Preparing to build an NAS

I had AM1 setup which was working as NAS for about 8 months ( later I decided I don't need it ). Something like this:
- ASUS AM1 ITX board
- Athlon 5150 ( 4 real cores, no performance issues )
- 8GB RAM - board supports 2 slots and 8GB is enough for about any configuration
- RAID controller - IBM M1015 which cost me ~$30 , no RAID5 support ( requires additional module )
- 2x1TB SAS RAID1 + 4x2TB WD Purple SATA RAID10
- 64GB Crucial SSD for OS connected to motherboard's SATA port
- Bitfenix Prodigy ITX case

Right now you can get 4-6TB drives in quite reasonable prices and in RAID1 it will work at about 100MB/s. It's still faster than RAID5 on 3 drives and doesn't need expensive RAID controller to have good performance. RAID5 requires good processor so only controller will cost about $300. RAID10 is cheaper from the controller side but you need 4 drives or more and it will give additional performance which you don't need in NAS.
In this case maybe really better idea would be NAS from brands like QNAP.

Woomack said:

... RAID10 is cheaper from the controller side but you need 4 drives or more and it will give additional performance which you don't need in NAS.
In this case maybe really better idea would be NAS from brands like QNAP.

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Exactly. From a performance standpoint, Raid5 and 10 are overkill for most home uses. The bottleneck is in the transfer rate FROM the NAS (usb/ethernet). But for expandability and larger storage capacities, Raid5 would be ideal as you can keep adding/growing without having to rebuild the array. Raid5 is also relatively fast, as well as redundant (parity) so you can swap bad drives while the array is still running. Raid5 is generally the more robust and useful method of deploying 3+ disks, noting that with specific needs Raid10 is 'better' (faster).

Well im pretty confused now, I guess more research is going to be needed.

MikeJ said:

Well im pretty confused now, I guess more research is going to be needed.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_RAID_levels

If this seems too much to grasp after reading the wiki descriptions, then I would recommend just getting something off the shelf.

Another option to consider is Greyhole. Not exactly raid but it it's an alternative has its ups and downs depending on your usage.

https://www.greyhole.net

MikeJ said:

Well im pretty confused now, I guess more research is going to be needed.

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Mike, in broad strokes, I feel it boils down to three basic solutions:

1) Store bought entry level: You know what you are getting in terms of max drives and built in software capability based on the manufacturer specs. The entry level Netgear, Buffalo, WD, et al, solutions are good as shared network hard drives, and most have some added features for cloud data access and media streaming.

2) Store bought, sophisticated capabilities: Again, you know what you are getting in terms of max drives and built in software capability based on the manufacturer specs. Models from makers like QNAP and Synology have deeper, more sophisticated software that gives more flexibility and broader application support than entry level boxes. Generally, highly refined NAS products with wide applications.

3) Home made: There is little point in going this route for simple file sharing and media streaming. This is for people who like to tinker and want to learn more about what makes a NAS server tick. You can do pretty much anything with a home made box, budget, skill and time allowing.

Figure out what your key motivations are, and pick the level of solution that best matches your needs and budget.

I guess you have to start from question how much space you need and if you are planning to expand it in not far future.
For home usage something like 2 drive QNAP with 2x4 or 2x6TB HDD in RAID1 will be good enough. I recommend at least something on newer Atom or Celeron CPU with 2GB RAM ( I think it comes with 1GB but can add up to 4GB ). Since you connect it via network ( and I doubt you have 10Gb LAN ) then I assume it will make up to ~100-120MB/s max bandwidth while 2 drives in RAID1 will offer about ~80-120MB/s in sequential transfers.