So… I’m smarter than your average bear but I’m no Network Admin.
Almost a decade ago I purchased a QNAP TVS-671 with the intent of using it for backup and serving media at home. To this day it still performs those services.
I use Ubiquiti network gear and have their Rolling Mini Rack. I’ve been thinking about upgrading to a QNAP TS-873AeU-4G 2U unit for the increased capacity, processing power and short-depth design.
Now, while it’s all I’ve ever known as far as NAS software, and I’ve had no particular problems with it, I gather QTS is regarded as something of a smoldering pile amongst the community (no offense taken).
My initial thinking was to just buy the new box, shut down the old box, move the drives to the new box and push the “Go” button. But then I got to pondering like a Pooh would do and thought… “Well, why not TrueNAS or Unraid?” Hence… my presence.
Supermicro seems all the rage here, but from what I can tell it doesn’t fit my space or budget.
Where I firmly plant my face to the ground is migrating away from QTS on QNAP hardware. I believe QTS drives are proprietary, so at the very least I’d have to purchase two new HDD, migrate one of the existing three RAID 1 pools to the two new drives, wipe the two old drives, put them in the new box and repeat the process for the 2nd and 3rd pools. All that assumes TrueNAS or Unraid would play nice with QNAP hardware. It’s also my understanding that neither TrueNAS nor Unraid operate in traditional RAID fashion.
All that to ask, how deep is this rabbit hole, cuz I’m not sure I’ve got the rope for it?
LZ
What are you uses or requirements for this new NAS? The low end of the iX Systems line for TrueNAS is the Mini line. This gives you an idea on minimum specs, etc. These are lower power usage, aimed at home or small office and are quieter than conventional rack models. If you go with that, it just works and is server grade, like has ECC RAM, etc.
Thanks for the quick reply. As it happens, I have a smallbarky of my own… a 12 lb Pom. He’s a riot.
My use case is simple, just data backup and sending movies over wires and wirelessly to Apple TVs running the Infuse app. I’m starting to mess with Docker for things like a PiHole server and Home Assistant, but I’ve RPis for that.
A couple years back I looked at the iX Systems hardware but for whatever reason it didn’t occur to me to revisit it now. I’ll remedy that in greater detail over the coming days. I’d like a rack mount NAS this time around and I’m not sure yet on the form factor of the Mini. Ubiquiti has been teasting a larger, floor standing rack on their site for some time now, but price and availabilty are yet to be determined. It’s also more expensive than the QNAP box I was considering but likely better appointed. The fact that I can buy it off Amazon helps since I can use my gift card balance.
So in your opinion, regardless of the entry point, the iX Systems hardware is of high quality? I have no frame of reference.
I’ll also spend some time looking at that ZFS Primer.
There is a Mini R model. 12 bay rack mount. .
I guess it comes down to your price point and how much you want to be involved in maintaining the hardware and such. If your up for it I would certainly suggest building it yourself. If you want a turnkey system like the QNAP then I would suggest the iX hardware. At a previous company i worked at we deployed the iX TrueNAS Enterprise hardware and I have to say in the 8 years I was there they just worked. Some upgrades and such but for the most part never had any issues. The current gen consumer systems seem to have the same reputation from what I’ve read. I personally build my own (see signature) but I have setup several friends with their consumer gear and all is good.
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One nice thing with going with the Mini series or any iX Systems setup is you can view the enclosure inside the TrueNAS software.
I’ve purchased 3 different servers from iX since 2012. The first being a 1U 4-Bay, the second being a Mini XL+ 8-Bay, and the latest this year a Mini-R 12-Bay. All three are working very well. I’ve been very happy with their hardware. Since I’m unable to code or contribute directly to OpenZFS and other open-source projects, I feel the best way I can support them is by backing a company that actively does.
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I looked it over quickly at first, now I see that it’s a lot deeper than the QNAP box at 21 inches, so I’d need a new rack. Interestingly, it’s not in their Mini system overview video, so it must be the newest member of the family. Odd to me that more such hardware isn’t short-depth like the QNAP, which is under 12 inches. Is it primarily for cooling reasons?
The Mini R is more expensive than the QNAP box by about $500, but not out of the realm of possibility. Good to hear it’s well regarded. This whole build your own approach, however, had never occurred to me for this kinda hardware. I need to look into that some more. Where do you like to shop for that?
Ye olde “carrot.” Pretty cool - I like that.
- oops… wrong button. [chuckle] New Guy.
Exceptional point. And thanks for the 12 year hardware report. My needs don’t require frequent updates, so nice to know the stuff lasts and is supported.
You have a networking gear rack and not a server rack. The server racks start at about 29 inch depth and now there are 42 inch depth.
This is one place that shows a good selection and has a few articles on the equipment
https://www.racksolutions.com/
Video of Tom from Lawrence Systems with a review of the Mini R. He does a good job going over all the features.
