NAS - Build or Buy

ob

Hi, I'm looking for advice about whethar to build or buy a new NAS device. Currently I have a Synology DS-101g+ with a 250GB HDD, this is almost full, so time for a change.

I'd like to get something with RAID 5 capabilities, and the
Synology CS-406 gets really good reviews. Pricewise it's going to cost around €700 without disks.

For that price would I be better to build my own one?
Features that are important to me are:
Size, I don't want a monster server tower, but a mid size would be ok.
Noise, I like it to run relatively quite.

The advantages of building my own:
Could add more disks later
Could run more on it(from a software point of view...)

Most motherboards have RAID onboard, what kind of performance do these have, I presume they would be decent enough?

Power supply, what size power supply would I need for something running up to 5 or 6 SATA drives, but not much else in it.

Has anyone here done anything similar?

Khannie

ob wrote:

Most motherboards have RAID onboard, what kind of performance do these have, I presume they would be decent enough?

Raid 5 is rare in on-board raid devices. It's more of an enterprise level thing.

ob

Raid 5 is rare in on-board raid devices. It's more of an enterprise level thing.

It's actually quite common on newer boards aimed more at the enthusiast market. Motherboard manufacturers might release a standard edition of there board, then also a deluxe version with a few extra features.

Quite a few of the AM2 and Core 2 Duo motherboards have RAID 5 capabilities, e.g. Abit AN9, Gigabyte GA-M59SLI-S5, Asus P5B DLX/WIFI-AP to name but a few...

I was just wondering if anyone knew how these performed...

jester77

Have a look at the Buffalo Terastation. It comes in different sizes up to 2TB and supports RAID 5. It's small, looks good and is quiet according to reviews I've read. Reviews have generally been good. I'll be getting one of these myself once I have the cash to do it, it's about €700 for the 1TB version (4x250GB)

po0k

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2018300,00.asp - If I had the cash to burn, I'd buy this I reckon.
get a little 1U server with PCI-X and GigE and you'd be sorted for closet/garage storage.

Currently looking at it for a Computer Society 'backup' solution.
RAID != Backup.

po0k

ob wrote:

It's actually quite common on newer boards aimed more at the enthusiast market. Motherboard manufacturers might release a standard edition of there board, then also a deluxe version with a few extra features.

Quite a few of the AM2 and Core 2 Duo motherboards have RAID 5 capabilities, e.g. Abit AN9, Gigabyte GA-M59SLI-S5, Asus P5B DLX/WIFI-AP to name but a few...

I was just wondering if anyone knew how these performed...

That really isn't RAID5. It's a RAID5 sticker on the box, a mention in the manuals and drivers and the rest is host-processor grunt. Not the same thing at all I'm afraid. Google/Wiki for "fakeraid".

LSI MegaRaid SATA 150-6 or 300-6, 3Ware 8x00/9x00 series or even Adaptec's cards are ok.
Check eBay for cheapness.

GeorgeBailey

jester77 wrote:

Have a look at the Buffalo Terastation. It comes in different sizes up to 2TB and supports RAID 5. It's small, looks good and is quiet according to reviews I've read. Reviews have generally been good. I'll be getting one of these myself once I have the cash to do it, it's about €700 for the 1TB version (4x250GB)

Have a 1TB Terastation myself. Happy with it so far although it's not as quiet as I'd like. It also acts as a media server which is what sold me on it.
I got it here:

ob

SyxPak wrote:

That really isn't RAID5. It's a RAID5 sticker on the box, a mention in the manuals and drivers and the rest is host-processor grunt. Not the same thing at all I'm afraid. Google/Wiki for "fakeraid".

LSI MegaRaid SATA 150-6 or 300-6, 3Ware 8x00/9x00 series or even Adaptec's cards are ok.
Check eBay for cheapness.

So, it's really software raid in a roundabout way?

On another point, there seems to be a lot a fans of software raid (using linux) out there, claiming performance is just as good (for a small file server).
Apart from the OS doing all the work, what other cons are ther to using software raid?

Zynks

I looked at the Terastation and was ready to buy, except for the funds. Then I noticed that if I went the dedicated file/application server based on a PC I could get far more out of it. Got an old P3 PC in boards.ie, followed by a 2nd hand PCI RAID card (boards.ie again). Got two new large HDs and installed Linux, slimserver (for my Squeezebox audio streaming client), Samba (for access by Windows machines), Apache, FTP server, etc.... I would not change this setup for two Terastations at this stage.

Only thing is that I have it in a closet, so it may not be the right setup for you due to size and noise.

PS: I use RAID 1 to ensure my data will not be lost on a HD crash. HDs are replaceable, much of the data in them is not. Total investment was under €400 including HDs.

SouperComputer

I have gone the same route as Zynks for many years. Right down to slimserver.

Clarkconnect is a excellent Linux distro to do such a job. Just be sure that your plans include fans to keep the HD's nice and cool. It doesnt need to make a racket either, some 120MM fans with steady flow of air works wonders for temps, reliabiity and data integrity. Somthing that is often overlooked in "commercial" NAS IMO.

ob

I think I'm going to go the PC route, for the same reasons as Zynks and SouperComputer. I'm probably going to build from scratch, with new hardware - so any recomendations are welcome!

Since this will be an always on device, I'd like to run this as low powered as I can. I was thinking of a mini-itx based system, the only problem here would be a big enough case to fit a couple of drives. Is it possible to mount a mini-itx motherboard in a mATX or ATX case?