Re: [PLUG] Restructuring home network and building a storage server

On Mon, Nov 10, 2014 at 4:20 PM, Keith C. Perry <kperry@daotechnologies.com> wrote:

Personally, I'm a big fan of using Linux to build LVMs of JBODs. Its the most flexible and extensible solution. You can even add md to the mix and do raid configs but the point is that you'll get growth out of such a configuration.

I see two type of deployments which I'm also considering for myself since I'm at a crossroads too. You could either built this as a traditional "box" or do something more interesting by using an SBC like a Banana Pi (onboard sata port) or ODROID XU3 lite (usb 3.0). There are plenty usb 2.0 option as well. For SBCs the issue is the enclosure but there are quite a few 4 bay units about there. 2Tb are getting pretty cheap so a 8Tb system is not out of the realm of possibility but you can certainly grow into it slowly. On the other hand, an advantage to going the traditional route is that a mini-ATX or full-ATX case will give you more bays. Its a more self-contained solutions and allows more JBOD options since you could have a mix of technologies. In this scenario you're back to worrying about fans and noise levels as well as a typical server power consumption.

Here's my .02. I always recommend against using a fancy NAS/DAS box and instead use a standard PC case with lots of bays. Besides the drives themselves, the next most common component to fail is the power supply. For the most part, those devices all use non standard power supplies. Good luck finding a replacement in the middle of the night or weekend when it fails and you need to get your fileserver back online. You can even add hot swap SATA bays to a standard PC case with something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994155

Good luck and don't forget to factor in offsite backups. RAID != backup

David