after 10 Years of Synology ... my first custom build NAS

john.doe79

Dabbler
Joined
Aug 17, 2019
Messages
30
Hello,

I was building computers back in the '90s and early 2ks but haven't done that for a while. While using iMac, MacBook, Lenovo Thinkpads and as storage Synology I haven't build any computer for ages.

My Synology DS415play does not satisfy my demands to PLEX anymore, so I would need to get a new one. I build a custom PC for the same price as the DS1019+.
  • processor: Intel Core i3-8300, 4x 3.70GHz, boxed
  • ram: 2x Kingston ValueRAM DIMM 16GB, DDR4-2666, CL19-19-19 (KVR26N19D8/16)
  • board: Gigabyte C246-WU4
  • shiny case: Antec P101 Silent
  • nice silent PSU: be quiet! Straight Power 11 450W ATX 2.4 (BN280)
  • Some local flashy storage: Corsair Force Series MP300 240GB, M.2

I do have:
  • 128GB Corsair Voyager GTX
  • 256GB Corsair Voyager GTX
To have a mirror boot (OS) pool

and:
  • 3x 4TB WD Red
  • 2x 3TB WD Red
  • 1x 8TB Seagate (something, currently in a USB enclosure)
I would like to have the 3x 4TB WD Reds as one Pool Raid-Z mainly for an interim to copy the 7TB Data from the USB enclosure to. Can I hook it up to USB 3.0 and access the data locally (NTFS, not encrypted)?

Once the 8TB from the USB is copied to the Raid-Z pool, I would like to have the 8TB as a single disk in the PC case (how to config/call that?). The data will then copied back to the 8TB disk. Once it is there, I would like to erase the Raid-Z pool and create a Raid-Z2 (or mirrored?) Pool out of the 3x 4TBs to have a data storage for my Pictures and Documents (off-site backup is provided in OneDrive).

The 2x 3TB I would also like to put in as a single drives: one will be the target of a DVR (network) and the other will host the Kids Plex library (moving from the 8TB, where currently are all the Plex Libraries).

The Corsair Force Series MP300 240GB, M.2 should become the drive where I host VMs (backing them up to the 3x 4TB (with redundancy) Pool).

Beside FreeNAS I would like to use some plugins/docker/VMs:

  • plugin: Plex Media Server (Plex Pass)
  • plugin: sabnzbd
  • docker: unifi controller (later, when I upgrade my wifi/network)
  • docker: pi-hole
  • vm: Ubuntu (lab, learning)
  • vm: Windows 10 Pro (occasionally testing)
  • vm: pfSense (when the network is upgraded, will add a I350-T4 then to the PC)
Is that feasible? Did I overlook something?

Regards

Chris
 
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
149
Hi and welcome to the forums!

First of all, I'd recommend checking out the first two links in my signature. They'll help you get your head around the FreeNAS and ZFS terminology (aas it really is important and makes things much easier if you know your RAIDz1's from your Stripes) and they'll go over some of the fundamentals of ZFS which are essential to know and understand before even using FreeNAS or ZFS.

My Synology DS415play does not satisfy my demands to PLEX any more, so I would need to get a new one. I build a custom PC for the same price as the DS1019+.
  • processor: Intel Core i3-8300, 4x 3.70GHz, boxed
  • ram: 2x Kingston ValueRAM DIMM 16GB, DDR4-2666, CL19-19-19 (KVR26N19D8/16)
  • board: Gigabyte C246-WU4
  • shiny case: Antec P101 Silent
  • nice silent PSU: be quiet! Straight Power 11 450W ATX 2.4 (BN280)
  • Some local flashy storage: Corsair Force Series MP300 240GB, M.2

I'd recommend a different case personally. I'd recommend the Fractal Design Define R5 as the design is superior to the Antec P101 in several ways. I can go into more detail if you wish but for now, I don't want this comment to stray too far off course.


I do have:
  • 128GB Corsair Voyager GTX
  • 256GB Corsair Voyager GTX
To have a mirror boot (OS) pool

Just be aware that FreeNAS uses the entire capacity of the boot disk(s).

and:
  • 3x 4TB WD Red
  • 2x 3TB WD Red
  • 1x 8TB Seagate (something, currently in a USB enclosure)
I would like to have the 3x 4TB WD Reds as one Pool Raid-Z mainly for an interim to copy the 7TB Data from the USB enclosure to. Can I hook it up to USB 3.0 and access the data locally (NTFS, not encrypted)?

My understanding of FreeNAS's support for NTFS is limited to say the least. I believe FreeNAS does have support for NTFS but that it should be considered read only. I think you'd be able to connect an NTFS formated disk directly to a FreeNAS system and copy data over to you pool.

The reason my knowledge is lacking in this area is two fold, first I've never had the need to connect a NTFS disk to my server and second, whenever I've stumbled upon the subject, the adivce has always been to connect the NTFS disk to a PC and transfer it's data over your LAN. It might be slower but it's safer.

Once the 8TB from the USB is copied to the Raid-Z pool, I would like to have the 8TB as a single disk in the PC case (how to config/call that?). The data will then copied back to the 8TB disk. Once it is there, I would like to erase the Raid-Z pool and create a Raid-Z2 (or mirrored?) Pool out of the 3x 4TBs to have a data storage for my Pictures and Documents (off-site backup is provided in OneDrive).

The 2x 3TB I would also like to put in as a single drives: one will be the target of a DVR (network) and the other will host the Kids Plex library (moving from the 8TB, where currently are all the Plex Libraries).

As I said, read the links in my sig as they'll clear up any confusion over terminology and they'll tell you why you should keep the single disks in their own Pool / Volume. It will also explain why single disk and striped "vdevs" do not protect you against data corruption.

Your plan isn't ideal but it should work. As for the quesstion of mirrored vs RAIDz2, that really depends on what performance you require, how you want to be able to upgrade the system and most important of all... how robust your backups are and thus, what level of parity you're comfortable with.

The Corsair Force Series MP300 240GB, M.2 should become the drive where I host VMs (backing them up to the 3x 4TB (with redundancy) Pool).

Beside FreeNAS I would like to use some plugins/docker/VMs:

  • plugin: Plex Media Server (Plex Pass)
  • plugin: sabnzbd
  • docker: unifi controller (later, when I upgrade my wifi/network)
  • docker: pi-hole
  • vm: Ubuntu (lab, learning)
  • vm: Windows 10 Pro (occasionally testing)
  • vm: pfSense (when the network is upgraded, will add a I350-T4 then to the PC)
Is that feasible? Did I overlook something?

Regards

Chris

I'd advise you to forget about using Docker on FreeNAS.

FreeNAS / FreeBSD does not have native Docker support, so in order to use Docker on FreeNAS, you'd have to run a Linux VM which, in the case of the UniFi Controller, would be a waste. Besides, a lot of applications can be installed in Jails which have considerable upsides vss running Docker in it's own VM. Case in point being the UniFi Controller. I know because I have my Controller installed in a Jail.

Plex is also easily installed in a Jail and I'd recommend it over using the Plugin but that's largely personal preference. Sabnzbd I can't comment on but I the same would probably apply.

As for pi-hole, I have seen other users running it on FreeNAS but whether it's a good idea, I can't say. Which brings me to the most important point regarding the applications you wish to run...

It is a bad idea to run pfSense on FreeNAS. It really should be run on it's own hardware but if you really must virtualise it, you should be using a proper hypervisor. And why not use pfSense for ad blocking?
 
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