[wsume99]

So sabnzbd&co run on the 2.5, meaning that only the programs are one the 2.5 and the Media is being downloaded onto the array?

Not exactly. Yes the apps are on the 2.5. Initially all content gets downloaded onto the 2.5 but is then moved to the array during the post processing.

And if you offer your knwoledge, I would like to what exactly the idle mode on unRAID is, since i haven't sunk my teeth into unRAID that much yet.

In my setup idle is sab/SB/CP running but no active downloads and all three array drives spun down.

[User 34959]

wsume99, how does one mount partitions which aren't in the array? Using go script? Somehow using Unmenu? I know Unmenu has some disk management tools but i haven't used it yet myself.

Hopefully i'll be receiving my first Unraid box today (Proliant Microserver) and i'm going to use the included 250GB disk for Sabnzbd etc.

[jwlb]

Jwlb, any particular reason you opted for the dual and and not an Intel build?

As you have said in a later post about the three options. Athlon had the lowest purchase price. Energy usage is not really an issue as I said before as my rental is all-in. I was on a low budget so making costs as low as possible was most important.

Even if it was the server has to run for quite some months to regain the difference between purchase and operating cost.

Lets say the difference is about 12watt idle. Eventhough im sure its less. The price dufference in my setup was 90€.
15w/1000= 0,012
0,012" * 24hours * 30 days= 8,64Kwh per month.
8,64*€0,21=€1,81 (The 0,21 is the average price including night/weekend price)
€90 / €1,81 = 50 months aka 4 years two monhs.

So first I need to move homes and then wait 4 years before im startibg to lose money
0,015

[wsume99]

wsume99, how does one mount partitions which aren't in the array? Using go script? Somehow using Unmenu? I know Unmenu has some disk management tools but i haven't used it yet myself.

Hopefully i'll be receiving my first Unraid box today (Proliant Microserver) and i'm going to use the included 250GB disk for Sabnzbd etc.

Before I answer your question I want you (an anyone else reading this) to know that I am not an unraid expert but just an average user. My linux skills are actually pretty minimal so I'll only answer when I feel confident that I am not steering you in the wrong direction. There is a great group over there in the forums that can answer about any question that you have. They've certainly helped me out a lot.


The answer to your questions are yes and yes. Yes, you can use the disk management page in unmenu to mount the disk and share it on the network. The downside to that method is that you'll have to do this manually each time you restart the machine. So the preferred method is to modify your go script to do all of this automatically as part of the boot process. I can post the lines from my go file that accomplish this when I get home if you'd like.

@jwlb - Your thoughts on the value of power consumption are spot on (not that you needed my approval). In fact I posted something very similar to what you did over in the unraid forums. Basically in the US you can figure that for every watt of power use it's going to cost you about $1 per year (on average) to operate the machine 24x7. However there's something in my mind that seems to compel me to optimize my machines for low power consumption eventhough I know that the payback is going to take a long time.

Now I have to ask if you have ever actually measured the power draw of your server. On paper the difference between the Athlon and an Intel equivalent shouldn't be that large but it could be a lot more than you think it is. Especially if unRAID is not idling the AMD CPU properly as I mentioned in my previous posts. But none of this really matters to you now if you don't have to pay for electricity.

[User 34959]

So the preferred method is to modify your go script to do all of this automatically as part of the boot process. I can post the lines from my go file that accomplish this when I get home if you'd like.

Thanks but not needed. I'm just putting together bits and pieces of information so that i don't have to when the hardware arrives. I will eventually have to buy a pro license when i reach the 3 drive limit and then i can use the cache drive. But until then a single disk outside of array is enough, i don't need the speed benefit which cache drive offers.

[wsume99]

@tovia - That's exactly where I am now. Just waiting to bust the 4TB limit and then I'll get a pro license. However I believe that the preferred method is still to have these apps on a drive that is not in the array or the cache drive either. I've read posts about how you can encounter problems trying to stop the array when you have sab/SB/CP running on the cache drive because of difficulty shutting these processes down. Since I don't have a cache drive I don't know all the details so you'll have to read more about that if/when you cross that bridge.

[IAmNotAUser]

In regards to the case, have a look for the Fractal Designs R3, large, lots of drive bays, good fan placement and soundproofing. The only downside is the price might be a bit high, but I can heartedly recommend it.

[orion2001]

I don't think anyone has suggested this, but is there any reason you wish to have 2 separate systems instead of a single one? I would VERY STRONGLY recommend trying Flexraid out before you commit to UNRAID. Brahim (the creator of FlexRAID) has done some amazing stuff with it in the last few months and the latest web GUI based interface for FlexRAID is the bees knees . You can see some screenshots of the interface here:

http://wiki.flexraid.com/2011/04/03/flex...-settings/

While the real-time RAID is still being improved, the Snapshot RAID solution has been rock stable since last year, and I have been using it without any issues over the last 8 months. While I won't go into all the reasons I think it is a great solution, the one nice thing is that it installs as just another software/service on your OS and so you can have it running on your main system, without the need of having yet another machine running 24x7 and sipping power. Apart from that, it is completely free, and allows you to very easily extend the number of disks in your RAID set-up.

I've been in the same situation as you and after doing a lot of research, I have come up with a solution that works great for me. After realizing how much power my main PC was drawing by leaving it on 24x7, I decided to build myself a powerful, yet efficient HTPC that would also serve as my personal FTP server, torrent downloader, media transcoder, etc. I just finished putting together an i3-2100t build in an Apex MI-008 case (mini-ITX board) that runs really fast, consumes very little power, is very quiet, and also has FlexRAID running and is hooked up to my 4 drive, USB 3.0 storage box (4x2TB). I could easily add another 4 or 8 drive box on the other USB 3.0 port to extend the capacity of my RAID if needed.

While some people will say that Unraid gives you a lot of stability, and you never need to reboot it, I've found Windows 7 to be rock stable on my laptop and desktop over the last couple of years. I just don't see the need to have a separate machine running 24x7 and drawing more power than needed.

Some reasons not to go for my recommendations would probably be:

- If you plan on having a huge number of drives and want them hidden away, and physically separate from your HTPC set-up. However, you still need to have LAN wiring from the other system to your HTPC, so it is roughly equivalent (i.e., you could get a really long USB 3.0 cable instead)

- You actually do prefer having 2 separate machines for each of their individual purposes

[oneFuru]

Ok, since I could get the components cheaper than listing prices (the Electronics Dealer I mentioned) and really want low power consumption and would like to have rather more horsepower for future add-ons and such, I think the i3 will be a good choice.

@wsume99: to come back to the unRAID idle. Since sab,sb,cp are running while in idle, and as soon as an active DL will be added (for example via the myNZB app) the disks will spin up, and start downloading automatically, have I understood that right?

@IAmNotAUser: Thanks, will keep that one in mind!

[oneFuru]

@orion2001: well I haven't really considered that option, because I probably want to share the Media on the Server/NAS to more devices in the future. Also I want a small Box connected to my TV, so that the large Server can be out of sight. But thanks anyway!

[wsume99]

@wsume99: to come back to the unRAID idle. Since sab,sb,cp are running while in idle, and as soon as an active DL will be added (for example via the myNZB app) the disks will spin up, and start downloading automatically, have I understood that right?

You've pretty much got it. Just feed it nzbs and it'll go to work.

More specifically what happens is that my non-array drive is constantly spinning while the apps are running - hence why I'm using a laptop drive. The array drives would all be spun down. Sab downloads the rar files to the non-array drive so the array says spun down while the download is active. The array drives do not spin up until the unpacking is completed and post processing begins. Now keep in mind that the entire array does not spin up, just a single data disk and the parity drive does. After the file is written to the array the disks would spin down again once the spindown timer has been satisfied. Mine is set to 15 minutes.

[oneFuru]

@wsume99: Very nice, really efficient. And when the HTPC is on and has to access the unRAID, the array stays spinned up, otherwise it would result in lag or something, right?

[orion2001]

@orion2001: well I haven't really considered that option, because I probably want to share the Media on the Server/NAS to more devices in the future. Also I want a small Box connected to my TV, so that the large Server can be out of sight. But thanks anyway!

np. With regards to making media available, sharing via Windows should work fine too (that's what I do). You might still want to give FlexRAID a spin for your NAS as it is free and runs on both Linux and Windows.

[wsume99]

And when the HTPC is on and has to access the unRAID, the array stays spinned up, otherwise it would result in lag or something, right?

Boy is that a loaded question. Sorry but I'm not sure how to answer your question without going into a long dissertation. Let me just say this. If you setup your server properly, which is fairly easy to do, then you will not experience any lag, shuddering, skipping, etc. while playing back media.

However because I have my disks set to spindown after 15 minutes of inactivity in order to achieve maximum power savings I can encounter lag when launching a movie. For example, let's just say I'm using XBMC and all my server disks are spun down and I want to watch a movie. When I click on the cover art for the movie I want to play there is a slight delay (like 5 seconds or so) while the disk spins up before the movie plays. If the disk the movie was stored on was already spinning when I clicked on the cover art then the movie would start immediately without delay. That's as bad as it gets in my setup.

If you wanted to avoid that delay then just keep the disks spun up all the time. Of course the downside would be much higher power consumption, especially as you add more disks.

[oneFuru]

When I click on the cover art for the movie I want to play there is a slight delay (like 5 seconds or so)

Hmmm okay, I wouldn't like that very much. On the other Hand, the lower Power consumption is really nice.

Do you know if it would be possible to write a Script for example, that with turning on the HTPC it sends a signal to the unRAID, spinning the disks up?

And sorry for all the questions, I just like to be well informed about the things I plan on buying/using.