AVS Forum banner

Tempted to forget about RAID

759 views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  captain_video 
#1 ·
HI,

I have 2 NAS units that each have 4x4TB drives in Raid 5 config.

When you add up all the parts each cost about $700.

Now, I can get a 5TB external drive for $120 which is 20/TB ... Which seems to me to be a WHOLE LOT cheaper.

Since I keep the discs that I load into my server ... shouldn't I just forget about RAID ... ???... I don't know.

Seems to me with the NAS units raid makes sense because other wise if a single drive fails I think you get trouble with the whole pool.

-Brian
 
#3 ·
I agree with you. I use DrivePool to duplicate the critical info, but I don't duplicate my rips. I do have them spread across several drives (DrivePool again), so if I lose a drive, I won't lose them all. And, I'll just re-rip as I need them. I don't see it as a big deal, it isn't like I'd need them all at once.
 
#4 ·
As you mentioned it really comes down to a time issue. Some people have massive 20 - 30 - 50TB Arrays that are busting at the seems with content. Imagine having to take the time to re-rip all of those movies.

I personally used to build all of my own RAID Boxes and had tremendous luck with 3Ware / LSI RAID Controllers but as with everything they got outdated so I picked up a Synology Disk Station and I LOVE it.

Keep in mind that once you get above 2 - 3TB Drives it is recommended that you do a RAID 6 as the chances of another drive failing while rebuilding a large array (which can take days) is there. Obviously there is a cost associated with it but I am now going from 4TB drives to 6TB Drives since the 8 and 10TB Drives are just not coming out anytime soon (at a reasonable cost).

As with all of this it is all personal preference, subjective and to each their own =)
 
#8 ·
But my point is that I would not re-rip them all at the same time. I've lost drives before (those fantastic Seagate 3TB drives) and I have simply added movies back as we want to watch them. It only takes a few minutes with MakeMKV to get it back on the server, usually even less time than we take getting ready to sit down to the movie.
 
#6 ·
HI,

I have 2 NAS units that each have 4x4TB drives in Raid 5 config.

When you add up all the parts each cost about $700.
I think what you've just realized is "cheap" isn't always the least expensive route. If cost is your concern, maybe it's time to start looking into a higher end NAS. Maybe not now, but before you buy another "cheap" one, consider that you could setup a large NAS based on unRAID, FreeNAS, etc for well under $700.
 
#7 ·
+1. Standalone NAS boxes are definitely not an economical solution to mass storage. However, they are convenient and mostly plug and play and a good solution for someone not into setting up a standalone server. The downside is that they tend to be extremely limited when it comes to the amount of storage they can accommodate.

I've got a 24-bay Supermicro server chassis that I paid about $400 for, including shipping. I use unRAID 6.01 Pro as the software RAID. I basically gutted the chassis and installed my own motherboard, CPU, RAM, PSU, and case fans. The original PSU and fans were simply too loud and had to go. I recently upgraded the motherboard and CPU to accommodate three Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 8-port SATA controllers. I bought six cable sets on ebay for about $6 apiece to interface with the controllers and the SATA backplanes. I recently installed a 250GB SSD as a cache drive to help speed up data transfers.

This setup is somewhat more advanced and not something a beginner or convert from a NAS box would probably jump into right away. I've been using unRAID for over 8 years and my server has evolved through many phases over the years. If you're just starting out then I'd pick up a standard tower PC case that can hold a lot of drives. If you find that you're running out of room and need more drives then you really only need to migrate to a larger case. I've never run into a hardware compatibility issue with unRAID, and I've gone through a lot of different hardware. You create a bootable flash drive, copy the unRAID software files to it and plug it in. Once you've configured the BIOS to boot from the flash drive you just sit back and let it run. The only software setup involved is assigning drives to each slot when you first set it up. The Web GUI is easy to use and provides a wealth of information. Software upgrades are literally as easy as clicking a button in the GUI.
 
#10 ·
Standalone NAS boxes are definitely not an economical solution to mass storage. However, they are convenient and mostly plug and play and a good solution for someone not into setting up a standalone server. The downside is that they tend to be extremely limited when it comes to the amount of storage they can accommodate.

I've got a 24-bay Supermicro server chassis that I paid about $400 for, including shipping. I use unRAID 6.01 Pro as the software RAID. I basically gutted the chassis and installed my own motherboard, CPU, RAM, PSU, and case fans. The original PSU and fans were simply too loud and had to go. I recently upgraded the motherboard and CPU to accommodate three Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 8-port SATA controllers. I bought six cable sets on ebay for about $6 apiece to interface with the controllers and the SATA backplanes. I recently installed a 250GB SSD as a cache drive to help speed up data transfers.
The savings only comes from trolling ebay for bargains, buying used, and recycling old hardware; it doesn't come from the DIY. A new turnkey NAS costs about the same as building an equivalent box from new parts, and a box like the one you built costs the same as a used NAS on ebay if you spend the time hunting for a good deal.
 
#9 ·
I use the external 5 TB drives as back ups for the larger RAID 5 arrays.

RAID 5 is great for uptime and data preservation in case of a single drive failure. But, they are not going to help you if more than 1 drive fails, or the whole unit is fried.

My time to re-rip and convert is more valuable than the cost of using 5 TB drives as back ups.

In case of a single drive failure, I just pop a replacement drive. The array is useable while it is rebuilding parity.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Brian Hampton
#12 ·
Forget about RAID but backup your collection to another hard drive or collection of hard drives. This costs more in hard drive space but gives you a true backup and no reliance on proprietary hardware. Do a full backup and then do incrementals and keep the backup drives offline except during the incremental backup.
 
#13 ·
I disagree, but to each his own. I've been using unRAID with a parity drive for over 8 years. The only time I've lost any data was usually due to operator error. I've had drives fail on occasion but I was always able to rebuild the data on a replacement drive using parity. For storing and distributing media, you can't beat a standalone server. If you have important data that you can't afford to lose, then back it up on other storage media or hard drive and store it away safely. If you back it up on optical discs I would make new backups every few years because the recordable media will deteriorate over time and you'll eventually lose everything. Creating fresh copies on a regular basis will ensure that it will survive over the long haul.
 
#14 ·
Hi,

Thanks for the discussion,... I think I just needed to actually "think" more about these things.

I was weighing the pros and cons of NAS units with RAID vs a sizable USB hard drive.

I think one reason the USB HD I was looking at was "cheap" is because many USB hard drives now have ethernet (NAS type) connectivity built in.

Looking again ... the 4TB NAS drives I use aren't much cheaper than the 5TB USB drive.

(4TB NAS drive $130 - 5TB USB drive $120)

I think eventually everyone's own needs and habits comes into play. I have 2 NAS units with 4x4TB drives and Raid 5... I think I'll just build another and even if the cost it high I'm almost done.

My own theory is if my video collection goes beyond 30TB ... I need to look it over and throw out some crap. .... Stuff that doesn't make the "cut" may just exist on disc instead of on my server.

-Brian
 
#17 ·
Generally, a NAS is a trimmed down OS (Linux usually) that you typically do not run applications on.

A server can do sharing, but also can run applications.

I know there's some bleedover, especially for those of us that know how to get into the OS on the NAS boxes, but that's the general definition.
 
#19 ·
Pardon me Gentlemen, but why not forget raid and use Windows Home Server? It has redundancy built into it. That way you don't have to worry about all your drives being the same size?
 
#20 · (Edited)
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Home Server 2011 will be the last release in the Windows Home Server product line. It is also my understanding that there are compatibility issues between the connector software and Windows 10. Just an FYI...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top