Replicate Jonsbo N1 Build

[Joshua_B44_0121]

 

Hey everyone.

 

I'm planning on replicating the build in the video above as I've always wanted a 24/7 NAS, I mainly want to be using it for Plex but would also like just a standard NAS so I can create SMB shares and so forth.

 

Anyways in terms of hardware I really don't know where to start other than to just buy exactly what they used in the video with the exception of a better of the CPU being a 5600x (As I have one available to me) and I don't need that much storage so I'll be going with something like 5x 3TB NAS Drives (Seagate Ironwolf)

 

So in terms on OS I like the look of TRUENAS Scale as it seems really easy to use and set up especially for setting up Plex as a plugin/app rather than in a VM, I also would like to set up other stuff like PiHole.

 

My main questions are is there anything I should be aware of when taking on something like this?

 

I'm probably going to need to be using hardware encoding on Plex so does that mean I need a intel CPU to use quick sync?

 

Any tips and input would be much appreciated and sorry for the way this post as been typed but I have a lot of questions haha. 

[Electronics Wizardy]

11 minutes ago, Joshua_B44_0121 said:

 

Anyways in terms of hardware I really don't know where to start other than to just buy exactly what they used in the video with the exception of a better of the CPU being a 5600x (As I have one available to me) and I don't need that much storage so I'll be going with something like 5x 3TB NAS Drives (Seagate Ironwolf)

 

Id probably go with a i5 12400. Has a igpu so its easier to troubleshoot and setup and video transcoding, and leaves a slot open for faster networking or more storage. 

 

15 minutes ago, Joshua_B44_0121 said:

So in terms on OS I like the look of TRUENAS Scale as it seems really easy to use and set up especially for setting up Plex as a plugin/app rather than in a VM, I also would like to set up other stuff like PiHole.

 

Yea that will work fine. No real big issues I see

14 minutes ago, Joshua_B44_0121 said:

I'm probably going to need to be using hardware encoding on Plex so does that mean I need a intel CPU to use quick sync?

 

or nvidia gpu. But amds hardware encoders are typically much worse than intel or amd, so Id stay away from those

[benzado]

Hey! I am also trying to replicate the build from the video, and I intentionally bought mostly the same components because I figured it would save me time rather than trying to research and accidentally getting something incompatible or that wouldn't physically fit in the case.

 

Mistakes of mine you can learn from:

• I ordered the JONSBO case from a seller claiming to include a set of 5 right-angle SATA cables. It did come with a bunch of cheap SATA cables... but only 2 or 3 were the right-angled kind. Had to order more separately.
• The m.2 card with two extra SATA ports comes in different sizes. I accidentally ordered A+E when I should have gotten B+M. Fun fact: the IOCREST B+M package came with two right-angle cables! So the extra ones I ordered are still in box.
• I put the TrueNAS installer on a thumb drive and used a StarTech SATA to USB cable to install to the SSD on my main PC. This wasn't a mistake, it worked very well. I was even able to boot from the SSD on my PC
• After I put it all together, the Asus ROG STRIX B550-I would not boot because there is no graphics card. There's a set of colored indicator lights on the motherboard to make clear that is the reason why.

Apparently, even though I did pretty much the same thing Jake did, they must have booted up the motherboard with graphics at some point and disabled the GPU check in the BIOS settings. Or maybe there is way to update the BIOS settings via USB? It's certainly possible in theory.

 

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do at this point... research headless BIOS updating voodoo? Borrow the GPU from my PC? Replacing the CPU with one having integrated graphics is probably the smartest option, since if this experience has taught me anything, it is that I'll probably want the option to plug in a monitor for troubleshooting purposes at some point in the future. Still, I'm not really looking forward to disassembling and reassembling the whole thing.

 

Did I mention I'm trying to get this working to replace a dying Drobo 5N?

[twistychips]

I was also thinking about replicating the build exactly, but I always try to do some research before I commit to this type of project. And I realised I would definitely want to be able to plug in a monitor and trouble shoot, and save the PCIE slot for something else, I also want hardware encoding for Plex and Jellyfin.

 

And because I have been away from PC hardware for years and years (I'm a designer and I have been using Macs for years now), I had no idea what's on the market and what they are like these days. So after I realised AMD doesn't really do integrated GPU in the CPU for the lower end models, I decided to go with Intel, and their encoding is much better. I ended up going with a used i3 10100 and ASRock H510M-ITX/ac (I'm on a budget haha). Now i'm waiting for the parts to arrive, hopefully nothing goes wrong...

 

I also plan on using unRaid instead of TrueNAS scale because I want to expand my storage in the future easily, and TrueNAS is complicated on that part.

 

Fingers crossed for all of us! haha

[benzado]

10 hours ago, twistychips said:

I was also thinking about replicating the build exactly, but I always try to do some research before I commit to this type of project.

Me too... my mistake was in considering an LTT video as sufficient evidence.

 

10 hours ago, twistychips said:

Fingers crossed for all of us! haha

Indeed, best of luck to you!

 

I wound up buying another CPU (used) with integrated graphics. Still trying to find the time to actually install it (I have a toddler). The funny thing is, my current PC's parts would be great for a NAS, but I need to set up a NAS to back things up before I can dismantle the PC. Maybe one day I'll swap the internals (after the kid goes to college?).

[twistychips]

On 5/18/2022 at 10:33 PM, benzado said:

Indeed, best of luck to you!

 

I wound up buying another CPU (used) with integrated graphics. Still trying to find the time to actually install it (I have a toddler). 

Thank you!

 

Well, reporting back. All parts arrived. Set it up, it was doing its thing, parity drive was building. I left it to go to sleep, woke up, it shut itself off and won't turn on again.... fun games... lol

On 5/18/2022 at 10:33 PM, benzado said:

Maybe one day I'll swap the internals (after the kid goes to college?).

That's not a bad idea hahahaha

[dbx10]

On 5/4/2022 at 5:52 PM, Joshua_B44_0121 said:

 

Hey everyone.

 

I'm planning on replicating the build in the video above as I've always wanted a 24/7 NAS, I mainly want to be using it for Plex but would also like just a standard NAS so I can create SMB shares and so forth.

 

Anyways in terms of hardware I really don't know where to start other than to just buy exactly what they used in the video with the exception of a better of the CPU being a 5600x (As I have one available to me) and I don't need that much storage so I'll be going with something like 5x 3TB NAS Drives (Seagate Ironwolf)

 

So in terms on OS I like the look of TRUENAS Scale as it seems really easy to use and set up especially for setting up Plex as a plugin/app rather than in a VM, I also would like to set up other stuff like PiHole.

 

My main questions are is there anything I should be aware of when taking on something like this?

 

I'm probably going to need to be using hardware encoding on Plex so does that mean I need a intel CPU to use quick sync?

 

Any tips and input would be much appreciated and sorry for the way this post as been typed but I have a lot of questions haha. 

4TB drives are a better choice for in terms of TB/$, the difference is a couple bucks at that point and you get 33.3% increase in capacity.
 

I suggest TrueNAS Core as it's a mature and validated product, and you likely don't really need the features of Scale. If you really need to run Linux, you can run it in a VM and pass storage through without much issue. I run dozens of Docker containers in a Linux VM and 3 jails on my server, including emby and multiple internet facing services, and I rarely go above 50% cpu usage.

One of the things you should be aware of is you're better off ignoring the plugins for Plex and/or Emby, as those are not packaged and maintained by the developers of these respective softwares. Instead, you should head over to the official websites for those and follow their official install guides. It takes longer and it's a little tedious in the case of Emby, but it saves a lot of time and headaches down the line. Can't tell you how many times I've broken something on Emby when I was using the plugin, it gets frustrating.

 

Other than that I don't think you **need** hardware encoding, unless you have multiple clients connecting at the same time. My 2600X is chugging along fine with up to 4 1080p streams going at the same time. YMMV

 

Other tip: RAM is not cheap, but ECC SODIMM opens you up to nice itx server motherboard choices if you can afford it.
 

I bit the bullet on the X470D4U after 3 RMAs with various consumer grade boards, and it's been solid ever since. I'm never going back, the features on enterprise boards are too nice.

GL