Any benefit in using a NAS instead of local drive?
#16
(2012-05-22, 20:39)Valdysses Wrote: I actually got rid of my unRAID server over stuttering frustration on large bluray rips, and never looked back. Something to be said for the simplicity of a single box.

Must have been the hardware. Certainly isn't Unraid. I stream as-large-as-a-Blu-Ray-can-get 3D ISOs from my Unraid server (and not my fast 7200rpm server but my regular one).


(2012-05-23, 05:09)kotori Wrote: how about a nightly rsync cron job?

Code:
rsync -avz /xbmc/media YOUR_USER@YOUR_NAS_IP:/nas/media

gotta love linux

That is how I keep my thumbnails in sync.

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#17
(2012-05-23, 05:09)kotori Wrote: how about a nightly rsync cron job?

Code:
rsync -avz /xbmc/media YOUR_USER@YOUR_NAS_IP:/nas/media

gotta love linux

Yep, rsync really is a brilliant tool. You can use rsnapshot (uses rsync behind the scenes) if you want to keep multiple backups - it is basically the setup Apple uses for Time Machine.
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#18
I had both in the past, a NAS and a htpc with local media.
First of all, if you run more than one htpc, it is a good idea to centralize your content. Otherwise you may have to turn on all devices to have access to your distributed content.

main reason for me to go for a nas...
- can be somwhere far away from the couch (WAF), can look ugly, can be large and noisy and run headless / 24 x 7, , - easy to upgrade ( large case with a lot of space for more drives )
- redundancy, performance and security ( e.g. freenas with zfs, raid... )
- can serve many htpc instances in parallel ( multi-room )
- the htpc boxes can be completely invisible and silent
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#19
(2012-05-23, 18:10)poofyhairguy Wrote:
(2012-05-22, 20:39)Valdysses Wrote: I actually got rid of my unRAID server over stuttering frustration on large bluray rips, and never looked back. Something to be said for the simplicity of a single box.

Must have been the hardware. Certainly isn't Unraid. I stream as-large-as-a-Blu-Ray-can-get 3D ISOs from my Unraid server (and not my fast 7200rpm server but my regular one).

Yeah, it was the hardware. Not the unRAID hardware, but the network hardware. I can't run ethernet in my situation, and powerline is supposedly finnicky here in China (on 50hz, 220v lines). I couldn't find any wireless solution for full 3d streaming, so local made more sense for me.

If you can run cable, I imagine that's still the way to go. Without it, local works well for me.
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#20
(2012-05-22, 14:15)GortWillSaveUs Wrote:
(2012-05-22, 05:17)james Wrote: Both a NAS and a local drive in a HTPC have sharing capabilities, so what would be the benefit in using a NAS instead of a local drive? Wouldn't a NAS cause more issues when files are streamed over wifi? I currently have a DNS-323 NAS in another room which I use for other purposes but has a empty slot, I want to rip my DVD's and a few Bluray's for the HTPC, and saw some people mentioning the use of NAS but I'm not understanding the benefit of using one instead of a local HTPC drive. Would appreciate help on this, tnx.

Here are a couple of reason why a local drive may not make sense:
Heat - The more drives you add in you HTPC, the more you have to be concerned with heat issues.
Space - Typically, HTPC's are build with as compact a case as possible. This doesn't leave much room for HDD. Even if their small SSDs.
Redundancy - Chances are, that you won't be able to run soem form of raid on a HTPC. At best perhaps Mirroring drives,..but then you lose one drive and also space. If you lose a local drive,..all of your data could potentially be lost. Not a happy thought for me,..or others that have TB of data.

Reason to use NAS or better yet, unRaid:
Heat - What heat? You're using a case designed to be roomy, and these typically have the fans to deal with heat issues.
Space - Depending on the case,...you can load up 8++ HDDs
Redundancy - Typically, NAS drives come prepared to run some form of redundancy (RAID). unRaid is, IN MY OPINION,..the best solution possible. In unRaid,.you can have multiple drives all forming a share that's a cumulation of all the drive's free space. If you lose a drive,..you take it out and replace it,..then unRaid rebuild the data to the new drive.

See here for my HTPC and unRaid build and pictures of the case, the mobo, and fan.



(2012-05-22, 05:17)james Wrote: Both a NAS and a local drive in a HTPC have sharing capabilities, so what would be the benefit in using a NAS instead of a local drive? Wouldn't a NAS cause more issues when files are streamed over wifi? I currently have a DNS-323 NAS in another room which I use for other purposes but has a empty slot, I want to rip my DVD's and a few Bluray's for the HTPC, and saw some people mentioning the use of NAS but I'm not understanding the benefit of using one instead of a local HTPC drive. Would appreciate help on this, tnx.

Since you also mentioned wireless. I am in the same boat. My wireless has been okay, but there are times where I might get a stutter when watching movies stored on my unRaid Server.

Since I don't want to run CAT cables through my walls,...a few coworkers Highly Recommended these and said he uses them flawlessly with his HTPC.
ZyXEL PLA401v3 HomePlug AV 200 Mbps Powerline Wall-plug Adapter (Starter Kit - 2 units)

These should arrive this Thursday for me.


Guess I should update this post with my experiences with the ZyXEL PLA401v3 HomePlug AV 200 Mbps Powerline Wall-plug Adapter (Starter Kit - 2 units). It's been little more than 2 months now that I've been using these devices to stream 1080p content from my unRaid server. All I can say is,...it works perfectly! In fact,...I forget that they're even there. I had a friend come over 2 weeks ago and showed him my system. He was totally blown away and loved it. He had problems with his home network and so he purchased the ZyXEL PLA401v3 HomePlug AV 200 Mbps Powerline Wall-plug Adapter (Starter Kit - 2 units). So far, he's been using these since then and he is now, one happy puppy.

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Any benefit in using a NAS instead of local drive?0