There was some discussion in last NAS deal about whether it was better to build your own NAS, repurpose an old computer, or buy a discount Synology/QNAP/Micro-server.
What system are you running and what are its pros/cons?
Build Vs Repurpose Vs Buy a NAS
LAustere on 10/01/2019 - 17:25
Poll Options
- 8Built my own
- 4Repurposed old device
- 19Bought a specialised device
Comments
Had a pair of HPE DL20 Gen9s, downgraded to a single DS918+ last year, so far have had no performance issues and it’s serving its role quite well. It does feel a bit limiting at times, but I guess a pair of the next generation of intel NUCs should meet whatever need my home will have.
I built my own and used an old computer. The cons are
- you need to know about networking as you have to open ports on router etc.
- PC consumes more power and space
- The NAS software for PCs is not as advanced as Synology's software and you will miss out on latest features or bug fixes on common apps like Docker, Plex etc.
- Requires micromanaging of data. You'll have to manually setup schedules etc. to backup your data
- You are restricted to RAID and cannot use more modern architectures as your hardware will not support that
- There is less support, so if you fry your system and burn all drives, then probably no one would help you outThe pros are
- Significantly cheap
- More options for hardware upgrades, like you can go upto 32GB of RAM or 64GB if you want to run virtual machines
- No restrictions on nom of baysm If your hardware supports, you can add as many hard-drives as you wantNow I am planning to buy a Synology just because I do not want to micromanage data and want the system to handle everything on its own
Your needs do also depend on your use cases as well.
Basic movie streaming via uPNP/DLNA/Chromecast? HDD in the router is perfectly fine.
Heavier demand/basic work usage/multiple users/NAS plus torrent box etc? Start with repurposed hardware, if that doesn't suit then upgrade to a dedicated device.
Professional workload, high-risk databases, a business IT budget: Dedicated hardware. It's not your pocket money; spend it like you stole it!
Mission critical backups/family photos? PC-connected HDD with both cloud-based and offsite backups I.E. Google Photos & Google Drive. This is my preferred option for photos and videos because:
- Free
- Instant backups from phones means I can't forget to backup, and destroying a device (via toddler or similar) is not losing data
- Multiple Google Drive Sync pcs across a diversity of connections and locations, means even an EMP won't take out every copy of my irreplaceables.
- Cloud based accessibility, so I can still share photos and videos with family if my home internet is offline
- Nifty features like facial recognition etc are super handy for birthday slideshows, or finding a receipt etc.
Instant backups from phones means I can't forget to backup
Great comment, but wasn't sure how this bit worked?
I had yumcha raids before but felt a bit uneasy. Moved to Synology years ago and never looked back.
It’s simply about convenience. (profanity) building and maintaining a POS entire machine when you can plug HDDs into a box that just works. And if it breaks you get it replaced, no screwing around trying to work out what component broke.
Shame I can't select all. Originally in the early days I had a PC repurposed to run as NAS, followed by a HPE Proliant DL360 which is now used for backups, VMs and other stuff. These days I use a QNAP TS-451+ predominately for storage and media as it's less overkill than a server. It also has all the bells and whistles I need like Intel SoC, expandable RAM, port trunking and a decent operating system.
So I would recommend just buying a dedicated NAS if you're after an easy solution that requires minimal setup and management. Obviously it's not as flexible in some ways as a repurposed PC which amansandhu2003 has outlined above.
I would never buy a specialised NAS that uses a proprietary file system. The problem with doing so is that you become stuck in their ecosystem if you want to upgrade down the line unless you want to spend time trying to move all of your data manually (which not everyone can do). Also, if your unit dies and the manufacturer has gone out of business, you might have no luck in getting your data back. Basically, using anything proprietary means that your data is at the mercy of the manufacturer continuing to provide support.
It's much better to build your own NAS (not even that expensive compared to pre-packaged units) and use a standard file system like ZFS or btrfs. I'd even prefer using Windows RAID or Intel RST over any proprietary solution because you can always chuck your Windows RAID drives into another machine with Windows and it'll read it fine. Similarly, any similar Intel chipset will read Intel RST created on another computer.
I get the "set and forget" aspect of NAS boxes, but if you want "set and forget", just install Windows, create a Windows RAID in Disk Management and create Windows shares.
I stumbled upon xpeonology a few years back and decided to try it. It's basically a bootloader that you write to a USB stick, boot from it and watch your machine appear on the network as if it was an official synology device. It's been flawless but does assume a fair bit of knowledge and confidence.
Since I built ours, I configured one for my in-laws (old core 2 quad machine), my brother in-law (old amd shuttle box he found) and my brother (old core i3 4xxx). They've all been running for at least two years each with no intervention - i check in occasionally (remotely) and they all have email alerts configured.
I've considered moving to an official synology unit whenever i see a deal on here but i can never bring myself to go for it. As p1 mentioned above, I don't like the idea of being stuck. Once that warranty expires, you're in the hands of Synology for repairs/replacement at considerable cost. The idea of running the same awesome software on a standard PC really appealed to me. I can pickup a new PSU, motherboard etc easily and get myself up and running again. I'm in full control.
The drives from xpeonology can be chucked directly into an offical synology box if you ever decide to "upgrade". The same with moving between different custom made PCs. If desperate, you can even just load up a linux live CD and mount the array as it's just a linux mdadm software raid.
I pay ~$50 a year for the extra power usage - but with that i get a massive performance boost, my drives and components are cooled much more effectively (node 304 case) and as above, piece of mind about easy repairs. On top of that xpeonolgy allows you to run as many drives as you want (I've got 8 in my workshop server), get access to better hardware (intel SATA vs marvel SATA / Intel NIC etc) and the ability to run PCI/PCIe devices (10GBe cards / dvb/sat tuners).
It's not for everyone, but i swear by it. My hardware consists of a gigabyte B85M-HD3G motherboard, i5 4570S, 8GB DDR3 and 4 x Seagate 4TB ironwolfs.
Gamers nexus had 2 synology's fail on them within a few months: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7ly8zde3dE which is why i love off the shelf hardware.
Each to their own though!
I just have the main PC on 24/7, streaming via Plex to Xbox One/Chromecasts.
Not the best solution I'm sure but works for me
My husband says: I went with a D-Link NAS solution due to easy setup and configuration. X-RAID made it easy to put in any hard drive and not worry about best RAID configuration, even when upgrading hard disc capacity. Highly recommended. I made this decision as a computer nerd and taking power consumption and hardware breakdown (build your own) into consideration.
My NAS is just for basic media (nothing super high quality) so I use a Raspberry Pi plus an external HDD. A cheap Synology would be far easier to maintain though and looking back now I'd probably spent the extra hundred and get an entry level model.
HP Microserver N54L is the ideal unit for me with 4x3.5" drives and either optical drive or additional 4x2.5" drives/SSDs with bracket. Mini graphics card and tv tuner for flawless video playback. There's an updated Gen8 version too. Running Windows Home Server which works well and kept super simple.