Need Big cheap system for massive video files

[Armornone]

Hello.

I need a big massive system for storing video files in a home theater environment. I do not need any corporate raid system bells and whistles. Just cheap and large.

I am thinking at between at least 8 drives and no limited on the max numbers of drive. Even something as large as 24 drive bays would be acceptable as long as I could expand the system 1 drive at a time( and they did not need to be build entirely from the beginning)

I feel a lot of these raid systems are geared towards people in the corporate environment instead of home theater users which means they are charging you for features that you will never use.

Please let me know what RAID system is right for me.

Thanks.

 

[belawrence]

http://www.freenas.org/

 

[GregN]

The consumer NAS industry is looking for you, with new NASes coming out with HDMI connections, the addition of Bittorrent clients, and DLNA servers they are not targeting businesses, they are targeting folks like you.

They are actually charging the SOHO market for features they probably won't use.

If cheap bulk network storage is what you are looking for DIY NASes are for you, for the hardware part take a look at the first part of the DIY SAN series, Norco 4020 20-disk capable NAS, using used defunct parts which can be easily had off of eBay.

For the software part, FreeNas ( as belawrence points to ) running ZFS is just the ticket, disparate sized disks, ability to grow easily, managed through the web.

 

[stevech]

If cheap bulk network storage is what you are looking for DIY NASes are for you....

Revisiting the first post in this thread, it seems that a DIY solution with it's problematic support life tail, would not be a good idea for the professional that needs a non-stop solution without a custom caretaker.

 

[GregN]

Revisiting the first post in this thread, it seems that a DIY solution with it's problematic support life tail, would not be a good idea for the professional that needs a non-stop solution without a custom caretaker.

Which Synology NAS would you recommend for this requirement Steve:

I am thinking at between at least 8 drives and no limited on the max numbers of drive. Even something as large as 24 drive bays would be acceptable as long as I could expand the system 1 drive at a time( and they did not need to be build entirely from the beginning)

...And he requested cheap.

I think you have confused your threads Steve, this guy is looking for a home theater storage solution, I don't see any mention of Professional, or a requirement of any sort for reliable or support. I suspect you are thinking of the Professional Photographer considering a NAS thread.

From the OP, post 1:

I need a big massive system for storing video files in a home theater environment. I do not need any corporate raid system bells and whistles. Just cheap and large.

 

[stevech]

you're right... I confused threads.
Apologies. So if you're tech savvy, and wanna tackle a DIY... go for it.

Problem with any RAID is the need to back it up. RAID itself is not a backup, is a famous moniker.

I have a lot of videos, but only 5% or so are "keepers". The rest, I don't backup- they get stale and unwanted soon enough!

So I'd suggest considering first how much data is important to keep. Then how would you back this up? E.g., an external eSATA 2TB or two or three? I use a DS212 with USB3 drives in FAT format so if the worst happens, that drive will plug and play in a PC.

 

[GregN]

On the front page of SNB there is an article about Thecus's new NAS's, at six, eight and ten drive capable - that would, with expensive 4TB drives, give you (at JBOD) 24TB, 32TB and 40TB.

The cost of those is $1700, $2145 and $2480, working out across the line at about $260 per drive...that is drive slot. No drives included.

The best I was able to find from Synology at large capacity was DS2411+ was $142 per drive - you can get their low end 5 drive NAS for about $160/drive slot.

Scoring DIY, with more memory (8GB), dual multicore 64bit 3.14 Xeon processors, used RAID cards (x2) with a capacity of 20 drives, for less than $750, that is around Thirty Eight Dollars per drive slot. And you can do better than $750 - I have.

I agree that the economics of building your own 5 drive NAS offer some savings, at best probably $150. But where DIY shines is when you scale that, you can save thousands of dollars - With Synology you can buy their largest, a 12 disk system for $3300, that is a whopping $275 per drive slot. And that isn't their most expensive NAS, just highest capacity. That is $2600 more than a 20 Drive hot swap machine, supporting eight more drives.

And though Synology admittedly has support, is less risky, and a snazzy GUI with lots of certified apps. It still doesn't have the core capabilities of FreeNAS running ZFS: disparate drive sizes, ability to easily add drives, and some other buck rogers features like de-duplication and zero length snapshots.

Yes, yes you have to build it yourself, yes you have to maintain/support it yourself, and yes jump through configuration hoops that require more (but not alot more) technical skills. But you end up with a more powerful (Processors + Memory ), more capable (in core functionality), higher capacity NAS for less than a Third the price!

At normal five drive capacity, I think you have an argument, but at 20+ drive capacity there is no argument, DIY is economically superior by a vast measure.

 

[Armornone]

On the front page of SNB there is an article about Thecus's new NAS's, at six, eight and ten drive capable - that would, with expensive 4TB drives, give you (at JBOD) 24TB, 32TB and 40TB.

The cost of those is $1700, $2145 and $2480, working out across the line at about $260 per drive...that is drive slot. No drives included.

The best I was able to find from Synology at large capacity was DS2411+ was $142 per drive - you can get their low end 5 drive NAS for about $160/drive slot.

Scoring DIY, with more memory (8GB), dual multicore 64bit 3.14 Xeon processors, used RAID cards (x2) with a capacity of 20 drives, for less than $750, that is around Thirty Eight Dollars per drive slot. And you can do better than $750 - I have.

I agree that the economics of building your own 5 drive NAS offer some savings, at best probably $150. But where DIY shines is when you scale that, you can save thousands of dollars - With Synology you can buy their largest, a 12 disk system for $3300, that is a whopping $275 per drive slot. And that isn't their most expensive NAS, just highest capacity. That is $2600 more than a 20 Drive hot swap machine, supporting eight more drives.

And though Synology admittedly has support, is less risky, and a snazzy GUI with lots of certified apps. It still doesn't have the core capabilities of FreeNAS running ZFS: disparate drive sizes, ability to easily add drives, and some other buck rogers features like de-duplication and zero length snapshots.

Yes, yes you have to build it yourself, yes you have to maintain/support it yourself, and yes jump through configuration hoops that require more (but not alot more) technical skills. But you end up with a more powerful (Processors + Memory ), more capable (in core functionality), higher capacity NAS for less than a Third the price!

At normal five drive capacity, I think you have an argument, but at 20+ drive capacity there is no argument, DIY is economically superior by a vast measure.

I have considered what you said carefully and I see your point. I am looking at the DIY options and there seem to be 2 major options for the software, FreeNAS and unraid.

My next question is why was FreeNas recommended vs Unraid? Does it must have to do with cost or are there other considerations that make FreeNas a better option than Unraid?

Thanks for your help.

 

[GregN]

I prefer ZFS to unRaid because of its flexibility and the community. But UnRaid vs. FreeNAS is a highly religious argument, a good thread discussioning the plus and minuses is HERE.

Be aware after a certain point (38TB?) you have to pay for unRaid.

I think it is safe to say they are Turing equivalent, and you can't go wrong with either - your requirements will probably be the best guide to which suits you.

I've not used unRaid, and some members here have, they might give you better guidance.