NAS or Small Server?

[Sweppi]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about either getting a NAS or a Server but I can really decide what to go with.

I'm a web developer and iOS programmer. I'll be using the product to share project files (PSDs, Programming projects etc) between my Mac and my PC.

I'll also be using it for keeping client data like invoices, agreements etc. With the possibility for expansion for video files etc.

 

But I'm not sure whether I should go with a Server or a NAS. So I was hoping I could get some input and product recommendations from you

I've been looking at the Dell PowerEdge T20 Mini Tower with an Intel Xeon processor which I would get at a pretty good discount here in Sweden.

[Pyrotechnika]

Howdy!

 

In my opinion:

Long term use a server.

Short term use a NAS.

[Electronics Wizardy]

5 minutes ago, Sweppi said:

I've been looking at the Dell PowerEdge T20 Mini Tower with an Intel Xeon processor which I would get at a pretty good discount here in Sweden.

What OS?

 

It looks like your just storing data, if so get s NAS. 

 

If you need something to run AD and other things like that, Id get that dell server, then probably have a nas/san for data storage.

[Pyrotechnika]

However talking between two Operating Systems can be complicated. 

[Electronics Wizardy]

3 minutes ago, Pyrotechnika said:

However talking between two Operating Systems can be complicated. 

No its not. 

 

ISCSI, NFS, CIFS all work between OSX, Linux and windows just fine.

[Sweppi]

11 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

What OS?

 

It looks like your just storing data, if so get s NAS. 

 

If you need something to run AD and other things like that, Id get that dell server, then probably have a nas/san for data storage.

 

Well I get Windows Server for free via Dreamspark and Windows Server is what I'm most experienced with,

[Sweppi]

So any recommendations on hardware? What NAS or Server to go for

 

[tadhg]

https://www.synology.com/en-global/products/DS3615xs

 

Im not sure if this is helpful but I recommend this! ^

[Luc401]

I just turned my old pc into a server, that might be an option for you. See specs in signature.

[samiscool51]

thats a toughie...

if you have an old system laying around then a server would probly be best

if you don't have one laying around or don't want to use one, then a NAS would be best

 

it realy depends on how much you are going to store

it's eiser to set up a NAS becuse it's a simple device

it's harder to set a windows server to have file shareing, and then you have to set the permitions

unless you know how to use windows server and how to configure it then a NAS would be best

[FroTo]

Well, 

 

I believe if you're looking for future expansion down the line, you should definitely consider purchasing a server. The small NAS appliances have no expandability, aren't cost effective, and are quite underpowered. The larger NAS solutions are not very cost effective. 

If you were to spend the time to build a server, you would have much finer control and flexibility. The downside is that these systems are not plug-and-play. 

Applications I would recommend are UnRAID(Simply by Linus' recommendation) or FreeNAS. 

 

Personally, I run a low powered FreeNAS machine at home running 5x 3TB configuration in RaidZ2(Raid 6). And because FreeNAS has additional functionality to setup VMs and Plugins, I host a media, file sharing, and web server on the same machine. 

 

Hardware:

The motherboard I use is an ASRock Intel Avoton C2750. It is purposefully designed to be setup as a NAS. And I couple that with the Silverstone DS380 Case for 8 bays which is plenty for expansion down the line and it makes for easy swap of drives :D. The beauty of this setup is that it's very compact and the motherboard is an ITX form factor which supports 4 sticks of memory (Up to a MAX of 64GB). Oh, and it also has a bunch of SATA Ports.

 

If I had more money to spend at the time, I would have purchased a Supermicro X10SL7-F. This Board supports a maximum of 32GB of memory and a user's choice of an Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/v4. This would give me more compute power over my current setup and more expansion slots for a HBA card and possibly a 10GbE NiC. (for SSD Arrays or w/e).

 

Edit:

If you're familiar with Windows Server, then, I don't see why not. I would personally opt for the more flexible option.

 

I just looked up the Dell PowerEdge T20 Mini Tower and I notice it starts at 800$. So, if you're willing to drop that much on a machine. I assume that high data availability is important, and you're planning on using it for more than just file sharing? (not to mention 4 HDDs adds 500$ to the total cost)

 

Otherwise, if you're looking for just a simple (but redundant) extension to your storage, then a "NAS" should be fine. 

 

 

[Mikensan]

You only list the need to store files, and seems like that is all you'll ever need to do. Even then, some of the synology units support Docker which can give you a web development environment (LAMP etc..). For low cost, easy maintenance, and warranty support - I would go with QNAP / Synology / WD Cloud. Only use Windows Shares since MAC OS fully supports it, and it is a lot easier to manage. Do not try to create 2 separate shares for each OS, you'll drive yourself mad and create unnecessary headaches.

 

Contrary to what a couple have said about pre-built NASes, their value is in their simplicity and warranty - so yes they may have a slower / low powered CPU but you get a lot from how easy it is to use and the warranty. You do not need a more powerful CPU, don't let anybody upsell you.

 

tl;dr - don't overbuy, value in warranty / simplicity, get a prebuilt. Unless you want to learn, you have more important things to spend time on then learning and maintaining a custom server.

[Sweppi]

Hey guys, thanks for all the answers!

 

I actually ended up buying the Dell PowerEdge T20 with the Xeon as it only cost me $60 more than the NAS. So I thought I got a pretty good deal there

And since I have some experience with Windows Server I don't think it will be that hard to set it up. Either way all of your answers are much appreciated and I have to say I love this community!