DIY NAS

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

Okay, so I'm looking into what it would be like to build my own NAS server, for storing files at home, and fast access.

 

Currenty looking at

ASRock AM1B-ITX

How do you know, if a motherboard supports raid or not?

I'm going in as cheap as possible.

 

-what do people do about the powersupply for a nas??

 

Is there some kind of guide here on linustechtips?
How do you pick the parts? What are the minimums? How cheap can I make one?

How do you know which sockets and form factors you can combine here? (Cases)?

[paprikman]

Okay, so I'm looking into what it would be like to build my own NAS server, for storing files at home, and fast access.

 

Currenty looking at

ASRock AM1B-ITX

How do you know, if a motherboard supports raid or not?

I'm going in as cheap as possible.

 

-what do people do about the powersupply for a nas??

You won't need much, if there's 1 or 2 pc. For example, I have 3 workstations and 1 NAS server for them, maximum power consumption is about 150-200w (under quite high load), so even a good 450-500w power  supply will be enough for u. Make sure it's stable and quiet.

Edited April 12, 2015 by paprikman

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

You won't need much, if there's 1 or 2 pc. For example, I have 3 workstations and 1 NAS server for them, maximum power consumption is about 150-200w (under quite high load), so even a good 450-500w power  supply will be enough for u. Make sure it's stable and quiet.

Okay? So can you get into any specifics of what would be okay?

What kind of OS do i need? Free?

[paprikman]

Okay? So can you get into any specifics of what would be okay?

What kind of OS do i need? Free?

As for OS, you can setup it with any linux manually, or use somethig like "freenas" or "nas os", they're free.

As for hdd's - get fastest as u can, wd black is usually enough; thus u gonna need some vibration dumpers - when it's 3+ hdd's vibrations are very noticable. You asked about mobo: just watch the spec's to see if it supports raid, but a lot of them do.

However, raiding drives makes an additional load over the mobo, so case fans are necessary - I use fractal define R4 for improvised NAS (6 drives of 12 tb total plus 40gb ssd for the os).

Also, gigabyte network required, so u'll need a router that can handle such amount of data without overheating or add LAN extender module for the NAS and connect all pc's to it directly (these pc have to have 2 lan ports).

Hope it will help.

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

As for OS, you can setup it with any linux manually, or use somethig like "freenas" or "nas os", they're free.

As for hdd's - get fastest as u can, wd black is usually enough; thus u gonna need some vibration dumpers - when it's 3+ hdd's vibrations are very noticable. You asked about mobo: just watch the spec's to see if it supports raid, but a lot of them do.

However, raiding drives makes an additional load over the mobo, so case fans are necessary - I use fractal define R4 for improvised NAS (6 drives of 12 tb total plus 40gb ssd for the os).

Also, gigabyte network required, so u'll need a router that can handle such amount of data without overheating or add LAN extender module for the NAS and connect all pc's to it directly (these pc have to have 2 lan ports).

Hope it will help.

Is SSD a requirement? I mean what differences will it make, and why? (For the OS)

would vibration dumpers on the screws be enough, or does it have to be something fancy with the case?

The use of the NAS is going to be primarily for 1-2 computers, rarely at the same time. So running "almost any" HDD's in raid should be sufficient??

I'm thinking of adding 2 to begin with, then adding 2 more later if I need it.

Could i turn my old Desktop pc with DDR2 memory "tower size" into a NAS ? (I know about the power consumption, but it would be sleeping most of the time anyway, I'm just trying to reuse old parts) I have 2x300 gb Hdd's which would be nice to run in raid 0 (I think, split data, dual performance).

 

Wow that define R4 is pretty big :-D so you have a big NAS at home? ....Wait what? seriously? 6x2 TB? Holy moly :-D

- the SSD doesn't really get any wear, since it's only booting and reading from it, right?

[paprikman]

Is SSD a requirement? I mean what differences will it make, and why? (For the OS)

would vibration dumpers on the screws be enough, or does it have to be something fancy with the case?

The use of the NAS is going to be primarily for 1-2 computers, rarely at the same time. So running "almost any" HDD's in raid should be sufficient??

I'm thinking of adding 2 to begin with, then adding 2 more later if I need it.

Could i turn my old Desktop pc with DDR2 memory "tower size" into a NAS ? (I know about the power consumption, but it would be sleeping most of the time anyway, I'm just trying to reuse old parts) I have 2x300 gb Hdd's which would be nice to run in raid 0 (I think, split data, dual performance).

 

Wow that define R4 is pretty big :-D so you have a big NAS at home? ....Wait what? seriously? 6x2 TB? Holy moly :-D

- the SSD doesn't really get any wear, since it's only booting and reading from it, right?

You don't have to use an ssd, but the os drive should be separated from the others. Don't worry about ssd's lifetime, it can last about 15 years under mid load.

My NAS is a guaranty, that I wouldn't lose a lot of important files, some of the disks are just temp storage for torrents and movies (connected to the TV), so it's also a home cloud.

Just start off with those parts u have, then u will understand what do u really need, maybe you don't need any nas at all.