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noggin · 2020-01-08, 11:07

(2020-01-07, 11:11)proceed Wrote: Hello guys,
I'd like to install a NAS with a Kodi Server in order to watch my files on different material (Sony Android TV through WiFi, tablets...). Which NAS do you recommend based on your experience?
I have found the ASUSTOR NAS which looks good but I discover that KODI is no longer supported...
Thanks for your feedback and experience...

When you say 'Kodi is no longer supported' - was that the Asustor running Kodi natively on the NAS itself? (Some NAS set-ups have HDMI outputs and have been able to run Kodi on the NAS itself)

It would be very odd for a NAS to not support Kodi as purely a file server - as all Kodi needs is an SMB/CIFS/SAMBA server (i.e. Windows file sharing) or an NFS server. That's a basic function on pretty much any NAS.

**Klojum** · 2020-01-08, 11:19

(2020-01-08, 11:07)noggin Wrote: was that the Asustor running Kodi natively on the NAS itself?

Some of them did / do .

**DarrenHill** · 2020-01-08, 11:53

Hence my original comment about using the NAS as a playback client rather than just a file flinger...

**Klojum** · 2020-01-08, 12:47

So far, @OP has been pretty quiet.

IgaBiva · 2020-01-14, 13:36

From my point of view, it is Synology all the way. They are not only a NAS devices, you can install a lot of other applications for many usage scenarios.

I know that DIY is more flexible and you can get more functonalities but you need to invest a lot more time in order to set everything up - unless you are Linux expert. By Synology is everything plug and play and those devices are not really so expensive.

**tjay260476** · (This post was last modified: 2020-01-14, 16:58 by tjay260476.)

TBH you don’t have to be an expert in Linux, just find good enough tutorials that take you through each step in a logical way, if you are ok setting stuff in Windows, and are not afraid of the command line and love to problem solve the DIY approach is the way to go.

Although a ready made solution like a NAS can be appealing too.

TL : DR

pick what is comfortable for you!

speedwell68 · 2020-01-15, 14:54

(2020-01-14, 16:57)tjay260476 Wrote: TBH you don’t have to be an expert in Linux, just find good enough tutorials that take you through each step in a logical way, if you are ok setting stuff in Windows, and are not afraid of the command line and love to problem solve the DIY approach is the way to go.

Although a ready made solution like a NAS can be appealing too.

TL : DR

pick what is comfortable for you!

This in spades. I probably have a better than average grasp on Linux, but I am in no way an expert, not even close. I built my server using "how to" guides all the way. Installing the OS is fairly straight forward, but setting up NFS was done using a Digital Ocean tutorial and the MySQL was done using the tutorial in the Kodi Wiki. The learning curve is steep, but extremely rewarding. I get why a ready built NAS is appealing, but doing it better for free is way much more satisfying.

**tjay260476** · 2020-01-15, 20:24

Everyone was a beginner, and that’s the reason why I have my wiki.

I would also say I’m better than average, the ‘trick’ with Linux is to have everything documented, or at least bookmarked, so you can rebuild a server from scratch.

I still use tutorials today for even building a web server! And I’m supposed to know this stuff professionally!

My media server is complex, and is impossible to know every step without some sort of cheat sheet

**black_eagle** · 2020-01-15, 21:50

What @speedwell68 and @tjay260476 both said. I have saved old equipment from going to scrap and up-cycled it into new servers. The best bit of this is that you don't need fancy kit with high end processors and oodles of memory to do the job. My NFS file server, that is also running Bind9 as a caching DNS server for my network (behind Pi-hole) and MariaDB for Kodi is running on an intel Celeron D from 2006, and packing a whole 2Gb of DDR 533 memory.

load average: 0.06, 0.11, 0.05 - so not exactly having to work hard, is it ? System drive is a 500Gb Western Digital (original drive in PC) and the OS and all the other stuff takes up 5.4Gb Two 4Tb seagate drives take up the rest of the available space in the case (and sata ports!). It sits in the back of a cupboard in a bedroom with only a power lead and an ethernet cable connected to it and I never have to touch it unless I want to update pi-hole or something.

Oh, forgot it's also running apache2 for my son to learn about website hosting/coding and forum installation/maintenance. Not bad for a bit of kit that was going to be thrown away a few years ago.

**tjay260476** · 2020-01-15, 23:29

Without my media server, I wouldn't be able to web host professionally - that is all I have learnt from my hobby has been put to good use professionally . My Business Server and VPS are built from the knowledge I have got from my hobby projects.

@black_eagle I too have upcycled parts where my personal server is concerned.

And keeping this Kodi related - by faffing about with the Estuary skin alone is a perfect starting point for learning folder struture, and XML isn't that too difficult to learn if you want to start coding, whether thats a piece of software or an app.

Perforator · 2020-01-16, 12:03

Unraid is the best thing since sliced bread!

**Klojum** · 2020-01-16, 12:42

(2020-01-16, 12:03)Perforator Wrote: Unraid is the best thing since sliced bread!

Can you perhaps explain why, in simple terms?
My RAID experience is like the proverbial 'bit', I have dealt only 0 and 1 so far.

speedwell68 · 2020-01-16, 16:59

(2020-01-15, 23:29)tjay260476 Wrote: Without my media server, I wouldn't be able to web host professionally - that is all I have learnt from my hobby has been put to good use professionally . My Business Server and VPS are built from the knowledge I have got from my hobby projects.

@black_eagle I too have upcycled parts where my personal server is concerned.

And keeping this Kodi related - by faffing about with the Estuary skin alone is a perfect starting point for learning folder struture, and XML isn't that too difficult to learn if you want to start coding, whether thats a piece of software or an app.

Once I got my first media server running and reliable I realised I could actually do anything I want to. I can't imagine running Kodi without a media server. What I used to do was copy rips and downloads to an HDD connected to my Raspebrry Pi model B via SMB. It used to take an age. Now I just drop a disc into my desktop and it automatically rips the content, names it and drops it directly into the correct folder on the server. When it's done it gives me the disc back. If I want shows from the BBC the server runs a get-iplayer PVR with a cronjob daily and downloads the shows to the relevant folder. Often BBC shows don't use the required naming convention so the server runs another cronjob to rename those files on the days they are downloaded. Finally the library is auto-updated using a Google routine. Sorry, I am going on, but I really LOVE my media server and is testament for what can be done for free, or at least really cheap.

ozkhan1 · 2020-01-17, 00:31

(2020-01-16, 12:42)Klojum Wrote:
(2020-01-16, 12:03)Perforator Wrote: Unraid is the best thing since sliced bread!
Can you perhaps explain why, in simple terms?
My RAID experience is like the proverbial 'bit', I have dealt only 0 and 1 so far.

He is talking about unraid.

I use it and I love it because it is basically an all in one with a new graphical web interface to help manage storage, docker containers, plugins, vms etc, etc.

Setting up a Linux (ubuntu or centos) server is great and does everything that unraid does but I like the fact I don’t have to google for tutorials with unraid everytime I want to make any changes.

**Klojum** · 2020-01-17, 01:07

(2020-01-17, 00:31)ozkhan1 Wrote: He is talking about unraid.

I know, that's why I asked Laugh

A gui is always nice, I just wondered about the technical side of things.
Guess I'll have to google that myself. No biggie.