NAS/Home Server Build

[beteng1]

Hello everyone,

 

It's my first time posting here in the forum so I'm not sure whether I'm on the right page or not.  I guess for background info about me.  I am a college student, studying computer engineering, in Ontario Canada and living with my parents still.  Since my program has coop in it, i want to have this as my own project since i like to tinker with computers.

 

Anyhow, I'm interested in building a centralized computer but not quite sure whether its a NAS or Home Server.  Its main purpose is to act as a main storage for media(music movies etc) and as a backup for my family(family photos for every member, work, school stuff etc).  I plan on having the media accessible for others to stream it, such as my family and guests, and have the family backup only accessible for family members only.

 

I'm looking for input/ideas on how to set this computer up and not quite sure if this will be a NAS or Home Server. It will be mostly used for streaming(like a NAS) and I plan on doing monthly backups(like a home server).  In addition, I might just turn this machine on when needed and won't be leaving it running 24/7 because it might have a huge impact on our electricity bill.

 

I found a post by Ssoele for an 8-bay NAS build (post name: Getting started with a NAS) which i find as a really good starting point for this build.  The only thing i might just change is the case, CPU, motherboard and the power supply

 

The only thing i require in this computer is to have these drives in RAID 5 or 6 and will probably start with 4 x 4TB WD RED.  As for my initial questions:

1.  What OS(Windows Server, FreeNAS, etc) should i set this up?

2.  If 4 HDDs are required to run RAID 5/6, is it possible to add more drives(4tb WD Red) in the future?

3.  Would i benefit by a lot if i change the CPU/Motherboard to a Haswell CPU and haswell compatible motherboard in terms of power?

4.  As for the power supply, wouldnt it be power efficient to be using something that is gold or above?  Though i dont think i have seen a PSU that is below 500watts.

 

If there is something i said that is not clear please let me know and thank you in advance for any inputs.

 

-Vince

[Rekhyt]

1) Since you're not going to be doing anything very complex, FreeNAS is best for you. Debian or Ubuntu Server if you need more muscle (software "muscle" that is) in the future

2) Yes, the RAID card software will allow you to expand the array dynamically at any time

3) I would consider haswell yes, but for the better power management, which means lower temps and less noise, rather than for the savings you'll make from it in terms of power bill. If you're on a tight budget don't worry about it though.

4) Power supplies have an efficiency curve, meaning they have peak efficiency at a certain load, usually in the 58-95% range. That means in this case that having for instance a 1000W platinum certified PSU will actually give you terrible efficiency since you'll never go above 50% load maybe; so don't go above 400-550W to get a better certification. If you can find one that's in that wattage range AND is gold or platinum, go for it; it'll send cleaner power to your components (keep in mind a NAS runs 24/7) and probably be higher quality and more silent overall.

[beteng1]

thanks for the quick reply Rekhyt.

 

Would you happen to know what is the average power consumption of a 'regular' NAS?  Im just trying to estimate how much power it will take. Initially i plan to have four, and probably expand to 8 WD reds.

What are brand/models of ECC memory? I thought i can just put any RAM like a corsair vengeance ram though i might find something else that is cheaper.

 

-Vince

[beteng1]

Id like to add, with FreeNAS, would i be able to stream outside of my home network(i think its called VPN)? Since i have unlimited bandwidth for our home network and cellphone, maybe i could take advantage of streaming media from NAS to my phone.

[Rekhyt]

@beteng1

 

The wattage will vary a bit depending on what processor you use, + number of drives. I can't help you with precise numbers because I don't have a dedicated NAS; I have a home server that does quite a few other things so it wouldn't be accurate. I'm sure there are numbers out there that can give you an indication though. I would guess 100-200W range, but it might be surprisingly lower with the proper hardware

 

ECC RAM, don't worry about it. It's more expensive, has awkward compatibility issues with some motherboards which are hard to find out about because manufacturers don't put out good info about it, and it really has no value in a NAS unless you absolutely have to use the ZFS file system for some reason. Just get the cheapest ram you can find from a decent brand. I have 8 gigs of 1333MHz G.SKILL Ares in my Home Server for instance.

 

As for accessing files from outside the network, well, you could ftp into your NAS, but that's not technically streaming. Now AFAIK actual streaming outside the network isn't supported by FreeNAS by default (could be wrong) but there might be an extension for it, try looking that up. If by chance you have a vpn enabled router, then you can remote into the router and automatically be connected to the rest of the network but the chances of your router having those capabilities are slim. 

 

Mostly, keep in mind that you'll be very limited by your upload speed. Even if you have no upload cap, good luck streaming video or music on the 1-5 Mb/s that ISP's usually allow

[Giggitygoebbels]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A4-5300 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($45.99 @ Canada Computers)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-DS2 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Canada Computers)

Memory: Kingston Value 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1066 Memory ($16.99 @ Amazon Canada)

Memory: Kingston Value 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1066 Memory ($16.99 @ Amazon Canada)

Storage: Sandisk 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.99 @ NCIX)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($199.99 @ DirectCanada)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($199.99 @ DirectCanada)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($199.99 @ DirectCanada)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($199.99 @ DirectCanada)

Case: Xigmatek CCC-AD38BT-U03 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.55 @ Newegg Canada)

Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($70.98 @ Newegg Canada)

Other: https://m.ncix.com/products/sku/62432 windows home server 2011 ($59.05)

Other: https://m.ncix.com/products/sku/54358 raid card LSI ($350.74)

Total: $1555.23

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-29 22:03 EST-0500)

I still think Windows home server is the easiest to use and setup.

[Giggitygoebbels]

Intel variant:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Celeron G530 2.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($44.50 @ Vuugo)

Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M LX PLUS (REV 3.0) Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($48.00 @ Vuugo)

Memory: Kingston Value 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1066 Memory ($16.99 @ Amazon Canada)

Memory: Kingston Value 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1066 Memory ($16.99 @ Amazon Canada)

Storage: Sandisk 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.99 @ NCIX)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($199.99 @ DirectCanada)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($199.99 @ DirectCanada)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($199.99 @ DirectCanada)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($199.99 @ DirectCanada)

Case: Xigmatek CCC-AD38BT-U03 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.55 @ Newegg Canada)

Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($70.98 @ Newegg Canada)

Other: https://m.ncix.com/products/sku/62432 windows home server 2011 ($59.05)

Other: https://m.ncix.com/products/sku/54358 raid card LSI ($350.74)

Total: $1546.75

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-29 22:06 EST-0500)

The G440 single core processor is a few dollars cheaper at 35W tdp,but the G530 should be more future proof and have more hardware muscle.

[beteng1]

So the ECC RAM is not mandatory for NAS builds.  I was struggling to find what are these ECC RAMS but its good to know i can just pick a cheap RAM stick.

 

I guess streaming outside wouldnt be the best but Id try to experiment with this.  I also plan on getting the asus routers but not until my current DLink DIR-655 is completely dead.  It still works but sometimes it just stops connecting to the network.

 

Fortunately my college is giving free windows server which saves me a couple of dollars

 

Thank you Rekhyt and Giggitygeobbels!