Need some tips regarding a home file server

[Riceninja]

I've got 6x1TB drives split between 2 computers right now, and i'm looking to add another 2-3 TB within the year. problem is that my computer cases can't take more drives and my mobos have no more sata slots.

what im thinking right now is to build a file server type computer that will be able to house 8 to 10 HDs, with its only purpose being streaming media files through my wireless network to the other 2 computers. my problem is that every computer case/mobo combination ive looked at doesnt support that many HDs. everytime i search for anything "rack" related, i get search results for things that are $1000+. surely there are cheaper solutions, or am i not looking in the right direction? any build specs/newegg links are appreciated.

also, ive searched some threads and it seems like everyone recommends using windows home server software. given that i dont need raid and will be accessing only one or two files at a time, is this the right way to go? i could stick to windows 7 and homegroup it, but i think itll be slow to search through the 8 HDs for the files that i want.

thanks a lot in advance for any replies.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

Well, noise-factor is up to you. You can get server racks that hold 12~20 HDD's for example for $100 to $500 just fine. But some are really loud because they have a lot of 80mm fans in them which are just loud. Otherwise, what you do is get a normal case that holds like 8 HDDs in the 3.5 bays, and then get a 5.25->3.5 bay cage that converts that space into 3.5 bays as well. Then you have a normal case with something like 12 HDD bays. This is probably more attractive for you since you can get nice cases with that many bays for relatively cheap and then just add the cage to it and have a quiet server. A good case for example could be the NXZT EVO that holds 8 HDD's and has a lot of good air flow. Here's a nice LianLi HDD cage that you can add to make 3 more HDD spots, making it hold 11 HDD's. And here's a cheaper one that does the same thing.

Or again, just get a rack case, like this one. It's cheap, and it can hold about 14 HDD's right away, and you can add an HDD cage to it too to increase that to like 17 or 18. It has 7 bays for HDDs, but it has 7 hanging expansion bits too which you can mount more HDD's. Just look at the pictures and you'll see what I mean. It's louder, but it can ultimately be made quiet and is cheaper for more HDD mounts.

Windows Home Server is good for people who have no idea what they're doing with computers and software. It's idiot proof. But it's also weak software for most enthusiasts that want to control their server their way. For example, WHS has to format the drives itself. It's 32bit only. It doesn't work with RAID, it only does mirroring. Granted, I totally get what you're wanting, in that you don't want to go to separate drives to get to your data, you want that `extended' pool of volume in one place. And sure you can do that, but it'll have no redundancy beyond mirroring, which cuts your actual storage space in half if you were to mirror the data on the volumes. With that many drives, I'd be looking to use RAID6 or something to have some redundancy against data loss. And that won't work with WHS.

Personally I just use normal Windows 7. Otherwise, I also use Kubuntu for file servers. My Win7 server has only a few drives because I changed them out for 2TB drives and I do full 1 to 1 redundancy via mirroring with Fbackup software (no RAID). My Kubuntu server was an experiment to find a free way to replace Windows Home Server (WHS). With the option for software RAID levels and the stability of Linux. It's fantastic. It has a learning curve, but if you're willing to give it a shot, it's free and it's powerful as all get out. Here's something to read.

Another free option is if you're a student, you can use DreamSpark.com to get Windows Server 2008 R2 for free. It verifies via your school's given .EDU email address and then gives you access to their software. Free WS2008R2 is amazing.

Lastly, if you want the power of Debian for a server (stability/sercurity) and the storage pool of WHS (where all the drives appear as a single volume for network use) and the ability to make that pool redundant (something that cannot be done in WHS), then look at Kubuntu. It's the power of Debian with the ease of use of Ubuntu combined into one great distro. It comes with all the things you need for a file share (SAMBA) machine right away. Tons of tutorials on how to set it up within a few clicks of the mouse. And Linux has had the ability to do those large storage pools long before Microsoft came along and put WHS on the market. You use LVM (Large volume manager). It's part of Linux and will allow you to serve several drives as a single volume without using RAID. To take it a step further, you throw in a few other drives that you do not put in this pool, and use Rsynch (free software) to mirror the data on your pool to other drives for redundancy (these drives being drives not in the pool and not shared over the network). This recreates WHS for you for free but also gives you redundancy. Free.

Very best,

 

[Riceninja]

thanks for the awesomely lengthy reply. ive looked into the cases and seems like getting a regular case and doing the drive bay conversions is the way to go. for the mobo, im assuming i can add port multipliers to get as many sata ports as i want?

the software decision is getting a lot more complicated. with regards to whs, are you saying that it will have to format any drive i add? because all of the drives i add will be fully loaded with data. the 32 bit i dont care about, but only allowing mirroring could be a deal breaker. ive never done raid and i know ill need to for this, but im less enthusiastic about the kubuntu route - it sounds like a lotta work, plus ive never used linux before. plus, what kind of compatibility will i see with a windows 7 network, if any?

thanks again

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

You could add port multipliers, but that can get pricey. Or you can just add PCIe SATA controllers. Like 4port or 8port controllers to add more drives as you need. But by the time you need 12+ drives, you might find it cheaper to just get higher capacity drives.

With WHS, any drive you add to the pool is formated by WHS to it's own little system. So don't add a drive that has data on it already, it will kill it, and it warns you before hand. So you can't just add your disks that already have data to the pool. It will not do it. It will ask to format each one.

WHS doesn't allow RAID with the server pool. It has it's own redundancy, called mirroring. It mirrors folders (not drives). So you can select certain folders to have mirroring and others to not if you choose. Those that you mirror are done by WHS copying data onto two different drives in the storage pool.

If linux is scary, all I can say is to give it a try. It's free. Install it on a spare machine. Test it out. Kubuntu is super easy to use and setup. It's meant for people who are not used to using Linux. You can do RAID6 in Linux without a hardware controller, and it's really good. Or as I mentioned, just allow all the drives to pool like they do in WHS using LVM and then use Rsynch to make any folders/data that you want redundant have backups.

You don't need RAID necessarily regardless of which OS you use. I used to use RAID with my server, but I left RAID behind. RAID is a pain. It's not good for high volume disks that you expand upon all the time. I just use Fbackup and do 1:1 mirroring with my drives. I like full redundancy that doesn't use RAID. That way I can use the drives in any machine/device without worrying about RAID controllers, compatibility, drivers, etc.

A note about Linux, compatibility is the name of the game. SAMBA is what it will use. It doesn't matter if it's Windows of Linux. Networking, they're friends. Most websites you visit are running from a Linux based machine serving it.

- Anyhow, go with what works for you. WHS is super easy, does storage pooling and redundancy via folder mirroring. If that's worth $99 to you, go for it. But note that it requires you to format those drives as you add them to the pool. So pre-existing data cannot be on those drives.

Very best,

 

[theevilsharpie]

what im thinking right now is to build a file server type computer that will be able to house 8 to 10 HDs, with its only purpose being streaming media files through my wireless network to the other 2 computers. my problem is that every computer case/mobo combination ive looked at doesnt support that many HDs. everytime i search for anything "rack" related, i get search results for things that are $1000+. surely there are cheaper solutions, or am i not looking in the right direction? any build specs/newegg links are appreciated.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112176
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119152

also, ive searched some threads and it seems like everyone recommends using windows home server software. given that i dont need raid and will be accessing only one or two files at a time, is this the right way to go? i could stick to windows 7 and homegroup it, but i think itll be slow to search through the 8 HDs for the files that i want.

Windows Home Server makes setting up a server with multiple disks easy for novices, but it's not necessary. Any recent version of Windows or Linux is capable of pooling your storage together and sharing it as one large volume.

As for searching, modern operating systems use indexing software to speed up searches. The quantity of files will have a bigger impact on search speed than the size of the volume.

 

[nerp]

I'd go with WHS.

If you transtition to it, you'll ideally start the WHS box with blank drives and begin offloading your existing stuff over the network, drive by drive, removing each drive once you've moved the data off it and into the WHS storage pool before adding to the server. It will be a lengthy process but that's the only way to keep your existing data. I did it and it was worth the effort and easier than messing with RAID. And with redundancy options, safer, too. My house is totally rigged up around my huge storage pool, all my stuff is backed up and I can add any size drive I want to the pool easily. The remote access and other add-ins is the icing on the cake.

 

[JackMDS]

Yeah late 2009/2010 is a transition period.

Giving the current state of the art RAID is Not justfied any more on None professional servers.

However it takes time to Enthusiasts to understand, accept, it and let Go.

.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Yeah late 2009/2010 is a transition period.

Giving the current state of the art RAID is Not justfied any more on None professional servers.

However it takes time to Enthusiasts to understand, accept, it and let Go.

.

I think it's time to lay off the MS Kool-Aid

WHS storage pooling is easy, convenient, and meet's most home users needs, but it can't match the flexibility, performance, or fault resistance of a true RAID array.

 

[JackMDS]

I think it's time to lay off the MS Kool-Aid

WHS storage pooling is easy, convenient, and meet's most home users needs, but it can't match the flexibility, performance, or fault resistance of a true RAID array.

Thank you, that means that I am right. At the moment the someone can not (or would not) starts with convincing argument like this.

"I think it's time to lay off the MS Kool-Aid". I know that I am Right.

.