FreeNAS vs my current NAS setup

moisemust

Cadet
Joined
Aug 6, 2020
Messages
2
Hi guys!
Over the years I gathered quite a few computers (mostly laptops), some I bought, some I was given, some I built myself with old and new parts.
I still have the first NAS I ever bought, a QNAP TS-212P but it's very slow and was on sale when I bought it precisely because of that. I now use it as a backup server for 2 of my PCs. It was originally my main NAS, then a backup NAS for my Synology NAS. Now I use it as a backup NAS for the data on most of my PCs.
My main NAS is now a Synology DS218 with a 8 TB HDD holding all of my data and a 2TB HDD for other stuff like downloads and data sync.
I also have a backup NAS I built using new parts running Openmediavault that backups my Synology 8 TB HDD every night on 4 4TB HDDs in a RAID10 array.
I'm thinking of making it my main NAS and backup its data with the Synology NAS instead of what I'm currently doing. From day 1 I was hesitant on using FreeNAS vs OMV. I opted for OMV for its ease of use and I always heard FreeNAS needed 8 GB of RAM (which was the RAM quantity I originally had in it but I somehow ended up with a total of 32 GB due to an Amazon delivery mistake) + 1 GB for every TB of data. I know it can use less RAM but now I have plenty of it I wonder if I couldn't use FreeNAS on that backup NAS instead of OMV. Plus, FreeNAS seems more secure and reliable than OMV but I don't know FreeBSD at all while I know Debian pretty well which OMV is based on.

Any advice? Plus, I don't think I can simply replace my OMV install on my NAS' SSD with FreeNAS. How can I do that without wiping the data on my RAID array, if even possible?

Thanks in advance.

My setup on my DIY NAS is the following:
Mobo: MSI H370M Bazooka
CPU: Intel Core i3 8100
System storage: WD Green 120 GB M.2 SSD
RAM: I don't remember what brand or if all sticks are the same brand, but I have a total of 32GB of DDR4
Storage: 4 4 TB WD RED HDDs in a RAID10 array.
 

Evertb1

Guru
Joined
May 31, 2016
Messages
700
For your hardware: Please do your self a favour and read the hardware recommendations guide (see resources in the menu above). Your current motherboard and memory are not likely to be recommended hardware. Your CPU should be sufficient because it supports ECC memory. Maybe you decide to go with the hardware you have. But then at least it will be an informed decision. And then you are the only one to blame :tongue:

Concerning your data: it's not likely you will be able to import your data pool in FreeNAS. As far as I know the default file system on OMV is EXT4. It is possible to use ZFS on OMV but that is with a plug in afaik. FreeNAS only supports ZFS. So if you want to use the same WD REDS in a FreeNAS box you need to copy your data to another medium first. You do have a backup strategy do you? After this just clean up the disks (within FreeNAS if you want) before you create a new pool in FreeNAS. And then copy your data back to the new pool.

Before you do anything else I advice you to study some of the resources that are available on the forum, with a little extra attention for this Introduction to ZFS
 

moisemust

Cadet
Joined
Aug 6, 2020
Messages
2
Hi and thanks for the reply.

What are the risks of not using recommended hardware? BTW, the guide you referred me is from 2016.
You're asking if I have a backup strategy, as I say in my original post, this is precisely my backup NAS that I'd like to turn into my main NAS, the NAS it currently backs up (the Synology one) becoming my backup NAS.

Truth is I'm happy with my current setup, I just feel like OMV is fragile, probably because it's easy to use for me. Knowing it uses a very little amount of RAM and 32 GB seems overkill and besides this NAS, only my main desktop uses DDR4 and it's already maxed out (well not really but I have no use for more RAM in it than it already has). Problem is my Synology NAS let me down several times as I was watching video content but it hasn't happened in months.

I also have another desktop that I was given after an internship, but it's 10 years old and is maxed out at 4 GB of RAM. I use it as a testing machine but I'm tempted to turn it into another NAS but I know FreeNAS is off the table.
 
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