DIY Rackmount Nas/Server

[undadawg]

Hi, I'm currently using a Synology 4-bay NAS (D411 i believe), and i'm interested in upgrading. I plan on building something which I can rackmount to my homes server rack which houses my switches/routers etc. Ideally I want a 1U size chassis. While I am familiar with building computers, I only have experience with conventional PCs (ATX sizes). I would like some advice as to what requirements I should look for in my 1U-2U casing.

Also Im unsure as to what parts I should buy. I am interested in a NAS which can serve multiple HD streams at once to multiple clients (via gigabit wired network). Currently the Synology NAS Can barely pump out one HD Stream without stuttering especially if there are multiple clients. My budget is around 900-1200$. Would it be wise to go in for server motherboards and CPUs such as Xeon etc? Any advice or builds would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[RealBeast]

I used an Adaptec 6805 (the package with two miniSAS to 4 SATA connectors) on an ASUS P8Z68-V, Intel 2105, 2x4Gb GSkill DDR3, onboard video, old SSD from a retired notebook that runs the OS (I used Win7 X64 as I had a left over copy after a bunch of builds). Works very well in 8 x 3Tb RAID 6 to stream iso images of blu-rays to multiple HTPCs simultaneously over gigabit Ethernet, although I housed it all in a big old case that I had.

While I had no problem with the board I used, Adaptec has issues working with at least some UEFI bios boards -- read up on that and be sure that your board will work or is returnable.

 

[jerwal]

Hi,

Is 2U the maximun in space?

 

[undadawg]

2u is the max

 

[undadawg]

I used an Adaptec 6805 (the package with two miniSAS to 4 SATA connectors) on an ASUS P8Z68-V, Intel 2105, 2x4Gb GSkill DDR3, onboard video, old SSD from a retired notebook that runs the OS (I used Win7 X64 as I had a left over copy after a bunch of builds). Works very well in 8 x 3Tb RAID 6 to stream iso images of blu-rays to multiple HTPCs simultaneously over gigabit Ethernet, although I housed it all in a big old case that I had.

While I had no problem with the board I used, Adaptec has issues working with at least some UEFI bios boards -- read up on that and be sure that your board will work or is returnable.

Thanks for the advice, I plan on using a nas/server OS such as Freenas or Ubuntu server for the OS. I'll keep an eye out for UEFI compatibility

 

[undadawg]

I forgot to mention that I would also like to be able to use the server to do other things other than being just my NAS. Ideally I want to be able to run a torrent client (add torrents locally and remotely), be able to stream music (subsonic?) and movies (?). Also it would be a bonus to be able to access my NAS/server through my mobile. With these requirements in mind is it still viable to build my own rackmount NAS or is it advisable to go in for a consumer ready rackmount NAS from synology/qnap etc

 

[RealBeast]

You can do anything on your own home built NAS that you can on a QNAP, etc. if you are willing to do the additional system maintenance, and that would save you money and allow much more future flexibility.

 

[dingo07]

going into a 1U form factor I would suggest purchasing a unit from a company like Thecus

Here's their new 1U server - http://www.thecus.com/product.php?PROD_ID=78

it comes with a redundant power supply as well - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Form+Factor_1U+Rackmount&ci=15779&N=4271756170+4291162962+4134255077

 

[undadawg]

can any1 suggest which types of MoBos/CPUs would be ideal for my requirements? Should I go for server grade chips like Xeon or will the standard cpus do. Also AMD vs intel for servers?

 

[RealBeast]

You don't need a workstation, really any low end modern CPU is more than adequate for such a task.

 

[sk1939]

If you have no particular noise requirements you could also look at getting something like a used Dell Poweredge 2950 off of ebay which would do what you want as well.

 

[undadawg]

You don't need a workstation, really any low end modern CPU is more than adequate for such a task.

What type of cpu will be best for low power consumption? I would prefer if you could give me specific chipsets or models so that I can get a better idea of what i need.

 

[sk1939]

At the lowest end you could go with an Intel Atom D2700, or an Intel Core i3.

 

[FireWire2]

I would go for the D2500CCE intel board - Dual Gb E intel chip set.
You can not beat the performance from Intel NIC.