NAS Setup

ringo747 said:
What happens if 2 drives fail at once in RAID 5?
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From Wiki

RAID 5 (block-level striping with distributed parity) distributes parity along with the data and requires all drives but one to be present to operate; drive failure requires replacement, but the array is not destroyed by a single drive failure. Upon drive failure, any subsequent reads can be calculated from the distributed parity such that the drive failure is masked from the end user. The array will have data loss in the event of a second drive failure and is vulnerable until the data that was on the failed drive is rebuilt onto a replacement drive. A single drive failure in the set will result in reduced performance of the entire set until the failed drive has been replaced and rebuilt.
 
ringo747 said:
Look at anything in the Synology range. I have the DS211 which is an excellent piece of kit. The UI is just awesome - so easy to use.

I have 2 x 2TB Samsung F4s.
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I've got the same setup at my parents another at my place. I've been using Synology NAS's since 2008 and their support of their old product is excellent.
 
Another Synology user here.
I purchased the DS211j and a couple of the approved Seagate 2TB drives.
Once RAID 1 is configured etc you've got just under 2TB to play with.
Lovely interface, so easy to setup and use - really recommended.
 
sypher365 said:
Raid 5 - 3 of the drives are built as raid 0 giving about 5.6tb of storage with the 4th drive holding redundent data to rebuild the raid if one of the other drives fail.
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Technically what you have just described is RAID-4; RAID-4 has a dedicated parity drive whereas RAID-5 has distributed parity.
 
Can any of you post the read and write times in MB please as I am looking to get a new NAS.
I sent my LG back so looking to get a new one.
 
Another vote here for Synology. I had a 210j with dual LP 1.5TB drives in RAID 1, and have recently upgraded to a 410J with 4 1.5TB drives in RAID 5. I have this to say about them:

1) They have a lot of features out of the box. Runs a webserver, php, FTP server, SSH, torrent client, all out of the box. Windows integration software is really good (eg you just drag a file into the dropbox to download it - if it's a regular file it downloads, if it's a torrent it kicks off torrent download). Very configurable, lots of user access. The backup software is a dream, too.

2) Very quiet. Probably quieter than a mini PC, as they don't have CPU fans etc.

3) Actually had a drive fail in my 210J. GF calls me to say NAS is making a beeping noise. I am halfway across the country, so go into the web interface from my phone. See it reckons drive has failed. Get it to scan drive, confirm fault, disable drive and turn off beeping. When I get home, swap out the drive and RMA it. When new drive arrives, swap it in, and rebuild RAID array. The NAS kept serving files the entire time, aside from the 5 min drive swaps. Very impressive.

4) You can migrate between RAID types. I put my RAID array from the 210 into the 410 and it discovered it. I then put 2 new blank drives in, and told it to turn the RAID 1 into a 4 drive RAID 5. Took about 2 days, but it did it, and again stayed up the entire time. Very impressed!

5) Drive speeds are not fantastic. I have the LP drives, still was getting about 40M/s copying. You can get a lot faster, but you pay a whole lot more.

I'm actually looking to offload my 210J, was going to MM it this weekend, message me in trust if you're interested :)
 
fross said:
Another vote here for Synology. I had a 210j with dual LP 1.5TB drives in RAID 1, and have recently upgraded to a 410J with 4 1.5TB drives in RAID 5. I have this to say about them:

1) They have a lot of features out of the box. Runs a webserver, php, FTP server, SSH, torrent client, all out of the box. Windows integration software is really good (eg you just drag a file into the dropbox to download it - if it's a regular file it downloads, if it's a torrent it kicks off torrent download). Very configurable, lots of user access. The backup software is a dream, too.

2) Very quiet. Probably quieter than a mini PC, as they don't have CPU fans etc.

3) Actually had a drive fail in my 210J. GF calls me to say NAS is making a beeping noise. I am halfway across the country, so go into the web interface from my phone. See it reckons drive has failed. Get it to scan drive, confirm fault, disable drive and turn off beeping. When I get home, swap out the drive and RMA it. When new drive arrives, swap it in, and rebuild RAID array. The NAS kept serving files the entire time, aside from the 5 min drive swaps. Very impressive.

4) You can migrate between RAID types. I put my RAID array from the 210 into the 410 and it discovered it. I then put 2 new blank drives in, and told it to turn the RAID 1 into a 4 drive RAID 5. Took about 2 days, but it did it, and again stayed up the entire time. Very impressed!

5) Drive speeds are not fantastic. I have the LP drives, still was getting about 40M/s copying. You can get a lot faster, but you pay a whole lot more.

I'm actually looking to offload my 210J, was going to MM it this weekend, message me in trust if you're interested :)
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Wow, what a glowing review for Synology. I think im going to go the BUY route rather than the BUILD. I have two HTPC's to build and my own new build that im still deciding on. Synology definitely in the driving seat for me.
This is a totally newbie question, but, can you serve files from a NAS? For example if i want to serve files to the two HTPC's im going to be building as well as backup/store - is that possible or even feasible?
My plan is to have media served to the two HTPC's and any other device that may need access to the files.
I dont think i can get MM, (cant even find it) - not enough posts apparently :rolleyes:
 
The NAS is designed to make files available to clients - your described setup will be fine with the Synology.
 
kae2 said:
Serious question, but what's your plan if the controller dies in the Drobo? When I was researching data storage solutions, this was the main fault I found with the Drobo, and ultimately the reason I didn't go for it.
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I suspect you know the outcome, but I keep critical files online so if anything happens I can retrieve them.

All seems fine and for the ease of installation I'm happy :)
 
EVH said:
If you have the budget I'd say Drobo.

I have a DroboPro with 8 HDDS at 12TB redundant storage. All my media is on it, and will handle simultaneous dual drive failure if required :)
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EVH - can you serve files from the Drobo.
(Read your Mac Mini HTPC Thread - Top Stuff 5*)
 
Firstly, I suppose I ought explain that I have some credentials in this space; I'm the storage manager for a large media company and have worked both in the corporate space but also broadcast systems. So multi-petabyte NAS systems are my bread and butter.

So FWIW, I run a Synology at home; I looked at Drobo and the Iomega IX ranges from EMC but decided that on raw bang-for-buck, Synology really has it where home NAS systems are concerned. There seems to be a bit of a split with my colleagues between Synology and Drobo tho'; I just think that the Synology range offers that much more and is more 'hackable'.

However, I also run FreeNAS, Openfiler, EMC's VNX virtual appliance, NetApp's virtual appliance in virtual machines; all of these are good options and if you want to learn more about how storage works in an Enterprise; getting hold of EMC or NetApp's appliances are worth doing. EMC's appliance is generally available but ISTR that you still need a valid NetApp support logon to get hold of NetApp's...but I know this is going to change.

There's never really been a better time to build your own home NAS but if you want to get up and running fast; go for the Synology...

Just my tuppence worth anyway...
 
Thanks much to everyone that has responded here, it has given me plenty to think about!
 
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