Hello Unraiders

 

I have almost decided to make my own DIY NAS to replace my Synology DS210j

 

Main reasons being i need more space and the DS210j doesnt have enough ram for Squeezebox to run smooth.

 

After tons of research i think i have ended on the Supermicro X7SPA-HF D525, Chenbro ES34169 and Unraid

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/ATOM/ICH9/X7SPA-HF-D525.cfm

http://www.chenbro.eu/corporatesite/products_detail.php?sku=159

 

I have the following questions

 

1) Several websites mention Unraid as "Good for file server, but not so much if you want more server features" Will Unraid suit me even though i want to

- Run squeezeboxserver

- Provide offsite backup for friends and family (ftp)

- Share files with FTP/http

- Minor webserver usage

- Use torrent client

 

2) On Synology i can create a direct httplink to a file and share it with password. Can i do this with unraid?

 

3) I have 2x WD20ears in my DS210J with raid1. Wouldnt the best way to migrate be buying a third WD20EARS, put this into my desktop, copy all content to this, put the 2 WDEARS into the Unraid box, copy from desktop and finally put the third WD20EARS into the unraid box? I know this is not the fastest, but i think it might be the safest?

 

4) The Mobo has 2 NIC. What benefit could i have from the extra? My network contains 2 routers (semi-cheap). One containing the modem, but only 100mbit and the other with gbit for the devices that support this. I guess i could connect the Unraid-box to both and then use one for internet traffic and the other for internal traffic, but the benefit would be minimal, right?

 

5) Worth bying 4 gb ram, instead of 2gb?

 

6) I saw in another thread about slim/squeezeserver, that it would be best to install this outside the array. If i installed it on 2.5" hdd, could i make a partition for Squeezeserver and use the rest of the hdd as writing cache? Btw do i have to get Unraid plus, because of the 4th hdd though its not in the array?

 

Thanks in advance

 

I hope this is the right forum, as my questions are mostly hardware-related

I have the following questions

 

1) Several websites mention Unraid as "Good for file server, but not so much if you want more server features" Will Unraid suit me even though i want to

- Run squeezeboxserver

 

unRAID can certainly do this perfectly well, but installation is a little more involved than it would be on, say, a Debian or Ubuntu box.

 

6) I saw in another thread about slim/squeezeserver, that it would be best to install this outside the array. If i installed it on 2.5" hdd, could i make a partition for Squeezeserver and use the rest of the hdd as writing cache? Btw do i have to get Unraid plus, because of the 4th hdd though its not in the array?

 

It's not necessary to install outside the array, but it isn't necessary for the temporary files and static (installation) files to be parity-protected.  It isn't necessary to partition the cache drive - I've simply installed SBS in a hidden folder (which isn't touched by mover) on the cache drive.

 

Just this evening, I've introduced a better solution to accessing the cache drive from the go script.  The array drives (including the cache), aren't available when the go script starts - I've produced a simple script which just waits until the cache drive is accessible (based on the technique Joe uses in his cache_dirs script).  Oh, the other problem I solved today was that of the very long time it takes to install of perl using the unMENU auto install.

 

The basic (free) version of unRAID does not support a cache drive, so if that is your plan, yes, you'll need to purchase a plus licence.  However, if you want to use a drive totally outside of the unRAID facilities, then that is possible.  You simply have to provide your own 'mount' command.

I Have almost same combo except i am running the d510 Atom and ddr2 ram version of that Motherboard..

 

I have 4 3.5" 2TB drives and 1 500Gb 7200rpm 2.5' drive in mine. I then ran a Sata to Esata cable to the breakout panel on the back of the box. with the 6th sata port instead of a dvd option.

 

If you are planning to run apps on top of unRAID (something I have not done myself yet so I can't really help), I think I would get the 4Gigs of ram, the price difference is probably $20ish if you catch a sale. In addition, your set for future re-use of the motherboard.

Also, watch the ram you buy, these Supermicro boards are a little picky on ram I have used Kingston value ram and crucial.

 

With that case. be very careful taking the front cover off, if you follow the included instructions, it will break. I broke my first one the day I got it. I have a total of 3 of these builds (1 supermicro and 2 intel) and love the compact size.

 

For the Data migration part, if you plan to buy a license, I would just get 2 new 2tb drives and build the array with 1 data and 1 parity drive. do the migration, turn on the cache drive (if you were going that route), install your addons and test. then bring over the other two drives later after your satisfied the data and server are good. One of the advanced members might have a better plan.

Word of warning: the 4 pin molex power port on that motherboard is an output, not an input!  I learned that one the hard way

 

While it is possible, I'm not sure it is totally safe to share files on your unRAID server over the internet.  If you friends and family are on the same LAN then it is no problem.  But to safely share files over the internet you need to have a VPN set up and probably other safety measures as well.  In short, you should really know what you are doing.  All the other add-ons you list should be fine.

 

I agree, go for 4 GBs of RAM, the torrent client especially will benefit from it.

 

unRAID will only use the first NIC it finds.  While it is possible to enable the second NIC to connect to a separate network, it is a lot of work and generally not worth the trouble.  Just use NIC1 with your gigabit router and you'll be fine.

 

 

I should point out that the IPMI is also on NIC1 on that Board with a different IP (set in bios).

It is negligible in the bandwidth it uses though.

 

That board also has headers for all the front panel lights, power, HDD, Nic1, Nic2 , Intrusion.

 

 

Thank you for your replies and tips!

 

With my Synology NAS i have closed my eyes and made it available from the internet. Being able to throw a link to people so they can download a file, accessing my own files when im out etc, is just too awesome, and i find it hard to determine the risk. But i only forward the specific ports that i need for those functions. Is Unraid capable of heightening the security to a decent level in my case?

 

Johnm: Is the X7SPA board worth the extra cost? Since i won't be using the extra NIC i guess IMPI is the only major selling point? except for intel nic and general quality. My other candidates are Jetway NC9C and the Sapphire Amd fusion board.

Personally, I love this combo.

 

I'll admidt it is not the cheapest combo you can make. but you are getting a server level board (24x7 pounding while remaining rock solid, cool, and stable) and that case is about the size of 6 3.5" drives stacked up. I hope you have small finger to put it together.

 

The dual nic might be supported in a future unRAID? the Intel nic's are fast and reliable! I can copy at a 99% utilization from server to sever to server when using Gigabit (109MB/s or so?). I'll point out that I am not running unraid on this combo. I'm actually running Win2008r2 on mine with the 4 3.5's in raid5.  but, i am running unRAID on another X7SPA in a NORCO rackmount with 14 Hard drives on it.

 

Ipmi! trust me, once you get it working, It is awesome, you will never buy another server without it. Altho it is cooler with windows, it is good for unRAID.

 

Sata ports. this board has 6. you'll need that for the 2.5" drive. you can use the other 1 for a dvd drive or Esata if you want with a $5 cable from monoprice. If you ever  need it, you can add the supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 for 8 more drives. although not in that case.

 

When idle, it draws almost no power, that helps in the end with the electric bill. but most Atoms and I3's are like that.

 

As far as remote access.. that gives me the willies thinking about it. perhaps you should set up an FTP server. I run WHS 2011 for remote access myself. not to push you away from unRAID.

Is Unraid capable of heightening the security to a decent level in my case?

 

I really don't feel qualified to answer this question.  All I know is that whenever this has been brought up in the past, the answer has been: you can do it, but it is very risky, and you had better have a lot of network security know-how.  I personally wouldn't do it.  If your home network has no important data on it, then maybe it wouldn't be as big of a deal.  I doubt that is the case...

 

You could look into an online cloud server that would allow you to do this safely.  There's currently a big discussion of Cloud Storage over in the lounge:

 

Cloud Storage Discussion

With my Synology NAS i have closed my eyes and made it available from the internet.

 

Hmmmm ... there are so many cheap, even free, options for getting some web/ftp space outside of your own network, that it's not worth taking the risk with your own network

Johnm: Great my creditcard is itching even more now! But regarding the security-issue - Is IMPI usefull if the server isnt available from the internet? I assume the best part about IMPI for me would be to turn on the server remotely when i need it, so it wont have to be turned on 24/7. My TV cabinet is my server room, so i won't really need IMPI when im home.

 

Rajahal/PeterB

Thank you for pointing this out. I havent researched these free storage solutions, but i have 2 family members with 100+ GB of data, that would be nice to have offsite backup of and i guess these amount of data wouldnt be free to have hosted.

 

Perhaps i should consider using my old NAS as external server, but then i probably need some kind of DMZ. Brrr this could become quite complex

 

I currently have only 125MB of space, which costs me GBP2.05 a month.  However, the top plan offers unlimited disk space and unlimited bandwidth for only GBP10 (~USD16) a month.

I would not put the IPMI on the Internet. I doubt the security is very strong and i would bet the average hacker could then take over your system.  If your data is important to you and you must share it, you really should come up with a security plan. FTP server, some sort of gateway with remote access or a VPN, or remote file hosting to name a few options.

 

 

Personally, I am testing a WHS2011 box for remote access. It lets me serve files remotely, stream media (that i have not tried and don't care to try), wake up and remote desktop any windoz box, and i put an FTP server on top of it for guests to pick up and drop off files. I am running that on an Atom nettop with 2 hard drives in it. This is no replacement for my unRAID box. it is just another piece of my network puzzle. In fact, my unRAID box was a WHSv1 box before, I am sure there are cheaper and more secure options available.

 

You should not be to trusting on the net. when I look at my security logs, I see tons of  people trying to log into my FTP and gateway boxes.

 

as far as power concerns, this server will be so "green" that leaving it on 24x7 should suck very little power. If you do sleep it, WOL would be the way to wake it easily. Atom = low horsepower & low power consumption. they were not meant for heavy application usage. but they can handle Apps in moderation. for a NAS like appliance with a few apps, it is a good solution. Most of my atom boxes run out of RAM before CPU.