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Good NAS server


tabor

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I'm looking to purchase a stand-alone NAS server for my home network. I know the DIY NAS server with FreeNAS, but I need something with much lower power consumption, so no need for video card and unnecessary hardware. Here are some things I will need from the NAS:

1. RAID 0/1/5 striping

2. 4 drive bays

3. Support for 1TB or 1.5TB drives per bay, so max capacity is about 3TB to 4.5TB for a single shared drive

4. Warning/Error notifications: ie. a drive has failed

5. Low power consumption and noise (fans?)

6. Powers down when inactive for a set amount of time

7. Decent GUI web interface for configurations

Not needed, but pluses to have:

8. Video Media server- for PS3

9. iTunes Server

If all else fails, is there a guide somewhere on the web, that can guide you to building a home NAS with minimal hardware requirements?

Thanks

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I was debating doing the same thing for my media server..

So far it seems like it would be cheaper to just buy a decent mother board/process or that has 6 sata plugs and throw it all in a cheap case.. then just run freenas or openfiler

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I was debating doing the same thing for my media server..

So far it seems like it would be cheaper to just buy a decent mother board/process or that has 6 sata plugs and throw it all in a cheap case.. then just run freenas or openfiler

It's definitely cheapter when it comes to what you can buy with the same amount of money.

MB $50

Proc $50

Ram $30

PSU $50

Case $50

Video $30

For around $250 for a basic box compared to NAS cage

Although, I don't mind spending a little more for a much smaller device, such as the HP Mediasmart or ReadyNas

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Frick now i want to build one to :P

Now i just need a mobo with 6-8 sata spots in it.. Theres one product thats pretty cool called unraid its an os that runs on a usb stick and lets you mix any type of drive into the raid only restriction is the largest one is used for parity.. anyone know of a free alternative to that one? If i build one i want to be able to load it up with drives (5-8) 1tb drives.. . :D

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Well, $500 for parts, and then 4 drives @ $100-$125 each is already putting you at $900 to $1000, it may be worthwhile looking through a couple of pre-made solutions to see if you can't find a winner.

I've used things like this before, which is OK (now that they've fixed a raid controller issue), but seems to be a bit over your price range.

Seems to me $1000 is the price point, if you want to do if for less then $1000, you're going to have to diy, but more then that you'll be able to get a prefab solution (and probably better done).

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I don't plan on buying all the hard drives at once, but for the NAS to have a more scalable design. I currently have some hard drives at home that I can use for a NAS. As hard drives get much cheaper, that's when I will purchase more HDs. As of now, I have a budget to buy a NAS that ranges around $500.

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I was thinking about doing something similar as well and centralizing all my external HDDs. I thought about cutting corners using an Atom Board with a SATA card that didn't have built in raid, and use freeNAS's software RAID but I have no clue about the performance.

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http://www.tranquilpc-shop.co.uk/acatalog/...NE_SERVERS.html

Dual Core Atom 330, 2GB RAM, 5x HDD bays, 4 of which are RAID5 capable. Runs any OS including x64 ones, so openfiler, freenas, Ubuntu, or MS Server 2008/Windows Home Server. Bit pricey but your paying for a packaged product rather than parts. £360/$590 with shipping to the US.

I don't think you could build a cheaper system that does what this can do in the same form factor.

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