NAS Knowhow Needed (See what I did there?)

Freegrazer

Freegrazer

Freegrazer

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Hi,

Not sure if this should be here or in the Networking section... please move if necessary.

I want to install a NAS device in my home. I don’t know much about them to be honest. I will be using it as a file server for my movies, tv shows and music. It will serve 2 computers at all times, so I need one that is capable of streaming large size 1080p bluray movie files simultaneously to 2 different computers running XBMC without a drop in transfer speeds or overall performance. (Don't want my damn movies to lag even a tiny bit!)

One of these computers will be the admin controlling the whole setup, and will be sending and receiving files from the NAS. The other PC will only receive files from the NAs and will never send files. I will possibly add 1 or 2 more devices at some point in the future but they will be for minor usage (ie, Playstation, laptop, tablet), my main concern is the performance and speed of serving the 2 main computers.

I have had a look at the range of devices on offer, and I’m wondering why some devices come with RAM and CPU’s installed in them. Perhaps I don’t need one of those type of NAS devices as I will using my PC to control the NAS?

Storage wise, I want to be able to put maybe 4TB(2 x 2TB in RAID configuration) of storage in it initially, but would like the option of expanding that further at some point.

Any and all info/suggestions appreciated.

Cheers.
 
Take your pick really as your only going to use it to store files, and not worry about it transcoding, as XBMC will do that locally. Any of the Synology / QNAP devices will fit your bill.

Personally I have a Synology DS412+ with 4 x 3Tb in a Raid 10, so I get some performance back over a raid 5, and some resilience over a Raid0. But I do more than just share media with it.

It is really down to how much do you want to spend ?
 
Regarding the OPs question on CPU and ram in the NAS, and not needing them ... Well The weaker the CPU and the lesser the ram amount then the slower the NAS is likely to be (based on my various QNAP NASes anyway).
 
But with 2 - 4 clients its not going to be a real issue, if your only moving data, as all the transcoding will be client side. The biggest issue is going to be network based.
 
Except that if you look at the lower end NASes compared with the higher powered ones you find that they are quite a bit slower on data transfers despite being gigabit connected (compare for instance a Zyxel NAS with a more powerful Synology/QNAP ... hell my dual core atom powered NAS easily outperforms my other NASes on pure data transfers (with the same disks)) ... and as the OP wants to transfer "large size 1080p blu-ray movie files" that may well be an issue, even with only a few simultaneous transfers.

I do agree that the OP needs to consider the end-to-end solution as the network conditions between the NAS and the clients could well give issues.
 
You can build a Freenas box from older second-hand hardware, build an array with ZFS RAIDZ, and it'll outperform just about all the off the shelf NAS units,

Of course it'll need a bit more planning, but you only need some cheap hardware and the disks, I have a core-2duo in mine which I got for £2.50 and I get 120MBps throughput (1Gbit) 95% of the time.
 
V-Spec, I've got an shiny low power atom in my Synology, and I also get 120Mbps throughput.

I tried FreeNas, and found the interface horrible. Not simple and intuitive. However it has all the bells and whistles you could want from an enterprise storage device.

For a home storage device, the all in one NAS devices sure do have their place.
 
memyselfandi said:
Except that if you look at the lower end NASes compared with the higher powered ones you find that they are quite a bit slower on data transfers despite being gigabit connected (compare for instance a Zyxel NAS with a more powerful Synology/QNAP ... hell my dual core atom powered NAS easily outperforms my other NASes on pure data transfers (with the same disks)) ... and as the OP wants to transfer "large size 1080p blu-ray movie files" that may well be an issue, even with only a few simultaneous transfers.

I do agree that the OP needs to consider the end-to-end solution as the network conditions between the NAS and the clients could well give issues.
Click to expand...

The network conditions should be decent enough, I cut, crimped and tested the patch cables myself using CAT6 cable that I bought coz it was at a bargain price, although I know I won't be getting CAT6 speeds with them.

But I am concerned about the data transfer speed as you mentioned above. So perhaps a mid to high powered NAS is the way to go to meet my needs.

Speaking of which, what speed drives should I get? I've been using WD caviar greens as local storage in my comp. They're 5,400 rpm I think. Never had any problem with them speed wise as I use SSD for my OS. But would those drives perform just as well in a NAS based on my simultaneous data transfers to 2 different devices? (assuming the network was optimal)
 
DustyMiller said:
Personally I have a Synology DS412+ with 4 x 3Tb in a Raid 10, so I get some performance back over a raid 5, and some resilience over a Raid0. But I do more than just share media with it.

It is really down to how much do you want to spend ?
Click to expand...

Great info guys, much appreciated. I'd like a setup very similar to yours eventually, but to start off I'm looking for 2 x 2TB in a Raid1 config with extra slots for further HDD's.

I guess I'd be willing to spend between €200 and €400. Closer to the €400 end I'd like some storage included but not a deal breaker.
 
OK, then looking at it. The synology models have a simple naming convention

abc. Where a = disk capacity, and bc = model year. Then you get the plus model which are SME devices rather than home ones which have passed VMware / Hyper-V testing for use in a virtual platform.

Synology also have on their website a list of tested HDD's here HD compatibility Page You'll find its quite large.

So you need to look at what you want to do later not now, unless you want to buy a new device every time you change your mind, or plan something different.

You also have to think that IOPS on small desktop type disks especially SATA are not that great

I know I'm harping on about Synologies here, but when I was in the market for one, I found them to be the best bang for buck out there.
 
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+1 for Synology especially with the new DSM 5.0 interface it is light years ahead of the previous netgear ReadyNAS I use to have
 
Personally my NASes are all QNAP rather than Synology but I would have no qualms in looking at Synology units next time I'm in the market for one.

Disk wise ... definitely look at the compatibility list for the model you decide on and look at drives which are rated for NAS use (e.g. WD Reds) ... but make sure you do a full check for errors prior to trusting them completely, same as for any disk. Also consider how you are going to back up the data, assuming you want to do so.
 
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