New to FreeNAS and questions about build

[rkeel]

Im new to FreeNAS but have a friend using it, and I am going to implement it into my home network.
I will have a HTPC running XBMCBuntu (xbmc live basically) that will be my primary playback device. I will also have a ps3 that I stream to, and cell phones that I stream to when I am not home.

I am building a new server to handle all of this, and was looking for some pointers.

Hardware:

CPU: AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500)
Case: Rosewill R5 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
HDD's: SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Currently I have 3 2tb Samsung F4's, and am at about 80% capacity. I use them to store all my media, majority of which is movies, but there is several folders dedicated to pics, music, personal data, etc.

I will probably be adding a 4th F4 to the setup + 1 or 2 F4's for parody.

This server will act as my FTP server (FileZilla), ripping my blurays (DVDFab), and running PLEX for streaming/transcoding purposes. It will be running W7 and VMWare for FreeNAS, and I will have it configured so the VMware will always boot with W7. This machine also will be running 85%-90% of the time

Out of the server, I do want reliability/safety of my data.
Also, I do want the capability in the future to add more drives if needed without having to back everything up, or create a secondary raid.

My questions is, do you think this is overkill?
And I have been looking at raid5 (which FreeNAS calles raidZ), would this be the best way to go? Im new to running raids, and based on the reading I have done, it seems raid6>raid5 for better reliability.

I really appreciate any and all help.

 

[ProtoSD]

This server will be running Windows 7 since it will act as my FTP server, ripping my blurays, and running PLEX for streaming/transcoding purposes.

Silly question, if it will be running Windows 7, how do you plan to run FreeNAS?

 

[rkeel]

Silly question, if it will be running Windows 7, how do you plan to run FreeNAS?

Sorry let me clearify.

It will be running W7 and VMWare for FreeNAS, and I will have it configured so the VMware will always boot with W7. This machine also will be running 85%-90% of the time

 

[ProtoSD]

Ok, that makes more sense ;)

I don't think it's overkill, but I think you need more RAM. FreeNAS will need at least 4GB, and if you're going to be doing all that other stuff in Windows, I think more RAM is important.

So how many disks will be dedicated to your storage array in FreeNAS? I'd recommend raidz2, which means an even number of disks (probably 6 in your case). It's better to do it correctly now AND make sure you're going to have enough storage to satisfy your needs for awhile. If you're doing a lot of ripping and downloading, it will fill up in a hurry. When you have that much storage at your disposal, it's easy to just start saving everything you think you might want.

 

[rkeel]

Would I be able to do raidz2 with only 5 disks now (3data 2 redundant), and have the capability to add a 6th in the future without having to do a complete rebuild?
And 8gb ram wouldn't really be adequate? Im running 4 right now on my pc for ripping/transcoding with plex, and its seems ok.
I also have yet to decide if I want to put a SSD in my HTPC or in this server to hold the OS.

 

[cyberjock]

Deleted...

 

[rkeel]

The powerpoint helped clear up a lot.
Thanks

 

[cyberjock]

Haha. I actually wasn't trying to promote the presentation.. but I'm glad it helped :)

 

[rkeel]

haha. yea it was nice to actually see/understand the differences. thinking ima go with the radiz2 option. more pricey.... but worth it