Mastodawn

Question about storage

https://lemmy.world/post/33127274

Question about storage - Lemmy.World

Hi ! I started my selfhosted journey with a synology nas. But the nas was crap, so I ended using it only as storage and backup solution, providing NFS shares. I added SBC like raspberry pi, then upgraded it to a elitedesk running debian. I would like to upgrade my nas to a more powerful device but I’m also considering adding a sata extension dock and rely only on my elitedesk minipc instead of two devices. Can I get remarks and advices? Thanks!

anamethatisnt Jul 18, 2025

While their latest adventures into trying to force people into buying their branded hdds sucks I must say I really enjoy using Synology NAS as a storage location and their Hyper Backup software works great with rotating usb drives (setup one task per disk and disable notifications on the task if the usb drive is disconnected).
I found a Synology became a lot more responsive when I installed an extra 16GB of RAM (Crucial 16GB DDR4 3200MHz CL22 SODIMM CT16G4SFRA32A works in both Synology DS224+ and DS443+)

If I were to build a new storage solution at home today I would look at ZFS-2 and 5 large HDDs (probably 16TB drives)
itsfoss.com/what-is-zfs/
I’d put it in a Jonsbo N2 or similar case and combine it with an M-ITX Intel N100 integrated motherboard and a PCIe SATA Expansion Card.
Then I would continue to run two devices and have most services run on another device using the Jonsbo N2 primarily as a storage device. If you don’t need to transcode 4k Blu-Ray or something then the N100 is fully capable of hosting a Jellyfin server.

SanPe_Jul 18, 2025

I’m a bit concern about energy efficiency for diy nas… But yeah, I’m also looking at custom nas.

anamethatisnt Jul 18, 2025

That’s partly why I recommend an integrated N100, it’s a 6W, 4 core cpu:
liliputing.com/the-asus-prime-n100i-d-d4-is-a-com…

HDDs at 16TB goes for 5-6W in idle and around 10W when in use, but that’s the same whether it’s diy or not.

Asus Prime N100I-D is mini-ITX motherboard with an Intel N100 processor (build your Alder Lake-N PC) - Liliputing

Asus Prime N100I-D is mini-ITX motherboard with an Intel N100 processor (build your Alder Lake-N PC)

Liliputing

hendrik Jul 18, 2025

I eventually moved to an energy-efficient PC. It has a large case and 6 SATA ports and lots of RAM. That replaced pretty much everything I had before. I try to buy the largest hdd I can afford every time I need a new one. And the old NAS and smaller harddrives get a second use as backup space and for experimenting.

SanPe_Jul 18, 2025

Can you share the reference of your PC?

hendrik Jul 18, 2025

I'm afraid that won't help. That was like 7 years ago and all the hardware isn't available any more. It's a Xeon 4 core, an affordable workstation/server mainboard that happens to be very efficient in idle, 48GB of RAM and a bunch of harddisks. I started out with 6TB and then bought the best size/price hdds, which should currently be somewhere in the 12-14TB range if I'm not mistaken?

SanPe_Jul 18, 2025

Thanks

cRazi_man Jul 18, 2025

I’ve just finished setting up exactpy what you describe (Synology NAS and Debian mini PC server) and it is working so well. Why do you need a more powerful NAS? If you use it for just storage you won’t really be falling short of NAS compute power.

I considered adding the drives directly to the mini PC as well, but I’m happy I’ve kept the Synology for the best of both worlds. Synology makes it so much easier to share the storage, set up reverse proxy, provide constant 2 way sync with my online cloud WebDAV service, etc.

kalpol Jul 18, 2025

I’ve got a N40L running TrueNAS. It is slow for mass transfers but at about 40-60mbps transfer speeds it is plenty fast for file usage (jellyfin libraries etc.) Right now it’s just a secondary but it is quiet and uses little power. You can get 3.5 to 2.5 adapters and use ssds for even quieter use.

thelittleblackbird Jul 18, 2025

Uh?!?

If that equipment is not able to get 60Mb/s there is something terrible wrong here…

kalpol Jul 18, 2025

Encryption slows it down a lot. It’s just a Turion II

thelittleblackbird Jul 18, 2025

That much? Shit, then update the processor, probably spending 15€ is going to update the speed a lot!

kalpol Jul 18, 2025

Soldered in there :) also max 8 GB memory. I only paid like $30 for this box including the $10 for four used drives, I’m not expecting it to run Crysis

thelittleblackbird Jul 18, 2025

:)

I see, well, it it still serves you good, nothing to say here

SanPe_Jul 18, 2025

Well my issue with synology is that it’s now out of update support. The nas is from 2016…

Diplomjodler Jul 18, 2025

Using the Synology as storage and another machine to host everything else is a perfectly fine solution, especially if you have the hardware already. If you want to consolidate everything onto one box, there are quite a few options from the likes of Ugreen, Aoostar or Minisforum. But those don’t really provide much of a benefit other than having one fewer box.

kalpol Jul 18, 2025

Having a separate machine as a NAS is good, running TrueNAS or XigmaNAS. You can segregate your backups from your daily use, you can have automated tasks run, etc.

Machine wise, I’m gonna try out a Beelink with nvme slots. Right now I’m using a Proliant microserver. Don’t get one with a hardware RAID card as you want to be able to use zfs. But otherwise they sell pretty cheap on Ebay.

MysteriousSophon21 Jul 18, 2025

Totally agree on keeping storage separate - if your compute device crashes, you don’t risk your data, and you can easily swap/upgrade either component indepedently without disrupting the other.

atzanteol Jul 18, 2025

I started my selfhosted journey with a synology nas. But the nas was crap, so I ended using it only as storage and backup solution, providing NFS shares.

So, as a NAS then.

SanPe_Jul 18, 2025

Yes. But actually: another independent device (and if so a custom one running freenas? Or another synology?) or just a sata extension for my minipc?