Make nas from a computer. Where to store large files? Building a home server

The article discusses the methodology for building network storage based on a regular server, provides nuances that are desirable to know and gives recommendations, including from personal experience.

Introduction

There are plenty of articles like “Let's make network storage (NAS) with our own hands.” At the same time, many of them look something like “...we found an interesting distribution, copied it onto a flash drive, inserted it into the computer and enjoy life.” At the same time, such interesting points as determining the role (in other words, what is it needed for), selecting components, testing are missed , features of future operation and so on.

This time we will take a slightly different path and first describe why this is needed, then we will think about how we will do it and what to pay attention to. Let’s try, albeit at a “gallop across Europe,” to identify the key points of such construction.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not claim to be a complete guide to building network-attached storage (NAS) for any occasion.

NAS(Network Attached Storage) is one of the options for a data storage system (DS). In fact, this is a highly specialized file server, whose software (and sometimes hardware) is designed exclusively for data exchange and storage operations. It usually works through the TCP/IP protocol stack, although there are exceptions.

Traditionally, NAS supports data transfer using file access protocols: SMB (CIFS), NFS, APF and some others. But recently, support for block access protocols, such as iSCSI, has begun to be built into NAS.

Note. Strictly speaking, working in block access mode is the prerogative of another group of devices - SAN (Storage Area Network). In fact, a modern NAS with block access functions is already a hybrid SAN/NAS device. But despite the beautiful symmetrical spelling, we will still call it NAS. It’s shorter and more familiar.

The benefits of building a NAS on your own

There is a common belief that single enthusiasts who have found an old server and don’t know what to do with it decide to create a NAS on their own. However, among those who build their own NAS there are quite a lot of stern, pragmatic people who know exactly what they want from the new system and how they will implement it. What motivates people who buy or rent a server to turn it into network storage?

Firstly, this is the desire to build a system for yourself. Most well-known distributions for building NAS are open source, available for any testing and modification.

It is possible to adapt not only through installing third-party plugins, but also by directly changing the software to suit your needs. For example, add a monitoring system agent and so on.

Secondly, These are ample opportunities for upgrading the hardware. Such possibilities as replacing processors with more powerful ones, replacing a RAID controller or HBA, installing a network adapter - as long as the software and drivers support it. All this can be more profitable than buying a ready-made closed device.

Equipment prices are constantly changing, so there is no point in giving specific amounts. But it’s worth noting that a ready-made NAS from a well-known manufacturer with 12 HDDs and a powerful processor will not be that cheap. Therefore, purchasing an excellent server from a well-known brand for your needs and installing a proven distribution on it - for many cases - this is a completely competitive solution.

Note. With ready-made NAS, even from well-known manufacturers, sometimes you also have to tinker with it during operation. Update the firmware, contact technical support to resolve operational issues, or even return it under warranty. The “buy, install, and forget” option - for most manufacturers this is a completely optional option.

A very important aspect is gaining practical experience. It’s safe to say that building a network storage system with your own hands gives you a chance to understand data storage systems in general much better. Even after taking courses from a particular vendor, you may still not learn certain nuances that, as they say, “float on the surface.” Also, when developing, it will never be superfluous to know what real hardware looks like, how components interact, and so on.

What could be the disadvantages of this direction?

Firstly, the creative process is addictive. It’s high time to put it into operation, but they haven’t yet conducted the thousand and first test, haven’t rewritten the chapter in the documentation in a literary style, and so on... :)

Secondly, of course, you need a certain confidence in your actions. When it comes to testing an idea on “old hardware,” the burden of responsibility is less pressing. But when you have to spend real money and then entrust your data to a “homemade” device, it can sometimes be difficult to decide on this.

We correctly determine the role and location of NAS in the IT infrastructure

To do this, we will consider two options for using NAS: as an independent file server and as a storage system.

NAS as a file server

Typically this is an auxiliary file server to offload the main corporate server. This is often due to limited functionality when integrating into Active Directory.

Despite the fact that most modern open system distributions at least support the ability to distribute rights based on interaction with AD, more subtle “entities”, such as group policies, the use of special monitoring and security software for the Windows environment - on the NAS platform, most likely will not be available.

Using NAS as a storage system

The following goals may be pursued here:

Expansion of server disk space. Simply put, there was little space - we added network storage and connected new volumes to the servers, for example, via iSCSI.

Additional resource for backup. For example, when the amount of data does not fit on tape resources, some non-critical and business data is stored on network storage. And this is just one example of combining NAS and tape library.

Auxiliary storage system for a virtual system. It is not always necessary to place certain virtual machines on high-speed resources. Sometimes a simple NAS with volumes connected via NFS or iSCSI protocols is quite enough.

Software selection

When creating a NAS, there are two ways: use a ready-made specialized distribution or create your own version based on a universal operating system.

If you want to thoroughly understand all the intricacies of software and hardware and create a unique system for yourself with the most flexible settings, it makes sense to take some OpenSource distribution, for example, one of the builds of Linux, FreeBSD, Open Indiana and, having carefully redesigned it, make a platform for own network storage.

If you want to get it up and running right away, you should use a ready-made, popular distribution for NAS.

The same advice applies to those who want to move from simple to complex - first use a ready-made distribution to get an initial idea and then move on.

Among ready-made distributions there are three most well-known areas:

based on FreeBSD - FreeNAS, NAS4Free, ZFSGuru;

based on Solaris - NexentaStor;

based on Linux - Open-E, OpenMediaVault, RockStor.

The main “highlight” of the distributions FreeNAS, NAS4Free, ZFSGuru, as well as NexentaStor and Open-E is support for one or another variation of the ZFS file system.

RockStor is an experimental distribution that uses Btrfs.

OpenMediaVault is a well-known Debian-based distribution that supports file systems: XFS, JFS, ext2/ext3/ext4 - full support, NTFS and FAT32 - in read/write mode. Please note that all distributions with ZFS have fairly high hardware requirements.

Popular wisdom: If the server has less than 16GB of RAM, there is no point in messing with ZFS.

Another important nuance is where you plan to launch the operating system itself. In this case there are two options:

each time the system starts from temporary media, for example, from a USB flash drive or when booting over a network, and then the image is expanded to RAM;

standard installation on a permanent hard drive.

For example, NAS4Free can be installed both on removable media and on a hard drive, but for OpenMediaVault it is better to choose a hard drive because of the swap partition. And here again the question is, is it possible to install a hard drive or SSD for the system? After we have sorted out our wishes, we move on to choosing hardware.

Elaboration of the configuration

It is worth noting that most modern OpenSource distributions support a wide range of server configurations. But there are still some gaps in hardware support. Below is a description of such “planned surprises”.

Important! You need to understand that it will not be possible to take a very cheap server with a minimal configuration and get a high-performance storage system by installing an ultra-economical distribution.

RAID controller or HBA

Some RAID controllers, HBAs and network cards may not be supported in a particular distribution. The symptom looks something like this: the distribution is loaded, for example, from a flash drive, but the system “does not see” the disks.

Sometimes the issue is resolved by flashing the Firmware, sometimes by installing a fresh driver from the controller manufacturer, sometimes by switching to a new or different branch of the distribution. In the most severe cases, neither third-party drivers nor firmware replacement will help.

Network adapters

The problem is approximately the same as in the case of HBAs and RAID controllers. You can fight, but sometimes you can face a complete lack of support.

We should also talk about the characteristics of data transfer. You need to accurately understand not only what kind of network you have now, but also what it will be like in the future.

For example, if you currently use the Gigabit Ethernet standard on twisted pair, and in the future you plan to use 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP (fiber optics), then you need to work out compatibility issues in both cases.

Number of expansion slots

As mentioned above, one of the good reasons for building your own network storage is the possibility of upgrading it. But if the possibilities for this have already been limited by the equipment manufacturer, it’s worth looking for another option for the motherboard or server platform.

Possibility of installing additional components in the housing

Approximately the same option as above, but here you also have to deal with the lack of mounting space, lack of power connectors, and so on.

How the configuration works

We take a description of the configuration of the selected server, including the chipset, HBA or RAID controller, network adapter, etc., and a list of supported equipment in the selected distribution and compare it with what is in the server specification.

Advice. Sometimes it is easier to add a known supported component to the server configuration, for example, an HBA or a network card, than to spend a long and tedious time figuring out whether the model built into the motherboard is supported or not.

If it is not clear whether a given device is supported or not, then go to the manufacturer’s website and check whether there is a driver for this system. For example, NAS4Free requires drivers from the hardware manufacturer for the corresponding version of FreeBSD.

And If everything is really bad, choose another distribution or another server configuration.

Important! It is highly advisable to work out all the delicate aspects of compatibility before purchasing equipment through a thorough analysis of the specifications. So that later you don’t have to persuade the distributor to give you the opportunity to change or return something, and also so that you don’t have to buy what’s missing.

Testing

Let's say we have already purchased equipment with a carefully designed configuration.

The first check is for compatibility. First of all, on the compatibility of hardware and software. For those who decide to use a ready-made distribution, it’s simple - download the latest version, install it on the server and see what equipment you see. If everything we wanted worked, then we move on to performance testing. If not, we solve compatibility issues.

To test for performance, we will need another computer, preferably with more powerful characteristics, in order to test the NAS without regard to the performance of other data exchange components. It’s worth noting right away that testing is a whole science. And the calculated and expected values ​​do not always correspond to what happens in practice. Therefore, let’s listen to Kozma Prutkov’s advice “it is impossible to embrace the immensity” and selectively focus on interesting nuances.

The simplest type of test is to simply copy a set of files and note the time. It is recommended to try copying a very large file of a fixed size and a set of very small files of the same total size. That is, we took a good, powerful computer, mounted a network resource on our NAS, noted the time and started copying. Mark the time upon completion. You should also pay attention to indicators such as processor load, RAM usage, and so on.

In the simplest cases, you can simply try running the top command and see the load. For more complex cases, there are special means. It is worth considering that the utilities with which we monitor the load on the processor, memory, and network communication speed themselves consume system resources. In order to get a complete picture, you need to carry out control measurements of copying speed with system monitoring tools turned off.

The second type of tests is using a specialized program, for example, we perform various combinations.

Testing methodology is a very broad topic on which a lot of materials have been published; all that remains is to choose the most convenient method for yourself.

Attention! The declared network exchange speed does not always correspond to the transfer speed of real data in the form of files.

Therefore, it is recommended to test not only on the NAS being created, but also on other systems (computers), in order to obtain an average value. Then it is easier to determine the results in a given operating environment.

Based on the test results, there can be three options:

The performance is consistent with the expected conditions for this operating environment.

Performance is below expectations, but there is a known bottleneck that needs to be “expanded.” For example, you need a caching SSD.

Performance is below expectations, but the bottleneck cannot be identified. For example, all control points: processor, memory, disk subsystem, network subsystem, etc. - operate in a mode that does not reach normal load.

The third case is the most difficult. The most common recommendation that can help is to try different software (different distribution). Sometimes installing another driver on the HBA or RAID controller helps, for example, a fresh driver from the manufacturer. In addition to performance testing, there is also fault tolerance testing. For example, how RAID (hardware or software) will behave in the event of an artificial disk failure, whether communication is maintained on duplicate network channels if one of them fails, and so on.

Trial operation

As often happens, we received more or less decent data from testing and quickly began to implement it. And as a result, we get a bunch of unpleasant “surprises” that did not appear during testing.

How to avoid this? Only through gradual commissioning. The most important thing is to closely monitor the new equipment all this time and carefully control the selected parameters.

For example, we do not migrate all selected virtual machines to a new iSCSI volume, but only one. And we check its work. If everything is fine, you can reschedule another one in a week. After another two weeks - two more and so on.

The main advantage of this approach is that there is time to get rid of these very “surprises” in time and launch an already proven and predictably working system at full capacity. In addition, there is time to write instructions, clarify regulations, in other words, adjust the documentary base to new realities.

Of course, it is impossible to consider all aspects within one article. But we managed to introduce you to the main nuances that should be taken into account when building network storage.

Part One: Cold Iron

It can be stewed and chopped into broth,
And it's good to serve with vegetables.

Lewis Carroll, The Hunting of the Snark

Anyone who is able to assemble a personal computer and install Windows can, if desired, create a fairly advanced NAS from x86-compatible hardware and free software builds based on *nix. At the same time, roughly speaking, the number of installed disks affects the cost and complexity of the project only by the cost of the disks. This allows you to seriously save money compared to buying a ready-made NAS with 4 or more disks, but it is hardly profitable if a NAS with 1-2 disks satisfies your needs. It is impossible to say which option is better. Everyone has their own preferences. Some people cook well at home, while others prefer to dine in a restaurant. Do you enjoy tinkering with computer software and hardware? Then this text may be useful. Do you need a storage service on its own? Choose between cloud storage and a ready-made NAS out of the box.

N. B. This article is not about the hardware model or the version of the software product. She talks about the concept of creating a NAS with your own hands and suggests considering other options for solving the problem, besides buying a ready-made device. The topic is long, with nearly a thousand pages of discussion. The people there are polite and responsive. This is a hint that the article does not pretend to be complete, academic or the ultimate truth.

What kind of NAS is this?

According to Wikipedia, NAS (Network Attached Storage) - network storage system, network storage. It is a computer connected to a network and designed to provide data storage services to other devices. The operating system and NAS module programs provide operation of the data storage and file system, access to files, and control over system functions. The device is not designed to perform normal computing tasks, although running other programs on it may be technically possible. Typically, NAS devices do not have a screen or keyboard, but are managed and configured over the network, often using a browser.

The definition is not ideal, but quite working. NAS is also used in business, but they have their own requirements and features. We will be interested in home use of NAS.

People usually come to the idea of ​​assembling a NAS with their own hands in two ways, and often in both ways at once. When you have one computer at home, you don't need a NAS. Gradually other network devices appear. Laptops, smartphones, tablets. And especially - network HD media players, all sorts of Dune, Popcorn, WD TV and the like. It is with the acquisition of a network media player that a person often begins to accumulate terabytes of information. It is first stored on removable hard drives that are connected to the media player and/or added to the main computer. Soon there will be too many disks for convenient use, and a computer quietly buzzing around the clock, at the same time downloading something from the Internet, will begin to irritate, if not you, then your better half. An idea arises to collect this bunch of disks in a separate box, put it somewhere in a corner and instruct it to distribute content to all network devices and download torrents. Congratulations, you've taken the first route to NAS. On the way, we definitely took a look at the finished NAS, out of the box. But the price!..

The second way is through hardware upgrades. As a result, less than a cubic meter of components accumulate, which are difficult to sell and there is no one to give as a gift. The Plyushkin within us finds a useful use for them in the idea of ​​​​building a NAS. And at the same time satisfy your craving to rummage through the guts of the computer. It’s not for nothing that one cheerful American wrote that working with a computer is the only legal way today to push around someone who is smarter than you.

Of course, there are other ways. For example, you are a keen photographer and need reliable storage of long-term archives. Or a loving parent filming every step of their baby. Etc. But rarely do such scenarios lead to assembling a NAS with your own hands. Much more often - to buy ready-made out of the box. The needs of such users are confidently met by 1-2 disk models of ready-made NAS. It is difficult, if not impossible, for a neophyte amateur to assemble something similar in size, noise and price to 1-2 disk models.

In defense of ready-made NAS, it is worth noting that they provide many features and functions out of the box, requiring minimal installation/configuration/tuning. So, in fact, their cost must include the work of programmers, technical support, etc.

The situation changes dramatically if 1-2 disks are not enough, but there is a need for 4 or more. Manufacturers' marketers set a price level for them, which plunges a person familiar with the computer price tag into a state of frustration (although they pronounce much more popular words). And the person begins to choose a hardware configuration, to which we move on. Although he should have started with software, he can’t go against nature.

The hardware depends on the software used. Software - depending on the assigned tasks. And the correct formulation of the problem has never been a strong point of the home handyman. So he starts with hardware. If we came to building a NAS with a bag of parts left over from upgrades, then the good news is that they will fit, even if not optimally. Without even looking.

Broomed around the barn

In order to comfortably watch FullHD video over the network, including BD disk images, we will need at least:

• 1-2 gigabytes of RAM if ZFS is not used and 4-8, more is possible if ZFS is used. (About ZFS - later, Google will help the impatient.) But even on a rarity with 256 MB you can collect something useful;
• x86-compatible processor, ideally (and for ZFS) - 64-bit, but 32-bit is suitable for most options. That is, any x86 processor except those that are completely museum-quality. It would be preferable to have less heat, but that’s what it is;
• wired Ethernet port, preferably gigabit - although 100 megabits is enough for viewing BD images over the network. Connecting a NAS over Wi-Fi is a controversial idea (but if you build it yourself, you have much more freedom in choosing wireless controllers);
• drives and SATA ports. For NAS there is no difference between SATA-2 (3 Gbit/s) and SATA-3 (6 Gbit/s). Not every drive is faster than the ancient SATA-1, so such ports can be used. But IDE drives, by modern standards, are slow, low-capacity, hot and noisy. If there are not enough SATA ports, you can use controllers. But if (when) you soon decide to move to new hardware, then the SATA controllers purchased as crutches for an outdated motherboard will lie idle. I know from myself, I have two lying around. And be careful with disks larger than 2 TB. Many older controllers are not compatible with them. And among the SATA-1 controllers, there are also those that do not work with disks larger than a terabyte - however, this is already ancient and rare;
• Of course, the case where it will all fit and the power supply that will pull it. There are subtleties with the power supply, it makes sense to look at a new one, see below.

Most likely, the hardware left over from the upgrades will satisfy these requirements. And if it doesn’t make much noise (or there is somewhere to clean it), then you’re generally lucky. You can start experimenting.

Custom tailoring

If you are assembling a NAS from specially purchased components, then you should first decide on your wishes. In most cases (but it is impossible to grasp the immensity) requests are divided into three groups, conventionally “quiet-compact”, “effective-extensible” and “server-so-server”. Let me clarify that there is no clearly correct option. After all, the user himself weighs wishes, costs and his capabilities. But the wrong one is possible. When the result does not satisfy the requirements explicitly or implicitly specified during the design. For example, the spouse will say that the box is, of course, big. But it howls like an airplane, and she doesn’t agree to live in the same apartment. Or the system assembled under passive conditions does not withstand the test in the summer. Or the video simply shuts down when viewed online. Therefore, it is better to consider your wishes on the shore. Especially the implicit ones.

Important note. We're talking about a NAS, not an HTPC (Home Theater PC), that is, not a computer that shows movies with sound on a large screen connected to its video output. In principle, no one forbids you to make HTPC, including with many hard drives, although the requirements for HTPC and NAS, as well as the software and hardware used for them, are very different. HTPC is a different topic.

Quietly compact

This set of requirements is influenced by off-the-shelf NAS. I want something compact and quiet, but one that can fit 4 disks (often 6, sometimes more). Such requirements usually lead to the choice of a Mini-ITX motherboard with a soldered Atom-like processor housed in a compact case. Examples are below.

There is a very good preconfigured solution - HP Proliant Microserver (). Compact, reasonable in price (from 12,000 at the moment), 4 hard drives, the fifth can be inserted instead of ODD, which is unnecessary in the NAS. And with the help of a small tambourine, make the port intended for ODD SATA work normally. Disadvantages - the processor is far from powerful, but for many scenarios it is sufficient. If you are satisfied with the microserver, let's go to the chapter about software.

HP Proliant Microserver is a high-quality and inexpensive candidate for the role of home NAS

If not, first select a case for the desired number of disks (whether or not a disk is needed for the system depends on the OS. We will discuss it in the chapter about software). Here, in the battle of show-off aesthetic feelings with greed and the desire for effective costs, the first test of the strength of the “quiet-compact” concept takes place. Beautiful compact cases are not cheap. If victory lies with the toad's desire for efficiency, let's go to the chapter on efficiency and extensibility. We go there if the selected case allows the installation of a microATX motherboard. If aesthetics win, we select a Mini-ITX (Mini-DTX) motherboard. The first requirement is a maximum of SATA ports (including eSATA). In principle, desktop versions with 6 SATA ports were produced. But whether it will be possible to find it here and now is the question. If there are not enough ports, PCIe SATA controllers with 2 and even 4 ports are quite affordable. Naturally, they require a PCIe slot. Considering that it is the only one in Mini-ITX, expandability ends there.

All examples are from real life, often with modifications and additional photos - see FAQ in the profile thread, section 3.1

	by axel77	from half_moon_bay	by padavan
Frame	Chenbro ES34069	Lian Li PC-Q25	Lian-Li PC-Q08
power unit	180 W included	Corsair, PSU-500CXV2EU, 500 W	Enermax 380 W (82+)
Motherboard	Zotac NM10-DTX WiFi	Asus E35M-I*	Asus P8H67-I**
CPU	integrated Intel Atom D510	integrated AMD E-350	Intel Pentium G840
RAM	Kingston 2x2 GB	Corsair XMS3 2x8 GB	2x4 GB DDR3-1333
Hard drives for data	4×Samsung HD204UI	7×3.5″	6×3.5″ + hotswap for 3.5″ HDD in 5.25″ bay
System storage	2.5″ Toshiba 500 GB	USB flash drive	2.5″ HDD
operating system	FreeBSD	FreeNAS 8.x	OMV
Additionally	network Intel WG82574L***	ST-Lab 370 4xSATA	PCIe 2xSATA-II
Price estimate****	RUB 14,950	RUB 15,600	RUB 14,000

* Nowadays motherboards with E-350 have become rare, they have been replaced by versions with E-450. SATA ports - fewer;
** Not on sale, but see, for example, ASUS P8H77-I;
*** the author added a network through a homemade raiser, but this is rather personal perfectionism;
**** Prices are estimates at the request of the editors using modern Yandex Market, if not available - Price.ru, if not available - analogues. This is a rough estimate, since some models are no longer on sale and the prices found are not necessarily current. The price does not take into account data disks; a used system HDD, if available, was counted as 1000 rubles.

There are subtleties about “quietly”. The first impulse is “complete passive”. However, in most cases the argument is accepted that 4-6 drives will produce more noise than a good 120mm fan at low speed. In any case, you need to understand that you have to pay for everything and a compact case, all other things being equal, will be noisier than a more spacious standard case with large fans.

The obvious feature of a soldered processor is performance. If this is not enough, the vast majority abandon the Mini-ITX format. But, for the sake of completeness, it must be said that this is not necessary, cf. configuration from maestro padavan.

The assembly from Padavan is, as you can see, extremely compact

In December last year, the Intel Atom S1200 (Centerton) for server purposes was announced. When they go on sale, they may be an interesting option for a home NAS. Support for ECC memory, Intel Virtualization (VT-x), 8 PCI-E lanes, 8 GB of memory - this is enough for most options.

Efficiently extensible

A significant part of NAS builders - some right away, some faced with the limitations of options on Atom-like processors - decide to assemble a configuration that allows for serious expansion. In terms of processor, memory, but above all - in terms of the number of disks. As already mentioned, ready-made NAS even with 4 disks are not cheap, but with 8-10 they are already prohibitively expensive for the home. At the same time, it is not difficult to choose a sufficiently spacious housing. For example, in my case, left over from the upgrade of the Craftway computer (they didn’t save on case hardware back then), there are now 7 units living in it. 3.5″ drives and you can install 3 more without any problems. When choosing a case for a really large number of drives, you should look towards models with many 5.25″ slots, in which you can then install baskets with airflow, using 5.25″ slots for four 3.5″ drives. See the example in the Costs chapter.

Since the NAS operates 24/7, I would like an energy-efficient processor (in Moscow, a watt per year costs 35 rubles). Intel Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge seriously reduce power consumption when idle, but the NAS is extremely lightly loaded the lion's share of the time. Therefore, the daily power consumption of such a NAS may be significantly lower than that of the Atom version, which does not know how to reduce consumption when idle. Which processor model to choose depends on whether you need to transcode video in real time.

Many modern TVs have DLNA functionality, which allows you to receive video over a local network. The problem is that they only understand some encoding options. And often they are not at all the ones used by the rips and remixes found on the Internet. The problem can be solved in several ways. (1) Look for movies in a format that matches your TV. It's the tail that wags the dog. (2) Recode the movie on the computer to suit the TV's requests. This is a waste of time and is only possible for a self-made video. (3) Load the NAS with real-time transcoding and (4) Buy a media player, that is, a small box that receives video as files, including via the network with the NAS, and supplies the TV with the receiver with an audio-video signal, usually via HDMI. If you chose option (3), then you need to study the specifications of the TV and look in the Core i7 area. Plus, due to limitations in DLNA in general, and in implementing this marketing idea on your TV in particular, it will not be possible to achieve complete omnivorousness. Option (4) at the current price level turns out to be not only simpler and more functional, but also cheaper. While the NAS processor is suitable for virtually any junior Pentium or Celeron 2nd or 3rd generation Core. You can take the i3, fortunately, compared to the price of the disks, the difference will be negligible. Choose according to your taste. For quick reference or detailed final comparison of candidate models, you can use the processor testing section on iXBT. I took an Intel Pentium G2120 as the youngest Ivy Bridge at that time. Junior Sandy Bridges are cheap and more than sufficient.

The AMD processors available at the time of writing are not impressive compared to Intel - although AMD is much more generous in providing its processors with ECC memory support, and perhaps the company will soon have something competitive, for example the Opteron 3250 with a stated price of $99.

ASUS P8H77-M Pro motherboard: 7 SATA, up to 32 GB RAM

Motherboard. I took the ASUS P8H77-M Pro for the following reasons:

• LGA1155, we get built-in video automatically due to the processor, it will only be needed at the installation stage;
• maximum number of SATA ports, no matter 3 or 6 Gbit/s (7 SATA + eSATA);
• 4 memory slots are better, but 2 are enough (4, up to 32 GB);
• integrated 1000BaseTX, considered better from Intel. But taking into account the presence of a processor with a reserve of computing power, Realtek will do just fine (Realtek 8111F);
• PCIe slots for future installation of SATA controllers and network cards (x16, x4 in x16 slot, 2 x 1);
• Form factor - microATX.

This is quite enough to provide all the required functionality. And all kinds of additions will only waste electricity. But if you suddenly like an ATX board, you have the right.

The cooler is selected according to taste, memory - according to the requirements of the selected OS. Here the range is possible from gigabytes to 32.

The power supply is included in a separate chapter.

Examples of the described option:

	by ZanZag	by shale
Frame	Lian Li PC-V354R	InWin BP659
power unit	Chieftec BPS-550C 550 W	200 W included
Motherboard	ASUS P8H67-M EVO(B3)	ECS H61H2-I2
CPU	Intel Pentium G860	Intel Celeron G530
RAM	4x4 GB DDR3 PC3-1066	Kingston 2x2 GB
Hard drives for data	6×Hitachi HDS5C3030ALA630	3×Seagate ST3000DM001
System storage	CF 4 GB via CF-IDE adapter	40 GB SSD
operating system	nas4free 9.x	OMV
Additionally		cooler Cooler Master DP6-8E5SB-PL-GP, add. fans 2×Zalman FDB-1 and Arctic Cooling F9 PWM
Price estimate	RUB 18,200	7300 rub.

Server-so-server

There is a “premium” category of NAS builders who, for objective or subjective reasons, build NAS from serious and expensive server components. Enthusiasts are experimenting with 10-gigabit network solutions. Remember that server configurations are often not quite compatible with residential premises in terms of size and noise. The ability to use ECC memory is the most obvious advantage of the approach. The ZFS file system used in this segment of home NAS construction is memory intensive. In this case, a memory failure can lead to data corruption that goes unnoticed. ECC memory solves the problem, but its use in the Intel version requires server processors (there are interesting exceptions, for example the Pentium G2120) and motherboards.

Virtualization is often used and several guest OS solve problems, each with their own. A common option is when a SATA controller is forwarded into a virtual machine that performs the storage function (Solaris or FreeBSD with zfs). From this VM, disk capacity is exported via NFS or iSCSI to the hypervisor and other VMs. I will refrain from further explanation of what I myself am not very well versed in and will give real examples.

Assembly from TPAKTOP, outside and inside views

	by fatfree	by axel77	from TPAKTOP
Frame	Fractal Design Define Mini	Supermicro CSE-SC846E26-R1200B
power unit	Seasonic X560
Motherboard	Supermicro X9SCL-F	Supermicro X9SCM-F	Supermicro X9SCM-F
CPU	Intel Xeon E3-1230	Intel Xeon E3-1230	Intel Xeon E3-1220
RAM	4×Kingston KVR1333D3E9S/8G	4×Kingston KVR1333D3E9S/4G	4×Kingston KVR1333D3E9S/4G
Hard drives for data	5×WD20EFRX	in the process of accumulation	12xST31000524AS in two 6xRaidZ2 (main pool), 2xST32000542AS in a mirror (backup pool), 4xST3250318AS in a stripe (torrent pool)
System storage	Intel SSD 520 180 GB	2.5″ by 320 GB	TS64GSSD25S-M
operating system	ESXi 5.1.0 + Nexenta CE + Ubuntu Server 12.04 + Windows 8	FreeBSD	FreeBSD
Additionally	HBA IBM ServeRAID M1015, Noctua NH-L12 cooler	2×HBA IBM ServerRAID M1015	2×HBA IBM ServeRAID M1015, Intel Gigabit ET Dual Port Server Adapter

SATA/SAS controllers

So if you can’t wait, you can start. And in the second part we will discuss the software in more detail.

I would like to express my gratitude to all participants in the profile thread on the forum.site, including comrades axel77, half_moon_bay, padavan, ZanZag, shale, whose configurations were used in the article; comrades Sergei V. Sh, TPAKTOP, iZEN and RU_Taurus for many useful comments.
Special thanks to the developers of free software: Olivier Cochard-Labbé, Daisuke Aoyama, Michael Zoon, Volker Theile and many others. They made the very existence of the DIY NAS theme possible.

As you guessed from the title, today we will build a home NAS server. For more than five years I have had a small old animal in the In Win BQ656 Black Mini-ITX 80W USB/Audio/Fan + External remote control case. It has the following processor inside: AMD Athlon(tm) Dual Core Processor 4050e, with a BogoMips reading of 4200. Although tiny, it eats little and can virtualize, which is important. Detailed specifications can be found anywhere :). By the way, after assembly I wanted to change it to a slightly cooler Athlon 64 X2 6000+. You can buy one on Avito for 500–700 rubles. We raised this whole thing on the Minix780G-SP128M motherboard.

Not a fountain, of course, - only four SATA and no RAID support, but low power consumption. The price today could not be determined, but at one time it cost $220. Ideally, of course, it would be better to have a mother with the ability to connect six drives and RAID support. But such pleasure will cost quite a bit. Let's try to estimate from what is on the used market. They offered a kit for Intel 7600 + Asus mother can be purchased for 1500–2000 rubles (let me remind you that this is used).

Before replacing the case, the system consisted of an Ubuntu server, balls on it - and, in fact, that’s all. Inside there were two 500 GB disks. A new case has now been purchased and a couple more hard drives have been installed. Total three HDDs of 500 GB and one of 1.5 GB.

Wishlist

Among the tasks that a media server must solve, we highlight the following:

• of course, Samba, distribution of media content over the network, more on that below;
• virtualization of various levels: a couple of virtual machines, inside there may be a 1C Linux server, Docker containers;
• so that you don’t have to configure each home node for services, a small DNS with the something.local zone.

Hardware requirements:

• noiselessness;
• convenient installation/replacement of HDD;
• compactness.

I repeat: I would really like to replace the motherboard with the processor, but this is not necessary. Perhaps in the future I will replace only the processor with the cooler. So, a new building, the search was long and difficult. After a week of Googling, the choice fell on Raijintek Metis. What suited me in terms of price/quality.

A couple of phrases about the building

Manufacturer and model: Raijintek Metis, with window
Material: aluminum, steel
Dimensions: 190 x 254 x 277 mm (W x H x D)
Form factor: Mini-ITX
Drive bays: 1 x 2.5/3.5" (internal), 2 x 2.5" (internal)
Fans: 1 x 120mm (rear, pre-installed)
Weight: about 2.8 kg

Cool design and color look great almost anywhere, and the price is very affordable. By the way, such a case cost me only 4,000 rubles. Purchased on Avito, delivery by mail. More details about the case can be found on the manufacturer’s website. I almost forgot about the memory! At the time of writing, 2 GB were installed (two 1 GB sticks). Now I’m already ordering two 2 GB dies.

Implementation of the software part

So, what is the most important thing you want from a server? So that it is easily scalable, keeps up with the times, pleasant and easy to use/administer. An attractive web face is desirable.

• Option 1: install Ubuntu Server with the Ajenty 2 control panel and deliver everything you need by hand.
• Option 2: install OpenMediaVault. The muzzle is available, there are many plugins/extensions to increase functionality, it is based on Debian, so there is always the opportunity to deliver or finish it by hand.
• Option 3: install FreeNAS. A little less goodies, but you can deliver everything by hand, though it’s a little more difficult. Based on FreeBSD.
• Option 4: install XPEnology. A huge number of goodies, repositories with additions. Support for virtual machines and Docker.

After much torment, the choice fell on the fourth option. We will use it to raise the home server further. Why is this so? The first option is good in itself, but at the same time you want a minimum of effort and a maximum of opportunities without additional force. In addition, Ajenty does not allow you to access the server flexibly, so you just want to jump into the console and do everything manually from there. And then go to the panel and just admire :). Among the remaining options, XPEnology won. Provides maximum services with minimum settings.

Let's take off

So, first of all, go to the xpenology.me website in the downloads section and download the deployment kit.

XPEnoboot is a boot disk image for installing and booting/rebooting the server.

DSM is the system itself. Synology Assistant - optional, the program detects XPEnology/Synology servers, installed or ready-to-install nodes. I installed it via the web interface - as they say, all markers have different tastes and colors.

The ISO image needs to be unpacked onto a USB flash drive and used every time the server is restarted, which is not entirely convenient. Or donate a flash drive to the server and make it a priority when loading. There is a second way. In previous issues of Hacker magazine, I wrote about organizing a PXE server with various boot options. If there is such a service, then you can easily give it to him. Two files are responsible for loading into XPEnology (as in any Linux distribution): zImage and rd.gz. We place them in the PXE server directory and add the following to the menu:

Insert into pxelinux.cfg/default LABEL xpenolog kernel xpenology/zImage root=/dev/md0 ihd_num=0 netif_num=2 syno_hw_version=RS3612xs ac1=0010562E3E36 mac1=0051562E3E37 sn=B5JDN10005 initrd xpenology/rd.gz

The menu makes clear the location of the files in the xpenology subdirectory, relative to the root of the TFTP server. Information was found on xpenology.com. I recommend checking it out.

The first option didn't work. I'll try it differently. I unpack the ISO, take the menu file isolinux.cfg from there, copy the menu into my PXE menu, with the path to the zImage kernel file adjusted. I copy the zImage to the PXE server. This option worked as it should; after the installation began, even the operating system pat file was not required. The server itself downloaded it from synology.com, which makes me smile :). During the installation process, the server will ask you to enter administrator credentials. After installation, we get a completely ready-to-use Synology server on regular hardware. For those who are not familiar with this OS, I highly recommend it! Huge community. As a result, there is a large number of repositories that greatly expand the standard functionality.

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NAS ( English Network Attached Storage) In essence, it is a computer with some disk array connected to a network (usually local) and supporting operation according to the protocols adopted in it. Several such computers can be combined into one system.
NAS node is a separate computer or specialized device, the main purpose of which is to provide data storage services to other devices on the network. The operating system and NAS module programs provide operation of the data storage and file system, access to files, and control over system functions. The device is not designed to perform normal computing tasks, although running other programs on it may be technically possible. Often NAS systems have a poor graphical or console interface, or do not have it at all, and all settings and manipulations are made through the web interface.
A full-featured operating system is not needed on a NAS device, so a stripped-down operating system is often used. For example, FreeNAS or NAS4Free, both open source NAS solutions, are implemented as a stripped-down version of FreeBSD.
NAS systems contain one or more hard drives that are combined into RAID arrays with the ability to recover data in case of failure. Nowadays RAID 5.6 is often used.
The NAS uses network protocols such as NFS (popular on UNIX systems), SMB (used on Windows NT family systems), AFP (used on Apple Macintosh systems), or NCP (used on OES and Novell NetWare). NAS systems typically have multiple protocols.
This delegation of data storage responsibilities provides a number of advantages:
Provides reliable data storage
Ease of access for many users
Ease of administration
Scalability

Also, to get an idea of ​​what different NAS can do, I recommend reading these articles:

And

Have you read it?
Do you understand what NAS is and what it comes with?
But the NAS I’m reviewing now is nothing like that. More precisely like this, but it can’t be simplified. Well, what do I want for 15 dollars?
But of course, I’ll start first with photos of the NAS itself.
The NAS comes in a nice box:




On the reverse side the possibilities are briefly indicated:

Equipment:


PSU with non-our plug. Adapter required:


Outputs 5V 2A:


Well, at least that much is stated. I won’t say how much he actually gives out. I didn't bother measuring it. this is not critical here.
The NAS itself:
Front conditional side. Model and manufacturer name. Glossy plastic:


On the reverse side there are brief characteristics and information:


On the left side there is an indicator of the charging process, a LAN port, a “Reset” button, a charging port, and an indicator that should light up if the charging process does not occur:


On the right side there is a power button, two USB 2.0 ports, a power indicator, an access indicator and a WI-FI indicator:


The shape of this NAS is extremely strange in my opinion. I still couldn’t understand what this aluminum frame was for. I can only assume that initially the NAS should have been large. Let's say a larger battery was to be placed there. Or maybe a larger fee. Unknown. But it is what it is.
NAS dimensions according to my measurements are 90*88*23mm:





I can't say the weight. There is nothing to measure. I haven't ordered the scales yet.
The overall workmanship is quite good. The plastic is strong. Everything is adjusted.
As for the inner world, as you know, I am not a fan of disassembling electronics. It works and is good. But even I couldn’t resist; I became very curious about what was inside this cunning box. So here are some photos of the offal:


The first thing that catches your eye is the slot for a MicroSD card. And there is already a 4GB Kingston MicroSD installed:




The card is only used for files. The system is not installed on it, so you can exchange it for your own more capacious one.
The largest part on the board is most likely the processor. It is covered with a sticker. No information found under the sticker:




Reverse side of the board:




Along the edges I see traces of unwashed flux and crooked soldering. I swear, but remember that the price is 15 dollars. I wash off the flux, but I can’t fix the soldering—my soldering skills are even worse.
I'm putting the body back together. I turn it on. I wait for a while and see on the laptop a WIFI network called KIMAX_A33BAD:

(now it already has WPA2 encryption, but was originally open)
I connect to the network and go through the browser to the admin panel, which is located at 192.168.168.1
Opens quite quickly. First of all, it asks for a login and password:


I enter username: admin
Password: 1234
They are indicated on the NAS case and there are no problems with this.
I get to the start screen:


When you hover the mouse over an icon, the text of what it is responsible for is shown.
If you look clockwise from the top, these are files, listening to music, watching videos, exiting, settings, quick settings, Torrent client and viewing images.


The quick settings item is responsible for enabling and disabling options:


The most interesting thing is that the same DLNA and FTP and Samba do not appear anywhere else in the settings. That is, they can be turned on or off. But it can't be configured. ( at least I’ve been rummaging through all the points for several days now. No settings)
In the USER tab, you can add a user and set rules for him in which folders he can enter:

If you select Torrent from the main menu, the built-in program ruTorrent V3.1 opens:


The program's functionality is a familiar torrent client. You can choose which torrents and where to download:


And it all works. I rocked. But during the download process, the NAS starts to slow down very much. Looking at the INFO tab in the settings, I saw the following:


CPU utilization at 100%.
All NAS resources are spent on the process of downloading a torrent.
By the way, the NAS also completely freezes if you connect a hard drive of at least 500GB to it, and click on the “play music” “play video” item. This is due to the fact that a weak and slow processor is trying to create a media library and scan a volume that is huge by its standards. And this hangs the system for a long time.
And if you disconnect the hard drive and connect a flash drive, the media player starts up quickly. But it plays media files that were relevant in 2013. No MKVs. I couldn’t play the test m4V I have on a flash drive:


In general, video playback is not for this NAS. Therefore, I will show the remaining points.
This is what the file explorer looks like:




You can download and upload different files. Rename and change. An ordinary conductor.
Music player:


mp3 is playing. And that's all right.
View images:


Shows only JPG files.
Settings item:
Basic settings:


Media settings:


Setting up user access:


Setting up shared folders:


NAS resource status:



System maintenance and update:




There are no other settings. Accordingly, this nas does not appear on the network via samba. (maybe I'm doing something wrong)
All the same files can also be viewed from your phone if you install it on it


Connecting to WIFI:


I launch the application. You can choose from downloading to a shared disk or viewing files:

If you select download, you will be taken to the file download menu. If viewing files, then in the authorization menu:


And after authorization you can already view the files:


From the settings, Wi-Fi mesh settings and Wi-Fi signal repeater settings are available:


By the way, a function that works fine is wi-fi duplication. This nas can be used as a router or as a signal booster. At least he can handle this.
Conclusion:
Perhaps in 2013 this NAS could have been an interesting thing. Now this is an outdated device, which by today's standards is simply weak. I can install all the same functions that are stated in this NAS on a regular home TV box using third-party programs. And the functionality will be many times wider, and it will work faster and more stable. Some already inexpensive routers can do the same. NAS is, of course, a necessary and interesting thing, but it is not overlooked.
Of course, it can also serve to expand some functionality. Through it you can share hard drives, you can use it as a router, you can come up with some other scenarios. But he works with his $15.
I personally put this NAS in a drawer for now. Maybe later I’ll figure out where to use it. I probably wouldn't recommend other people to buy it. I'm glad that at least I didn't pay so much for it.

To summarize the question posed in the title of the review, “What can the cheapest NAS from China do?” I can say that I am capable of little things.
This concludes my review. I wish everyone only happy shopping.

The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.

I'm planning to buy +39 Add to favorites I liked the review +90 +145

Introduction

If there are more than two computers installed in your home or organization, there is already a need to organize shared access to data, often to a newly connected flash drive, as well as a printer or external hard drive. At the same time, it is often necessary to allocate a photo gallery or media library on a separate device. Using one of your work computers for this is extremely inconvenient, especially if you use a wireless network and have increased security requirements. It is easier, more convenient and practical to use a dedicated data storage, but not just a network drive, NAS, but a server that, in addition to working with network folders, can provide FTP access for downloading files via the Internet, can act as a web server for a simple website, media library and network recycle bin. Such a device with low power consumption can operate 24x7, be very compact and silent. For home use, it will also run a BitTorrent client for round-the-clock traffic exchange. By setting such a Torrent client to a gentle speed, you don’t have to worry that it will overload your communication channel, but at the same time, working around the clock, it will download files faster.

In fact, such mini-servers, even if they look like a hard drive chassis, are full-fledged computers, with their own processors, memory and operating system. Therefore, many users prefer to allocate old computers for them, packaging them in compact cases with silent cooling. Today we have an unusual case: we will consider two ideologies for creating mini-servers: self-assembly, or purchasing a ready-made solution in a store. In the left corner of the ring is a miniature system in the Mini-ITX format with low power consumption, in the right is an I-Stor IS607.

Our conditions: the system must be compact, functional, with a maximum of one fan and, of course, with a large amount of space on the HDD.

Long live affordable Mini-ITX

The Mini-ITX format was released back in 2001, when it was introduced by VIA for compact computers for which low power consumption, record small size and compatibility with x86 architecture are important. Many of us have seen VIA EPIA motherboards measuring 170x170 mm with integrated processors and passive cooling, many dreamed of using them at home, but these boards, like the processors, had two extremely negative aspects: low performance, sometimes unacceptable for the Windows operating systems most needed at home XP and high cost, for which you could assemble half a MicroATX computer. But as usually happens, Intel corrected the situation by releasing affordable D201GLY µATX motherboards with integrated Celeron 215 processors with a 533 MHz system bus back in 2007. And although compatibility with the Mini-ITX standard (or more precisely with the dimensions and layout of VIA EPIA boards, which set the industry standard) is not 100%, the board's dimensions of 171.45x171.45 mm allow it to be squeezed into Mini-ITX cases. Therefore, we will talk specifically about this form factor.

Naturally, this board, or rather its updated version Intel D201GLY2A, looks like the best option for a home mini-server or network drive. Why this board based on the SiS662 + SiS964 logic, which is not native to the processor giant, when the D945GCLF series of boards based on the Intel 945C + ICH7 chipset on the Atom processor has already been announced? Because in performance tests, the Atom loses to the old Celeron 215, and the advantages of energy-saving technologies are completely defeated by the gluttony of the northbridge. As a result, according to our colleagues, the new product consumes more and produces less. So we choose D201GLY2A, which is several times cheaper than analogues from VIA.

Intel D201GLY2A motherboard specifications

Mini-ITX form factor, MicroATX compatible, 171.45x171.45 mm

• CPU:

  Soldered Intel Celeron 220 processor

  Core frequency - up to 1.2 GHz

  Support for 64-bit extensions

  L2 cache size - 512 KB

  System bus frequency 533 MHz

  Active CPU Cooling

  Heat dissipation - up to 19 W

• One 240-pin DIMM DDR2 header

  Supports DDR2 memory modules with a frequency of 400 - 667 MHz (DDR2 667 modules operate at a frequency of 533 MHz)

  Maximum memory capacity - 1 GB

• Northbridge: SiS662

  South Bridge: SiS964L

  Serial ATA 150 support

  Supports 6 USB 2.0 ports

Integrated graphics core SiS Mirage

Audio codec ADI AD1888

Broadcom 10/100 Mbps network adapter

Ports on the rear panel:

• 1 serial COM port

  1 parallel LPT port

  2 USB 2.0 ports

  1 network RJ45 port

  1 VGA port of built-in video adapter

  3 audio jacks 3.5 mm

  2 PS/2 ports for keyboard and mouse.

Internal ports:

• Riser for 4 USB 2.0 ports

  2 Serial ATA ports

  1 dual-link Parallel ATA port

  Riser for connecting audio ports

Hardware monitoring:

• Voltage sensor

  temperature sensor

  Two 3-pin fan connectors

  Fan speed control

Retail price - about 65$

Well, what can I say, Intel’s motherboard turned out to be very interesting. At a cost of $60 with a processor, this board very quickly ended up in our laboratory, in OEM configuration.

A board for the lazy: you don’t need to choose or install a processor, or a cooler. Just add a memory module, power supply - and it will start!

You just have to understand that all these years we said Mini-ITX, but meant VIA EPIA, and then suddenly Intel appeared with its solutions... Yes, it is not entirely compatible with the standards set by VIA, and we will encounter this during assembly mini-servers. In the meantime, it's time to choose a case.

There are quite a lot of Mini-ITX cases on the market, there is plenty to choose from. Here are just truly compact ones that use the main advantage of this format - units. The most famous in Russia are Casetronic, G-Atlantic and Morex. Having studied the pros and cons of each of them, we make a choice in favor of the most compact Mini-ITX case of all that can be bought in Moscow.

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