April 25, 20242 yr Hello, I am new to setting up a home server. I'm looking to install Unraid on my NUC 11 i3 Mini PC (NUC11PAHi30Z). It offers 1x M.2 slot and 1x 2.5" SATA slot for storage drives. However, Unraid typically requires 3 drives: Parity Drive, Array Drive, and Cache Drive. From what I understand, Unraid can operate without either a Parity Drive or a Cache Drive. My intention is to use Unraid for NAS storage and to host Docker containers like PiHole, Unbound, WireGuard, DDNS, Bitwarden, Nextcloud and Jellyfin. Given that I only have 2 drives, how should I assign them? Here are the drive options I have: 2TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD (Already have) 2TB SATA SSD (Will purchase) Any suggestions on which drive should be assigned for what purpose?
April 26, 20242 yr Community Expert Solution I would assign both as pools, so that trim is supported, and assign an old flash drive as the required array device.
April 26, 20242 yr Author 4 hours ago, JorgeB said: I would assign both as pools, so that trim is supported, and assign an old flash drive as the required array device. Hey, sorry for the inconvenience, but could you please explain this to me? When you mention an old flash drive as an array device, are you referring to a old pen drive? If I use both SSDs as pools, then those SSDs will be used as cache drives to store Docker Containers/VMs & app data, right? If so, what will serve as my primary storage drive?
April 26, 20242 yr Community Expert 7 minutes ago, Nick5 said: are you referring to a old pen drive? Yes. 7 minutes ago, Nick5 said: If so, what will serve as my primary storage drive? You can set a pool as the primary storage for shares.
April 26, 20242 yr Author 6 minutes ago, JorgeB said: Yes. So the pendrive will be used for just a placeholder purpose? 15 minutes ago, JorgeB said: You can set a pool as the primary storage for shares. This means both SSDs will be used as cache drives as well as primary storage, right? (Is it safe and recommended?) This configuration wouldn't include a parity drive, right? Could I use an external hard drive or an external hard drive enclosure connected via a Thunderbolt port as a parity drive?
April 26, 20242 yr Community Expert 40 minutes ago, Nick5 said: So the pendrive will be used for just a placeholder purpose? Yes. 40 minutes ago, Nick5 said: This means both SSDs will be used as cache drives as well as primary storage, right? (Is it safe and recommended?) It's perfectly fine, if it matches your use case, both pool can be set as primary storage for any shares. 41 minutes ago, Nick5 said: This configuration wouldn't include a parity drive, right? Yes. 41 minutes ago, Nick5 said: Could I use an external hard drive or an external hard drive enclosure connected via a Thunderbolt port as a parity drive? For that you'd need to assign at least one of the devices to the array, instead of the flash drive.
April 26, 20242 yr Author 7 minutes ago, JorgeB said: Yes. It's perfectly fine, if it matches your use case, both pool can be set as primary storage for any shares. Yes. For that you'd need to assign at least one of the devices to the array, instead of the flash drive. 1. If I assign both SSDs to the pool, my total usable storage with two 2TB SSDs will be 4TB, correct? 2. What if I initially use only one 2TB NVMe SSD for the pool (and purchase a 2TB SATA SSD later)? Will this affect anything? 3. Also, what if I assign 2TB NVMe SSD as pool for primary storage and caching, and the 2TB SATA SSD as the parity drive? Will this configuration work? 4. If not setting a parity drive, are there any external backup options that can be configured in Unraid? For example, an external drive connected to the mini PC via a Thunderbolt port, where data is automatically backed up weekly.
April 26, 20242 yr Community Expert 8 minutes ago, Nick5 said: 1. If I assign both SSDs to the pool, my total usable storage with two 2TB SSDs will be 4TB, correct? Depends on how they are assinged, if they are in the same pool it can also be a mirror. 9 minutes ago, Nick5 said: 2. What if I initially use only one 2TB NVMe SSD for the pool (and purchase a 2TB SATA SSD later)? Will this affect anything? What do you mean affect? If you mean if it can be added later, it can. 9 minutes ago, Nick5 said: 3. Also, what if I assign 2TB NVMe SSD as pool for primary storage and caching, and the 2TB SATA SSD as the parity drive? Will this configuration work? No, You cannot have parity without array data devices. 9 minutes ago, Nick5 said: If not setting a parity drive, are there any external backup options that can be configured in Unraid? For example, an external drive connected to the mini PC via a Thunderbolt port, where data is automatically backed up weekly. Yes, but not automatically, you could use a script for example, there are also some containers that work for that, look in Apps.
April 26, 20242 yr Author 17 minutes ago, JorgeB said: What do you mean affect? If you mean if it can be added later, it can. I mean, will it affect performance, such as transfer speed or CPU usage, since I'll be using only one drive instead of two? 21 minutes ago, JorgeB said: Yes, but not automatically, you could use a script for example, there are also some containers that work for that, look in Apps. If I assign both SSDs to the same pool and use them in a mirror configuration, then set up an external drive via Docker for backup. I will have 2TB of usable space and two backups of my data: one on the mirror drive and one on the external drive, right?
April 26, 20242 yr Community Expert 25 minutes ago, Nick5 said: I mean, will it affect performance, such as transfer speed or CPU usage, since I'll be using only one drive instead of two? Not directly, depends on how the pool is configured, for a example a single device will be slower than a raid0 pool, but perform about the same as a raid1 pool. 27 minutes ago, Nick5 said: I will have 2TB of usable space and two backups of my data: one on the mirror drive and one on the external drive, right? Yes, if you consider a mirror a backup.
April 26, 20242 yr Author 39 minutes ago, JorgeB said: Not directly, depends on how the pool is configured, for a example a single device will be slower than a raid0 pool, but perform about the same as a raid1 pool. Yes, if you consider a mirror a backup. Can you recommend a comprehensive tutorial (text or video) on how to set up Unraid from scratch for a newbie like me? Covering things like docker configuration & external backup. Also, would you mind if I ping you for help if I face any difficulties during the Unraid setup process?
April 26, 20242 yr Author @JorgeB I am wandering on internet for more than a month searching how to setup my 1st homeserver. Watched hundreds of videos and read hundreds of posts. But not being familiar with linux I was totally lost & equally frustrated. I cannot thank you enough for taking time & patiently answering all my queries. You are a lifesaver. Thanks you very much. 😊
May 2, 20242 yr Author On 4/26/2024 at 7:36 PM, JorgeB said: It's perfectly fine, if it matches your use case, both pool can be set as primary storage for any shares. Hey @JorgeB, currently, 2TB SATA SSDs are very expensive in my country. Therefore, I'm considering utilizing my existing WD 850X 2TB NVMe SSD along with a Seagate Barracuda 2.5 Inch HDD (ST2000LM015). My plan is to configure them in a pool with a Mirror setup. (I'll be using a Flash Drive as the Array.) It should work fine, right?
May 2, 20242 yr Author 5 hours ago, JorgeB said: It will work but the pool speed will be limited bu the HDD. 1. Does that mean even if I use a SATA SSD along with NVMe SSD, my pool speed will be limited to the speed of the SATA SSD? 2. Also, what if I want to use an NVMe SSD as a cache drive: - To store Docker Containers/VMs - To store app data - As the primary storage drive And use a 2.5" HDD to store only my Jellyfin/Plex Media Server files (movies & series). How should it be configured then? Option 1: Two Pools - One pool with NVMe SSD - One pool with 2.5" HDD Option 2: One Pool & One Array - One pool with NVMe - One array with 2.5" HDD Or should I keep the 2.5" HDD as an unassigned drive? Edited May 2, 20242 yr by Nick5 Added one more question.
May 3, 20242 yr Community Expert 13 hours ago, Nick5 said: Does that mean even if I use a SATA SSD along with NVMe SSD, my pool speed will be limited to the speed of the SATA SSD? Yes, it will always be limited to the slower device. 13 hours ago, Nick5 said: Option 2: One Pool & One Array - One pool with NVMe - One array with 2.5" HDD I would use this one.
May 3, 20242 yr Author 1 hour ago, JorgeB said: Yes, it will always be limited to the slower device. I would use this one. Thanks again. 😊
May 6, 20242 yr Author On 5/3/2024 at 1:13 PM, JorgeB said: Yes, it will always be limited to the slower device. I would use this one. Which file system should I use for Pool & Array?
May 6, 20242 yr Community Expert XFS is usually the recommend one for the typical user with single device filesystems, if you care about checksums/snapshots you can use btrfs or zfs.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.