How are you using unRAID Server?

[jkeyser14]

I clicked on business because I'm using it for backing important documents, hosting media files to vista, xp, and macs, and streaming to ps3.

[Guest smnas]

My unRAID server is my primary storage backup solution, followed by my other NAS (FreeNAS - I know I shouldn't mention the competitors name here ) and a portable hard drive (for a off site backup option). So pretty much every data bit that I have, my unRAID has it. Keep up the good work Lime Technology!

[Guest jmdlat]

Now it's mainly used for music, movies and TV shows from DVD's I own.

However I don't have a full DVD rip. I convert them with Handbrake and use iTunes to stream or transfer to my appleTV, or other macs, files even work on iPods. A 2 hour movie ends up being around 2 GB's, a 45 minute TV shows is around 600mb and they looks identical to the original.

In the future once I get more space I'll use the unRAID server to store everything.

[jdmlight]

I use my unRAID to stream movies and TV shows to my two Mac minis with Plex.  I also keep games on it.  I use uTorrent on one of my Minis and have it reference the unRAID shares.  I intend to try to get some torrent client running on my unRAID box eventually.

[terrastrife]

i cant find the 'i dont delete stuff' poll option

 

edit: I feel the poll options are inadequete. HTPC, HTPC, HTPC, media player (unraid can play stuff?) Business.

 

Would it be better to have options such as: mass storage, media streaming, critical uptime (redundancy), backups?

 

for example, future updates could include, data cataloguing, upnp services, more verbose/information availability and automated software respectivley.

[330T]

I currently run two Unraids.

 

The first one is on my home lan, it stores everything.  It replaced a file server that was getting old.  The biggest advantage to using the unraid is its almost limitless scalability for storage.  It holds everything, personal files, movies, videos, photos, mp3, recorded tv, pc backups..

 

After running my home unraid for several months I purchased one for my department at work.  I'm the director of information systems and our SAN was getting close to needing a large expansion.  After looking over the type of files that consumed the most space it was noted that backup images, programs, and other non critical files were taking up huge amounts of space.  I ordered up a new unraid license and with in hours had about 15TB of server backups, pc backups, archive email logs, and application install files offloaded the SAN and onto our unraid. 

[sdballer]

HD Videos, Music, Business backup.

[pastrychef]

I have an unRAID Plus license.  Currently, three drives are used for backups (using AFP) and two are used to house my movie and anime collection.

 

An Asus O!Play is used to play the media via SMB. Eventually, I'll be upgrading to a Pro license and adding additional storage for the media and at least one drive to be dedicated to Time Macine usage for my Macs.

[barrygordon]

I am just getting into unRaid, building my server as I write this.  My only use for the unRaid server will be to store ripped movies (BR and DVD) for which I have the original discs.  A BR rips to  between 25 and 30 Gigs but I use 30 for sizing. A DVD rips to much less and I need to do some testing on that to get my sizing parameters.

 

I have a Theater that is controlled by a windows PC using software that I developed so I can do just about anything I want.  The player is the Dune 3.0 Base unit; replacing two Sony 400 slot megachangers (1 BR, 1 DVD). Connectivity will be over 100baseT.  I may add two more players but only one player will be in use at any time.

 

I am working with the Dune technical team to get an IP interface installed so that the player may be completely controlled by IP.

 

I use DVD Profiler to manage my disc collection. In that system I store two parameters for each disc I own, its location (a text string) and its slot (a text string).  My intent is to use location to be the path to the movie in the unRaid server, and the slot to be the name of the folder containing the file to play.  The Theater Librarian will then send the Dune player the location/slot as a full path name of what to play, e.g "//Tower/Disk1/I am Legend". 

 

 

 

 

[Msan]

I am also in the process of building my unRaid server. I am currently just using a Intel Storage Server SS4200-E with 5 1 TB drives (4 internal, 1 External) until all the parts for my new server show up.

I am using it for storage of all my media (Movies, TV Series, MP3's and Photos), shared storage between several other machines and for backups.

For media streaming I am using several XBMC machines (Linux Version) and for backups crashplan (for files) and acronis (for images)

[terrastrife]

I am also in the process of building my unRaid server. I am currently just using a Intel Storage Server SS4200-E with 5 1 TB drives (4 internal, 1 External) until all the parts for my new server show up.

I am using it for storage of all my media (Movies, TV Series, MP3's and Photos), shared storage between several other machines and for backups.

For media streaming I am using several XBMC machines (Linux Version) and for backups crashplan (for files) and acronis (for images)

wow you own TV shows? you muct be rich! what networks do you own?

[Msan]

I am also in the process of building my unRaid server. I am currently just using a Intel Storage Server SS4200-E with 5 1 TB drives (4 internal, 1 External) until all the parts for my new server show up.

I am using it for storage of all my media (Movies, TV Series, MP3's and Photos), shared storage between several other machines and for backups.

For media streaming I am using several XBMC machines (Linux Version) and for backups crashplan (for files) and acronis (for images)

wow you own TV shows? you muct be rich! what networks do you own?

 

Yes, I bought several DVD sets of various TV shows. They don't sell those where you live?

[Rajahal]

I think his point is that you don't own them, you just license them.  Same goes for movies on DVD/BluRay.  Still, it is a dumb semantics point, and really not worth discussing much past this point.

[Msan]

I think his point is that you don't own them, you just license them.  Same goes for movies on DVD/BluRay.  Still, it is a dumb semantics point, and really not worth discussing much past this point.

 

Very true.. considering I didn't even mention the word "own" in this sentence: "I am using it for storage of all my media (Movies, TV Series, MP3's and Photos)"

[Joe L.]

I think his point is that you don't own them, you just license them.  Same goes for movies on DVD/BluRay.  Still, it is a dumb semantics point, and really not worth discussing much past this point.

not sure even that is correct.  

 

I own the physical DVDs.  I can sell them to anybody I want.  I can charge whatever I want.  Do you want a rare disk I own.  No problem... I just have to sell you the disk I purchased.  I do not have the right to make a copy of my disk to sell to you,   That right is reserved for the copyright holder.  

 

The back cover of a dvd I have just purchased says the dvd is authorized for sale or rental for private home use.   Notice it says SALE.  Therefore, I think I do own the disk, and indirectly, the contents on it, but not the right to sell copies of that content to anybody.  I don't have the right to charge admission for viewing it publicly.   I can't make derivative works..., again that is the exclusive right of the copyright holder.  Until I transfer ownership to somebody else, I own it.  Once I sell it, they own it.

 

I too own many collections of disks from various TV series and cable channel series.  I've enjoyed the shows when they first aired, and again from my library.  Outer-limits, Hitchcock, 24, Rome, X-files, Star-trek...  all for when there's nothing to watch on cable. 

 

(note: I have no "rare" dvd's..., nor do I envision their value climbing like rare books, but who knows, in 100 years even 8-track tapes might be valuable)

 

Joe L.

[barrygordon]

Joe's commentary is absolutely correct.

 

At the current time there is an issue in law between digital rights management and digital fair use. Fair use says it is legal to make a backup copy. DRM syas owning/using equipment that defeats copyright protection is illegal (not exactly the words, but close enough).

 

If I make a copy of a BR  disk I believe I am okay as long as I do not sell the original disk I bought.  If I do sell it then my copy is an illegal copy.  If I make a digital copy and give/sell that copy to someone else, If I do not give them the original disk then I have broken the law.

[Rajahal]

Is lending out optical media illegal?  That's a point I never quite understood.

[barrygordon]

The issue is very simple:  Do you have a back up copy that you "Could" use while the optical media is "lent out"?  If so then loaning it out would be illegal especially if during the time you watched the backup copy. If you never watched your backup copy while the master was loaned out then it would be a very interesting issue. Think of a book that you bought.  You can not be reading it while it is loaned out!.

 

It is somewhat akin to the tree falling in a forest and the question does it make a sound.

[Rajahal]

Think of a book that you bought.  You can not be reading it while it is loaned out!.

 

You can if you have photographic memory  

 

I can also watch my movies and listen to my music in my head, or at least the ones that I've seen/heard 100 times.  I'm breaking the law every second!

 

P.S. I don't actually have photographic memory.  Just really quite good memory.  Sometimes.  What were we talking about?

[Joe L.]

Think of a book that you bought.  You can not be reading it while it is loaned out!.

 

You can if you have photographic memory  

 

I can also watch my movies and listen to my music in my head, or at least the ones that I've seen/heard 100 times.  I'm breaking the law every second!

 

P.S. I don't actually have photographic memory.  Just really quite good memory.  Sometimes.  What were we talking about?

And if you start whistling along with the song heard in a public place, that is a derivative work AND a public performance.  If someone drops a quarter in your hand, to get you to shut up... a paid performance.  If you do not declare the income on your taxes, you'll be up there with the big-time-criminals they nail for tax evasion.

 

Better get a good lawyer... the copyright police are the least of your problems if you publicly whistle a catchy tune and get paid for it. (or paid to stop) 

 

All that said, I DO NOT lend out my DVDs.

 

Joe L.

[barrygordon]

Neither do I, but I do lend out my books (hard cover) and give away the soft covered ones.

[dimaestro]

I'm currently using it as a media-file server, and mass data storage.

 

I want to implement it as a systems backup server as well, for my two Win7 boxes, and my apple laptop. (Haven't gotten that far yet).

 

Essentially I've got it setup as one giant user share, with various media directories (split amongst type) and will have 3 backup directories that'll I'll mount remotely via samba. Hopefully win7 won't vomit on backups to this location.

[kizer]

As I'm piecing my unRAID server together since I just stumbled upon this site I currently use and will be retiring a couple of toaster style NAS's for my.

 

* Media collection.

- DVD Rips

- Music Rips

- Home Videos

- Tons and Tons of Photographs

 

* Personal files

- Tax information, wife owns a little side business

- Applications I download for one reason or another and I realize I don't want to half to download them again.

- Backup's of drivers for various computers we have laying around the house

- Website file backup. I have a website and I often backup and store files for emergency restore

 

Most of the time I use my setup to stream to a Linux based XBMC install in my living room and sometimes I watch XBMC in my home office on a XP machine. Might as well since all the files are centrally based on a server huh?

[poofyhairguy]

I am using Unraid to host my media server(s). I have over 1000 HD movies that are either rips of Blu Rays, scene "recorded off HDTV" movies not on Blu Ray, and HD DVD rips. I also have a ton (180~ shows) of ripped TV dvds.

 

All of my media is either played back through an ION XBMCbuntu frontend (living room), my ION Hackintosh Netbook (HP 311), or a Quad Core Hackintosh EyeTVServer/AirVideoServer/Plex box (bed room).  I love how XBMC on Linux has amazing multichannel PCM support, and I love Plex's amazing media server so I use them both.

 

I acquire my media through my Hackintosh desktop mostly using sabnzbd. I use a virtualized XP to communicate with Unraid because of its well documented problems with OSX. This is not a big deal as I have to use the same XP install to rip Blu Ray/convertthemtoFLAC on the machine.

 

Unraid has been perfect for me- a real upgrade over my previous JBOD server. I really enjoy the community and the joy of reading threads for build ideas.

[markro1]

I am running Unraid on my Intel SS4200-E server with 3 WD 1TB Drives.

It hosts all my data files - Videos, Music, Pictures and Backups from my W7 box.

 

It runs Sabnzbd+ for downloading from usenets and Rtorrents for torrents.

It also runs PS3MS for watching/listening said movies/music on my PS3.

But recently I have built a small HTPC MSI (Windbox 6667) and am running W7 MC on it and watch them directly from the Media Center app.