Building my very first Network Attached Storage (NAS) Need help please!

Grant2001

I would like someone guidance in helping me with parts for this build. Buying a Synology NAS does cost money, its designed with all the bells and whistles. However, within 5 years and you'll need to upgrade to something better as that is the lifespan of their software. I want to build something that can be updated and basically have all the bells and whistles like a Synology DS1621+ would carry by default. Is this possible or not? Please help?

I want to use it to do the following:

Host a website (if possible?)

Transcode media up to 10 screens (or less)

wifi and Bluetooth cap with expansion

6+ HDD with 2 SSD'd for cache

1gb network (upgradeable to 10gbe)

TS_JosephF

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/9312/building-my-very-first-network-attached-storage-nas-need-help-please

For something that would be able to support all the features you listed a NAS alone is going to cut it. Network Attached Storage is typically only to be used for that, data storage.

For this we are talking about a dedicated server PC that would be used to host the site and transcode media up to 10 screens. I would say a pretty powerful server at that. Then adding WiFi and Bluetooth capabilites as well, you might want to get a PC with a large case so you can install multiple drives and use it as a NAS essentially.

I am curious though, is WiFi a necessity when it will always be connected via Ethernet? Or do you intend on connecting it to WiFi at times instead of using Ethernet?

In terms of building just a NAS itself, it can be done but it would basically mean you are building a PC with extra storage and programming it to serve the role as a Data or File server over the network. Which that itself is not difficult. It is the other tasks such as hosting the site or transcoding the media that will be more challenging.

Grant2001

It would be connected through Ethernet. I wanted wifi to be able to plug-n-play with other options like home assistance. For a person like me to build something, its beyond my scope of knowledge. How will I know the parts I am picking will serve my build? I have "no clue" on parts, connections, or otherwise. 've gone on Youtube, but I can't really put my trust on those builds as they are build ing for other reasons that don't fit my scope. I am now clueless!

Grant2001

On top of that, I have tried to contact Micro Center for help and someone would call me back or email me. But that was over a week ago. So now, i'm forced to search the mighty internet for solutions and help! So that's all i'm looking for.

TS_JosephF

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/35523#Comment_35523

What is your budget for this? I can put something together with our system builder on our website. We can build it for you in-store. Just keep in mind the File Server setup of this and all the other Server Roles and features you want implemented, you will have to setup yourself as our stores do not offer this as a service.

Grant2001

Well between $500-800. (this is how much a DS1621+ costs) I wasn't to reuse my Mac Pro (cheese grater case (if at all possible). I will make alterations as needed to fit equipment. I want to build something similar like a Synology DS1621+ NAS. I want simple ,quiet and easy to upgrade for future expansions. If you can help me, that would be great! I thought of spending the money in buying a Synology DS1621+, but its software is no longer supported after 5 years. So I wasn't something that again, can do the same as those machines.

TS_JosephF

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/35526#Comment_35526

It is going to be a challenge to get a powerful server build for that budget. You have to think for the features you are looking for, you would need a NAS plus a server essentially so the cost will be quite a bit more than just a NAS itself.

This is what I have put together for you: https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=d9297318-40dc-43ba-afe5-60bac0aa63d3

The CPU would be fine as a basic server but to encode media up to 10 screens, this simply won't cut it. You will want a dedicated GPU for that and that part alone is going to be $1,500 or more as you would need a 3080 or perhaps a 3090 for this.

The 10105 CPU would be fine as a File Server though. I went with 1 TB SSDs and four 2 TB HDDs for this. I know you want 6 however from what we have, the cases that support more than 4 HDDs can be a bit more expensive. The Windows license is optional if you have one already.

This is the cost without getting a better CPU cooler or getting additional case fans too so this is more or less the minimum of what you need. Let us know what you think.

magarity

Have you looked at a package called OpenMediaVault? It is a NAS hosting system based on Linux. It has support for Docker. You can definitely have a variety of Dockers that will host a website. Not sure exactly about the 10 screens though but there's probably some Docker that you can either use or adapt for that. I use OMV for NAS plus a Docker for security webcams. Works great although Docker takes a while to figure out how to set it up if you are new to it.