Cheap file server

[Kaedannnc]

so i am going to setup a file server for home use. i am going to be using an old dell inspiron pc only 3-4 years old. i will be putting 2 wd red 1tb drives in it. just need a good operating system. I know freeNAS needs ecc memory so i just want a basic server that will be stable of regular memory. this will mainly be used just to transfer data to another PC.

[Pesukarhu]

2 minutes ago, Kaedannnc said:

so i am going to setup a file server for home use. i am going to be using an old dell inspiron pc only 3-4 years old. i will be putting 2 wd red 1tb drives in it. just need a good operating system. I know freeNAS needs ecc memory so i just want a basic server that will be stable of regular memory. this will mainly be used just to transfer data to another PC.

Freenas website doesn't say you need ecc ram. 

Minimum Hardware Requirements:

These specifications will suffice to get a small FreeNAS install running reliably with moderate performance for a few users.

• Multicore 64-bit* processor (Intel strongly recommended)
• 8GB* Boot Drive (USB Flash Drive suffices)
• 8GB* RAM
• At least 1 direct attached disk (Hardware RAID strongly discouraged)
• One physical network port

[Godlygamer23]

ECC memory is not a requirement for FreeNAS - I have a FreeNAS based NAS running right now and I'm not using ECC memory.

[Kaedannnc]

16 minutes ago, Godlygamer23 said:

ECC memory is not a requirement for FreeNAS - I have a FreeNAS based NAS running right now and I'm not using ECC memory.

is your NAS an old pc if so what are your specs, and how does it run?

[Godlygamer23]

1 minute ago, Kaedannnc said:

is your NAS an old pc if so what are your specs, and how does it run?

My system was built using off-the-shelf parts except for the power supply which I had laying around. My current specs are as follows:

CPU: A8 7600

RAM: G.Skill 1333 16GB of RAM

Motherboard: FM2A78M Pro3+

Storage: Two WD Blue 1TB drives

Power Supply: Enermax NAXN 750W semi-modular(yes I know it's overkill)

 

It runs pretty well. I've done three file transfers simultaneously while playing on my MC server(that runs on it) and had no hiccups.

[Kaedannnc]

Just now, Godlygamer23 said:

My system was built using off-the-shelf parts except for the power supply which I had laying around. My current specs are as follows:

CPU: A8 7600

RAM: G.Skill 1333 16GB of RAM

Motherboard: FM2A78M Pro3+

Storage: Two WD Blue 1TB drives

Power Supply: Enermax NAXN 750W semi-modular(yes I know it's overkill)

 

It runs pretty well. I've done three file transfers simultaneously while playing on my MC server(that runs on it) and had no hiccups.

ok so how well do you think freeNAS will run with a duel core intel cpu with 4gb of ram? i can upgrade ram if needed 

[Godlygamer23]

Just now, Kaedannnc said:

ok so how well do you think freeNAS will run with a duel core intel cpu with 4gb of ram? i can upgrade ram if needed 

Previously I had 4GB of RAM in my NAS and had no reason to really upgrade for just being a NAS. I also had a cheap dual core APU in it and it did everything I needed it to at the time. If it's just a file server, I think you'll be fine.

[Kaedannnc]

1 minute ago, Godlygamer23 said:

Previously I had 4GB of RAM in my NAS and had no reason to really upgrade for just being a NAS. I also had a cheap dual core APU in it and it did everything I needed it to at the time. If it's just a file server, I think you'll be fine.

alright thank you for the help. also one last thing. are you using ZFS with freeNAS

[Godlygamer23]

Just now, Kaedannnc said:

alright thank you for the help. also one last thing. are you using ZFS with freeNAS

Yes. That's the file system used in FreeNAS AFAIK.

[Kaedannnc]

1 minute ago, Godlygamer23 said:

Yes. That's the file system used in FreeNAS AFAIK.

Ok thanks for all your help 

[Jarsky]

If you want to use something other than ZFS, then you'd have to go a different OS.

ECC Memory isn't required, but it is recommended - dont worry to much though if you don't have it.

Ideally for a NAS you'd want 3 disks for one to provide parity - with just 2 you're probably best to run them as independant disks for data safety.