Thinking of going for a Microserver to replace NAS - a few questions...

[StevieP]

Per title I'm thinking of going for a Microserver to replace my Synology DS213 NAS and I was wondering about a few points as follows:

1. Will it be possible to simply "slot in" my existing 2 x 2TB WD Red drives or will I need to format and start over?
2. I've read that the XPEnology software is very DSM-like - is it fairly easy to install and use? (I've got limited knowledge of Linux and programs like Putty!)
3. I've got an Intel NUC that's currently just running OpenElec (Kodi OS) - can this be integrated into the setup somehow?
4. Can a Microserver read from NTFS and exFAT formatted memory cards and/or USB sticks?

As you can see I really don't know much about Microservers but there are a few issues on my Synology that are really bugging me - like the fact that Plex isn't supported anymore (and even when it was, it' wasn't powerful enough to transcode etc!)

Ideally I'd like an all-in-one solution to store my media and stream it to various devices around the house by either Kodi or Plex and also have the facility for torrenting etc!

Any help is really appreciated!

 

[Sider]

I have a microserver which I used to install XPEnology and it was a bit of a faff truth be told. It depends what your usage is to be honest. I use mine mainly as a file store and a plex server and if I had to do it all again id probably just use something like ubuntu or a similar linux distro and just install the plex server on that. In regards to NTFS or exFAT file systems it will depend on the OS you install.

 

[bremen1874]

I ended up running unRAID on my Dell T20 (which is equivalent to a HP Microserver). It isn't free, but you can trial it for quite a while before having to commit.

 

[Armageus]

1. Will it be possible to simply "slot in" my existing 2 x 2TB WD Red drives or will I need to format and start over?

In theory yes, if installing "bare-metal" (i.e. not virtualised with esxi etc), then you should be able to slot the disks in, follow the xpenology installer, and when it install DSM it should recognise an existing installation and ask if you want to migrate.
However - in practice I haven't actually tested it, and I imagine it will also rely on what version of DSM is currently on your synology, vs what version of DSM is available with Xpenology (as it tends to lag behind to some degree)

https://xpenology.com/forum/topic/3437-transfer-disks-from-real-synology-into-xpenology/

2. I've read that the XPEnology software is very DSM-like - is it fairly easy to install and use? (I've got limited knowledge of Linux and programs like Putty!)

It is very DSM-like, because it is DSM! XPEnology is essentially just a loader that allows DSM to boot on generic hardware, by providing drivers / emulating required hardware. Thankfully getting an install of Xpenology up and running on a Microserver requires no knowledge of linux and no need for Putty. Essentially you just need to download a few files, and then use a tool to apply an image to a usb drive. This then allows you to boot and install DSM as you would on a real Synology device.

https://josephlo.wordpress.com/2016/06/06/yet-another-xpenologydsm-on-hp-n40l/

 

[StevieP]

Thanks for the replies guys!

Having watched a few videos of XPEnology I'm leaning more and more towards a Microserver running it to replace my Synology NAS! I've seen videos of the Plex Media Server running on it - is this still right in that it is still supported? (since some Synology NAS's aren't any more!)

Also, which gen/what sort of spec should I be looking at?? I'm not looking to do anything too demanding - just for it to replace my NAS in terms of storing my media and for it to run the Plex server!

Another thing that is frustrating about DSM is that I can't seem to read from an NTFS or exFAT formatted USB/SD card - can XPEnology do this??

 

[Sparky__H]

there is always the 4gb dimms going cheap as people upgrade.

then find a compatible i3 3420t and you have a powerfull little box.

 

[Avalon]

DSM upgrades can be problematic as it's origin, you have other - potentially better - options. If you want Plex then an official Plex docker exists and works, as do many 3rd party offerings with added functionality. I'd strongly suggest at least investigating them before going down the xpenology route.

Un-Raid, FreNAS and Open Media Vault would be where I'd start.

 

[StevieP]

I was leaning towards EXPenology simply because I'm familiar with the DSM UI - I have no idea where to start with anything Linux-based to be honest!

What does the "Plex docker" run on/with??

*edit* looks like this is going to be a learning experience - just reading up on the Docker program!

 

[Avalon]

Xpenology is linux based, the thing is you don't see it because it hides it well. Taking un-raid as an example, it's slightly less well hidden, but like DSM, you don't need to peer behind the curtain if you don't want to as it's all done via a web UI in a similar way to DSM.

It supports Virtual Machines and dockers, so for example you could (with suitable hardware) have several guest OS' on the hardware running full installs with direct hardware pass through, linux tech tips did a video that showed multiple Win10 gaming VM's operating at 90%+ bare metal levels on a virtualized unraid server. The beauty of this is it's all independent of the host OS (un-raid). See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuJYMCbIbPk (skip to 15:30 if you just want to see it working). However most of the time you don't need a full VM, a docker is a mini VM with the bare essentials to run, they're minimal single/multi application VM's that operate independently of the OS. I run a few dockers providing VPN/Proxy services, various download functions and post download processing.

 

[StevieP]

I've been looking for a 2nd hand Microserver but they seem to be few and far between so now I'm looking at buying new and then upgrading the CPU if it feels a bit underpowered - however..... the Gen 8 machine is available for circa £125 after the HP cashback offer whereas the Gen 10 version is around £100 more and you get a better CPU (Opteron X3216 giving a 5146 passmark as opposed to the G1610T in the Gen 8 that gives a passmark of 2322) and 8GB of RAM over the 4GB on the Gen 8!

I know it's £100 more (and for some reason there doesn't appear to be any cashback on the newer model??) but are there any other differences that mean I should consider the Gen 8?? (surely a comparable CPU upgrade and an additional 4GB of RAM won't be too far off £100 anyway??)

Thanks for any help...

*edit* on closer examination it looks as though the CPU is soldered on meaning no CPU upgrade in the future (not that I'm sure that is an issue for me!) and the machine lacks something called "iLO" - which looks to be something to do with remote access? (again, I'm not sure this is a huge issue for me right now!)

 

[Sparky__H]

Ilo is an IP VPN. Its a webpage you can log into and view a "console" window which is basically what you would see on a monitor attached to the device and you control it with your keyboard and mouse the same. It can be incredibly important or utterly useless depending on its use and your needs.

£100 is enough for an i3 or i5 processor, an extra stick of ram and you would still have £20-30 left in your pocket.

 

[StevieP]

Yeah I'm just not sure I'm ever going to need to access the server while away from the house so it's probably leaning towards pretty useless for my needs if I'm honest!

CPU-wise the issue I'm having is availability more than anything else - according to this website the biggest upgrade I can go for without having to (officially) worry about additional/different cooling is the i5-2390T - and I can't find one anywhere!?!?

 

[Sparky__H]

One went on the bay for £42 yesterday. You just need to sit on it.

Btw the saving between a custom gen 8 to match the specks of a gen 10 is minimal. You're paying for future upgrade ability if you'll ever need it.

 

[StevieP]

I think I'll stick with the Gen 8 for now and see how I get on with it!

I've got a 256GB SSD lying around - can I use this for installing the OS onto?

 

[Sparky__H]

Depends on the OS you use. Some sit on the same disks as the store. E.g. your 4 x 3tb disks are made into a software Raid 10 (6TB free). The OS sits on there as well so no need for the SSD.

But if you do something with RAID you can use the SSD as a fast-write disk before it goes into the slower mechanical disks.

Anyway enjoy the amount of reading you're about to do...

 

[Avalon]

The Gen8 is arguably more expandable, it's very much a buy now and adapt over time - the 1610T isn't awful for NAS/light services usageand can be upgraded (TDP guidelines and bios support permitting), they did launch a larger heatsink a while back if you were that way inclined.

As to the SSD it depends on what you are doing, I use one for an OS pass through, another for a cache drive on unraid as it makes dockers and VM/docker run quicker in scenarios that benefit from faster IO (most of my usage is IO limited rather than CPU limited).

The newer G10 will likely be discounted and subject to cashback once G8 stock is gone, previous new releases have followed a similar pattern.

 

[Sparky__H]

Also look into the slightly more common i5-3470T. I just picket one up for £47 delivered.

Full VTD and AES

 

[StevieP]

The plan is to sling 2 x 4TB drives in there and, at the moment, run Xpenology (mainly because I'm already familiar with DSM) toeventually replace my DS213 to serve as my central hub hosting videos and pictures and also as a Plex server.

I just have this SSD spare and wondered if it could be put to use!

Regards the CPU, I found a list to supported chips and the i5-3470T wasn't on there?? What PSU/cooling would it require?

 

[Sparky__H]

Regards the CPU, I found a list to supported chips and the i5-3470T wasn't on there?? What PSU/cooling would it require?

It's an 1155 "T" cpu so its ECC compatible and pulls 35w. No Cooling or PSU upgrade needed.




http://ark.intel.com/products/65703/Intel-Core-i5-3470T-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-3_60-GHz

https://deploymentbunny.com/2014/01...ant-microserver-gen-8from-g1610t-to-i5-3470t/

 

[StevieP]

Not that I fully understand what it actually is but the Intel link says ECC memory isn't supported!?!?!