Custom NAS Building ideas?

[SUroot]

I'm thinking of doing this to my NAS
http://wiki.dietpc.org/wiki/DIET-PC_on_an_ARM-based_Thecus_NAS#Download


But I don't know how well it will hold out under my novice-ness. I have to do this to get it working properly, or destory thRAID Volume to retrieve the presets folder.

It doesnt say if it gives me the currently missing ability to expand the RAID volume.

So my question is:

• Who here has built a custom NAS (Assuming linux based is the best option)?
• What did you / would you use hardware / software etc etc?
• Is it noisey?

I do have a small Dell SX 280 but this is a media PC and will not fit 4 drives in it, no matter what I would strip out.


I need cheap, small, quiet, expandability, 4 Disks, RAID. What do you all recommend?

 

[alostpacket]

Normally I would recommend buying a dedicated NAS appliance like Synology or QNAP (sp?) But you clearly have the skills to build one.

Still, the dedicated ones are really built to run "green" so the benefits are great. Many come with Android apps and other neat features too.

Either way, if you're looking for HW specs, maybe look at the HW listed for the dedicated devices as a jumping off point?

 

[SUroot]

Sorry, to clarify, I already have a dedicated NAS:

And it still works, but some functionality is lost unless I destroy the raid or go the diet PC link at the top of the post. I will destroy the raid before I purchase anotehr dedicated NAS for sure, but just wondering about the alternative solutions.

 

[dylo22]

I'm thinking of doing this to my NAS
DIET-PC on an ARM-based Thecus NAS - Dietpc

But I don't know how well it will hold out under my novice-ness. I have to do this to get it working properly, or destory thRAID Volume to retrieve the presets folder.

It doesnt say if it gives me the currently missing ability to expand the RAID volume.

So my question is:

• Who here has built a custom NAS (Assuming linux based is the best option)?
• What did you / would you use hardware / software etc etc?
• Is it noisey?

I do have a small Dell SX 280 but this is a media PC and will not fit 4 drives in it, no matter what I would strip out.


I need cheap, small, quiet, expandability, 4 Disks, RAID. What do you all recommend?

I suggest building one rather than trying to hack the OS on the NAS. You can put one together for pretty cheap if you reuse the hard disks.

If all you want is a file/media server, I suggest looking into building an unRaid Server. It gives you a RAID like disk failure recovery plus expandability options. There are downsides of course, such as it cost money for 3+ drive version, but it might be worth it.

FAQ - unRAID

For hardware, here's a list:

case - any case would do. As long as it has enough drive bays and good cooling.
ram - for a linux file server, you can use as little as 1g with room to spare.
motherboard and processor - get a cheap dual core combo with onboard lan, video, audio
hard disks - use the ones from your NAS
Power supply - probably the most important. You'll want to get a good one with enough wattage to power all your drives.

Not too bad. You can go cheap or expensive depending on what you want to do.

 

[SUroot]

Cool cheers. Basic file server, FTP capabilities, ability to USB backup and expandability is all I need.

 

[A.Nonymous]

I keep toying with the idea of setting up a NAS myself. My main computer crashed and burned recently and ALL of my backups were off site. Having to download all your files is a PITA. The cost of hard drives is putting me off at the moment. Sadly, my employer has two 3 TB Buffalo Terastations that we got from a client about 2 years ago now. He refuses to part with them and refuses to put them into use. They're literally just collecting dust and both are fully functional.

 

[johnlgalt]

Your employer is indeed, a sad, sad man.

 

[A.Nonymous]

It's ridiculous. Some of the techs call the office the junkyard (when the boss isn't around) because we have tons and tons old computers that the boss won't part with. Some of it is useful stuff like the Terastation, but most of the stuff is definitely junk.

 

[SUroot]

Yep, your boss definitely annoys me even all the way over here...

 

[A.Nonymous]

Worse part is he's the owner of the company. It annoys my direct boss as well. Sometimes we have to move this junk around just to work on a legit project for a client. The sad thing is I know a guy who runs an e-recycling company. I've told my direct boss that I can make one phone call and the guy will come over with a truck and load all this stuff up and haul it away. Won't charge us a dime. We don't even have to help him load if we don't want to. The owner isn't interested. I think he's a pack rat/cheapskate by nature and keeps the old stuff around so he can scavenge parts off it if he has to. It's a bit silly.

 

[Slug]

I'm surprised nobody has suggested FreeNAS.

Oh, and while I'm here..... I'm reminded of arguing with an IT tech at my last job when he refused to let me take an empty server chassis, that was going into a skip anyway, off his hands due to 'data security'.

 

[johnlgalt]

Lol - only reason I didn't is because it was already suggest in another thread where SU was also active.

 

[alostpacket]

yeah!

I suggested FreeNAS in invisible ink!

 

[SUroot]

yeah!

I suggested FreeNAS in invisible ink!

Isn't your Avatar considered bad luck at this late stage?

 

[alostpacket]

That's only for TCP Santas

 

[SUroot]

Yeah i suppose since the only santa's that dont defy logic are binary santas, all's good?