IT Folks - A Question on NAS

[etrain16]

Okay you IT gurus on the site, I have some questions for you regarding NAS (Network Attached Storage). I would like to set up a NAS at my home for a few things - primarily to be a shared storage location for files for our laptops and other connected devices. Secondly, I'd like it to be accessible when I'm away from home. Third, I may want to use it for storing media for streaming on devices at home like a Roku player, etc.

I'm not a complete newb when it comes to computers, but when it gets into networking it starts to get to the edge of my knowledge base.

I do a lot of photos and videos, so my storage needs are high. I've got several 1 and 2 TB external drives I use to store files and backups - I also make BR backups as files as well. That's all fine and good, but it's a pain to dig out the the external HDD when I want to find a particular file. I would like to have one place to store it all, and be able to access it from multiple devices and locations. I've begun looking at 2-4 bay NAS devices that could hold a couple of HDD's, say up to 10TB each. I don't want to spent $1k to make this happen, I'd like to keep it affordable, but reliable.

A few years ago, I had a setup with an external 1TB HDD tied to a small server/box that tied to my DSL router. It worked okay for a while, but was slow and both the HDD and the server failed - I lost most of the files on my HDD. I don't want a repeat of that again.

I would love to have a RAID setup (with full redundancy) with 10TB of true storage, hot swappable drives and decent transfer speeds.

So some questions for you folks:

1. Is this a good way to go for storage based on what I've said I want?
2. Any recommendations for particular NAS devices, at a reasonable price?
3. Are these things difficult to set up?
4. I'm finding a lot of info online, but not sure what resources I should trust - any in particular you would recommend?

I have considered cloud storage services, but honestly, for the price and the amount of storage I'm looking for, it's way too expensive - I'd rather host it myself, if that's reasonable, safe and reliable to do so.

Here is a 2 bay unit I have been looking at for reference. It's a 2-bay unit, supports up to 16TB with RAID 0 and RAID 1 options (Model DS216j). Price seems good ($169.99 w/o drives) and reviews are 4.5 stars:



Amazon.com: Synology NAS DiskStation (DS216j): Computers & Accessories


Thoughts??

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[SA Shooter]

I can, without reservation, heartily recommend the Synology NAS line. They are easy to set up, plugging in and swapping HD's goes without a hitch, remote access is seamless and as long as you get some good quality HD's, they won't let you down. Of course you can go with SSHD's if you like but there are some very good drives out there with very quiet performance.

I run a D415+ with 4 Seagate 4TB HD's in a RAID 1 (Disk one mirrored on disc 2, disc 3 mirrored on disc 4) in a hardwired network, with a connection to my modem. The NAS acts as my file repository, media server and cloud. Access is via two laptops with wireless.

You can't go wrong with the Synology gear. I think you are on the right track. Depending on your skill level you might want some help with setting up the internal network but setting up the Synology takes no super special skillset. The Synology folks are easy to work with and are generally available to assist over the phone.

 

[etrain16]

I can, without reservation, heartily recommend the Synology NAS line. They are easy to set up, plugging in and swapping HD's goes without a hitch, remote access is seamless and as long as you get some good quality HD's, they won't let you down. Of course you can go with SSHD's if you like but there are some very good drives out there with very quiet performance.

I run a D415+ with 4 Seagate 4TB HD's in a RAID 1 (Disk one mirrored on disc 2, disc 3 mirrored on disc 4) in a hardwired network, with a connection to my modem. The NAS acts as my file repository, media server and cloud. Access is via two laptops with wireless.

You can't go wrong with the Synology gear. I think you are on the right track. Depending on your skill level you might want some help with setting up the internal network but setting up the Synology takes no super special skillset. The Synology folks are easy to work with and are generally available to assist over the phone.

Thanks for the response, I appreciate it!

 

[bolus]

I got that one, 3 TB storing video and pics from security cameras. Running great for a good year now with no issues.

 

[CountryGent]

A big plus one to the Synology NAS line. I have one set up as a primary network attached storage at my office/workshop. It is packed with tools that make storage issues a breeze.

 

[udoggie]

Another +1 for Synology. I've got a 415+ with 4 6TB drives with raid 5, for 18TB usable.

One thing to keep in mind... You'll want to have a backup plan in place to backup all of your data offsite.

-Fratz

 

[etrain16]

I appreciate the feedback so far, looks like I got lucky landing on the right product out of the chute!

 

[RicInOR]

I run a D-Link Share Center in my lab - it has been operational for over 4 years.

System Up Time
125 Day 8 Hours 4 Minutes



I Set up 2 spinning hdd in a RAID 1 (mirror)



Web based management - which I never go to until we have a power down.

And, I never used any of the smancy tools.

All the workstations that access the device are windows. So I can't speak to Android, Mac nor Linux attachment.

 

[CountryGent]

I have considered cloud storage services, but honestly, for the price and the amount of storage I'm looking for, it's way too expensive - I'd rather host it myself, if that's reasonable, safe and reliable to do so.

One thing about the Synology I really like is that you can install and use Cloud Station. Once in place, it works a lot like Dropbox or similar tools in that files are automatically synced. You can have the given location mapped to a drive on both Windows and Mac machines to access the files from anywhere. And, naturally, there is no subscription cost and you have complete control over the hardware, drive space, setup, etc.

 

[yskippy]

Another +1 for synology

 

[etrain16]

One thing about the Synology I really like is that you can install and use Cloud Station. Once in place, it works a lot like Dropbox or similar tools in that files are automatically synced. You can have the given location mapped to a drive on both Windows and Mac machines to access the files from anywhere. And, naturally, there is no subscription cost and you have complete control over the hardware, drive space, setup, etc.

Good to know, thanks for the heads-up

 

[etrain16]

I run a D-Link Share Center in my lab - it has been operational for over 4 years.

System Up Time
125 Day 8 Hours 4 Minutes



I Set up 2 spinning hdd in a RAID 1 (mirror)



Web based management - which I never go to until we have a power down.

And, I never used any of the smancy tools.

All the workstations that access the device are windows. So I can't speak to Android, Mac nor Linux attachment.

I haven't run across that one yet, but I'll be sure to check it out!

 

[Joe13]

I'm still running everything off a Mac tower, tv, Netflix etc and have my externals hooked to it.

The other options seem like a good way to go though.

 

[The Heretic]

I know RAIDs are redundant and try to prevent corruption so on, and that you probably already considered this, but just in case:

If you don't already have one, strongly consider a decent UPS to go with that system.

 

[etrain16]

I know RAIDs are redundant and try to prevent corruption so on, and that you probably already considered this, but just in case:

If you don't already have one, strongly consider a decent UPS to go with that system.

Good point. I didn't mention it above, but yes, a UPS to backup the drive is definitely part of the plan. We don't lose power often here, but brownout type events are not uncommon, so power backup as well as surge protection are something I take seriously.

 

[Vorpalis]

+1 for Synology. We've used almost every brand of NAS over the years and had the fewest problems with Synology. We've got dozens of them in use at work.

Two notes:

• If you go with Synology, let it use Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR), which is the default. Or if you go with another brand, use RAID-1 or RAID-5. Don't use RAID-0 (aka "striping"), because if any one of the disks dies or the data gets corrupted, then you lose the data on all of them. RAID-0 is like negative-redundancy.
• "Two is one, and one is none" applies here: you will still want a cloud backup of your NAS, because if something bad happens to it, like it gets stolen or your house burns down, you will want a backup (or a backup of your backup, as the case may be).

 

[etrain16]

+1 for Synology. We've used almost every brand of NAS over the years and had the fewest problems with Synology. We've got dozens of them in use at work.

Two notes:

• If you go with Synology, let it use Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR), which is the default. Or if you go with another brand, use RAID-1 or RAID-5. Don't use RAID-0 (aka "striping"), because if any one of the disks dies or the data gets corrupted, then you lose the data on all of them. RAID-0 is like negative-redundancy.
• "Two is one, and one is none" applies here: you will still want a cloud backup of your NAS, because if something bad happens to it, like it gets stolen or your house burns down, you will want a backup (or a backup of your backup, as the case may be).

I've considered that, but it get's really expensive for the amount of storage I would need. I save every file (important ones) in at least 2 locations on different types of media. I use BD-R discs to backup my video and photo files on top of storing them on removable hard drives. I store the discs away from home, the drives are stored in my safe (with a fire rating). The NAS would be a 3rd storage location in addition to the ones I already use, but would be the easiest and quickest to access when I need the data.

As for the RAID, I was considering the RAID-1 format. I know that uses more HDD space, but having had a networked drive crash before (with little recovery), I like the idea of full redundancy.

 

[Vorpalis]

@etrain16 - Keeping a second copy of all your data at a second location is good enough. That's most of what keeping it in the cloud provides.

As for RAID, type 1 is fine in terms of redundancy. If you're using three or more disks, then RAID-5 is a more efficient use of disk capacity, because instead of duplicating an entire disk, it handles redundancy using parity*. Synology's Hybrid RAID is closer to RAID-5, and I prefer it to RAID-1, even with only two disks.

* I can explain this in more detail, if you'd like.

 

[etrain16]

@etrain16 - Keeping a second copy of all your data at a second location is good enough. That's most of what keeping it in the cloud provides.

As for RAID, type 1 is fine in terms of redundancy. If you're using three or more disks, then RAID-5 is a more efficient use of disk capacity, because instead of duplicating an entire disk, it handles redundancy using parity*. Synology's Hybrid RAID is closer to RAID-5, and I prefer it to RAID-1, even with only two disks.

* I can explain this in more detail, if you'd like.

Sure, I'd appreciate more detail. I'm only familiar with the general concept of a RAID drive, I know there are different types, with type 1 being the fully redundant, and, therefore the one that uses/wastes more disc space. The unit I've been looking at is a 2 bay unit, but there is a 4 bay model, if RAID 5 makes more sense, it might be worth it to go with that model instead. Or, if RAID-5 works well with a 2-disc setup, maybe I'm okay. I'm hoping to achieve a total usable space of 10TB when all is said and done. If I use RAID-1, then I understand that means 2 10TB drives (not sure if that's an available option, I've seen 8TB).

 

[ATCclears]

As mentioned, do a periodic backup of the NAS device and keep it elsewhere.

Fire, theft, or even a failure of the NAS device. Shat happens...