What is the best budget RAID card?

[TheGermanEngie]

Hi ltt -

 

Continuing on my journey for my home NAS, I'm curious as to if I need a RAID card if I wanted to expand to 3 drives, then switching to RAID 5. If I expanded to then, what kind of RAID card do I need to fulfill such tasks?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Sealed-LSI-9260-8i-SAS-SATA-PCI-E-6Gb-RAID-Controller-Card-US-SameDayShip/121790476226?hash=item1c5b472fc2:g:K~0AAOSw-7RVGcRb:sc:USPSFirstClass!07043!US!-1

 

this one is for $100.. over 100 sold. would this do the job? do I even need a RAID card for levels other than 0 and 1?

 

thanks

[jjohn390]

What OS are you running for your NAS? 

[Salv8 (sam)]

37 minutes ago, TheGermanEngie said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Sealed-LSI-9260-8i-SAS-SATA-PCI-E-6Gb-RAID-Controller-Card-US-SameDayShip/121790476226?hash=item1c5b472fc2:g:K~0AAOSw-7RVGcRb:sc:USPSFirstClass!07043!US!-1

that card is meant for a backplane, normal hdds won't connect to it without one

since this is your first NAS unit (i think) you most likey don't have one in the NAS unit itself

your best bet is to either use the RAID on your mother board or look for a RAID card with SATA connectors on it (you won't get ones like the one you are looking at but looking up reviews of one's you are thinking about getting will give you an idea of what to expect and help in the decision making process)

this is a good example but don't get it as it's a fake one (you can spot fake listings as they just use images from google images and multiple of those same images show up on the result page) https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-Port-SATA-to-PCI-Sil3114-Controller-Raid-Card/282401990693?epid=11012065908&hash=item41c0786825:g:XPUAAOSwvjBa~pZX

also RAID is a bitch, be prepared to spend some time fixing it if it doesn't work or stops working

[PianoPlayer88Key]

3 hours ago, Salv8 (sam) said:

that card is meant for a backplane, normal hdds won't connect to it without one

Those cards with the SFF-8087 connector actually require a backplane? I thought you could just use SAS to 4x SATA breakout cables with them.

I was thinking about getting a couple HBAs, since I've run out of motherboard SATA ports on my Z97 Extreme6.  Might consider something like the 9211-8i, or possibly a 9200-16e which I've seen under $25-30 on ebay.  (Max budget for the HBA would be about $35-40 for one supporting 8-16 SATA devices without using port multipliers.)

Although, with the 16e, I'd need to figure out how to route the cables back into the case.  Or better yet (since my Define R5 only has so much room for HDDs) get a dumb external cage & PSU (Also ran out of SATA power on my AX760) and hook my upwards of 28-32 or so drives (although about 10 or 12 or so, IIRC, are PATA) up that way.

And i absolutely do NOT! want to get any type of rackmount case, if/when I build a NAS!

[Salv8 (sam)]

1 hour ago, PianoPlayer88Key said:

-snip-

you can use break out cables but it's not a good idea as a back plane does some things that really help (power management for when drives aren't in use, more efficiently routes the data to the hdds etc)

if you want a better explanation than what i just gave you (not blaming you, it's not that great) read this

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backplane

it gives a more round explaition

also HBA's are different than RAID cards as explained here:

https://www.servethehome.com/difference-hardware-raid-hbas-software-raid/

(basic run down is that the RAID card doesn't allow the OS to fully "see" the hdd and some OS's (FreeNAS is one) don't like that and won't work, while HBA's do)

and lastly, rackmount cases have the most storage slots then your average computer case, if you need a lot of storage and can't afford high capacity HDD's, this is your best bet

[Ramaddil]

9 hours ago, TheGermanEngie said:

Hi ltt -

 

Continuing on my journey for my home NAS, I'm curious as to if I need a RAID card if I wanted to expand to 3 drives, then switching to RAID 5. If I expanded to then, what kind of RAID card do I need to fulfill such tasks?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Sealed-LSI-9260-8i-SAS-SATA-PCI-E-6Gb-RAID-Controller-Card-US-SameDayShip/121790476226?hash=item1c5b472fc2:g:K~0AAOSw-7RVGcRb:sc:USPSFirstClass!07043!US!-1

 

this one is for $100.. over 100 sold. would this do the job? do I even need a RAID card for levels other than 0 and 1?

 

thanks

First we need to know what OS you are running, second are all three drives the same size? You can do Storage Spaces in windows for a NAS, or if you do freenas you can do a HBA like some of the posters have suggested.  You can do a raid card if that is something you want to do.. I have been using raid cards in my Windows PC for years and all these people saying you cant use without a back-plane are wrong.  On top of that I have had little to no problems with my setup.. I have a Raid 6 with 28 drives, a Raid 5 with 3 drives and another raid 5 with 10 drives.  All used in different manners one is a backup array.  Most of the used raid cards on eBay are decent they last for awhile but run hot so you need to make sure you have enough fans to cool them down.

 

It depends on what you intend to run on your NAS which will depend on what hardware or software you want to use.  They have software raid options on the market as well.

[dalekphalm]

8 hours ago, Salv8 (sam) said:

you can use break out cables but it's not a good idea as a back plane does some things that really help (power management for when drives aren't in use, more efficiently routes the data to the hdds etc)

if you want a better explanation than what i just gave you (not blaming you, it's not that great) read this

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backplane

it gives a more round explaition

also HBA's are different than RAID cards as explained here:

https://www.servethehome.com/difference-hardware-raid-hbas-software-raid/

(basic run down is that the RAID card doesn't allow the OS to fully "see" the hdd and some OS's (FreeNAS is one) don't like that and won't work, while HBA's do)

and lastly, rackmount cases have the most storage slots then your average computer case, if you need a lot of storage and can't afford high capacity HDD's, this is your best bet

Hold on a minute here.

 

The "RAID Card" that you linked above is not going to be any better than the LSI one linked above. Both will present the OS with the virtual drive pool, and not direct access to the drive.

 

Whether the OP needs an HBA vs a RAID Card is an entirely different discussion compared to which RAID Card he might choose.

 

You can most certainly, 100% use SFF breakout cables with that LSI card, and it'll work 100% fine.

 

IF the OP wants to use an OS that relies on software RAID, like FreeNAS ZFS, Windows Storage Spaces, or Linux MDADM? Then of course, get an HBA. But the best HBA's will also use SFF connectors and will require breakout cables for a standard case.

[TheGermanEngie]

17 hours ago, jjohn390 said:

What OS are you running for your NAS? 

openmediavault

[TheGermanEngie]

19 hours ago, Salv8 (sam) said:

that card is meant for a backplane, normal hdds won't connect to it without one

since this is your first NAS unit (i think) you most likey don't have one in the NAS unit itself

your best bet is to either use the RAID on your mother board or look for a RAID card with SATA connectors on it (you won't get ones like the one you are looking at but looking up reviews of one's you are thinking about getting will give you an idea of what to expect and help in the decision making process)

this is a good example but don't get it as it's a fake one (you can spot fake listings as they just use images from google images and multiple of those same images show up on the result page) https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-Port-SATA-to-PCI-Sil3114-Controller-Raid-Card/282401990693?epid=11012065908&hash=item41c0786825:g:XPUAAOSwvjBa~pZX

also RAID is a bitch, be prepared to spend some time fixing it if it doesn't work or stops working

It's simple RAID 1. If the two 500GB hard drives go weird is one 1TB drive reliable enough? I do want at least some form of redundancy...

[Salv8 (sam)]

4 minutes ago, TheGermanEngie said:

It's simple RAID 1. If the two 500GB hard drives go weird is one 1TB drive reliable enough? I do want at least some form of redundancy...

how many drives you have?

[TheGermanEngie]

4 minutes ago, Salv8 (sam) said:

how many drives you have?

two 2.5" 500GB drives (hitachi and samsung). I also have one 3.5" 1TB drive (WD Blue)

[dalekphalm]

10 minutes ago, TheGermanEngie said:

It's simple RAID 1. If the two 500GB hard drives go weird is one 1TB drive reliable enough? I do want at least some form of redundancy...

Please keep in mind that redundancy and backups serve different purposes.

 

Redundancy exists to save you time and effort. If a physical failure happens, you pop in the replacement, and in a (mostly) automated fashion, the array rebuilds itself.

 

Whereas a backup will protect you in case of actual data loss due to accidental deletion, malware infection, corrupted files, etc.

[Salv8 (sam)]

3 minutes ago, TheGermanEngie said:

two 2.5" 500GB drives (hitachi and samsung). I also have one 3.5" 1TB drive (WD Blue)

then that would be technically be a RAID 0, no redundancy there...

a RAID 5 may be a good bet, with that 1TB hdd you have being the redundancy for the RAID

[dalekphalm]

2 minutes ago, Salv8 (sam) said:

then that would be technically be a RAID 0, no redundancy there...

a RAID 5 may be a good bet, with that 1TB hdd you have being the redundancy for the RAID

Not necessarily. He doesn't have to use all 3 drives. a RAID1 mirror w/ the 2x 500GB would work just fine. He could use the 1TB HDD as a backup drive or just keep it for other uses.

 

I personally wouldn't bother with putting all three of them into a RAID5. Waste of good space on that 1TB HDD. If the OP wanted to use all three of them, he'd be better off doing a tiered array, where he RAID0's the 500GB drives, then RAID1'd them with the 1TB drive. Plenty of software based RAID software to handle such a setup - though you wouldn't be able to do it via a hardware RAID card.

[TheGermanEngie]

20 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Not necessarily. He doesn't have to use all 3 drives. a RAID1 mirror w/ the 2x 500GB would work just fine. He could use the 1TB HDD as a backup drive or just keep it for other uses.

 

I personally wouldn't bother with putting all three of them into a RAID5. Waste of good space on that 1TB HDD. If the OP wanted to use all three of them, he'd be better off doing a tiered array, where he RAID0's the 500GB drives, then RAID1'd them with the 1TB drive. Plenty of software based RAID software to handle such a setup - though you wouldn't be able to do it via a hardware RAID card.

That was kind of my point. My question to @Salv8 (sam) was if I should just use the singular 1TB HDD for my NAS instead of the RAID 1 with the two 500GB drives when he said "also RAID is a bitch, be prepared to spend some time fixing it if it doesn't work or stops working". I guess the RAID 1 mirror will work just fine. Isn't that tiered array you're talking about called RAID 10 if I'm not mistaken? Or does RAID 10 require more than 3 drives? 

 

[Jarsky]

Backplanes for storage devices (SAS/SATA) aren't required. The HBA can still do all of the power management without it. You just need one if you want signaling such as LED's in hotswap cages for when a drives in failed status etc...which is controlled via SGPIO between the HBA/Initiator and the Backplane/Target. It's most certainly not a requirement that you have a backplane, 

 

But to the intial question

- Don't do hardware RAID on a card that doesnt have Memory/Battery or Flash backup

- HBA and software solution is a much cheaper alternative to hardware RAID cards.

 

Personally having done a hybrid RAID in the past, I really cant recommend a RAID0 of the 500GB's and RAID1 with the 1TB. It can be horrible in a drive failure. 

I'd *maybe* do the 500GB's as a RAID, but then backup anything important to the 1TB, or even more preferably, if you're investing $100 in a HBA, i'd keep saving until you can put some 2-3TB disks on there. 

[Salacious B Crum]

What you are trying to create would hardly be worth shelling out money for hardware for such a small array unless you plan to grow rapidly stick with storage spaces or software raid and keep your small array within your PC case rather than the investment in hardware

[TheGermanEngie]

18 minutes ago, mrbilky said:

What you are trying to create would hardly be worth shelling out money for hardware for such a small array unless you plan to grow rapidly stick with storage spaces or software raid and keep your small array within your PC case rather than the investment in hardware

Oh it'll grow in the future as demands grow. Plus I don't really buy the hardware new, I get it used and through deals as well as with family who have old tech lying around. Lots of money to be made from selling and finding old tech which goes towards buying hardware.

[TheGermanEngie]

43 minutes ago, Jarsky said:

Backplanes for storage devices (SAS/SATA) aren't required. The HBA can still do all of the power management without it. You just need one if you want signaling such as LED's in hotswap cages for when a drives in failed status etc...which is controlled via SGPIO between the HBA/Initiator and the Backplane/Target. It's most certainly not a requirement that you have a backplane, 

 

But to the intial question

- Don't do hardware RAID on a card that doesnt have Memory/Battery or Flash backup

- HBA and software solution is a much cheaper alternative to hardware RAID cards.

 

Personally having done a hybrid RAID in the past, I really cant recommend a RAID0 of the 500GB's and RAID1 with the 1TB. It can be horrible in a drive failure. 

I'd *maybe* do the 500GB's as a RAID, but then backup anything important to the 1TB, or even more preferably, if you're investing $100 in a HBA, i'd keep saving until you can put some 2-3TB disks on there. 

That sounds good. I'll use a software solution like openmediavault or win 7. And yeah, I'll do the RAID 1 of the 500GB drives and back it all up on to my 1TB HDD periodically. You can never be too safe.

[TheGermanEngie]

1 hour ago, dalekphalm said:

I personally wouldn't bother with putting all three of them into a RAID5. Waste of good space on that 1TB HDD.

Ok so I just found another 500GB drive lying around... would it make more sense to throw all 3 500GB drives into a RAID 5 or do the 2x 500GB drives in a RAID 1 with the 1TB HDD acting as a backup?

[PianoPlayer88Key]

23 hours ago, Salv8 (sam) said:

you can use break out cables but it's not a good idea as a back plane does some things that really help (power management for when drives aren't in use, more efficiently routes the data to the hdds etc)

if you want a better explanation than what i just gave you (not blaming you, it's not that great) read this

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backplane

it gives a more round explaition

Ahh interesting.  I just mostly haven't looked at backplanes cause pretty much all the ones I've seen have been a few times over my budget for the entire setup, not including the drives.  (Even the Mediasonic 4-bay enclosure is pushing it, and wouldn't be nearly enough bays.)

 

Quote

also HBA's are different than RAID cards as explained here:

https://www.servethehome.com/difference-hardware-raid-hbas-software-raid/

(basic run down is that the RAID card doesn't allow the OS to fully "see" the hdd and some OS's (FreeNAS is one) don't like that and won't work, while HBA's do)

I thought some LSI RAID cards, like the 9211-8i and others, could be crossflashed into IT / HBA mode?  Also I was considering FreeNAS for a while (I like the idea of checksums, snapshots, etc), but I really want to be able to add drives arbitrarily (different sizes, one at a time,etc) like I've heard UnRAID can do.  Either way, I'd probably either use software RAID (like @dalekphalm mentioned), or no RAID.  (I'd also like to be able to pull drives out individually, plug it into another computer, and access the data that's on that drive.)

 

Quote

and lastly, rackmount cases have the most storage slots then your average computer case, if you need a lot of storage and can't afford high capacity HDD's, this is your best bet

Yeah, I've noticed that.  They're pretty expensive, though, even the Rosewill RSV-L4500.  Also I don't have a rack cabinet, nor a place to put one, nor do I want to spend the extra $ to get one.

 

Spoiler

I'd really like to be able to build an entire NAS for the cost of a single 6 or 8TB spinning HDD, not counting the drives used for storage.  (For example, $180-250 including case, psu, mobo, cpu, ram, boot drive, enough HBAs to get started, gpu, OS if not free, etc, but not including the drives used for storage.  It would include any initial batch of external enclosures, but not future expansion purchases.)

 

Therefore, I was mostly looking at older stuff, like Supermicro X6* to X7*, maybe some X8* motherboards.  (I've seen DDR2 Registered/FB-DIMM ECC RAM for under a buck a gig, for example.)

Another option I've also considered is LGA 1151, for example a Gigabyte GA-B250M-D3H (no ECC) or ASRock E3V5 WS (ECC), since I already have an i3-6100.  (Took it out of my laptop when I upgraded to a 6700K around Black Friday 2016.)

 

I'm mostly looking at ATX boards, although if I could find a consumer-aesthetic case that takes EATX, has lots of drive bays, isn't huge, etc, I might consider doing that.  For example, I kind-of like the Supermicro X8DTH-6.  Other options might be the X8DT6-F, H8DIi+-F, X9SCL, X7DCL-i and X8SIL.

 

As for CPUs, I'd mostly be looking at the low-wattage Xeons.  (Power bill here can exceed 50-55¢/kWh at times, especially peak time of day in summer, and I don't think it ever goes below about 25-30¢/kWh.)

 

Also, about CPU coolers ... if I got a board with close-together CPUs (like the X9DRL-7F although that's way over budget, X8DTL-i, X7DCL-i, X7DCA-L (a micro ATX dual-socket board), or X5DPR-8G2+ (barely in budget on ebay, but lacks PCIe expansion), I'd need to figure out what to do about CPU coolers.  I don't think I'd be able to fit 2 Hyper 212 Evos on there, and for my uses, passive heatsinks with server fans would be impractical.  One option might be 120mm AIOs, provided the case can take them and I could get them on the cheap.  (One case I've looked at is the Cougar Solution.)

 

Also, one of the HBAs I was looking at was the LSI 9200-16e, which I've seen as low as $23 ($13 Buy It Now + $10 shipping) on ebay, and that listing says it's seller refurbished.  For external drive enclosures, some ideas I had might include using the ModDIY 5-in-3 enclosure.  Another idea for an external HDD enclosure would be a mini ITX case with some 3.5" bays, or a few of those multi-bay storage/shipping boxes, with holes cut out for routing cables.

 

With said external enclosure(s), I'd need a PSU or few, like the EVGA 500 BQ or 700B or whatever's on sale.  This would be for the extra SATA power, with a paperclip in the 24-pin ATX connector to power it.  (The Thermaltake TPD-0750M is under consideration for the main system PSU, or one of the aforementioned EVGA units.  I'd need a different PSU if I went with a dual-socket board though (for example the Antec HCG850 Bronze); or maybe I could use the CPU cable from one of the extra PSUs?)

 

Also, what about video out .... I should probably learn more about IPMI, although there's a good chance the board I might get wouldn't support it.  (In that case, I'd be considering the PCIe 1x Zotac GT 710, unless I could find a PCI GPU with an HDMI port.  I don't have nor do I plan to buy any monitor that has VGA or DVI support.)

 

Also it'd be nice to be able to get future storage for about as much cheaper per TB and higher capacity per drive, as high-end SSDs are more expensive and smaller.  For example, if a 10TB 5400rpm SMR HDD is $300 and a 1TB Optane SSD is $3,000, then a 100TB backup drive would be $30.  It would be about as fast as a HDD in sequential reads and writes, but not much faster than tape for random reads, and have endurance similar to a TLC or QLC SSD.  Or it might be a little faster in sequential - enough to be able to do a full image/clone backup of everything in a day or 2.  Those would primarily be used for cold storage / full backups.

 

In the spoiler below is a photo of my recent (month or 2 ago) collection of drives.  (The one above mentions my shoestring NAS budget and some setup ideas; there's a lot in that spoiler.)

Spoiler

I'd be using some of these in my NAS if I built one, but would want room for expansion.  (I also wouldn't be using the IDE drives in the NAS, and would probably use some of the 4TB and 5TB HGST drives as main storage in my main system, along with a 10TB.)

 

 

3.5" HDDs: 2x 8.4GB IBM IDE (1 dead), 2x 20GB Maxtor IDE, 2x 40GB Maxtor IDE, 1x 80GB WD IDE, 1x 250GB WD IDE, 2x 750GB WD SATA, 1x 1TB WD SATA, 2x 1.5TB WD SATA, 2x 2TB WD SATA, 3x 4TB HGST SATA, 3x 5TB HGST SATA, 3x 8TB SATA, 2x 10TB HGST SATA.  (A couple older/smaller SATA drives have bad sectors or CRC errors, and so do some of the still-functional IDE drives.)

2.5" HDDs: 1x Toshiba 1TB, 2x HGST 1TB, 1x Samsung/Seagate 2TB (38 pending sectors).

 

Screenshots of SMART data and some closeups can be found in the google albums linked below.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/T1zheCpjd15SG4E02

https://photos.app.goo.gl/f7d8QBmktkX96gna2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/O2fyI9ysWTHzeQHw2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/q2E8REBneN9c5d7E6

 

 

 

[Salv8 (sam)]

On 5/31/2018 at 4:07 PM, PianoPlayer88Key said:

In the spoiler below is a photo of my recent (month or 2 ago) collection of drives.  (The one above mentions my shoestring NAS budget and some setup ideas; there's a lot in that spoiler.)

  Reveal hidden contents

I'd be using some of these in my NAS if I built one, but would want room for expansion.  (I also wouldn't be using the IDE drives in the NAS, and would probably use some of the 4TB and 5TB HGST drives as main storage in my main system, along with a 10TB.)

 

 

3.5" HDDs: 2x 8.4GB IBM IDE (1 dead), 2x 20GB Maxtor IDE, 2x 40GB Maxtor IDE, 1x 80GB WD IDE, 1x 250GB WD IDE, 2x 750GB WD SATA, 1x 1TB WD SATA, 2x 1.5TB WD SATA, 2x 2TB WD SATA, 3x 4TB HGST SATA, 3x 5TB HGST SATA, 3x 8TB SATA, 2x 10TB HGST SATA.  (A couple older/smaller SATA drives have bad sectors or CRC errors, and so do some of the still-functional IDE drives.)

2.5" HDDs: 1x Toshiba 1TB, 2x HGST 1TB, 1x Samsung/Seagate 2TB (38 pending sectors).

 

Screenshots of SMART data and some closeups can be found in the google albums linked below.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/T1zheCpjd15SG4E02

https://photos.app.goo.gl/f7d8QBmktkX96gna2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/O2fyI9ysWTHzeQHw2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/q2E8REBneN9c5d7E6

 

is that a 5.2" floppy disk i see there?

sorry going off topic,

to answer your question:

On 5/31/2018 at 4:07 PM, PianoPlayer88Key said:

Yeah, I've noticed that.  They're pretty expensive, though, even the Rosewill RSV-L4500.  Also I don't have a rack cabinet, nor a place to put one, nor do I want to spend the extra $ to get one.

you don't need a rack cabinet, hell my cousins server is a 4U (he stores a lot of crap (it's porn! jk)) and he figured out how to mount it in a bedside table that was big enough (why there is one big enough and why he had one i have no clue why there is one and he it!) you can have it on a table or in a tv cabinet (not on the floor, dust will gather it's army and proceed with it's plan to choke your server!!!!!)

 

On 5/31/2018 at 4:07 PM, PianoPlayer88Key said:

I thought some LSI RAID cards, like the 9211-8i and others, could be crossflashed into IT / HBA mode?  Also I was considering FreeNAS for a while (I like the idea of checksums, snapshots, etc), but I really want to be able to add drives arbitrarily (different sizes, one at a time,etc) like I've heard UnRAID can do.  Either way, I'd probably either use software RAID (like @dalekphalm mentioned), or no RAID

some can, but others can't, you have to look up if there is one available for your device and even if you find it it may break your card

On 5/31/2018 at 4:07 PM, PianoPlayer88Key said:

(I'd also like to be able to pull drives out individually, plug it into another computer, and access the data that's on that drive.)

this isn't possible unless you had then entire array (all of the RAID devices) plugged in and configured so that the system can access the data stored on there, and this is also true for software RAID, sorry (RAID 1 might be different though, not sure, don't quote me on that, other RAID modes also may be like 1 but i don't know thats something i have little knowledge about)

[Tokyo_Raven]

On 5/30/2018 at 2:31 AM, TheGermanEngie said:

-snip-

Get this RAID card and flash it to IT mode.

Also I would recommend using FreeNAS instead of openmediavault cause of much larger community that can help you and much better interface.

FreeNAS thread for flashing into IT mode.

[dalekphalm]

6 hours ago, Tokyo_Raven said:

Get this RAID card and flash it to IT mode.

Also I would recommend using FreeNAS instead of openmediavault cause of much larger community that can help you and much better interface.

FreeNAS thread for flashing into IT mode.

Great price for a rebranded LSI HBA.

 

However, while I personally use FreeNAS and recommend it, I'm not sure it 100% fits the OP's requirements. In particular, the ability to pull out drives and just "read" the data on them. This might be possible in a mirrored vdev pool (RAID1), using a Linux or other FreeNAS box? But he wouldn't be able to read individual HDD's in a RAIDZ1/Z2 (RAID5/6) type pool.

 

Personally, I don't find that to be a very important feature with my own pool. Either I'm popping in a spare drive, or restoring from backup, if I need a particular file and the array dies.

[Tokyo_Raven]

2 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

-snip-

OP can also do Linux distro and then RAID for drives he wants and then run docker for apps he needs and of course Samba file server.