to do. For a pure file server, even an i3 isnt necessary, but for streaming and network storage/drive access - you may want to beef it up. A quad-core i5 is still decently power efficient and will work pretty well.

 

I don't believe most normal do. Do your research on that, in most cases ECC really isn't necessary. I've had 16GB DDR3 of the cheapest kingston non-ecc you can find in my probably-too-warm NAS for about 4 years 24/7 with zero issues. If you were doing rendering on the system or running databases with sensitive info...might be a good idea.

 

Yeah, I'd go with 8GB, but in my server (running plex streaming, and file server) I hardly use 4GB (even though I have 16...).

 

650W would be overkill. I'm at 550W with a power-hungry 125W AMD cpu, and 4x 7200RPM drives and a sata drive, and its going fine. Those RED drives are efficient and 5400rpm, so they use even less power. 

 

 

As far as partitions go, I dont know off the top of my head. I have 2x drives in one raid and 2x in another, as thats just how I wanted it in general, so not sure about partitions. 

[JEW UNIT NY]

It all depends on what you want to do. For a pure file server, even an i3 isnt necessary, but for streaming and network storage/drive access - you may want to beef it up. A quad-core i5 is still decently power efficient and will work pretty well.

 

I don't believe most normal do. Do your research on that, in most cases ECC really isn't necessary. I've had 16GB DDR3 of the cheapest kingston non-ecc you can find in my probably-too-warm NAS for about 4 years 24/7 with zero issues. If you were doing rendering on the system or running databases with sensitive info...might be a good idea.

 

Yeah, I'd go with 8GB, but in my server (running plex streaming, and file server) I hardly use 4GB (even though I have 16...).

 

650W would be overkill. I'm at 550W with a power-hungry 125W AMD cpu, and 4x 7200RPM drives and a sata drive, and its going fine. Those RED drives are efficient and 5400rpm, so they use even less power. 

 

 

As far as partitions go, I dont know off the top of my head. I have 2x drives in one raid and 2x in another, as thats just how I wanted it in general, so not sure about partitions. 

 

Thanx for the input.  All in all, the NAS will be a pure media server with an exception of a HDD or two which will serve as a pure file server.  Also, which "RAID" mode do you recommend for what I want to do? Or is to just have each HDD be on its own?

 

I kinda want a "overkill" NAS to withhold all of that.  I will be using ISO images of my bluray collection (don't want the originals discs to get scratched), so there will be a lot of high data transfers going to and from the NAS if I can't already use the ISO without transferring. I will look into plex or other software that can help me out.  

 

I will see how a 24/7 configuration will work considering I live in AZ and it's both hot and dusty (I keep my office flawless though...Kinda have a OCD/germaphobia). My house is always cold and cleaned, so I hope the (sometimes excessive) heat will not affect the preference of my NAS.  I will be going to school as well so having my own personal cloud would be really helpful (in the long run).