Database/NAS/Plex server in one box

[zwirek2201]

Hi!
Some time ago my computer died and it took my drive to the ground with it. I lost most of my media and most importantly multiple databases with working projects on them.

 

I don't want it to happen ever again and that's why I want to build a dedicated database server that will store my DBs. Since I'm at it I thought it would be cool to also have a NAS in the box and Plex server to stream my media to my laptop/phone.

 

I started looking for some ways of having multiple servers in one computer, but the only thing that comes to my mind is virtualization which (as far as I know) requires a rather beefy CPU with 4+ cores.

 

What would be the best thing to run a NAS (a private cloud of sorts), a Plex server (that would utilize NAS files) and MS SQL Server (which I want to run on Windows) and at the same time not ruin my bank account? My budget would be something like 600-800 dollars with at least 2 2TB drives included.

 

Am I going too far with it? Would I need more machines for that?

Thanks for help!

[Lurick]

Check eBay in your area and see what the Dell R620 and R720 series will run you. You can toss ESXi (free) on there and then spin up multiple VMs.

[zwirek2201]

14 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Check eBay in your area and see what the Dell R620 and R720 series will run you. You can toss ESXi (free) on there and then spin up multiple VMs.

These prices though

 

Well even the cheapest of these dell servers is far beyond my reach. 

 

What would I need if I wanted to build a "server" that would support my needs? What kind of processor would I need for DB/NAS/Plex server? Do I really need 2x 6 core Xeon? How much ram would it need? What kind of mobo?

 

Also, I want to stick WD Red drives in it (2 or 4TB) ones depending on number of Sata ports on the mobo. I don't think the servers that you linked would be happy with 3,5 inch drives.

[Lurick]

8 minutes ago, zwirek2201 said:

What would I need if I wanted to build a "server" that would support my needs? What kind of processor would I need for DB/NAS/Plex server? Do I really need 2x 6 core Xeon? How much ram would it need? What kind of mobo?

Nah, no need for dual Xeons.

I would try to target something with at least 6 cores on a single chip, hyperthreading is a plus.

At least 16GB to 32GB of RAM and a board that takes the chip and has at least 4 RAM slots.

 

Try to find an E5-2620v2 and an x79 motherboard.

 

 

Edit:

Noticed you're in Poland but you didn't specify a currency for your budget, I assume that's $600 to $800 USD?

[zwirek2201]

Okay, I put together some parts that in my country are not very expensive and should work ok.

 

- Intel Xeon E5-2620v2 6 core 2.1GHz

- Asus P9X79 - 8 DDR3 slots, but I don't think it supports ECC memory and has "only" 6 SATA ports

- For now 16 GB of some DDR3 memory (if mobo supports ECC then ECC memory)

 

I still don't know what would be the best case and PSU for this kind of system. In the future I would see it running 6 drives in 3 pairs of RAID 1 and then striped together in RAID 0. I don't want a huge case, but also don't really want a rack mounted case. Redundant PSU is also not a must for me since I'm planning to buy a UPS to keep my PC and server alive for some time.

[Lurick]

4 minutes ago, zwirek2201 said:

Okay, I put together some parts that in my country are not very expensive and should work ok.

 

- Intel Xeon E5-2620v2 6 core 2.1GHz

- Asus P9X79 - 8 DDR3 slots, but I don't think it supports ECC memory and has "only" 6 SATA ports

- For now 16 GB of some DDR3 memory (if mobo supports ECC then ECC memory)

 

I still don't know what would be the best case and PSU for this kind of system. In the future I would see it running 6 drives in 3 pairs of RAID 1 and then striped together in RAID 0. I don't want a huge case, but also don't really want a rack mounted case. Redundant PSU is also not a must for me since I'm planning to buy a UPS to keep my PC and server alive for some time.

I would setup the 6 drives in RAID 10 if you can. The board does not support ECC memory so don't worry about that.

As for case, that'll probably be a personal preference but for PSU I would recommend something from the Tier 1 of this list:

 

[DrunkenPanda]

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/DrunkenPanda/saved/#view=Cpsccf

 

I just put together a list yesterday for a home server I'm about to build. I had one before, but I sold it to the company I was working for since they needed a dedicated server. Feel free to add however many drives you think you need.

 

ECC is, albeit unofficially, supported by that motherboard if you want to go that route. And if you want to run virtualization at all, then Ryzen is a MUCH cheaper way to get your cores/thread count up to where you have plenty to not worry about it. I would go with 32GB of ram if you're going to use much virtualization.

 

I don't know how familiar you are with Linux, but an easy way (although kind of ghetto and clunky as hell) to do what you want and have headed/headless access to the NAS is to install CentOS with whatever GUI you prefer, I'm a KDE guy... (CentOS will do everything you asked for as a standalone, no problem) but if you then add net-based Rockstor which runs off the same RHEL kernel on top of that, you'd have a GUI-based OS for when you want a monitor connected to the server and if you want network access, you would't have to SSH into it to do all the storage things. Like I said, it's not the most intricate thing, but it'll give you GUI-based network and headed access without having to spend all your time in terminal.

 

If you're comfy without a GUI just get a headless CentOS and you're golden.

[zwirek2201]

29 minutes ago, DrunkenPanda said:

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/DrunkenPanda/saved/#view=Cpsccf

 

I just put together a list yesterday for a home server I'm about to build. I had one before, but I sold it to the company I was working for since they needed a dedicated server. Feel free to add however many drives you think you need.

 

ECC is, albeit unofficially, supported by that motherboard if you want to go that route. And if you want to run virtualization at all, then Ryzen is a MUCH cheaper way to get your cores/thread count up to where you have plenty to not worry about it. I would go with 32GB of ram if you're going to use much virtualization.

 

I don't know how familiar you are with Linux, but an easy way (although kind of ghetto and clunky as hell) to do what you want and have headed/headless access to the NAS is to install CentOS with whatever GUI you prefer, I'm a KDE guy... (CentOS will do everything you asked for as a standalone, no problem) but if you then add net-based Rockstor which runs off the same RHEL kernel on top of that, you'd have a GUI-based OS for when you want a monitor connected to the server and if you want network access, you would't have to SSH into it to do all the storage things. Like I said, it's not the most intricate thing, but it'll give you GUI-based network and headed access without having to spend all your time in terminal.

 

If you're comfy without a GUI just get a headless CentOS and you're golden.

My main goal with the NAS is to be able to use it both as just a network drive and as a server that will allow me to access my files from my phone/laptop. Do you know if there's a software that works like plex (client - server) and allows to access my files from other devices? It would be great if it had features such as automatic photo backup from phone etc. I may not need virualization after all.

[DrunkenPanda]

https://www.linode.com/docs/applications/media-servers/install-plex-media-server-on-centos-7

 

Plex is awesome, why look for alternatives?

[zwirek2201]

2 minutes ago, DrunkenPanda said:

https://www.linode.com/docs/applications/media-servers/install-plex-media-server-on-centos-7

 

Plex is awesome, why look for alternatives?

Does Plex offer streaming every file type? I want to use Plex for my movies/music/photos, but also I want to be able to sync documents etc between devices and I want to be able to use it as sort of internal cloud storage. If I need something on my phone, I want to just download it from the app and have it on my phone. It would be perfect if it worked outside of my home network as well, but it's not a must have.

[DrunkenPanda]

3 minutes ago, zwirek2201 said:

Does Plex offer streaming every file type? I want to use Plex for my movies/music/photos, but also I want to be able to sync documents etc between devices and I want to be able to use it as sort of internal cloud storage. If I need something on my phone, I want to just download it from the app and have it on my phone. It would be perfect if it worked outside of my home network as well, but it's not a must have.

You would use Plex to organize/play your media, then set up a Samba share for documents, which you can access through whatever device after the initial configuration. You can even set up a VPN tunnel through your router where you can access your Plex/Samba share from wherever you have an internet connection

[zwirek2201]

2 minutes ago, DrunkenPanda said:

You would use Plex to organize/play your media, then set up a Samba share for documents, which you can access through whatever device after the initial configuration.

And that's the spirit. Samba is for Linux so I would probably like to find something for Windows, but other than that I would probably be able to get all of it on one OS, without a need for virtualisation. Thanks for your help!

[DrunkenPanda]

Samba is built into Windows, you just have to turn on the option if you haven't already. It works across every platform I've ever been on. *shrugs*

[zwirek2201]

2 minutes ago, DrunkenPanda said:

Samba is built into Windows, you just have to turn on the option if you haven't already. It works across every platform I've ever been on. *shrugs*

God Dammit, I thought I will have to run multiple VMs with different servers and it turns out I just need a computer and I'm good to go. Thanks bud!

[paddy-stone]

Basically you could just run a freenas server, and install plex server plugin.. very very useful setup, no need for expensive components at all. For fun I ran freenas with just 4GB Ram to see how well it handled it, and it didn;t even flinch. The only reason I try some things is boredom and just to see how far you can push things sometimes

I'm sure there are people that have ran it on way less too BTW.