DIY NAS Box build

[jthorpein]

I picked up a Fractal Define 804 case, a Silverstone Strider 500 W Gold Power Supply, a Startech.com PEXSAT34RH RAID Card and a ASRock QC5000-ITX motherboard for a little over $100 today. 

I'd like to do a NAS Box with it. From Crucial it says it can support up to 32 GB of RAM. I have yet to get RAM or Hard Drives for it. I'm thinking of using 8 x 6 TB Red drives or at minimum 8 x 4 TB Red drives. 

I'm looking for a set up where I can combine the drives into one in a RAID 5 style where I can lose one drive and rebuild the drive set. Also, since drives cost a good amount, I'll only be able to pick up a drive or two at a time over a period of time.

I know it's best to build it all at once, but current money status won't allow it. So is there any setup I can do with the above parts and one that'll allow me to add drives over time (preferably without having to remove all the data on the drives) to increase the size, and one in a RAID 5 style where I can lose a drive and be able to replace it without losing data?

Thanks.

[Electronics Wizardy]

Id probably use Rockstor or btrfs on linux(id probably use fedora server). It allows adding drives when needs and data scrubbing. ]

 

Id also get bigger drives if you can, so start with 2 6tb drives and expand. You can convert from raid 1 to 5 with btrfs later on if you want.

[ARikozuM]

You can use FreeNAS and add the drives in the future. I would recommend getting ECC RAM as errors will affect your NAS. Do you know how much data you can expect to ever accumulate?

 

Redundancy from RAID 5 is only REDUNDANCY. It is NOT a full backup, so find a good solution for that even if it means using 2 Greens for a backup.

[DrMikeNZ]

For 8 drives you should be looking at dual parity.

 

Anything important that you store should be backed up on a separate system (preferably offsite if possible).

[Electronics Wizardy]

9 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

 

You can use FreeNAS and add the drives in the future.

 

Not easily. You can just add drives to a vdev, but you can add them to a pool, so kinda like raid 50

[DrMikeNZ]

8 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

I would recommend getting ECC RAM as errors will affect your NAS

I agree, although I don't think the ASRock QC5000-ITX motherboard supports this.

[jthorpein]

16 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

You can use FreeNAS and add the drives in the future. I would recommend getting ECC RAM as errors will affect your NAS. Do you know how much data you can expect to ever accumulate?

 

Redundancy from RAID 5 is only REDUNDANCY. It is NOT a full backup, so find a good solution for that even if it means using 2 Greens for a backup.

Right now I have these as a NAS storage:

 

1.) 298 GB

2.) 278 GB

3.) 279 GB

4.) 913 GB

5.) 1.81 TB

6.) 7.15 TB

 

Half are Ethernet connected NAS and half are USB connected to the router and all basically full. Most of what's on these are music (CD collection, etc.) and movies (DVD's, movie files, and TiVo files. I would like enough room to store all my music (1,500 + CD collection) and movie files (TiVo, movie files & 1,500 + DVD collection) for streaming to a Boxee Box device for movie viewing, etc. And I know RAID 5 isn't a backup.

[jthorpein]

19 minutes ago, DrMikeNZ said:

I agree, although I don't think the ASRock QC5000-ITX motherboard supports this.

I know I should use ECC RAM. I was thinking of the ASRock C2750d4i board, but it's around $400. This board came with the case (along with the 4 port RAID card) so would like to use it if I can.

[jthorpein]

24 minutes ago, DrMikeNZ said:

I agree, although I don't think the ASRock QC5000-ITX motherboard supports this.

After doing a Google search, it shows that this board doesn't support ECC RAM.

[DrMikeNZ]

It isn't a major issue. Although it is strongly recommended to use ECC, I have been running NAS boxes without it for years as I recycle my old gaming systems into NAS's.

[jthorpein]

3 hours ago, DrMikeNZ said:

It isn't a major issue. Although it is strongly recommended to use ECC, I have been running NAS boxes without it for years as I recycle my old gaming systems into NAS's.

I was just looking at info on using non-ECC RAM. I picked up these components for a good price looking to set it up as a NAS. My whole thought is to set it up where I can store my CD collection (1,500 +) (and other music files) on and my movies and DVD (1,500 +) for streaming to my Windows computers and Boxee Box devices connected to my TV.

 

Right now I have this for Music and Video files:

 

Drive - Video Size - Music Size

1 - 269 GB Video

2 - 217 GB Video - 69.3 GB Music

3 - 904 GB Video

4 - 1.81 TB Video

5 - 4.19 TB + 1194 GB Video

6 - 751 GB Video

7 - 168 GB Video

 

Total Video: 6 TB + 3,503 GB

Total Music: 69.3 GB

 

These are rough estimates, and this isn't counting all my DVD's I'd like to RIP for streaming (or other files). I was hoping to set up a couple drives to start out with, and then be able to add a drive or two as I can afford to buy them (and this would also stagger out the age of the drives instead of them being the same age), but would like to add them without having to move all the data off of them and then re-add it back after adding a new drive or two.

 

Is there any apps/plugins/jails that'll allow me to set up a folder that anything is put in it would automatically sync to a cloud service. I can get a years service of Pogoplug which offers unlimited storage for $49 a year. My thoughts are to set up folder 1 and folder 2 (for example), and put any files I don't have physical media into folder 1 and have it automatically sync to something like Pogoplug (like the Onedrive folder does on Windows 7 - anything I put in, remove or change in that folder gets automatically synced to Onedrive), and put my CD's/DVD's, etc that I do have physical media to replace it in folder 2. I was thinking this can serve as an additional off site backup copy and a place I can access the files if needed if I'm not on my home network.

[reystar]

Use FreeNAS, you will not need ECC Ram with modern hardware.

[ARikozuM]

7 hours ago, reystar said:

Use FreeNAS, you will not need ECC Ram with modern hardware.

For the amount of TB's OP is hoping for it'll be better as the backup solution will be just as costly as the NAS itself. Losing 8 TB isn't a big deal but losing 48 TB is a very difficult thing to rebuild should errors begin to pile up.

[reystar]

24 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

For the amount of TB's OP is hoping for it'll be better as the backup solution will be just as costly as the NAS itself. Losing 8 TB isn't a big deal but losing 48 TB is a very difficult thing to rebuild should errors begin to pile up.

Maybe but most error that could occur are hard and not soft errors so he could get ECC if he makes him sleep better!

 

But if he going for the UBER SUPER important system he needs to build another server to backup everything, get an online UPS, etc

[jthorpein]

17 hours ago, reystar said:

Maybe but most error that could occur are hard and not soft errors so he could get ECC if he makes him sleep better!

 

But if he going for the UBER SUPER important system he needs to build another server to backup everything, get an online UPS, etc

The only problem is that the board that I got with the case doesn't support ECC RAM from what I found on Google about the board. I was thinking of the  ASRock C2750d4i board, but it's around $400 and I don't have the cash to spend on it. I was hoping to get something started (since the old factory made NAS Boxs are full and are getting old). I was thinking of using this board and RAID card to set up a few drives (when I can get them) and expand it to a total of 8 drives (hopefully without having to transfer data off and back on again when adding another drive or two) and then work on getting the C2750d4i board when I have the cash (and/or when prices come down when I have cash I can get it) and replacing it.

[ARikozuM]

Just make sure that your current board has an Intel-based LAN. FreeNAS can only detect LAN ports that it is compatible with.

[reystar]

3 hours ago, jthorpein said:

The only problem is that the board that I got with the case doesn't support ECC RAM from what I found on Google about the board. I was thinking of the  ASRock C2750d4i board, but it's around $400 and I don't have the cash to spend on it. I was hoping to get something started (since the old factory made NAS Boxs are full and are getting old). I was thinking of using this board and RAID card to set up a few drives (when I can get them) and expand it to a total of 8 drives (hopefully without having to transfer data off and back on again when adding another drive or two) and then work on getting the C2750d4i board when I have the cash (and/or when prices come down when I have cash I can get it) and replacing it.

Not worth the price difference IMHO

[jthorpein]

7 hours ago, ARikozuM said:

Just make sure that your current board has an Intel-based LAN. FreeNAS can only detect LAN ports that it is compatible with.

From the specs on ASRock's site it has a:  Realtek RTL8111E  LAN

[jthorpein]

8 hours ago, ARikozuM said:

Just make sure that your current board has an Intel-based LAN. FreeNAS can only detect LAN ports that it is compatible with.

Full Specs on the ASRock QC5000-ITX are:

 

QC5000-ITX/WiFi

Product Specifications

General
CPU	- AMD FT3 Kabini A4-5000 Quad-Core APU
Chipset	- SOC
Memory	- 2 x DDR3 DIMM Slots - Supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory - Max. capacity of system memory: 16GB*   *Due to the operating system limitation, the actual memory size may be less than 4GB for the reservation for system usage under Windows® 32-bit OS. For Windows® 64-bit OS with 64-bit CPU, there is no such limitation. Please refer to Memory Support List on ASRock's website for more information.
BIOS	- 32Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI support - Supports "Plug and Play" - ACPI 1.1 compliance wake up events - SMBIOS 2.3.1 support - DRAM Voltage multi-adjustment
Audio, Video and Networking
Graphics	- Integrated AMD Radeon™ HD 8330 Graphics - DirectX 11.1, Pixel Shader 5.0 - Max. shared memory 2GB - Four graphics output options: D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2 - Supports HDMI with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096x2160) @ 24Hz or 4K x 2K (3840x2160) @ 30Hz - Supports DVI-D with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @ 60Hz - Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 2048x1536 @ 60Hz - Supports DisplayPort 1.2 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096x2160) @ 30Hz - Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI Port (Compliant HDMI monitor is required) - Supports HDCP with DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2 Ports - Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) playback with DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2 Ports
Audio	- 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec) - Premium Blu-ray Audio support - Supports Surge Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)
LAN	- PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s - Realtek RTL8111E - Supports Wake-On-LAN - Supports Lightning/ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection) - Supports LAN Cable Detection - Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az - Supports PXE
Wireless LAN	WiFi-802.11n Module - 1T1R 150Mbps IEEE 802.11n / 54Mbps IEEE 802.11g / 11Mbps IEEE 802.11b - Supports Station mode (Infrastructure mode and Ad-hoc mode)
Expansion / Connectivity
Slots	- 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1 @ x4 mode) - 1 x Mini-PCI Express Slot: For WiFi Module
Storage	- 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors by AMD FT3 Kabini A4-5000 Quad-Core APU, support NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug - 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors by ASMedia ASM1061, support NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug
Connector	- 1 x COM Port Header - 1 x TPM Header - 1 x CPU Fan Connector (3-pin) - 2 x Chassis Fan Connectors (1 x 4-pin, 1 x 3-pin) - 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector - 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector - 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)) - 1 x USB 3.0 Header by Etron EJ188H (Supports 2 USB 3.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
Rear Panel I/O	- 1 x Antenna Port - 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port - 1 x D-Sub Port - 1 x DVI-D Port - 1 x HDMI Port - 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 - 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port - 2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)) - 2 x USB 3.0 Ports (AMD FT3 Kabini A4-5000 Quad-Core APU) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)) - 2 x USB 3.0 Ports (Etron EJ188H) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)) - 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED) - HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone
Other Features / Miscellaneous
Unique Feature	- ASRock A-Tuning - ASRock Instant Boot - ASRock Instant Flash - ASRock APP Charger - ASRock XFast LAN - ASRock XFast RAM - ASRock Crashless BIOS - ASRock OMG (Online Management Guard) - ASRock Internet Flash - ASRock UEFI Tech Service - ASRock On/Off Play Technology - ASRock Dehumidifier Function - ASRock Easy Driver Installer - ASRock Interactive UEFI - ASRock Fast Boot - ASRock Restart to UEFI - ASRock USB Key - ASRock FAN-Tastic Tuning - Hybrid Booster: - ASRock U-COP - Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G.) - Good Night LED
Support CD	- Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version), Google Chrome Browser and Toolbar, Start8 (30 days trial)
Accessories	- Quick Installation Guide, Support CD, I/O Shield - 2 x SATA Data Cables - 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4GHz Antenna
Hardware Monitor	- CPU temperature sensing - Chassis temperature sensing - CPU Fan Tachometer - Chassis Fan Tachometer - CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan - CPU/Chassis Fan multi-speed control - Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore
Form Factor	- Mini-ITX Form Factor - All Solid Capacitor design - High Density Glass Fabric PCB
OS	- Microsoft® Windows® 10 64-bit / 8.1 32-bit / 8.1 64-bit / 8 32-bit / 8 64-bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-bit / XP 32-bit / XP 64-bit   *USB 3.0 is not supported by Windows® XP
Certifications	- FCC, CE, WHQL - ErP/EuP ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)