tdallen

Yeah, that data doesn't belong on the array. I'd use a couple of laptop harddrives in a BTRFS RAID-1 config but I understand the desirability of the freenas volume. Unfortunately I'm not aware of any options than NFS to access the freenas volume, but I'm definitely not an expert.

Hi - Well, a Docker won't use SMB - you pass a mount point directly into the Docker via the Docker configuration. Based on your current setting you should be able to browse appdata from another PC on your network via SMB now, though.

Oh, now I see. Any reason why you don't want the Plex DB on the cache drive/pool or an unassigned device? Would make things simpler to remove the freenas dependency.

If Docker could work for you, you'd have a direct mount...

You might want to post your diagnostics. I'm wondering if you have any shares where the data is on the array, and the Cache setting is "Prefer", so mover is trying to move stuff back to the cache drive and running out of space.

Hi - Docker is a much lighter weight virtualization option than VMs. There are a number of rsync/rclone type Dockers for unRAID 6 which would almost certainly do what you want with Dropbox, GDrive, OneDrive and BackBlaze B2 (not sure about regular Backblaze). I also don't know about about the Firewire 800 support. The G2030 and 8GB would be a good choice for unRAID and a couple of Dockers although you'd need to be realistic about Plex transcoding - the G2030 can probably only support one transcoded stream, max (that's not an unRAID limitation, it's a hardware limitation). You'd be pushing it, though, trying to run VMs on that older CPU. Do you have a way to setup unRAID on spare hardware with a trial license?

Hi - That would make a very capable unRAID server, capable of basic NAS duties plus several Dockers and some Plex transcoding. The CPU you've selected appears to include a stock cooler, so evaluate whether you need the Hyper 212 EVO.

That looks awesome!!!

I've generally found Intel stock coolers to be quite adequate unless you have a special situation. They're not right if you're overclocking, need something very low profile, or have the box sitting on your desk and therefore need low noise. Otherwise they've been fine for me.

If you just want to start by burning in the new hardware, you could use an unRAID 30-day Trial License for the purpose.

I agree with @Tybio. Ultimately I think all 4k transcoding will be hardware assisted in some form, rather than the brute strength approach we apply to 1080p. But the standard approaches aren't there yet. That said you're in a tough spot. You want a lot of cores for those VMS, which puts you in server/workstation level chips. But you want HEVC support for 4k, which means Kaby Lake or newer. I'm not sure you can get both in the same package right now.

Yeah, my bad. I meant to recommend running XFS on the data drives and typed parity by mistake. Parity doesn't have a file system. XFS is the most common file system on data drives under unRAID, though.

Sure, an array of 2 8TB parity drives and 3 8TB data drives running BTRFS will work. unRAID is very flexible. I'll tell you that most people would run 1 parity drive with only 3 data drives due to the small risk of double drive failure - but you can certainly run 2. I'll also mention that most people would run XFS on the data (original post said parity, bad typo doh!) drives - it's better established and more mature than BTRFS. But BTRFS is fine. When you want to add another drive you just stop the array, add the drive, and start it back up - parity will resync and you're good to go.

Odd. What is your mover schedule? And what Dockers and plugins do you have running? Do you have any machines elsewhere on your network that might be accessing your server (I.e. a backup) at that time?

I like your changes, but if you can spend a few more $... I'd get a slightly newer processor. The G4400 is Skylake, but starting with Kaby Lake there is hardware support for 4k HEVC, should you ever need it. I think it's worth the extra $20 to go to the G4560 or G4600 if your main concern is media/Plex. It will work on the same motherboard. I'd also get at least a Bronze rated power supply for the better power efficiency. As a tradeoff, I'm sure you could spend less on the cooler. I can get a perfectly good cooler for $15 if needed, assuming you don't need something low profile, low noise, etc.

I started off my unRAID server with High Watermark and all disks included in all shares. It's a good setting for a new user to start with, and remains a good setting for users who just like to use their server rather than tinker with it. That said, I came to three conclusions. One, I actively manage my server - disks aren't going to fill up without my knowing. Two, I didn't like having files in a share scattered unnecessarily across multiple disks. Three, while having equal amounts of data smoothly spread across all disks seems appealing, it's actually a pain to manage. So, at the recommendation of some folks here like @SSD I switched over to having shares "include" only the disks I want the data on, and all shares are set to "Fill" each disk (with a nice big minimum free space). I also use the diskmv/consld8 utilities to move data from one set of disks to another when infrequently needed. Warning, this is a more advanced approach that requires you to actively manage your server - one disk could fill up while you have space available on others. But I prefer it so far.

Hello and welcome. You won't be able to add your current HDDs directly into the unRAID storage array - they will need to be formatted (and therefore wiped) as they are added. Adding a 5th drive is the easiest transition strategy. But if your current data is backed up, a good alternative is to add parity last. I.e., add the new drive as a data drive, copy data from old drive #1 onto it, add old drive #1 into the array (which will format it), and then copy old drive #2 onto old drive #1, etc. Old drive #3 then becomes your parity drive as the last step. Obviously, this means your data isn't under parity protection during the transition - but you really should have a solid backup plan in place before starting the transition, anyway! By the way - I'd recommend giving yourself some time to play with unRAID after you've added that first drive, ask some questions, etc. Don't rush into the data transition right away. What you learn playing with unRAID might change your transition approach or folder structures, etc. Definitely plan on using Community Applications, the "app store" for unRAID. Use a well supported Plex Docker like binhex or linuxserver.io. It also may be useful to use Unassigned Devices to mount your old drives on your new server for the purpose of copying the data from them to the unRAID storage array.

Hello and welcome. Some thoughts: Nice case, but Hot swap bays for the drives would be even nicer if you can afford/justify. They almost completely eliminate cabling issues which plague DIY NAS's. Power supply maybe a little under-powered for all those drives? Completely agree with DoeBoye on going with a more modern CPU/motherboard. 4GB is adequate for a basic NAS but seems overly frugal for buying new. I'd go with at least 8GB for a new system. You might not always want to run Plex on your HTPC, getting something powerful enough to run Plex on your server won't cost much and might be worthwhile. Even a current Pentium like the G4560 has a lot more horsepower, uses less power, and could do a little transcoding if necessary.

No. There are a couple of ways you can arrange to move them. But, simply adding/rearranging the disks in the share settings doesn't automatically cause files to be moved.

If you create a "Media" share (well, any share), and you don't use a solution like cachedirs, then when you access the Media share the only way unRAID will have to determine the contents is to spin up all the drives associated with that share. Unused drives will spin back down after the standard delay. My personal preference is setup more granular shares - TV Shows, Movies, etc. And I target certain drives to be associated with each share. That minimizes the number of drives that need to spin up when a share is accessed.

Personal Preference - I feel like a Media folder is too general and prefer Movies, TV Shows, etc. Why would I want to spin up all the disks where TV Shows are located when I want to watch a movie? Downloads will generally be on your cache drive, not the array.

Sold

My guess is that you’d see some benefit but you won’t be amazed. - it depends on which Dockers you are running. What does the Dashboard (or Dynamix System Stats if you are running it) say about your current memory usage? unRAID caches writes in system memory so my guess is that you would notice the initially faster copies to your server since more memory will be available for caching.

Hi - I've got a Cooler Master 4-in-3 drive cage I'm not using. It's used, was only installed once, and ran for about two years. It lets you install (4) 3.5" drives in 3 externally facing 5.25" drive bays. The filter could probably stand to be blown out, but otherwise it's in great shape. It's got a nice big 120mm fan that blows air directly over the drives - it's the original with a blue LED. Reference Link. If you can afford a hot-swap bay then definitely get that instead. But this is better than having the drives sitting on the floor of your case... Let's say $20 shipped to lower 48 U.S. Offers accepted, but I've got to cover the cost of shipping...

Glad to hear it! Unfortunately I'm not using LetsEncrypt right now. There is a support thread for it, though: