migrating to unRAID with current hardware

[sadeq]

Hi

I'm planning to migrate to unRAID within 35 days from now (currently using ubuntu)

usage is NAS/ plex and running a virtual machine or two

my current server specs are
intel core i3 8100 4c/4t 3.6GHz / intel UHD Graphics 630
asus z370F Strix (7 pcie slots) / 6 sata ports and lots of usb headers
8GB DDR4 HyperX Fury (non ECC)
corsair obsidian 750D (6 3.5 inch bays upgradeable to 12)
cooler master v650s (gold) psu
TOSHIBA A100 120GB SSD (for OS)
1x WD RED 6.0TB
1x WD RED 3.0TB
1x WD Purple 2.0TB
for power backup I have an inverter with 120AH battery so power outage is not a problem

my plan is detaching the whole old storage configuration, buying a good usb flash Drive, 256gb SSD For plex and 3x6.0TB RED Drvies for the array, then moving the current data to the new Drives and then adding the OLD 6.0TB red drive to the array later and maybe ditch the smaller size drives and use the OLD 120GB ssd for a ubuntu VM

is this configuration good for my usage ?
-  I mean my RAM is not ECC so do I really need one (probably will restart the server once a month)
- can I pass the integrated GPU to a plex server installed directly on unRAID or a VM so that I can use to for transcoding ? (if yes, I'll buy a cheap $25 gpu for video output)
- do I need a cache SSD ? if yes should I use it while migrating the data or after migrating ?

I don't know if this is the right place for this question but...,will the whole array appear as one big Drive ?, and what is the best way to share the whole array to an ubuntu VM, I'm planning on using samba, but is there a better way than that ?

thanks in advance for the help
 

[SSD]

1 hour ago, sadeq said:

Hi

I'm planning to migrate to unRAID within 35 days from now (currently using ubuntu)

usage is NAS/ plex and running a virtual machine or two

my current server specs are
intel core i3 8100 4c/4t 3.6GHz / intel UHD Graphics 630
asus z370F Strix (7 pcie slots) / 6 sata ports and lots of usb headers
8GB DDR4 HyperX Fury (non ECC)
corsair obsidian 750D (6 3.5 inch bays upgradeable to 12)
cooler master v650s (gold) psu
TOSHIBA A100 120GB SSD (for OS)
1x WD RED 6.0TB
1x WD RED 3.0TB
1x WD Purple 2.0TB
for power backup I have an inverter with 120AH battery so power outage is not a problem

 

Looks like it would make for a good unRAID server. The 8G of RAM may hold you back slightly if you want to run VMs. You need to dedicate RAM to each VM and suggest leaving at least 4G for unRAID. That would mean 4G for your VM. If you need more, you can likely upgrade your RAM.

 

1 hour ago, sadeq said:

my plan is detaching the whole old storage configuration, buying a good usb flash Drive, 256gb SSD For plex and 3x6.0TB RED Drvies for the array, then moving the current data to the new Drives and then adding the OLD 6.0TB red drive to the array later and maybe ditch the smaller size drives and use the OLD 120GB ssd for a ubuntu VM

is this configuration good for my usage ?
-  I mean my RAM is not ECC so do I really need one (probably will restart the server once a month)

 

You'll get different answers on this one. I personally recently upgraded from an ECC to a non-ECC capable build and just tested the heck out of the memory. Never had a problem. It would not be a deal breaker for me.

 

1 hour ago, sadeq said:

- can I pass the integrated GPU to a plex server installed directly on unRAID or a VM so that I can use to for transcoding ? (if yes, I'll buy a cheap $25 gpu for video output)

 

Yes - you should be able to. I would recommend Plex Docker and no pass through is needed. The GPU can do hardware transcoding.

 

1 hour ago, sadeq said:

- do I need a cache SSD ? if yes should I use it while migrating the data or after migrating ?

 

I would suggest an SSD to be shared as cache, plex, and VM. You don't need a dedicated disk to each.

 

1 hour ago, sadeq said:

I don't know if this is the right place for this question but...,will the whole array appear as one big Drive ?, and what is the best way to share the whole array to an ubuntu VM, I'm planning on using samba, but is there a better way than that ?

thanks in advance for the help

 

[sadeq]

thanks for the fast response, it's really a good thing that I can use the igpu directly for plex.