To NAS or not to NAS, that is the question.

You only buy one if you have to have one regardless of the cost, and there are a few settings where it would be necessary, compared to a traditional 100TB storage server.
Cramming 300TB of redundant storage into a 4-bay home NAS sounds like a noble cause, and just as brag-worthy as owning a 40-foot boat or a giant hot tub...and probably just as expensive.

—Patrick
 
Hey @Dave Gas’ recommendations are pretty spot on.

An SSDs main advantage over a mechanical drive is not its transfer speed (3-4x faster), but its ACCESS speed (40-60x faster).
That means the SSD should contain those files your computer needs to find or change quickly and frequently. Game assets, the OS, audio/video assets that you are currently recording/mixing/editing, cache files, your swap files, and so on. Your HDD is the place for stuff you want to keep on standby BUT not frequently use nor modify. Half-finished but suspended projects, media files, installers, ISOs, or most anything that is big or that you only ever use from beginning to end (like a movie).

Also, NEVER DEFRAGMENT A SOLID STATE DRIVE. NEVER.
They don’t gain any benefit from defragmentation, in fact it actually wears them out faster.

—Patrick
 

Dave

Staff member
NAS is installing now. Once that’s done I get to tear down the C: drive and flash the OS and install the SSD. I debated doing the SSD first but figured I’d need the space to move stuff off first.
 
NAS is installing now. Once that’s done I get to tear down the C: drive and flash the OS and install the SSD. I debated doing the SSD first but figured I’d need the space to move stuff off first.
No, don’t worry. You’re doing it right. Make backup FIRST. Make changes SECOND.
Optional paranoid step between the two - verify your backups

—Patrick
 
System does not want to read the NAS. Let the troubleshooting begin!
Check for NAS system update first, plug them both into the same switch if you can’t get them to see each other, make sure you have a clear route to the Internet before you start hitting up their support line. Most NAS units are smart enough to phone home the first time they’re powered on, but if its internal date/time is wrong it may be refused connection.

—Patrick
 

Dave

Staff member
Yeah right now my connection goes:

Cable in to wireless modem (LAN/WAN port) --> #1 to cable modem
--> #2 to computer
--> #3 to NAS

TV works fine. Computer works fine. NAS is not registering.

I'll see if there's any updates to the NAS although I don't know how I'l update it if I can't reach it.
 

Dave

Staff member
My LED light keeps blinking blue. From what I can find elsewhere, this means that the NAS is refusing to reboot. Mother fucker.
 
Which model was it? The combo link you posted earlier is dead now that the combo is over, and I can’t look up the associated model.

—Patrick
 

Dave

Staff member
Synology DS418. I have a support ticket open now and a Reddit thread. We'll see. I don't want to have to send it back and get a new one. That would really cheese me off.
 

Dave

Staff member
Correct. From what I'm reading, it's because the blinking light indicates that the NAS is not booting up, hence nothing for the system to find.
 

Dave

Staff member
NAS is now fully functional, although one of the two 4 TB drives I put in had 2413 bad sectors. Now, I'm no rocket scientist, but that seems bad. So I'm returning it to NewEgg for another one. So no huge TB storage yet. Merely 4.5 TB more for now.
 

Dave

Staff member
Mother. Fucker.

The whole reason I got this was for my PLEX server. Guess what's not compatible? Yup. PLEX.

I specifically looked at this before and I guess I was looking at the DS418+ because that is. The DS418? Not so much.
 
Mother. Fucker.

The whole reason I got this was for my PLEX server. Guess what's not compatible? Yup. PLEX.

I specifically looked at this before and I guess I was looking at the DS418+ because that is. The DS418? Not so much.
[...]

—Patrick
 

Dave

Staff member
So now I have this NAS and can't put any of my media on it. Well, I CAN, but can't access it with PLEX. Wonder if there's another program that does the same kind of thing...
 

Dave

Staff member
I'll call them Monday and see which way the wind blows. If I turn back the whole combo, any of these are the same price as the NAS +2 HD so I'd be shelling out another couple hundred. Not sure I want to do that. Weighing my options.
 

Dave

Staff member
Woke up today to a message that the other 4 TB HD that I bought has crashed with 60000+ bad sectors.

On the bright side, the SSD is working well finally (after some headaches) and I've still got the same amount of space I had before. I really want to like this NAS but it's been nothing more than a pain in the ass.
 
I frequently hear about mail-order HDDs failing because they’re beaten up in transit, but that’s just ridiculous.

—Patrick
 

Dave

Staff member
Seagate. What can you do? I only got that brand because of the bundle. Now I'm turning everything back in and getting a full refund. Gas has me talked into getting a server instead so that's what I'm going to do.
 
I’m more inclined to blame the folks who handled/packed/shipped the drives than the folks that made it. Like I said, FedEx/UPS/etc are about as easy on drives as United Airlines is on guitars.

I’ll admit that I’m interested in knowing what sort of server @Gas recommended, though.

—Patrick
 

GasBandit

Staff member
I’m more inclined to blame the folks who handled/packed/shipped the drives than the folks that made it. Like I said, FedEx/UPS/etc are about as easy on drives as United Airlines is on guitars.

I’ll admit that I’m interested in knowing what sort of server @Gas recommended, though.

—Patrick
Right now you can get Poweredge R710s for practically nothing, and they're good servers.
Here's the link to where I got mine, but the price has gone up from $325 to $375.
 
Don’t forget to also search for the PowerEdge T710 tower models, which are essentially the same machine, but in a tower form factor (and often not as noisy).

These machines may be limited to “only” PCIe 2.0 expansion and SATA II speeds, but unless you need the expansion capability and > 300MB/s HDD speed (which you don’t if you’re just going to make it into a NAS), they’re more than up to the task.

—Patrick
 
Just be aware that particular one he linked is local pickup only, no delivery.
FYI added more stuff to the post, but just wanted to link a representative unit so he knew what they look like.
And it’s a shame, because that one is almost a steal at that price.

—Patrick
 

Dave

Staff member
So I was looking at them and I have some questions and concerns.

First, the models Gas linked only took 2.5" disks, which are either really expensive or hold fuck all for capacity.

Second, how loud/hot are these things? I looked at a couple YouTube videos about them and they sounded like jet engines fueled by the heat of the sun.

Third, so I understand all I do is plug in the drives, make sure everything is working fine (by attaching a monitor for the testing), and then plug it in to my router and configure as another network on the LAN?

I know I'm asking a lot of probably basic questions, but I've never worked with a NAS or the hardware side of a server farm so this is an area that I'm lacking.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
First, the models Gas linked only took 2.5" disks, which are either really expensive or hold fuck all for capacity.
Err, no...

Right now you can get Poweredge R710s for practically nothing, and they're good servers.
Here's the link to where I got mine, but the price has gone up from $325 to $375.
From that link:
Hard Drives 4 x Dell Enterprise 300GB 15K SAS 3.5" Hard Drives (1.2TB Of RAW Storage)
Drive Bays 6 drive bays
The one I linked comes with 4 300g 3.5" drives, taking up 4 of the six 3.5" bays (they even pre-arrange them into a 900 gig RAID 5 for you).

Second, how loud/hot are these things? I looked at a couple YouTube videos about them and they sounded like jet engines fueled by the heat of the sun.
When you first turn it on, the fans come on at full power, which yes, does sound like a 747 taking off. However, within a few seconds, the power management features in the bios take hold, and while not silent, it becomes much more quiet than my previous gaming PC (not my current gaming PC, which IS silent). As long as it isn't kept in a hot room, it's fairly quiet. I wouldn't want it in a bedroom, but a closet or office would be fine. As a reminder, I keep mine in my office at work and I can still listen to music quietly.

Third, so I understand all I do is plug in the drives, make sure everything is working fine (by attaching a monitor for the testing), and then plug it in to my router and configure as another network on the LAN?
Network? No. It's a server, which is just a computer. The setup for it would be much the same as if you were just setting up a new PC in your home. Get all your drives in, set up the shares you want, then just stick it in a closet or something somewhere with an ethernet cable going to your switch or router, and that's pretty much it. I installed TeamViewer on mine so I can remotely manage it from anywhere same as if I were sitting at it with a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, but that's not strictly required - it just makes things more convenient.
 
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GasBandit

Staff member
Forgive the portrait-mode filming, it's to illustrate the relative volume levels, not anything else :p the server's the thin, long, silverish one on the bottom, under the big black monstrosity on the desk there. Yes, it's fully up and running.

 
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