This guide describes how I installed and configured Unraid on a QNAP TS-873A (8-disk NAS) with an attached QNAP TL-D400S (JBOD enclosure).  I'd seen a few questions about this configuration, but not a definitive answer so I'm hoping this guide answers those questions.  I've indicated some optional hardware changes as well.  This guide is specifically for the hardware listed above and may not be applicable to all QNAP hardware.  The TL-D400S is an optional component and items related to this can be ignored if not using it.

 

Required Hardware

• A supported video card.  The 873A does not come with built-in video.  You will need to check QNAP's site for compatible video cards.  Space is very limited.  The PCI connector is smaller than what you are expecting and is open on the end to allow longer cards (it's really strange).  I'm running an Nvidia Quadra P620.  The video card must be PCI powered.
• A QNAP TL-D400S enclosure with expansion card and direct attached cable.
• A USB stick with Unraid installed.
• Hard drives.  Make sure these do not include any previous versions of ZFS, Unraid shares, etc.  If they do, format them before proceeding.

 

Optional Hardware

• 2x 120mm Fans 4-Pin (I replaced the installed fans with Noctuas)
• 1x 60mm Fan 4-Pin
• 64GB ECC Memory (2x32GB DDR4 2666 PC4-SODIMM)
• M3 Screws (I replaced the case screws with knobs for easier removal)
• 2x Gen3 NVME drives with heat sinks

 

Installing Hardware

• Remove the 3-screws from the back of the case and remove the top.
• If desired, you can replace the standard fans with upgraded ones.  This is optional.
• Install the video card, expansion, and optional NVME drives.  You may need to remove the power supply to get at the expansion slot screws.
• Close everything back up.
• Connect the cable between the 873A and D400S.
• Install your hard drives into both devices.
• On the back of the D400S, verify the fan switch is set to Auto and the Beep option is enabled.
• Plug in the Unraid USB stick.

 

BIOS Changes

• After connecting a monitor, boot up the 873A and start pressing the DEL or ESC key as soon as the monitor receives a signal.  Eventually, you'll see a standard boot up screen and put into BIOS.  There's not a lot here, but you do need to check a couple items.
  • Advanced => Hardware Monitor => Smart Fan Function => Auto
  • Chipset => BIOS Beep Function => Enabled (Press DEL/ESC after this beep to get into the BIOS)
  • Boot => Boot Option Priorities (Pick the Unraid stick.  You'll see several USB options to boot from, so ensure you select the correct one.)

Startup Procedure

• Turn on the D400S and wait for it to beep.  It's important to do this step first and to wait for the D4OOS to completely boot up.
• Turn on the 873A and wait for the Unraid screen to appear.
• At this point, you should be in Unraid and have the option to configure your array.  I'm not going to cover that here.  You should be able to see the drives in the external enclosure as well.

 

Configure Unraid

• Modify the Syslinux configuration boot option (Main => Flash => Syslinux Configuration).  Update the Unraid OS option and reboot.

  kernel /bzimage
  append initrd=/bzroot acpi_enforce_resources=lax

• Install the QNAP EC plugin from Community Applications.  With these changes, you should now have access to all 3 fans in the system.  It does appear the two 120mm fans speed are linked.

 

This should be all you need for a basic configuration of the 873A with an attached enclosure.

 

Lessons Learned and some QNAP Oddness

• Do not install the Auto Fan Control plugin.  The CPU is passively cooled and resides in a separate area with the NVME drives.  The Auto Fan Control plugin is tied to drive temp which means even though the CPU is cooking, unless those NVME drives are hot, the 60mm fan will not kick in.  Leave the cooling to the hardware.  If someone has a way to control a fan based on either the CPU or drive temp concurrently, please let me know and I can test it.
• The drives in the 873A take a very long to time spin up.  Like 60+ seconds.  No idea why, but they do spin up eventually.
• Drive blinking is odd.  The 873A drives lights blink when accessed, but the D400S do not.  This bothers me way more than it should.
• Do not expect to run VMs on this machine.  Due to the limited graphics support, I'm not sure the system could handle it.  Dockers seem to run fine including Emby (although I wouldn't attempt multiple streams with this setup).
• If you install the Unassigned Devices plugin, you will see 7-drives with names like QTS_BOOT and random numbers.  Don't touch these.  This is how the QNAP boots if the Unraid stick is not installed.  If you ever want to run the QNAP software, simply remove the Unraid stick.  I don't know if you can migrate ZFS pools created in Unraid to QNAP's OS. 

Thank you for this, really helpful information.