Lightweight build options

[Ryan_]

Hello,

I have been considering a NAS for my home for quite some time but only now have i really made a set choice on two hardware options keeping in mind the entire purpose of the build is to keep a raid backup of my data and stream to the family tvs via raspberry pi's

I would appreciate some pointers on this as I intend to run this system 24/7 365 and I want to also back this up with a UPS.


I first considered the following.
GA E350N
2x4GB XMS3 1333 1.5v / 1x8GB XMS3 13333 1.5v (can then up to 16gb if needed)
Two WD Red 3/4TB Drives (will expand later)

All of this will go into one tower and i will build the UPS into the tower
Or

HP ProLiant MicroServer G7 N54L
Two WD Red 3/4TB (will expand later)

My only reason for considering the microserver is that its already got 4GB of ECC ram so i can up to 8 for zfs and its even lower with power consumption for a UPS however I have no idea of this is good enough to stream media, for example I use my pc to stream to my raspberry pi to my HD TV @ 1080p


Any suggestions welcome as this is all quite new for me and the most important areas for me are raid for data security, ,1080p streaming and power consumption to give the UPS that bit of extra life in the event of a power outage.

 

[anodos]

You shouldn't go with Option 1 - ECC RAM is really a must (unless you don't value your data, which you obviously do since you're building a NAS). Option 2 isn't that great either. I don't think you gain a whole lot in terms of power savings over a current generation intel chip.

You could always get one of these: http://www.ixsystems.com/storage/freenas/ I've heard they work pretty well with FreeNAS. :)

If you're starting with only a pair of drives, then deciding how to setup your pool is simple. Mirror.

As far as extending the battery life of your UPS goes, your design goal should be as follows:

1) Automatically begin shutdown when on battery for more than, say, 1 minute,
and
2) keep your server running until shutdown completes.
That being said, don't skimp on your UPS.

 

[Ryan_]

Thanks for the reply, only issue being with option 1 is that as far as im aware the GA E350N does not support ECC ram unless i am wrong.

 

[joeschmuck]

The HP would be your better choice for this project and you must have the 8GB of ECC RAM of course for FreeNAS. With respect to the RPI, you should have all your video media in a compatible file format or you could use the Plex plugin to transcode however you are better off as I said to have the proper file format in order to achieve the same 1080p output.

As for adding drives... Have you read Cyberjock's powerpoint on VDEVs and pools? You need to or you are likely to make a serious error like many before you have done and lost all their data.

 

[Ryan_]

Thanks for the reply Joeschmuck, I have the file format setup for my pi. As long as the HP can send the media to the pi that was my only concern as i know very little about media streaming and if either of the above could even do it properly.
Its the most cost effective of the two but i will go read the information from Cyberjock as you suggested

 

[gpsguy]

If you buy the HP, rather than buying another 4Gb stick of RAM, get an 8Gb stick of ECC RAM. Regardless of what HP says, you can put 16Gb of RAM in the NxxL series Microservers. I've got 16Gb ECC RAM in my N54L.

 

[Ryan_]

What brand/model ram did you buy? i read a lot about the box freezing with 16gb

 

[joeschmuck]

Ryan, you will not need 16GB RAM for your proposed usage however gpsguy is pointing out for future expansion it may be more cost effective to purchase one 8GB ECC RAM module vice a 4GB ECC RAM module if you have any future plans to do more with your FreeNAS server.

As for FreeNAS working with the RPI, it works like a champ. I've used it in my home while tinkering with the RPI and OpenELEC. My RPI is collecting dust now since I purchased a ROKU 3.

 

[gpsguy]

I bought this kit of 2. The model number for just one is: KVR1333D3E9S/8G

Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
ECC Unbuffered Server Memory Model KVR1333D3E9SK2/16G

Like joeschmuck said, my intention was to let you know you could put additional RAM in it and save you from having to put the old RAM on the shelf, if you need to upgrade in the future. With the RAM I have, the server sees all 16Gb on every boot.