OMV on RPi - how is the performance?

  • The Raspberry Pi doesn't seem like a great choice for NAS. I know it has only 10/100 Ethernet which has to compete with the USB 2.0 (a particular problem if using an external drive). But it costs less, is quieter, and uses less energy than an old Pentium 4 box. But a mechanical hard drive would be a limiting factor for either a Pi or a i7.


    So far I've found only two opinions on using the Pi for NAS, and neither said what NAS solution was in use. One person said it's just plain terrible. The other said it's mediocre, but good enough for one person to stream one HD video.


    My usage is to be mostly documents/data files and audio. I'd guess most of these files are 10 megs or less, and there are tens of thousands of files. The total is 76 gigs, making an external drive necessary. I've thought about using an external SSD drive to further reduce energy usage (compared to a typical Pentium 4 box) and hopefully compensate a little for the speed of USB and 10/100.


    For those who have tried OMV on the Raspberry Pi, how might it perform for my intended usage?

  • Hi, I have a RPi setup as a NAS using OMV. I use it for four key tasks.


    1. file storage & backup
    2. downloading / bit torrent
    3. VPN
    4. media data storage for streaming - using Plex on a Mac mini as the server


    I works great for all these uses.


    You are correct that the 10/100 ethernet is a performance bottleneck for file transfer/streaming. I get 80mb/sec (10MB/sec) from the pi but it's good and stable so fine for 2-3 HD movie streams at the same time - serving the file not as the media server/transcoder.


    Other than this it is totally fine as a low cost NAS. Perhaps the next pi that is released has 1000 ethernet and this would make a big difference.


    If you just need access to files from a single computer, might be best to use a USB3 external HD or SSD. file read/write performance will be much better.


    hope this helps.

  • I would go for something like in my signature. Got mine for nothing, ebay says cheap...
    Has Gigabit and low TDP.


    HTH

    --
    Get a Rose Tattoo...


    HP t5740 with Expansion and USB3, Inateck Case w/ 3TB WD-Green
    OMV 5.5.23-1 Usul i386|4.19.0-9-686-pae

  • I have 3 of them, and love them to bits. I use them for everything from torrent box, ad blocker, music streamer, etc. and have absolutely no complaints with regards to performance.


    However, a NAS is entirely a different story, definitely a bottleneck with a max transfer rate of 9 to 10 MBps. Takes ages to copy anything, and streaming too only works well for a single person/stream. Introducing any form of multitasking like streaming music, downloading torrents, etc. at the same time and performance is degraded.


    Highly recommend a PC or even SOC/SBC with gigabit networking for any form of a NAS build.

  • I would go for something like in my signature. Got mine for nothing, ebay says cheap...
    Has Gigabit and low TDP.


    HTH

    I found one with 2GB of internal storage. With that small size should I use it only for /boot and put the rest of OMV on a USB drive? Though it seems like running the OS on a USB drive would make a very slow system.


  • I have 3 desktops (Linux, Mac, Windows) and 1 laptop. I want NAS so any of them can get to the file collection even if all of the others are turned off or down for a Clonezilla backup. I once found a device to switch a USB drive from one PC to another, but its support software is Windows only. My router has a USB port and can be a NAS, but it has a known security hole that's unlikely to ever be patched considering it was publicized in 2014.


    I do have a second Windows desktop (Vista era) that I got free. My plan was to use it for an Untangle box, then use it along with a wireless access point to replace the consumer-level, un-updated router. I know there's no way a Raspberry Pi could ever be an Untangle box! I'm ok with keeping it on 24/7 so my phone and tablet can get push notifications even if all the PCs and the Mac are off.

  • I found one with 2GB of internal storage. With that small size should I use it only for /boot and put the rest of OMV on a USB drive? Though it seems like running the OS on a USB drive would make a very slow system.

    No. Why? 2GB is more than enough...

    --
    Get a Rose Tattoo...


    HP t5740 with Expansion and USB3, Inateck Case w/ 3TB WD-Green
    OMV 5.5.23-1 Usul i386|4.19.0-9-686-pae

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