Best media storage. NAS vs Server

dmwhiteman

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Aug 1, 2011
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Hi All!
I am currently in the market for a new media storage solution. Right now I have my media server/htpc with three 2tb drives in raid 5 giving me just under 4tb of storage. One of these drives is starting to fail and I am looking for a better storage option.

I would like external storage from the HTPC and preferably something a little more network friendly. I am considering a NAS. I have been researching Synology's systems, the DS415play. In my head the best option within my budget is to reuse two of the 2tb drives in combination with one 4tb drive. Using the two 2tb drives in raid 0 and back up onto the 4tb. When money allows I will bump up to another 4tb drive.

As always, money is a factor and I would like to do this inexpensively (but not cheaply). Is this a good route or should I just replace the failing 2tb drive? Any other suggestions are always welcome.
 
Solution
Part of the problem with using a server for a media server is the power consumption. Lets face it, you want the server on 24/7 but that adds up quick on a server burning away 350W or even a desktop at ~175W for an entire year. Whereas a NAS will likely run under 50W so it'll pay for itself in just the first year of ownership.

In our office we've replaced all the file servers with Synology units, and we just run an intel NUC for the few Windows services we need running 24/7. Has seriously helped cut down the energy bill.
Drobo 5n Not cheap but very smart and redundant. There are some great youtube videos of it. Any size type or speed and can rebuild on the fly. If you start with 5 1t drives and one gets full, you can just pull it out and add a larger drive. AS far as I no this is the only NAS that allows this. It is their "Beyond Raid" technology. Good luck.
 
RAID is a great solution for businesses and those who like to "tinker" with computers. I build servers for a living - and in 99% of the servers, I install RAID arrays (usually RAID5 or RAID10 depending upon the needs of the server). RAID10 gives you striping and mirroring, and when you use 20 drives, you get great performance out of the array. RAID5 adds a bit of security with the parity drive, but you lose a bit of performance and storage space.

At work, if there is down time, it costs the business money...so investing into extra drives and large drive arrays isn't an issue. At home, I do not utilize RAID arrays. I buy a drive that satisfies the storage needs for the installation (i.e. a 4TB storage drive for my HTPC), and I have a 2nd drive that I utilize the program "syncback free" to backup the storage drive. It runs at night and basically creates a mirror of the drive (the paid version will allow for real-time mirroring).

Microsoft in Windows 8.1 or later has "storage spaces" that allows you to have similar "array" configurations as RAID - but without the drivers and headaches of RAID. It is built into the operating system - and for non-production servers - this is a great option! http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/15198.storage-spaces-overview.aspx

If you don't have Windows 8.1 or Server 2012 (you can get a "trial copy" of Server 2012 for 6 months) (Windows 8.1 is about $90, Server 2012 is around $500) - you may be forced into a RAID solution....however, a good NAS will run around $300-$500 and give you 3-5 drive bays....so if you have the ability to repurpose a PC with at least a dual-core processor and 4GB of RAM, putting Windows 8 on it and put your drives in it can be an option using storage spaces.
 
Part of the problem with using a server for a media server is the power consumption. Lets face it, you want the server on 24/7 but that adds up quick on a server burning away 350W or even a desktop at ~175W for an entire year. Whereas a NAS will likely run under 50W so it'll pay for itself in just the first year of ownership.

In our office we've replaced all the file servers with Synology units, and we just run an intel NUC for the few Windows services we need running 24/7. Has seriously helped cut down the energy bill.
 
Solution


Synology has been my #1 choice for when I bite the bullet and get a NAS. I just discovered the WD MyCloud EX4 which looks very comparable at a much lower price. The reviews seem to be identical. I am not opposed to spend a few extra bucks to get the better product but price is always taken into consideration.
I am really looking forward to a lower electric bill as well as a quieter htpc!