Setting up Home media server again, suggestions?

[2013]

There are other options that will get close, but none are as easy or as well supported.

Snapraid is a free option that will do "sort of" data parity on Windows https://www.snapraid.it/ but it requires a lot of configuration and isn't necessarily automatic
Stablebit Drivepool will help pool drives under Windows and can do file duplication/balancing https://stablebit.com/DrivePool/Features but again it's a paid for option
Windows Storage Spaces in Windows 10/11/Server will do Parity storage spaces, but I'd be hesitant to recommend it for any data you care about - like much of Windows 10/11 lately, it isn't well tested, and updates frequently change behaviour or cause issues


Note that while Unraid is the recommended option for ease of use and the benefits of the Unraid parity format, for Media RAID5 on any NAS operating system (Truenas/OpenmediaVault/Proxmox etc) is normally still a good enough option (it still maximises space whilst maintaining some degree of redundancy)

Not having any RAID/redundancy is also a valid option - ultimately it depends how big your media collection is, and how much you value your time if you were to have to re-rip/re-download it.



That's only relevant for RAID0 (Striping with no data protection), regardless of drive sizes RAID1/10 is still very much common, and RAID5/6 still has a couple of use cases.

Plex (or Emby/Jellyfin only transcode if the client doesn't support a format or something is set up wrong - e.g. you've manually restricted bandwidth somewhere).
If you aren't using Plex etc, then surely you are missing out on metadata (e.g. movie descriptions etc) and it must be a very basic experience

Thank you again,
I guess Raid 5 would be the best option, most people use Linux for home servers (must be a reason) and since I want to get the most out of mine, ill be doing the same.
Which OS would be best for someone like, me who is using it for the first time like me, Truenas Core/Truenas Scale/OpenmediaVault/Proxmox etc

I'm thinking Truenas But I'm not 100% sure yet.

 

[2013]

Could someone help me, I've been trying to setup my hp microserver gen 8 which has a b120i raid card, after all this It seam it only supports raid 1 or raid 0.

What do I do now ?

 

[Armageus]

Could someone help me, I've been trying to setup my hp microserver gen 8 which has a b120i raid card, after all this It seam it only supports raid 1 or raid 0.

What do I do now ?

Don't set up the raid on the b120i, just leave them as individual drives.

Then set up the raid under whatever os you are using

 

[2013]

Don't set up the raid on the b120i, just leave them as individual drives.

Then set up the raid under whatever os you are using

Would that work ? I thought software raid was less reliable ?
Should I also leave the SSD instead of setting the array or would I need to set it up?
Im going to use OpenMediaVault as it needs less resources, would that be find ?

 

[Armageus]

Would that work ? I thought software raid was less reliable ?
Should Also leave the SSD instead of setting the array or would I need to set it up?
Im going to use OpenMediaVault as it needs less resources, would that be find ?

Software raid is fine (well on everything except windows ). Yep leave all drives including the SSD as separate drives and let openmediavault set them up

 

[2013]

Thanks again

 

[2013]

i have installed omv 4-5 time, the OS load i completed the setup 4-5 time, the ssd is detected i installed from start to finish, it then asks to reboot and remove the usb but on reboot it does not load the os, i have now re istalled for the 6th time removing all other drives, but still the same i used stable omv 6.5 should i try another vertion or OS

 

[2013]

After multiple attempts and trying different thing I finding out I need to set the SSD up as a array to get the OS to work I finally got OMV to work,
I tried to install Truenas but i cant even get the install setup to load.
So ive gone back to OMV but every time I tried to install the available updates the I reboot and it gives a message no working init found. So I can install the latest update for some reason.

 

[Donnie Fisher]

I don't really feel like spending as much for new linux OS at this time. So it will need to be a free option or something I own.

i have installed omv 4-5 time

After multiple attempts and trying different thing

Seriously though ... have you even tried Unraid yet ? even just the trial version ( which if you liked, you could then simply buy the license to make your trial setup permanent ? )

I know that you say you don't want to pay for something, but given you've installed stuff multiple times, your time is money to an extent. You may well find it installs first time, sets up first time and 'just works'. Even at a £10/hr ... the cost of it may well pay for itself in the setup time so to speak. yes, its linux based, but you generally dont need to type any command line stuff as already said. There is a ton of support / videos out there on it.

I cant help but think that you're discounting it without really giving it the slightest of chances.

 

[2013]

You could be right, If used UnRAID it may have saved me a lot of time and would have been easier to use. but its more of a learning curve for me, with not knowing what im doing, with us SSH and command prompts and waiting for things, Im use to windows so Im learning as I go along the way so nothing is 100% guaranteed but I do agree would have been a little easier.

installing OMV 4-5 was fixed after setting up the array for the SSD, issues last night, I tried again today and managed to update OMV to the latest version and added docker.

 

[Bluecube]

You do know that OMV is Linux based too? So long as it works for you then fair enough but I agree with other posters that Unraid is a better bet. No SSHimg nor command pro,pts required either

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Another Unraid user here.

For your use case, I’d hight recommend it. I don’t ‘Linux’ or do any command line stuff, I’m not interested. I literally banged it on a USB stick, slapped in what ever hard drives I had laying around, pressed a few buttons in the GUI and off it went.

For a novice/home user, it’s the best option if you want some protection against drive failure, particularly where you have a limited budget.

Raid 5 wants you to have all the disks to be the same, if you need to upgrade or replace one, you may be replacing them all. With unraid you can just use what you have as long as your biggest disk is the parity drive. In mine I’ve for 2 4tb drives, 1 3tb drive and 2 2tb drives and a 150gb SSD cache. My disks are also from 3 different vendors, unraid doesn’t care.

I’m pretty sure with raid 5 you really need identical disks. If one dies you may struggle to find an identical replacement.

I’ve just purchased 2 more 4tb drives to swap out my 2tb drives with because they are ancient. Despite being from the same range and vendor as my existing 4tb drives, they are very different. The new drives clearly have less platters than the old ones. It could have the potential to cause issues with raid 5.

 

[russ9898]

Another Unraid user here.

For your use case, I’d hight recommend it. I don’t ‘Linux’ or do any command line stuff, I’m not interested. I literally banged it on a USB stick, slapped in what ever hard drives I had laying around, pressed a few buttons in the GUI and off it went.

For a novice/home user, it’s the best option if you want some protection against drive failure, particularly where you have a limited budget.

Raid 5 wants you to have all the disks to be the same, if you need to upgrade or replace one, you may be replacing them all. With unraid you can just use what you have as long as your biggest disk is the parity drive. In mine I’ve for 2 4tb drives, 1 3tb drive and 2 2tb drives and a 150gb SSD cache. My disks are also from 3 different vendors, unraid doesn’t care.

I’m pretty sure with raid 5 you really need identical disks. If one dies you may struggle to find an identical replacement.

I’ve just purchased 2 more 4tb drives to swap out my 2tb drives with because they are ancient. Despite being from the same range and vendor as my existing 4tb drives, they are very different. The new drives clearly have less platters than the old ones. It could have the potential to cause issues with raid 5.

This sums up my usage of Unraid/experience of Linux/CLI too in all honesty. Unraid for me, just works with little in the way of hassle or system overheads.

 

[2013]

After a lot of messing about and learning a few new thing. I figuring a few things out and last night I finally installed OMV, updated it, also installed Docker, Portainer without issues, but I had to keep my fingers crossed each time. dreading something may break and that not something I want to worry about each time I use the home server, which was the reason I stuck to hardware raid and Windows originally.

I do have few questions if some knows the answers.

1. Does the free trail give you the full feature like storage drive so on or is it limited ?
2. Do I really not need to do any of the traditional Linux, Is it more like windows, GUI click ?
3. Can I use all the available docker apps on Unraid. ?
4. Can I switch the licence over if I change the hardware at some point. ?
5. Does the Up to 6 attached storage devices, inc the OS SSD drive or is that just the storage drives ?
6. Does Unraid run off the USB or SSD (Assuming ssd) ?
7. Will it run on systems without UEFI ?

You do know that OMV is Linux based too? So long as it works for you then fair enough but I agree with other posters that Unraid is a better bet. No SSHimg nor command pro,pts required either

Yes, as far as I know they are all linux based, The only reason I did not go for Unraid because I did not want to spend money on it, assuming they are all the same, the issue is ive never used linux beyond the basic ubuntu Which is why im having to learn things as I go. and thinking if I need to learn it anyway I should get the free option if its not much different to the paid option.

From the information everyone is providing it seam I was wrong, If UnRAID is a lot easier I will need to try it and buy it it.

Another Unraid user here.

For your use case, I’d hight recommend it. I don’t ‘Linux’ or do any command line stuff, I’m not interested. I literally banged it on a USB stick, slapped in what ever hard drives I had laying around, pressed a few buttons in the GUI and off it went.

For a novice/home user, it’s the best option if you want some protection against drive failure, particularly where you have a limited budget.

Raid 5 wants you to have all the disks to be the same, if you need to upgrade or replace one, you may be replacing them all. With unraid you can just use what you have as long as your biggest disk is the parity drive. In mine I’ve for 2 4tb drives, 1 3tb drive and 2 2tb drives and a 150gb SSD cache. My disks are also from 3 different vendors, unraid doesn’t care.

I’m pretty sure with raid 5 you really need identical disks. If one dies you may struggle to find an identical replacement.

I’ve just purchased 2 more 4tb drives to swap out my 2tb drives with because they are ancient. Despite being from the same range and vendor as my existing 4tb drives, they are very different. The new drives clearly have less platters than the old ones. It could have the potential to cause issues with raid 5.

Is it really that easy to use? If its that easy compared to the rest, Ill need to take a look and switch over.
Maybe I should have took up the trail at the start, I just thought it was the same as the others.

This sums up my usage of Unraid/experience of Linux/CLI too in all honesty. Unraid for me, just works with little in the way of hassle or system overheads.

From the advice everyone is providing UnRAID maybe the best and most simple option.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

It’s reasonably easy to set up, watch a couple of YouTube videos to get an idea.

It supports both docker and has a hyper visor built in so it will also run VM’s.

I don’t think the trial is limited but it’s been awhile.

Unraid uses a web interface so it’s not a full blown GUI like windows but it’s pretty simple to use. It can be a really powerful tool but the basics are very easy.

Unraid runs off a USB stick and it doesn’t count towards your licence limits.

Not sure about the UEFI question, I’d assume so, it’s pretty flexible hardware wise

 

[2013]

It’s reasonably easy to set up, watch a couple of YouTube videos to get an idea.

It supports both docker and has a hyper visor built in so it will also run VM’s.

I don’t think the trial is limited but it’s been awhile.

Unraid uses a web interface so it’s not a full blown GUI like windows but it’s pretty simple to use. It can be a really powerful tool but the basics are very easy.

Unraid runs off a USB stick and it doesn’t count towards your licence limits.

Not sure about the UEFI question, I’d assume so, it’s pretty flexible hardware wise

Thank you.

Does it not support SSD?
Any idea of how much storage would be needed ?
Do the apps get installed on the USB or would it be on a drive ?

 

[BigT]

1. Does the free trail give you the full feature like storage drive so on or is it limited ?

Full features

2. Do I really not need to do any of the traditional Linux, Is it more like windows, GUI click ?

In a browser but yes it’s all point and click unless you’re doing something very advanced and niche

3. Can I use all the available docker apps on Unraid. ?

Hundreds Of docker apps are in the App Store and a few clicks away from being up and running. If it’s not in the App Store then you can create your own templates but that needs skills

4. Can I switch the licence over if I change the hardware at some point. ?

Yes you can. It’s only tied to the USB stick. And there’s a way to migrate the license to a new usb stick too in the event of failure.

5. Does the Up to 6 attached storage devices, inc the OS SSD drive or is that just the storage drives ?

OS is installed on a USB stick and doesn’t count. All other drives count towards the allocation.

6. Does Unraid run off the USB or SSD (Assuming ssd) ?

USB only. Once initially loaded its all in memory so doesn’t affect performance.

7. Will it run on systems without UEFI ?

I believe so.

 

[BigT]

Thank you.

Does it not support SSD?
Any idea of how much storage would be needed ?
Do the apps get installed on the USB or would it be on a drive ?

It supports SSDs but not for the OS.

32Gb USB stick and no more is recommended. I think it’s less than 16Gb though.

Apps are installed elsewhere. Typically you’d set up an SSD as a cache drive and install the apps there. In UnRaid parlance you’ll see reference to your docker image and appdata folder. The two combined constitute where your apps are installed. Both should be on an SSD. VM images should also go on the SSD.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

To add, SSD’s shouldn’t be put into the Unraid array though as it doesn’t support TRIM. They should be used as a cache only as noted above.

Edit: my USB is 32gb, I’m using 1.27gb. It really doesn’t need to be big.

 

[2013]

It supports SSDs but not for the OS.

32Gb USB stick and no more is recommended. I think it’s less than 16Gb though.

Apps are installed elsewhere. Typically you’d set up an SSD as a cache drive and install the apps there. In UnRaid parlance you’ll see reference to your docker image and appdata folder. The two combined constitute where your apps are installed. Both should be on an SSD. VM images should also go on the SSD.

So install to A usb and go no need for SSh, copy and past code, like OMV or anything like that.

It not important but why just a USB.
I May have A 32gb USB, would I have issues with anything larger ?