NAS build for photo/video archive

[mikeylikesrocks]

I’m a photographer/videographer that is looking to upgrade my current setup which is an older Mac Mini with DAS Drobo’s.  I’ve got local AFP file sharing, a VPN and a CrushFTP server running on it, I also use it backup my laptop with Time Machine and CarbonCopy.  I’ve got a bit over 20tb of media at the moment but could easily double that in the coming year (I’m shooting more and more 4k RAW footage as of late).  I just use the current setup as an archive and rarely will I edit photos or video off of the setup.  Occasionally when I am on the road I will use my vpn to access the mini with VNC and export some files through Adobe Lightroom but that isn’t super important anymore.  If I got a system that is capable I could see using it to transcode some media and occasionally using it as a workstation (running Mac OS as VM.)

 

I am thinking Unraid would make the most sense but I am open to other suggestions.  I like its ability to expand the storage pool by just adding single disks of different capacity.  I also like that it would be easy for me to upgrade the hardware piece by piece down the road as opposed to something like a Synology that would require me to just buy a new box.  I actually had a Synology before my Mac mini setup and wasn’t that impressed with it.  The system felt very constrained.

 

My general knowledge of computers is probably above average for the general public but probably below that of the average forum user here.  I have an ok understanding of VM’s, containers, CLI, and networking.  I’ve never built a system from the ground up but have watched enough videos that I’m not that concerned.  I wouldn’t be opposed to a turn-key solution but I haven’t found anything that sounds perfect.

 

I’ve spent the last couple days trying to familiarize myself with the variety of MB, CPU, and case options.  Definitely a bit overwhelming!  mATX seemed to make the most sense to me.  I think I will want space for 8x 3.5” drives and 2x 2.5”.  I’m happy to buy used to keep from spending too much money.

 

Here is about where I’ve landed.  Happy to hear feedback If I am over or under shooting anything below.

 

Case:

Fractal Design Node 804

 

Motherboard: 

Supermicro X10SLM+-F  (has 4x USB3 which would be helpful for occasional DAS drives)

Or 

X10SLH-F (would need HBA for this)

 

CPU: 

E3-1231 v3

 

Ram: 

2x 8gb Hynix ECC UDIMM

 

Drives:

Parity- 8tb 7200

Storage- I’ll reuse what I’ve got from Drobos (probably 4 or 5 drives to start)

Cache- 500gb 2.5” SSD (few random ones laying around)

 

PSU:

Not exactly sure here…. Is 550W overkill?  I could see 8x 3.5” HDDs in my future...

 

 

 

 

 

[cracksilver]

Sounds very good. Go for it. You'll be very happy with unRaid.

 

Greg

[rollieindc]

You'll like the flexibility and capabilities of unRAID. I've been impressed with all the tools available (as a semi-pro/amateur photographer). I run multiple OS's (Win 7, Win 10, MacOS, Linux, etc.)

 

So I like the specs, but I'd probably suggest adding a separate LSI SATA controller with cache on PCIe. I've never been happy with onboard SATA controllers, but that's just me. If the SATA fails, you can simply replace it. But if your onboard SATA fails, you're in deep trouble.

 

If you're going to be running 8x 3.5” HDDs, but only going to have moderate CPU loads - you should be ok with 550 Watts. A lot of people are saying that 500GB is enough cache, but given the prices and you're talking about 20-40tb of media - I'd reconsider going to a 1TB drive, or maybe having 2x 500GB SSDs, if you have them already. Especially if you are working with a lot of large (4K) video files. And I like that compact Fractal Design Node 804 case design, but would be sure that the fans are sufficient airflow for both the drives and CPU.

 

Last point: Make sure that Parity 8TB drive is new and server/enterprise quality.