Hello Rob,
On Thu, May 31, 2012 11:39, Rob Malpass wrote:
> Hi all
>
> I'm looking for a NAS device / media server - need a recommendation
> please.
>
> 1) Needs to be able to store 4TB+ of data so presumably need at least 2
> drive bays.
>
> 2) Needs to be on 24/7
>
> I was thinking (and this list has previously raved about) a HP
> microserver. However this gives me a dilemma. I have a PC I could
> resurrect at the cost of the drives (which I'd need for the microserver
> anyway) and the cost of a big PSU (big enough to run several hard drives
> in one box). Said cost would probably come out just under the £230 for
> a microserver.
>
> All of my previous NAS devices (Bufallo Linkstation, Netgear SLU, Netgear
> ReadyNAS) have all been devoted NAS units so this is the first time I'd
> ever be buying a "proper" server if I bought the HP thing. So I guess my
> question is - why not build a machine myself instead of the microserver?
> Quietness isn't much of an issue because it'll be in a room separate to
> the TV. Are there any other considerations here?
There are several things that counts heavily in the HP Microserver's favour:
* As opposed to the self-build thing, you have relatively easy vendor
escalation if things goes pear-shaped
* It can take 4x LFF SATA drives, so you can chuck 2x, 3x or 4x 4TB drives
in there and play with various levels of RAID for redundancy. The 3.5"
drives are cheaper and loads bigger capacity wise than their 2.5"
counterparts.
* It's still a low-power device.
* It has been designed to be used in a 24x7 environment.
* The price is right! :-)
I can probably go on, but will spare you that. Don't get me wrong, I love
the DIY route for things, but if you have 4TB+ of data to store - that is
an awfully large amount of data to lose... I break out into a cold sweat
just thinking about it!
Anyway, even singing the HP's praises, remember that nothing is 100%
certain. Because you will be using software to do RAID, things might go
wrong. Depending on your budget, I would suggest you evaluate additional
layers of backup.
--
Regards,
Jan Henkins
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