linux based NAS os'es

[Centrifuge]

What are folks using, I got an unused computer around thinking of trying out something like Open Media Vault. Can I attach an external HD to it, what about speed, security etc. Any better methods, whats the consensus. Totally new to this type of diy project.

 

[dosborne]

FreeNAS is one of the most popular / better options, but many to choose from. I've heard good things about OMV too though. Many articles and comparisons to read that list the specific advantages one over another. Only YOU can determine which fits best with your knowledge / hardware / needs.

 

[hervon]

i'm on FreeNAS FTW for years.

 

[Booboo22]

OpenMediaVault has been great, using for about 5 years. it just works....

 

[Centrifuge]

OpenMediaVault has been great, using for about 5 years. it just works....

What kind of setup do you have, a cpu attached to a router?

 

[Booboo22]

What kind of setup do you have, a cpu attached to a router?

I use HP MicroServers as the NAS linux boxs as shown below. The HPs are AMD N40 dual core, low power 1.5Ghz CPUs, with 8GB of RAM. Each boots off SSD and has up to 4 SATA HDDs. GigE nic. The router is separate and out-of-scope for OMV.

 

[netware5]

I would propose using XigmaNAS https://www.xigmanas.com/. This a modern version of the original FreeNAS (before it has been taken by iXsystems and forked). It is faster and more simplier to use than FreeNAS. It is less memory hungry than FreeNAS. And the XigmaNAS community and forums are much more friendly to newbies. I am using it since February 2017 on HP Microserver Gen8 without any problems.

 

[Fraoch]

I've run FreeNAS for many years. It's been extremely reliable but building it was expensive and now that I want to move to 2.5 GbE networking I'm finding it inflexible (it would require a $500 Intel X-550). So I just built a little 2.5 GbE server using OpenMediaVault with surplus SSDs and a cheap Realtek 2.5 GbE NIC (RTL8125). Works like a charm, transfers at close to 2.5 GbE, has most of the features of FreeNAS yet is a little simpler. One more flexible option is how it handles drive arrays - I used linear (JBOD) to maximise storage space. Adding or removing a risk is easy. Not so easy on FreeNAS - my RAIDZ2 can't be expanded except by replacing every disk with a larger one.

 

[ddaenen1]

I have 2 servers running FreeNAS. One for Plex and fileserver, the other one running Nextcloud with my own FQDN. I guess it just depends what your requirements and expectations are. In my view FreeNAS is great but it is certainly not plug-and-play and requires some tinkering to get it exactly how you would want it. It has a bit of a learning curve, and you have to acquire some knowledge of FreeBSD. On the other hand, it is extremely reliable, allows a large array of applications and customizable.

If you are just looking for secure storage, this is not for you.