Greetings friends,
I know I am not alone in wanting Network Attached Storage. The initial spark for a NAS was my interest in, and now purchase of a Sonos music system. After further research and consideration, I’ve arrived at some functions, specifications, and criteria for my NAS. I’d like it to be capable of comfortably streaming audio and video (HD 1080p, Blue-Ray, etc. as a possible future use in addition to streaming audio and digital camera video), and function as a capable print server and internet server [DHCP, FTP(S), and HTTP(S)] for off-site access to my data and for a minimal number of friends with whom I may share and trade music. Am I correct in thinking that, regardless of the streaming format, be it FLAC, WAV, or 1920x1080 60fps Blue-Ray high definition video (even that is only 4.2MB/s?), all the NAS (and network) will be required of “handling” is a sufficient rate of transfer (MB/s) as it will not be doing any decoding or displaying and that other peripherals will do the intensive parts of processing the data for each appropriate use? I’m leaning towards a four drive RAID 5 with 1 TB drives as I think that 3 TB should handle my media storage needs (especially since I’m considering storing my CD music in FLAC format), and maybe an additional HD not in the RAID to backup the drives of my desktop and laptop systems.
I’ve looked into the pre-boxed options and I like the Synology CS-407 best (also the Buffalo Linkstation Quad, Netgear ReadyNAS NV+, and the Western Digital Share Space), but I’ve also been considering a home-built NAS, as I feel it will have better, longer-lived components, (my homebuilt desktop is still running like a champ 9 years later) and make use of the robust, free NAS software available, such as FreeNAS. I’ve been doing some homework into the various options. It had been some years since I built my desktop system, so I had to get up to speed. Like many people, I’d like it to be power frugal, since it will be always-on.
I’m likely to free up an Intel Pentium 550E 256k “coppermine” 0.18um 28MM, Aopen AX63 Pro VIA 133 ATX 100MHz FSB, and 640MB PC133 SDRAM to use, but regardless, while I think the Pentium 550E would be able to handle the duties and load required of my NAS, I’ve been looking into more modern, efficient alternatives. (A couple years back I intended to upgrade my desktop to an AMD Sempron 2800+ 256k “palermo” 90nm 64MM, MSI K8MM-V 800MHz FSB VIA K8M800-CE, and 1GB PC3200 400Mhz DDR SDRAM I purchased, but when I tried the swap wasn’t able to get to POST, I put the old parts back in, left it at that, and have yet to get back to it. I think/hope this might be because the PSU in my old desktop is only 250 W – that’s for another forum).
The incarnation I’ve come up with is as follows:
GREEN BUILD NAS (from scratch):
Motherboard: Intel D945GCLF2D ( $96)
Processor: (Integrated Intel Atom 330)
Memory: 1 GB DDR2-667 ( $15)
RAID Controller: Adaptec 2420SA (PCI-x: $218)
Power Supply: TBD
Case: TBD
Hard Drives: Western Digital WD10EADS 1TB 32MB (x2: $206); drive for OS
I have a few questions in regard to this system. Firstly, overall, what are your thoughts? After getting this together in the wee hours of last night, I realized this morning that the Intel D45GCLF2D only has a standard PCI slot, and the Adaptec 2420SA is PCI-x. Features I was looking for in the RAID controller were a quality manufacturer, minimum 4 ports, and support for RAID 5. I haven’t yet looked outside of Intel for Atom motherboards, but from Intel I can only find motherboards for their earliest Atom processors and only with conventional PCI. While they are not as low power, I’ve also considered the Intel Pentium M or AMD Turion 64, I know VIA makes an Atom competitor, and now I even see an article on Tom’s about an 8W AMD Athlon 64 2000+ that is more efficient (with its chipset) than the Atom 230. I know the Core 2 Duo processors are very efficient, but will the cost-benefit of the extra power required versus the ability of the dual core to multi-task (or whatever you call it) be worth it in this simple NAS system? I’ve been leaning to a smaller from factor to save power and because I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles, likely just LAN, some USB ports, and some SATA ports really. Thoughts?
Second, if I were to settle on a mini-ITX board, what factors do I need to consider when selecting a power supply. Given my green slant, I want it to be efficient, ideally 80+. Are mini-ITX power interfaces compatible with mATX, uATX, or ATX or must the PSU be mini-ITX specific? While its efficiency is not 80+, I came across a Fortron FS17180 180W power supply. What are they talking about with the two options for either horizontal or vertical? I also saw a Fortron FSP220-60LE mentioned in an efficiency article on Tom’s. Would a 300W or 350W ATX 80+ efficient PSU from Silverstone or Fortron (as I understand these manufacturers to be efficient and reliable) work with a mini-ITX board? Who else makes highly efficient, reliable, quiet PSUs?
Third, many of the preboxed NAS systems have an “embedded OS”. Does this just mean that they have a separate flash module on which the OS resides and is that the same as a solid-state disk (SSD) or a disk-on-module (DOM)? I understand that is best not to have the OS residing within the RAID. Is it especially advantageous for this type of system that it be an SSD or can it just be a separate, smaller magnetic drive? If, as I mentioned, I include a HD outside the array, on the motherboard’s controller for backup of my notebook and desktop, could I install and run the OS here, or is it decidedly better on its own dedicated drive? With a little extra RAM, is it an option to have the OS load to a “RAM drive” from a conventional magnetic disk?
Fourth, is RAID 5 the way to go? I understand that it is not a backup solution and only provides drive failure and fault tolerance and that I should backup the data off-site to be truly safe. What are RAID 5EE and 1E that I see in the specs of the Adaptec controller? Are onboard RAID controllers, such as Intel’s ICH9R or the ICH10 found on the DG45FC, hardware, software, or does it depend, and are they adequate? The RAID controller I’ve selected is a third of the system cost. Is a separate RAID controller worthwhile?
Fifth, (assuming for the sake of discussion the Intel D945GCLF2D, though I now realize is not compatible Adaptec 2420SA) cost not being much different, would I be better off with DDR2-667 or DDR2-533? Will there be a notable performance benefit from the 667MHz RAM on such a NAS, or would the 533MHz be more than adequate while saving some power? How much memory will I need? Most pre-boxed NAS have less than 500MB and many under half that. I was reading that more RAM is not always better, and that it can task the system by having to find the address among too much extra space (probably not worded with technical elegance, but hopefully you get what I’m talking about).
And, lastly, to wrap up my OP questions, does onboard gigabit LAN significantly task the system processor and memory and how can virus protection be handled in a NAS? I really have enjoyed reading all the discussions on here so far and appreciate what I’ve already learned from all this community. I may be on my computer less this weekend but I hope to pop on to answer any questions you may have of me and to ask any follow up questions. I hope to settle on something and get it ordered sometime next week. Thanks so much for your time and I look forward to the discussion!
Joe
I know I am not alone in wanting Network Attached Storage. The initial spark for a NAS was my interest in, and now purchase of a Sonos music system. After further research and consideration, I’ve arrived at some functions, specifications, and criteria for my NAS. I’d like it to be capable of comfortably streaming audio and video (HD 1080p, Blue-Ray, etc. as a possible future use in addition to streaming audio and digital camera video), and function as a capable print server and internet server [DHCP, FTP(S), and HTTP(S)] for off-site access to my data and for a minimal number of friends with whom I may share and trade music. Am I correct in thinking that, regardless of the streaming format, be it FLAC, WAV, or 1920x1080 60fps Blue-Ray high definition video (even that is only 4.2MB/s?), all the NAS (and network) will be required of “handling” is a sufficient rate of transfer (MB/s) as it will not be doing any decoding or displaying and that other peripherals will do the intensive parts of processing the data for each appropriate use? I’m leaning towards a four drive RAID 5 with 1 TB drives as I think that 3 TB should handle my media storage needs (especially since I’m considering storing my CD music in FLAC format), and maybe an additional HD not in the RAID to backup the drives of my desktop and laptop systems.
I’ve looked into the pre-boxed options and I like the Synology CS-407 best (also the Buffalo Linkstation Quad, Netgear ReadyNAS NV+, and the Western Digital Share Space), but I’ve also been considering a home-built NAS, as I feel it will have better, longer-lived components, (my homebuilt desktop is still running like a champ 9 years later) and make use of the robust, free NAS software available, such as FreeNAS. I’ve been doing some homework into the various options. It had been some years since I built my desktop system, so I had to get up to speed. Like many people, I’d like it to be power frugal, since it will be always-on.
I’m likely to free up an Intel Pentium 550E 256k “coppermine” 0.18um 28MM, Aopen AX63 Pro VIA 133 ATX 100MHz FSB, and 640MB PC133 SDRAM to use, but regardless, while I think the Pentium 550E would be able to handle the duties and load required of my NAS, I’ve been looking into more modern, efficient alternatives. (A couple years back I intended to upgrade my desktop to an AMD Sempron 2800+ 256k “palermo” 90nm 64MM, MSI K8MM-V 800MHz FSB VIA K8M800-CE, and 1GB PC3200 400Mhz DDR SDRAM I purchased, but when I tried the swap wasn’t able to get to POST, I put the old parts back in, left it at that, and have yet to get back to it. I think/hope this might be because the PSU in my old desktop is only 250 W – that’s for another forum).
The incarnation I’ve come up with is as follows:
GREEN BUILD NAS (from scratch):
Motherboard: Intel D945GCLF2D ( $96)
Processor: (Integrated Intel Atom 330)
Memory: 1 GB DDR2-667 ( $15)
RAID Controller: Adaptec 2420SA (PCI-x: $218)
Power Supply: TBD
Case: TBD
Hard Drives: Western Digital WD10EADS 1TB 32MB (x2: $206); drive for OS
I have a few questions in regard to this system. Firstly, overall, what are your thoughts? After getting this together in the wee hours of last night, I realized this morning that the Intel D45GCLF2D only has a standard PCI slot, and the Adaptec 2420SA is PCI-x. Features I was looking for in the RAID controller were a quality manufacturer, minimum 4 ports, and support for RAID 5. I haven’t yet looked outside of Intel for Atom motherboards, but from Intel I can only find motherboards for their earliest Atom processors and only with conventional PCI. While they are not as low power, I’ve also considered the Intel Pentium M or AMD Turion 64, I know VIA makes an Atom competitor, and now I even see an article on Tom’s about an 8W AMD Athlon 64 2000+ that is more efficient (with its chipset) than the Atom 230. I know the Core 2 Duo processors are very efficient, but will the cost-benefit of the extra power required versus the ability of the dual core to multi-task (or whatever you call it) be worth it in this simple NAS system? I’ve been leaning to a smaller from factor to save power and because I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles, likely just LAN, some USB ports, and some SATA ports really. Thoughts?
Second, if I were to settle on a mini-ITX board, what factors do I need to consider when selecting a power supply. Given my green slant, I want it to be efficient, ideally 80+. Are mini-ITX power interfaces compatible with mATX, uATX, or ATX or must the PSU be mini-ITX specific? While its efficiency is not 80+, I came across a Fortron FS17180 180W power supply. What are they talking about with the two options for either horizontal or vertical? I also saw a Fortron FSP220-60LE mentioned in an efficiency article on Tom’s. Would a 300W or 350W ATX 80+ efficient PSU from Silverstone or Fortron (as I understand these manufacturers to be efficient and reliable) work with a mini-ITX board? Who else makes highly efficient, reliable, quiet PSUs?
Third, many of the preboxed NAS systems have an “embedded OS”. Does this just mean that they have a separate flash module on which the OS resides and is that the same as a solid-state disk (SSD) or a disk-on-module (DOM)? I understand that is best not to have the OS residing within the RAID. Is it especially advantageous for this type of system that it be an SSD or can it just be a separate, smaller magnetic drive? If, as I mentioned, I include a HD outside the array, on the motherboard’s controller for backup of my notebook and desktop, could I install and run the OS here, or is it decidedly better on its own dedicated drive? With a little extra RAM, is it an option to have the OS load to a “RAM drive” from a conventional magnetic disk?
Fourth, is RAID 5 the way to go? I understand that it is not a backup solution and only provides drive failure and fault tolerance and that I should backup the data off-site to be truly safe. What are RAID 5EE and 1E that I see in the specs of the Adaptec controller? Are onboard RAID controllers, such as Intel’s ICH9R or the ICH10 found on the DG45FC, hardware, software, or does it depend, and are they adequate? The RAID controller I’ve selected is a third of the system cost. Is a separate RAID controller worthwhile?
Fifth, (assuming for the sake of discussion the Intel D945GCLF2D, though I now realize is not compatible Adaptec 2420SA) cost not being much different, would I be better off with DDR2-667 or DDR2-533? Will there be a notable performance benefit from the 667MHz RAM on such a NAS, or would the 533MHz be more than adequate while saving some power? How much memory will I need? Most pre-boxed NAS have less than 500MB and many under half that. I was reading that more RAM is not always better, and that it can task the system by having to find the address among too much extra space (probably not worded with technical elegance, but hopefully you get what I’m talking about).
And, lastly, to wrap up my OP questions, does onboard gigabit LAN significantly task the system processor and memory and how can virus protection be handled in a NAS? I really have enjoyed reading all the discussions on here so far and appreciate what I’ve already learned from all this community. I may be on my computer less this weekend but I hope to pop on to answer any questions you may have of me and to ask any follow up questions. I hope to settle on something and get it ordered sometime next week. Thanks so much for your time and I look forward to the discussion!
Joe