unRAID build for TVHeadend, Emby, W10, Please give feedback !

[milanp]

Hello everybody,

 

I have heard about unRaid a long time ago, but never really had enough time to explore.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon an article about how great unRaid is.

Now I have time to explore and learn something new.

My current server setup for the whole home:

1.       Server1:   Storage & Emby &Regular PC for light office usage 

I5-4460,8G,250GB SSD,2 x WD red 4TB+ 2x WD red 6TB

Windows 10 PRO + IIS with Lets Encrypt (IIS is needed just to make Lets Encrypt work with Windows)

2.       Server2:  TV Server                                                                          

I5-4440,8GB,128GB SSD , HD Homerun HDHR3-4DC, Quad DBV-C + Digital Devices CT V6 Dual Tuner x 2 (8 tuners in total),

Libreelec + TVHeadend (not used for playback, just streaming and little recording)

Until 3 years ago, I was using exclusively Mediaportal (SageTV before that), and in order to get TV without hiccup for up to 8 streams, the best solution was to use a separate system to act as tv server.

When I switched to Libreelec + TVHeadend I noticed that cpu/ram/disk usage on the TV server is very light (TVHeadend even works ok on ARM Libreelec on systems with 1GB RAM, and sd cards).

I checked the specs for both the motherboards and cpus of both systems, both support for VT-x, and VT-d.

Initially I wanted to build a new system with Ryzen 7/1700/32GB to play with virtualization but after reading about Ryzen problems with KVM GPU Passthrough, I decided to wait on the purchase.

I want to get rid of one of the systems, and go to Ryzen route when problems with Ryzen are fixed.

I want GPU Passthrough to work in order to get as real as standalone user experience, no gaming required. I have several passive cooled video cards around ATI 5450,Nvidia GT710, Nvidia GT730.

So I will have the following system:

I5-4460,16GB RAM,120GB + 250GB SSD,2 x WD red 4TB+ 2x WD red 6TB+ Video card ATI/Nvidia

I need:

-          Unraid working as a file server

-          Emby docker - mostly for direct stream playback at home, while away 2-3  720p streams will suffice.

-          LetsEncrypt docker

-          TV Headend docker

+

Windows 10 pro with dedicated discrete graphics card (office usage)

Both SSD’s will be used as unassigned storage and used as:

-          120GB exclusively for timeshifting/recording on TV Headend

-          250 GB exclusively for Windows 10 Pro host.

-          Remaining disks in storage pool with parity (6TB parity + 14TB storage).

Stable and fast running TVHeadend  is essential. Channel switching must be fast as it is now on the standalone Librelelec server.

Are the specs of the system enough for the intended usage, or should I wait for my Ryzen build ?

Edited August 25, 2017 by milanp

[CHBMB]

I run an i5 with Emby, TVH, LetsEncrypt, and a shed load of other containers without issues.  Never really bothered with a W10 VM though.

Edited August 25, 2017 by CHBMB

[milanp]

Win 10 will be used sometimes for Office 2016,Chome. It will not be active most of the time.

But when WIN10 is running it should not affect the performance of the other services,primarilly TVHeadnend must run smoothly.