MarkCurlew

This is a very helpful explanation - so I could choose to run Unraid on my preferred hardware much as I can choose to run Windows Home or Windows Professional on a laptop that I have purchased. Dockers are essentially apps, right? I don't quite understand what a Virtual Machine is or how someone like me would use one. This distinction re: hardware and fans vs disks is also helpful. Not all reviews mention how quiet a unit is - are there particular technical specs I might look for?

I'm looking for some help in selecting a NAS drive and configuring it. I want to back up my and my wife's laptops (and ideally our phones) and have a personal media server for videos and music. I originally posted on the Kodi forum (this post is almost a direct copy and paste) and someone suggested I check out Unraid. After reading up on it, I think I understand its advantages over Raid (it sounds like Raid offers more speed, but I don't imagine I need that level of speed for my use. I also like that with Unraid I can have disks of varying sizes.), but I don't understand whether Unraid is a subcategory of NAS or an alternative. I'm in my late 30s, but for the intents and purposes of this project, I should be approached like someone in their 70s. I am limited by my lack of technical expertise. I get lost pretty quickly when it comes to anything beyond standard computing, but can sometimes work through a few things out of my comfort zone with some instruction and research. It sounds like Unraid offers a great deal of customization, but I wonder whether a user like me would benefit from that level of customization and/or whether it would just confuse me. Hardware is part of what I'm looking for and I'm unclear what would be needed if I went the Unraid route. In addition to hardware, in order to achieve what I want from my setup, it also seems I need software for a media server (though, I may be mixing up or misuing terms like software, OS, media server). Kodi seems like it could be a good fit (I like the ability to customize to a certain extent - Plex seem to offer some customization and may be the safer option for someone of my ability - and I like the price tag), but I am not clear if Unraid and its associated apps can offer something similar or superior. I should stress, though, that despite the extensive reading I've been doing for the past several months, a lot of the information goes over my head. Even after some googling and looking on this forum, I'm still not entirely sure how to utilize Unraid. Like I said, I would like a drive for backups, but I would also like to access media on the drive from any device in the house - are there options with Unraid that would make this possible? For example, my wife could watch a movie in the sitting room while I listen to music in the kitchen. I would also like to replace Spotify with my personal music library, which, although is far more limited in selection, would allow us to skip and choose songs and would not have those godawful ads for Spotify Premium. (And, no, paying for Spotify Premium is not an option because the ads annoyed my wife and I too much. Tidal, Apple Music, or another, maybe, but never Spotify.) I'd like the option to make playlists that I can access across devices and maybe even share them with others. I would like to access the music when I'm out of the house, for example while driving. However, much of my personal collection is high quality like FLAC, so I would require transcoding or my data plan will be spent before I get to the end of the street. I'd also like to access videos remotely as well and have good transcoding for similar reasons. We don't have a TV, so our media is either played on a laptop or cellphone. I don't think I need a massive amount of storage space. I presently have a 6TB external hard drive which I split into three partitions - one each for backing up our laptops and the third for media - that I am essentially using as an NAS drive connected to our router via a USB 3.0. However, I recognize that I'm not using the drive appropriately and I am accelerating its eventual failure. I believe another advantage of NAS is lower power consumption, which is attractive to me as well. A NAS drive isn't a necessity, so I'm wary of committing too much money to the project (though I do recognize that, while there are cheaper options, there are not cheap options). As far as hardware, I am hoping there might be a Boxing Day or New Year's sale I could take advantage of. I live in the UK, but will be in the US at the end of January and could have something delivered to a friend's house ahead of my trip. It sounds like there are fewer restrictions as regards what sort of drives I could use with Unraid, which would help with budget, correct? However, would I be using the same drives I would use for a NAS solution? The licensing options for Unraid seem reasonable enough, so I'm not concerned about that cost. Finally, some of the reviews I have looked at talk about how quiet a drive is. My wife isn't crazy about the idea of a NAS drive and will not put up with a drive making loud whirring noises. Our apartment is very small, so there isn't really a place like a closet I could put it where she wouldn't hear it and, in any event, any device would need to be very close to the router (which is in our sitting room next to the couch) because we only have one wall jack to connect to the internet. Both she and I do a great deal of online work there and would need quiet. She also won't go for miles of wires throughout the house. As I said, I've had heaps of trouble understanding a lot of what I've been reading, so there are probably many important criteria I've missed out. To sum up what I'm looking for: -backup periodically (ideally daily) laptops and other devices -a personal Spotify -a personal Netflix -transcoding so I don't eat up data -a cheaper option -quiet -easy enough for a dumb guy like me to understand Any help or suggestions - or super-simplified explanations of Unraid, its uses, and what type of hardware could be used to run it - would be greatly appreciated, even if you just direct me to another, more appropriate forum.