My OMV NAS build setup

Hi,

long time lurker here. I'm planning a new build, and I'm going to write a log about it here. I hope my research and decisions might help others in the process of selecting an OS/Hardware for a new build. Also, I hope others question my decisions, and point out bad ones (of which I'm sure I make many). So please, all feedback is appreciated.

Why a new build? I currently run a Synology DS411j. It's my first real NAS, apart from messing with WHSv1 a little. The 411 does a couple of tasks, which have grown over time. It started out a central place for my media. Grew to a download station, and then to an automated downloader. I never really got the webserving part working. (photogallery). By now, it also hosts an SQL server to my XBMC HTPC so I can fidlle with the htpc without having to update which shows I've seen. The machine works fine. By now there are lotts of plugins which are easily installed and updated. When I started out, I had to bootstrap and use CLI.... I'm planning more tasks for the machine, but I do notice speed issues. It's not a speedy machine. It streams all content OK, so for now, it will stay until the new machine is up.

The new build should do all current tasks, and be prepared for more. I'd like to start using Headphones (had little success on it previously, but will try again). Couchpatato en LazyLibrarian and a subs down loader are also planned. I'd like a photogallery option for the future possibly. And I've never used the 411 for back ups, but I'm planning on using the new machine for email/documents backups. The new build should not exceed the powerusage from the 411, preferably use less power. However, the machine should be snappier. The 411 does it's thing, but you shouldn't do many things at the same time, or be in a hurry to complete stuff. That needs to change, I want better performance.

So, I've decided on replacing the 411. First thing was, to descide what OS I would start to use for the new build. The single disk Idea from WHSv1 I really liked, so my 411 runs in RAID5. The new machine will also run RAID5, with at least 3 disks from the start, adding more later. I dislike WHSv1, and have read many negative things about WHSv2, so both are out. So, I'm pretty much left with Linux options only. Many people advised me to use ZFS. Biggest drawback for me (and a showstopper) is the inability to grow the pool on the fly. As I understand it, you cant add a disk easily to the pool to expand the array. So, no ZFS for me. That means no FreeNas or Nas4Free. Leaves OMV and a few others. The first I tried was OMV. It's currently running as a virtual machine on my desktop, and I've build it the way I'm going to use it in future there. I was so pleased on the ease of use and setup, that I haven't tried other options.

As for hardware... that was also a bit difficult. I want low power usage, and in my opinion that means Intel. For my desktop machines, AMD meant more powerdraw and heat. For a desktop, that's ok, but a machine running 24/7 365 I must factor in powerusage. I want to add disks in the future, so many SATA ports are important to. I don't plan on running any virtual machines on the system, so those respects are unimportant. I don't care for VT-x or Vt-d or whatever. Price is also a limiting factor. I cannot justify a really big expense on a machine, so relatively cheap is the goal/challenge. It will be housed in a old desktop chassis, and put in a closet, so noise is no factor. It will have a wired connection, so no wireless is required.
I've looked for a cheap Intell processor, and in many reviews the Celeron 1610 was advised. It's cheap as chips, and it should be sufficient for what I need. It's a 1155 socket CPU. I will put in a Asrock B75 pro3-M motherboard, which has 8 Sata connectors. Since mITX ussualy have less then 5 Sata ports, I didn't look at mITX boards (smaller does use less energy). For power, I've settled on a 80 plus Gold power supply, a Seasonic G360. It has plenty of power for my use, and is relatively energy efficient. I haven't settled on the amount of RAM which is needed. I guess 4 GB is sufficient, but can't base that on facts.

As for the disks... I'm currently running 4 x 2TB in Raid5. So that leaves me about 6 Gigs of data. The new machine must have at least that, with room to expand. To be futureproof, I'm planning on 3 x 4 TB WD Red disks in RAID5. No Idea if the Red series is actually really worth it, but the added warranty is an appealing feature for me. I will add more disks in the future, one at a time probably, as funds will allow.

To be continued.... :mrgreen:

I have yet to actually buy the parts for this build, so I cannot definitively say it will be fast enough. BUT... My synolgy NAS has a MUCH much slower CPU and can handle it easily, so streaming should not be an issue. However, when you are talking about transcoding the streams, then I don't know... In my current situation I cannot play 1080p streams on my iPad2. But that is because my iPad is not powerful enough to handle 1080p I believe. I'm not transcoding the streams, and since I'm about to order the parts, I don't want to really waist time on something I won't be using.

Don't be fooled by the 55W TDP. That is only a number when your CPU is running 100%. In everyday use, your CPU will almost never reach 100% use in my view. It will be at idle 99% percent of the time. That's why I'm not considering a T version of Intell CPU's (which have a TDP of 35 watts) since in my view I'm seriously over paying for something that won't benefit me. I'm expecting to be able to have a idle use of around 20 to 25 watts, when all disks are in idle. I've read several reviews that show that that is not a unrealistic goal. My 411j does almost 35-40 watts idle, so it's in considerable improvement.

So, apart from the initial 3 WD Red 4TB disks all parts for my build have been ordered. I should have all parts within a week.

The plan is to start installing OMV on a Kingston V300 60GB SSD, so I can setup most of the plugins and settings. In the coming months I'll be adding the WD Red's, when funds become availible I'm really curious what the speed of the new machine will be. Coming from a DS411j I'm expecting a big speed increase, so I'm hoping I'm not going to be dissapointed.

By having the system disk seperate from the Raid5 I'm hoping I'm going to be able to mess around with the system. And when I f'up, I can always just reinstall the system disk. The data shouldn't be affected, including the Raid array right??