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Wanting to build NAS that can transcode. What hardware?


famulor

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Just curious - why 2TB drives vs.. 4TB?

 

[EDIT] Good price on 4TB WD Red at Amazon right now..

http://www.amazon.com/Red-4TB-NAS-Hard-Drive/dp/B00EHBERSE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442435844&sr=8-2&keywords=wd+red+pro+4tb

@@Dizzy49 clued into it...here is the zfs pool strategy I'm working with.

 

Tl;Dr : i can only afford 8 x 2tb drives, or 6 x 3tb drives, or 4 x 4tb drives etc. 8 x 2tb drives give me more usable storage in the long run at the cheapest price and lowest hassle than 6 or 4 drives would.

 

----------

 

It's not about immediate term capacity, but instead immediate term financial constraints and long term economies of scale. I have a budget to stay within but want to ensure I think long term as well.

 

With a zfs pool, you cannot expand it out (add more drives) unless you back it up, blow it away, add more drives, and then rebuild it and restore data.

 

But what you can do is expand the pool using the same number of drives, but at higher capacity.

 

So being cash constrained, I'm laying down a foundation that anticipates my long term storage growth needs while minimizing both current and future investment.

 

Here is how the approach works in practice...rough numbers since I'm on my phone.

 

Using raidz2 (2 drive parity) with 20% capacity buffer...

 

Size     #   Usable Space    PP Drive         PP Usable TB    Total Cost

 

2TB       8          9440           $ 88.99          $ 75.415               $ 711.92

3TB       6          9440           $ 108.89        $ 69.210               $ 653.34                                                            

6TB       6         18890          $ 248.99        $ 79.086               $ 1,493.94

6TB       8         28340          $ 248.99        $ 70.287               $ 1,991.92

Therefore, with a 8 drive pool, I triple my (original) max capacity capabilities in the long run instead of just doubling it at 6 drives.

 

Now, for me, is a 8 drive pool absolutely necessary. No its a nice to have if I can find all the right components at around the same cost of my budget.

 

To put it another way, I'd rather have quick sync and 6 drives than non-quick sync and 8 drive pool.

 

The nice thing is I still have a ton of options on storage down the road should I find myself needing to upgrade beyond a 6x6tb max. I can upgrade the pool by rebuilding it and adding more drives, or simply create a new pool with a new set of drives. Also i bet 8tb drives will become cost efective by the time i max out my 18tb pool!

 

Hopefully I didn't lose, or bore you.

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Edited by Kent
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Yeah the SuperMicro X10SLH-F looks nice. I liked the C222 one because it had SAS connections as well. I have a LSI 8i right now, and the 6 SATA will be JUST enough for the rest of my drives, but I would prefer SAS.

So, I think is the X10SLH-F and Xeon 1246 for me :D

 

I'm not entirely clear on what IPMI is or how it works. I'm sure once I figure it out I'll use it since my server sits in a rack in the basement.

 

Edit: Odd, can't find that mobo on PC Parks Picker.

You will love the ipmi. Imagine windows remote desktop without windows, remote desktop, or even the server needing to be powered on.

 

You connect to it via Web or java client, power up the server and spin up a window to interact with the boot or OS. All from the comfort of your office chair.

 

I couldn't find the slh on pc part picker either, had to manually add it. I'll share my revised parts list later.

 

P.s. can I buy your lsi 8i for cheap? [emoji12]

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

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You will love the ipmi. Imagine windows remote desktop without windows, remote desktop, or even the server needing to be powered on.

 

You connect to it via Web or java client, power up the server and spin up a window to interact with the boot or OS. All from the comfort of your office chair.

 

I couldn't find the slh on pc part picker either, had to manually add it. I'll share my revised parts list later.

 

P.s. can I buy your lsi 8i for cheap? [emoji12]

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

I got the gist of the IPMI when I saw is supported KVM over Ethernet.  I'll just have to figure out how that works.  I used to have a KVM for all my machines.  I use RDP to connect to the server now, but I there are times where a popup won't show and it's stuck because of it, and you can't really shutdown or restart (I use batch files via RDP).

 

Sorry, I either need the 8i for the new setup, or it's going with the entire thing to my boss.  My 8i is only a HBA though.

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Hopefully I didn't lose, or bore you.

 

 

Nah, I've been through various options over the years.  I know I worked with ZFS at one point.  Is that in FreeNAS?  I know it was right around the same point I used FreeNAS.  

How's this for an ugly setup.

 

I had two hardware raid controllers.  They would take 5 drives each.  Couldn't add to them once created.  So I created a RAID5 array on each one, then I created an a array RAID1 I think (I always get them confused) between the two arrays.

 

5x 2TB in RAID 5 = 8TB

5x 2TB in RAID 5 = 8TB

8TB + 8TB in RAID1 = 16TB

 

That was when my drives were ALL spinning almost constantly.  It was fast, but unstable, and from my experience and other reports, it just ate drives.

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Yes, target platform is FreeNAS with Emby running as a plugin in its own jail.  FreeNAS will boot off of 2 mirrored USB sticks.

 

Ohh hardware RAID, well better than software RAID!  But ZFS much preferred in the form of FreeNAS in my opinion.

 

Here is the updated setup, maybe the last version? Is it possible!?  haha

 

Summary:

 

FreeNAS ZFS file system running RAIDZ2 6 Drive pool - Server class mainboard and CPU including Quick Sync Enabled, dedicated ipmi RJ45, intel nics, Intel c226 chipset

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1246 V3 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($276.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($132.09 @ Adorama)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($132.09 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($108.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($108.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($108.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($108.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($108.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($108.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($73.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Fractal Design GP14-WT 68.4 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($14.99 @ SuperBiiz)
UPS: CyberPower CP1000PFCLCD UPS  ($139.95 @ B&H)
Other: SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SLH-F ($207.99)
Total: $1706.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-16 19:48 EDT-0400

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Here is the updated setup, maybe the last version? Is it possible!?  haha

 

 

Looks great!

 

No, it's not the last version until it's installed and running.  Between now and then anything can happen!

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LOL, so true.  I'm looking at maybe spending the extra few bucks for the E3-1276 v3 :D

 

Not sure how greedy I should get though!  I probably already have too much RAM in the system and the CPU should be fine, especially if hardware acceleration kicks in for Emby transcodes!

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FWIW regarding the x10SAT, here is the response from supermicro. Actually surprised they responded to me so quickly.

 

Hi Kent,

 

X10SAT supports QuickSync with E3-1246 V3.

 

BR,

Milton

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@@Dizzy49

 

We have a problem!  Email from supermicro.  I doubt they have a drive for it but I sent him a response.  Oh wait, just thinking *maybe* we don't need a CPU graphics output port since we actually don't care about the graphics, we just want them GPU to accelerate instructions for ffmpeg? 

 

Hi Kent,

 

X10SLH-F can support it but it’s not as straight forward as X10SAT because there is no CPU graphics output port from the board.

We’ve verified it to work with E3-1285 V3 on Win 7 and Win 8.1.

 

Which OS and application are you planning to use?

Depending OS is Windows or not, we may not have driver for it.

 

 

BR,

Milton

 

 

Response to my email back to them explaining OS and application:

 

Kent,

 

The key thing is  OS driver has to be able to assign CPU graphics output to a virtual primary display.

We have not tested such driver on FreeNAS yet so we don’t know yet.

 

By the way, who is your Supermicro Sales contact?

 

Best regards,

Milton

 

Edited by Kent
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I'll be running Windows, and I can drop a cheap video card I have laying around in to set it up.  After that I can use RDP, but I think I'd want to figure out the IPMI.

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Yes, you're all set then.  They confirmed they have a driver for Windows 7 and 8. I don't think you need a video card considering the onboard gpu.

 

Waiting on them coming back to me on whether there is an issue with FreeNAS. 

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Here is my monster.  Wife gave me a $2500 budget.  Since I already have the 8i I should be good :)

 


 

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1276 V3 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12 37.8 CFM CPU Cooler  ($60.89 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($123.99 @ Adorama) 

Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($123.99 @ Adorama) 


Storage: Toshiba  5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Toshiba  5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Toshiba  5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Toshiba  5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Toshiba  5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Toshiba  5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.99 @ Amazon) 


Case Fan: Noctua NF-P12 PWM 120mm  Fan  ($17.98 @ OutletPC) 

Case Fan: Noctua NF-P12 PWM 120mm  Fan  ($17.98 @ OutletPC) 

Case Fan: Noctua NF-P12 PWM 120mm  Fan  ($17.98 @ OutletPC) 

Case Fan: Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM 31.4 CFM 80mm  Fan  ($13.49 @ OutletPC) 

Case Fan: Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM 31.4 CFM 80mm  Fan  ($13.49 @ OutletPC) 

Other: SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SLH-F ($207.99)

Other: Norco 4224 4U 24 Bay Server Case ($399.00)

Other: NORCO RL-26 Heavy-Duty Slide Ball Bearing Rail ($39.99)

Other: LSI 9300-8​i HBA Cont​roller ($299.00)

Other: 120mm Fan Wall Bracket ($15.00)

Total: $2713.68

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-17 17:07 EDT-0400

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That's a pretty beefy box there! I see you are picking up another LSI 8i!

 

Are you using the server mainly for NAS and Media (Emby I assume), and other apps i imagine?

 

Looks great though!  Good luck with the build and let me know how you like the mobo/cpu combo.

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No, I included the 8i that I already have for good measure, or in case someone else wanted to replicate it.

 

You are correct, it is mainly a NAS and Emby server, though it will also handle all my torrent and archiving/unarchiving duties as well :)

 

I'm expecting this guy to last me for many years... Or until we win the lottery, whichever comes first.

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I'm gonna ask this again. Is it possible to build a media server/NAS and let it sync to other family members NAS so every time i upload some content it ends up on their NAS/media server aswell? If its easy to do i only need to transcode to 2 chromecasts. 

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xnappo

I'm gonna ask this again. Is it possible to build a media server/NAS and let it sync to other family members NAS so every time i upload some content it ends up on their NAS/media server aswell? If its easy to do i only need to transcode to 2 chromecasts. 

Sure that is *possible* are you in some country with huge amounts of bandwidth available or something though?  It would be a huge amount of data to keep synced, and require double the storage of course.

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Sure that is *possible* are you in some country with huge amounts of bandwidth available or something though?  It would be a huge amount of data to keep synced, and require double the storage of course.

 

We dont have a "fair use" limit on our internet and we have decent upload so all it really requires is time. After i upload my initial content (3tb) i cant see why it would require huge amount of data? Isnt there a program that only copys/syncs newly uploaded content? About the double storage then its surely my familys problem and not mine since its them that buys their own harddrives for their NAS :P 

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legallink

We dont have a "fair use" limit on our internet and we have decent upload so all it really requires is time. After i upload my initial content (3tb) i cant see why it would require huge amount of data? Isnt there a program that only copys/syncs newly uploaded content? About the double storage then its surely my familys problem and not mine since its them that buys their own harddrives for their NAS :P

 

There are a lot of programs that will sync folders across multiple machines. You just have to pick one. For instance crash plan will do a "backup" to a machine you own for free. There are several programs,s out there

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There are a lot of programs that will sync folders across multiple machines. You just have to pick one. For instance crash plan will do a "backup" to a machine you own for free. There are several programs,s out there

Glad to hear :) the current harddrives i have are in a synology disk station and im wondering if i can just put the harddrives into my new build and keep my content? or do synology do something to the harddrive so its in its own format?

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The kodi guys are recommending the asrock beebox alot as a client device (that can handle 1080p without problems) and then have a "weak" server for content and NO transcoding. What are your guys point of view on that? even if i want emby server for kodi client? then i could replace the chromecasts with a beebox and a WD TV live or something like that (i know it dosent support emby nor kodi but the WD tv is in the bedroom so i can live with that)

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The kodi guys are recommending the asrock beebox alot as a client device (that can handle 1080p without problems) and then have a "weak" server for content and NO transcoding. What are your guys point of view on that? even if i want emby server for kodi client? then i could replace the chromecasts with a beebox and a WD TV live or something like that (i know it dosent support emby nor kodi but the WD tv is in the bedroom so i can live with that)

 

That makes sense if you take Emby out of the equation.  It's actually what I did.  The server is just a glorified file server at that point, and your clients do the heavy lifting.  Technology has changed, and while I will still have my Kodi box and WDTV that can do transcoding, I will also have an Emby server that can stream to lite clients in the home or on the road.

 

We are actually taking a family trip next week, and I'm trying to get the Emby server all configured and set up nicely so that we can watch things on our tablets from the hotel and airport.

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That's a pretty beefy box there! I see you are picking up another LSI 8i!

 

Are you using the server mainly for NAS and Media (Emby I assume), and other apps i imagine?

 

Looks great though!  Good luck with the build and let me know how you like the mobo/cpu combo.

 

Bought the mobo today, and will order the CPU this Thursday or Friday.  Since I actually have the case and drives already, I will just swap out the mobo, cpu and ram then reconfigure with Drivepool and Scanner.  It'll be nice since FlexRAID keeps the data on the drives even when not in the pool, and Drivepool will add drives to a pool that already have data.  So that should be fairly easy.

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That makes sense if you take Emby out of the equation.  It's actually what I did.  The server is just a glorified file server at that point, and your clients do the heavy lifting.  Technology has changed, and while I will still have my Kodi box and WDTV that can do transcoding, I will also have an Emby server that can stream to lite clients in the home or on the road.

 

We are actually taking a family trip next week, and I'm trying to get the Emby server all configured and set up nicely so that we can watch things on our tablets from the hotel and airport.

 

Well im pretty sure that no matter what i'll run emby server for the scraping and such but since its going to be a "home" nas it wont be transcoding to "lite" devices. So my plan is buying some sort of media player that works with either Kodi or Emby and then build a NAS that can handle emby server (dont think my Synology DS213+ can?) that way i have alot of places i can upgrade over the years to come so i dont get bored :P 

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Ended up ordering the RAM today.  I'll have to wait a few weeks until I can order the CPU.  Getting closer though!

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  • 3 weeks later...
Dizzy49

Ordered the processor and a couple drives today.

 

I'm going to try to play with Drivepool a bit while I wait for the parts.

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