Hi all-
I was considering a Synology DS1918+ but fell down the FreeNAS rabbit hole along the way. I've been reading for the last couple weeks and tweaking my build list along the way, but I think I have something workable here.
My main purposes for this build are:
Possible additional uses:
Other considerations:
Build list
The main con is that this maxes out the case and MB. There's no room for storage expansion. Going to a Micro ATX MB (eg Supermicro X11SCL-F) and case (Fractal Design 804, probably) would address that at the cost of additional desktop space. Right now I'm leaning towards the smaller chassis.
I'm planning raidz for < 12TB of usable storage space, which should carry me for a while.
Thoughts?
I was considering a Synology DS1918+ but fell down the FreeNAS rabbit hole along the way. I've been reading for the last couple weeks and tweaking my build list along the way, but I think I have something workable here.
My main purposes for this build are:
- Time machine backups for 4 macs + 1-2 PCs at home. This will replace my 10-year-old Airport Extreme + Seagate USB hard disk arrangement.
- File storage for still images and videos. Right now these are on a local disk attached to a PC, backed up to AWS S3 when I remember to do it.
- Plan to implement 10GbE and use the FreeNAS for primary storage of working still/video files. Right now I'm editing only occasionally but that could change over the next 12+ months.
Possible additional uses:
- Jails (but unless it's something that absolutely has to be on my local network, I'll play around in AWS)
- Streaming media
Other considerations:
- Small and quiet is more important to me than future expansion, except I definitely want the option for 10GbE.
- Keep total parts budget close to $1000
Build list
Component | Item | Comments |
Case | Supermicro CSE-721TQ-250B | MiniITX, 4 hot-swap bays, 250W PSU. Probably "just enough" for this build. Apparently there's a B2 version of this case that has front panel USB 3.0 but cost is higher and I don't really need USB 3.0 on the front. |
Motherboard | Supermicro X11SCL-IF | MiniITX. 4x SATA 6Gb/s, 1 PCIe x16 slot for 10GbE in the future. |
CPU | Intel Core i3-9100F | Supports ECC, use stock cooler. |
RAM | NEMIX DR416L-SL01-EU24 16GB ECC UDIMM | Unbuffered ECC. 16GB is enough for now, leaves one DDR4 slot open for another 16GB if I want it. |
Boot device | Crucial P2 250GB PCIe M2 SSD CT250P2SSD8 | Bigger than I need but reasonable cost/perceived quality. |
ZFS storage | 4x WD Red 4TB 5400RPM SATA 6Gb/s WD40EFRX | This seems like the cost/performance/capacity sweet spot. I'm not sure I fully understand what's going on with SMR vs CMR disks but these appear to be CMR. |
The main con is that this maxes out the case and MB. There's no room for storage expansion. Going to a Micro ATX MB (eg Supermicro X11SCL-F) and case (Fractal Design 804, probably) would address that at the cost of additional desktop space. Right now I'm leaning towards the smaller chassis.
I'm planning raidz for < 12TB of usable storage space, which should carry me for a while.
Thoughts?