FreeNAS for LAN Streaming

[kimdonghwan]

Hello,

i'm a total newbie to FreeNAS and want to migrate Windows Server 2003 to FreeNAS, not sure if it will be a good decision.

Working at Karaoke industry, we have 30-40 KTVs and every room has a PC with Windows XP.

All were connected to a Song Database server running Windows Server 2003 through a simple 10/100 LAN topology, say 192.168.1.1 for the Server, and the rest for the XP computers.

We have several folders being shared by the 2003 Server, like Song-1, Song-2, and the Database folder, and of course with User-based Permission (Read only, Read+Write).

The Server itself, is running with some HDDs:
1) 80GB HDD => 40GB drive C: for OS -and- 40GB drive D: for Database
2) 3x 2TB => for the song files (.dat .avi .mpg .mp4 & many more)

They're all running with old Intel processors & 2GB RAM including the Server, no problem by far.
The only way to test if it's okay or not, is to call & play the same song (same file) for every room at the same time, all 40 rooms plays the same song at once.

Sometimes they're laggy due to the ethernet card or cable issue, or broken RJ-45, or in rare case, the Switch.

i'm looking for good advices whether it's good to use FreeNAS or stick with the old system..i just couldn't close my eyes from the recent and great development of OpenSource OS & apps.

i'm also confused due to many Linux distributions, and after some google search, FreeNAS seems to have a good & special ability for managing strorage & file sharing.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much :)

 

[Mirfster]

10/100 LAN topology

Might want to consider 10/100/1000...

i'm also confused due to many Linux distributions, and after some google search, FreeNAS seems to have a good & special ability for managing strorage & file sharing.

FreeNAS is based on FreeBSD not Linux

i'm looking for good advices whether it's good to use FreeNAS or stick with the old system

I don't really see where FreeNAS could not be an improvement; as long as it is setup correctly.

 

[kimdonghwan]

Hi @Mirfster

Thanks for the info :)

The Gigabit system will cost a new budget, as every room need a new Gigabit PCI LAN card, i'm not sure if every mainboard has extra PCI slot left as they're oftenly used for Sound Card to replace the onboard ones (if the latter was broken somehow).

If there are no PCI slot left, we need to replace the whole motherboard, means that the old Intel Processor need to be replaced also, as most of them were either Socket-478 or LGA-775, while the current available mainboard type at the market is LGA-1155.

Also we need to purchase 10-12 boxes of Belden Cat. 5e or 6 cables, for all the 40 rooms went direct to the Server room,
and 2 x 24 ports Gigabit switch of course.

i'm also not sure about the hardware compatibilty, not sure if FreeNAS can adapt to the old hardwares, or even new ones.
as i mentioned at the first post, we're still using 2 GB of RAM for every PC.

if migrating from Microsoft Windows to another OS (Unix or Linux family) will cost an expensive budget, it's hard for me to explain to my Boss.

i mean, if using Windows Server with 10/100 LAN can run well, why should i change it to FreeNAS with Gigabit LAN?
of course FreeNAS with 10/100/1000 system is much much better than Windows Server with 10/100, right? even my Boss know this :P

What about FreeNAS -vs- Windows Server, both are running the same old hardwares through 10/100 LAN? is there any advantage from FreeNAS?

Thank you very much, i hope you're not tired to help :)

 

[joeschmuck]

So you mentioned that there was a lag at times, the faster LAN connectivity would likely improve that aspect, but you do not need 1Gb LAN if you do not want it. You could install a 1Gb card into your server and replace your switches, then slowly replace/add LAN cards to your client PCs. Maybe adding only 10 faster LANs to the most popular rooms will eliminate the lagging all together, regardless if using FreeNAS or Windows Server.

i'm looking for good advices whether it's good to use FreeNAS or stick with the old system..i just couldn't close my eyes from the recent and great development of OpenSource OS & apps.

Lets attack the first problem... Your Server does not have enough RAM. You need a minimum of 8GB of ECC RAM running on a server with a fast enough CPU. So unless you are willing to spend some money for a new server then the answer is, FreeNAS is not for you.

I would say you best option is just to try to upgrade your Windows Server machine to maybe 4GB RAM and like I mentioned above, make some minor changes to your LAN network. This is the cheapest route to go in my opinion.

 

[SweetAndLow]

You can upgrade your server to 1gbit network and not worry about the clients and you would see better results if your network is your bottle neck. Also with your current server freenas will not be a good choice. You will need to build/buy a new system if you want to use freenas.

 

[Ericloewe]

Besides all other (extremely valid!) considerations, support for all 10/100 NICs will soon be dropped from FreeNAS. Except for those using the infamous rl driver, which jpaetzel was kind enough to leave in FreeNAS so future generations can appreciate how awful Realtek products can be.

 

[gpsguy]

jpaetzel added two old 10/100 drivers 15 days ago.

https://github.com/freenas/freenas-build/commit/1f528696b0bafbe6675fc36a13b4c17b23857c3b

Besides all other (extremely valid!) considerations, support for all 10/100 NICs will soon be dropped from FreeNAS.

 

[Ericloewe]

jpaetzel added two old 10/100 drivers 15 days ago.

https://github.com/freenas/freenas-build/commit/1f528696b0bafbe6675fc36a13b4c17b23857c3b

Wow, it took surprisingly long for someone to complain that their workflow had been broken.

 

[kimdonghwan]

Maybe adding only 10 faster LANs to the most popular rooms will eliminate the lagging all together, regardless if using FreeNAS or Windows Server.

i'm going to do that :)

Your Server does not have enough RAM. You need a minimum of 8GB of ECC RAM...

Actually i have read the hardware requirements before posting this thread, and yes it says that i need a minimum 8 GB of ECC RAM..but i thought that was for a real NAS usage..while in my case it's just a simple Local file sharing :)
so maybe FreeNAS is not for me :p

Thanks for your advices, it's a good one, slowly upgrade to Gigabit system while increasing the current Server's power :)

 

[kimdonghwan]

You can upgrade your server to 1gbit network and not worry about the clients and you would see better results if your network is your bottle neck. Also with your current server freenas will not be a good choice. You will need to build/buy a new system if you want to use freenas.

Yes, as mentioned by @joeschmuck it seems to be the best way for my case :) Thanks anyway

support for all 10/100 NICs will soon be dropped from FreeNAS..

Indonesia, along with major South-east Asia countries (Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, etc) are still not ready for this..
we're not USA, Germany, Japan or many other superpower countries :P

 

[SweetAndLow]

i'm going to do that :)




Actually i have read the hardware requirements before posting this thread, and yes it says that i need a minimum 8 GB of ECC RAM..but i thought that was for a real NAS usage..while in my case it's just a simple Local file sharing :)
so maybe FreeNAS is not for me :p

Thanks for your advices, it's a good one, slowly upgrade to Gigabit system while in increasing the current Server's power :)

Lol local file sharing is a real Nas use case. Your are not the exception you are the standard.

 

[kimdonghwan]

Lol local file sharing is a real Nas use case. Your are not the exception you are the standard.

please forgive my lack of knowledge.. :P
i thought NAS is something about Cloud or at least for WAN..because i never see any NAS device being used for LAN in my city, or at any place i ever visited in my country..

i once worked at a big company which has many branches all over Indonesia..and yes the HeadQuarter office has a NAS server, the brand name was Thecus as far as i remember..but i never touch it..

Purchasing a highend computer with a minimum 8GB of RAM while sacrificing a single HDD (i read that once FreeNAS has been instaled, the HDD can't be use for other purpose) along with a total migration to Gigabit system, is a good investment for 5-10 years ahead, i won't think twice if i'm the Boss :P

 

[SweetAndLow]

please forgive my lack of knowledge.. :p
i thought NAS is something about Cloud or at least for WAN..because i never see any NAS device being used for LAN in my city, or at any place i ever visited in my country..

i once worked at a big company which has many branches all over Indonesia..and yes the HeadQuarter office has a NAS server, the brand name was Thecus as far as i remember..but i never touch it..

Purchasing a highend computer with a minimum 8GB of RAM while sacrificing a single HDD (i read that once FreeNAS has been instaled, the HDD can't be use for other purpose) along with a total migration to Gigabit system, is a good investment for 5-10 years ahead, i won't think twice if i'm the Boss :p

This is going to be a steep learning curve for you. A NAS is always on a local lan and should never be a 'cloud' or on the WAN.

FreeNAS is best used with 2-6 disk to start and a usb stick for the OS, you don't really install freenas to a HDD. A 'highend' computer as you call it would be one with 64+ GB of memory not 8 as you call it. 8GB of memory is very low end that is why it's the minimum. You can get a low end FreeNAS server for $300USD+drives or my system with a xeon and 64GB of memory for ~$1500USD which is considered to be on the high end for most systems around here.

 

[kimdonghwan]

This is going to be a steep learning curve for you. A NAS is always on a local lan and should never be a 'cloud' or on the WAN.

FreeNAS is best used with 2-6 disk to start and a usb stick for the OS, you don't really install freenas to a HDD. A 'highend' computer as you call it would be one with 64+ GB of memory not 8 as you call it. 8GB of memory is very low end that is why it's the minimum. You can get a low end FreeNAS server for $300USD+drives or my system with a xeon and 64GB of memory for ~$1500USD which is considered to be on the high end for most systems around here.

wow...that prices are still pretty high for most people in my country.. :)
beside, it's usually not the same price as in US or Europe..considering the shipping fee..

for example, few days ago i purchased a 128GB Corsair Flash Survivor GT via Ebay..
the item price is $48, and the shipping fee is $28..
it's just a single USB stick but i fall in love so much.. :P

while the normal income (salary) for most people in Indonesia is around $100 to $300 per-Month..
$300 are for those with minimum 5 years of working experience at the same area or job..

but of course a FreeNAS new server with 8GB RAM + Core i3-i7 Intel processor & Gigabit migration for the whole system is still affordable for most company, the problem is howto convince my Boss :P

anyway, i'm grateful for all the advices & infos..
Thank you very much :)

 

[Amu W Ramappa]

wow...that prices are still pretty high for most people in my country.. :)
beside, it's usually not the same price as in US or Europe..considering the shipping fee..

for example, few days ago i purchased a 128GB Corsair Flash Survivor GT via Ebay..
the item price is $48, and the shipping fee is $28..
it's just a single USB stick but i fall in love so much.. [emoji14]

while the normal income (salary) for most people in Indonesia is around $100 to $300 per-Month..
$300 are for those with minimum 5 years of working experience at the same area or job..

but of course a FreeNAS new server with 8GB RAM + Core i3-i7 Intel processor & Gigabit migration for the whole system is still affordable for most company, the problem is howto convince my Boss [emoji14]

anyway, i'm grateful for all the advices & infos..
Thank you very much :)

I completely understand your concern. I work at a school in Bandung and I've put together two FreeNAS boxes for our school's storage needs. It was really hard to impossible finding the hardware needed here in Indonesia. The first server I built I used a Pentium G processor on a SuperMicro board, which now acts as our backup. The new one I purchased the box with Motherboard and processor from Norco Singapore.

I also have a small FreeNAS box at home running on Xeon D board with 4 drives and an M2 boot drive inside a Bitfenix case. I always bought the motherboard in Amazon and had a friend bring it for me to Indonesia.

All this to say, the use case scenario for our school with 10TB redundant storage with one on site and one offsite backup uses 3 FreeNAS servers, and we are in Indonesia. If your boss really wants to grow his business he should invest in decent hardware and network infrastructure. :)

Yes, as mentioned by @joeschmuck it seems to be the best way for my case :) Thanks anyway



Indonesia, along with major South-east Asia countries (Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, etc) are still not ready for this..
we're not USA, Germany, Japan or many other superpower countries :P

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[kimdonghwan]

I completely understand your concern. I work at a school in Bandung and I've put together two FreeNAS boxes for our school's storage needs. It was really hard to impossible finding the hardware needed here in Indonesia. The first server I built I used a Pentium G processor on a SuperMicro board, which now acts as our backup. The new one I purchased the box with Motherboard and processor from Norco Singapore.

I also have a small FreeNAS box at home running on Xeon D board with 4 drives and an M2 boot drive inside a Bitfenix case. I always bought the motherboard in Amazon and had a friend bring it for me to Indonesia.

All this to say, the use case scenario for our school with 10TB redundant storage with one on site and one offsite backup uses 3 FreeNAS servers, and we are in Indonesia. If your boss really wants to grow his business he should invest in decent hardware and network infrastructure. :)

Hello @Amu W Ramappa

Yes, i'm going to propose my Boss :P
either it's for WAN or local use only, i think it's time to replace the old hardwares..
i have worked here with the same Boss for more than 11 years..from one building to three now..nightlife industry..and i never ask for anything except the important ones..

Now i consider myself as a total newbie to the OpenSource world..
it's been so long since the last time i engaged myself with say, Linux..

my first Boss won the contract with Telkom (you know, our national telecommunication company) around 2001-2002..
i have to migrate the Red Hat 4 to Red Hat 6 :P
Back then, the so called "driver" is still not available..some hardware need to be configured manually..expecially the LAN card.
and no Google that time, nor any book can be found..many apps need dependencies..also the console command is like a new toy to me :)
fortunately the Red Hat 6 has GUI..

the last time i did Linux installation was Mandrake (Mandriva then)..since then, i never touch any opensource OS or App
except my Android smartphone..and the last thing i learned was Mikrotik..
all this 11 years, i did nothing except collecting movies, korean & japanese tv-series, and playing games.. :P

but i'm ready now..to upgrade myself and to learn something new..
Thank you very much sharing your experiences :)