[seand]

i dont get this 3/5/6/12 etc. drive stuff. if i say only have enough money for 3 drive option but a year later, i want to expand it to a 12 drive, is that possible? also wifi card etc. is not listed in the cost. is this mean tto only work via ethernet or is it a choice to lower cost?

The limitations with UnRAID (if you buy a license to go past 3 drives) is simply the number of drives you can fit in your box and the number of SATA drives you can accomodate with your mobo and whatever RAID cards you add. The whole point of unRAID as opposed to other storage systems is precisely that everytime you need more storage you can just add on another drive. Conventional RAID arrangements that stripe files across multiple drives on the other hand can't do that.

RE: ethernet
If you are bothering to build your own giant NAS box I guess the assumption is you are not adverse to running cable to get the best possible HD throughput and to copy large files more quickly.

[seand]

Not sure where you got that idea but there is a lot more air space around the drives in the Cooler Master cage's because they are 4-in-3. Therefore it should keep the drives cooler. Only reason the 5-in-3 could cooler better would be due to shear fan speed (read noise).

And there is more air space not using any 4-in-3 or 5-in-3 rack at all, just using the built in rails. Not sure your point there.

Drive density in a system designed from scratch to cram as much storage into as you freakin' can = GOOD!

More drive density in a 5-in-3 is BETTER than less drive density in a 4-in-3. Is it twice the price better, probably not, but it is a more ideal way to go if price is not a consideration.

Also not sure what you are going on about noise for. Within reason, when building a server that can be stored in a closet or the basement far away from where you are watching the media sound is pretty much a non issue.

Thin client HTPC box you want very, very quiet. Giant server box crammed to rim with HD's you don't care how loud, you just want it to be cool so you don't unnecessarily fry drives and risk data.

FWIW by the newegg reviews the Norco is surprisingly quiet and the fan on the front of the CoolerMaster is a frequent candidate for a fan upgrade due to both noise and failure. But don't let data get in the way of your foregone conclusion.

Wow, some people when they get on a piece of gear they like, they seem to lose the ability to look critically at any details related to it.

[wsume99]

i dont get this 3/5/6/12 etc. drive stuff. if i say only have enough money for 3 drive option but a year later, i want to expand it to a 12 drive, is that possible?

Yes. You can have a 3 drive array for free - no license is required. The plus license is good for up to 6 drives and the pro is good for up to 21 drives. You can buy a plus license and then upgrade to pro later if you need to.

Is there an alternative say 5-6 drive option with a smaller form factor which you could suggest if somoenes short on space?

Check out this thread: Raj's Prototype Designs. There are lots of options for small form factor builds.

[bnevets27]

1 - And there is more air space not using any 4-in-3 or 5-in-3 rack at all, just using the built in rails. Not sure your point there.

2 - Drive density in a system designed from scratch to cram as much storage into as you freakin' can = GOOD!

More drive density in a 5-in-3 is BETTER than less drive density in a 4-in-3. Is it twice the price better, probably not, but it is a more ideal way to go if price is not a consideration.

3 - Also not sure what you are going on about noise for. Within reason, when building a server that can be stored in a closet or the basement far away from where you are watching the media sound is pretty much a non issue.

Thin client HTPC box you want very, very quiet. Giant server box crammed to rim with HD's you don't care how loud, you just want it to be cool so you don't unnecessarily fry drives and risk data.

4 - FWIW by the newegg reviews the Norco is surprisingly quiet and the fan on the front of the CoolerMaster is a frequent candidate for a fan upgrade due to both noise and failure. But don't let data get in the way of your foregone conclusion.

5 - Wow, some people when they get on a piece of gear they like, they seem to lose the ability to look critically at any details related to it.

Seriously....ok

1. Your right there is, and there is more air space if you leave the drive sitting on a desk. Notice how you won't need any fan blowing across it if its sitting on a desk. Understand how air space maters now?

2. Not if you don't need it, not everyone needs 15+ drives. If I only need a max of 12 drives then 4-in-3 gives me that, with the added advantage a more air around the drives so they are not crammed together. Also less worry with the, be it limited, circuitry in the hot swap cage. Also unnecessary cost. And to make a point, notice someone a few posts back wanted a cast for 6 drives, see not everyone needs 24+ server racks. Again also note the title of the thread "Entry-Level unRAID Server Build" not I need insane amount of drive storage.

3. Again, that may work for you but not everyone. Think outside your box. And just to prove my point even more:

I went with the istarusa cage. Solidly built but the fan is LOUD! I tried putting a scythe B in there but it couldn't keep the heat down. Any suggestions on a good high CFM lower noise 80mm fan?

4. Funny that having the psychical product seems to have less merit to you then random peoples thoughts online. I HAVE them they are NOT noisy, I don't even understand how people could even get that idea, they are barely audible. Failure, well have had them for 2yrs+ no failures. Also have a bunch of other coolermaster fans, some even in my car, no failures for me so far. Then again don't yet your data get in the way of real world experience.

5. I like what I have, it does what I want, I have no immediate use for anything else/more. Why can't I enjoy the product I have. I never said the 5-in-3 are bad. The ONLY thing I disagreed with was YOUR statement:

I would not be surprised if the hot swap performed better cooling wise for being 2 slightly smaller fans than one slightly bigger one on the CoolerMaster.

Let me make that clear for you. Noise levels being equal (dB to dB) I am confidently saying that the CoolerMaster cage will keep the drive cooler. That is all I am saying.

[Spyderturbo007]

5 Beta 7 it is supported not 4.7
http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.p...ic=13371.0

That beta is working just fine for my 3TB drives. Although I screwed up with the parity drive. Apparently you aren't supposed to assign a file system to the parity drive like I did. :p

[prongATO]

Actually I bench-built my unRaid setup before the case came and had to put a 120mm fan blowing over the drives sitting on the desk to cool them. The were oriented on one edge and still getting to 40+ C with no fan on them. Granted, it's summer here in Oklahoma and it's been way over 100 F every day so keeping the rest of the house cool is a struggle.

I purchased the pro license because I've been averaging adding 2 to 3TB about every few months. Having negotiated software contracts at some of my former jobs, the price Lime charges for unRaid is an absolute steal.

I also have my cage in a small case right now. I'm planning on moving it all to a LL PC-A80 or an older modified PC-A70 though. I'm positive that's contributing to some of the heat issues in the cage and a need for a higher CFM fan.

[seand]

Let me make that clear for you. Noise levels being equal (dB to dB) I am confidently saying that the CoolerMaster cage will keep the drive cooler. That is all I am saying.

This is beyond tedious and pointless. But based on what? Did you do performance tests in the same box, same drives? Do you remember what your 2nd grade teacher said about what you do when you "assume"?

Dollar to drives the Cooler Master is a much better deal. Actually even assuming you have to replace the fan it ships with which is a frequent complaint on the unit, its still a much better deal. And cheaper is very good thing. By settling for 12 instead 15 over the course of the build you save enough to buy two more HD's. Which is awesome.

I agree 100%.

But there is really no reason for being such an unimittigated pompous donkey over assertions you back up with nothing and are completely unjustified by the arguments you put forward. Both cases, the 4-in-3 and the 5-in-3 actually put the drives pretty much cheek-by-jowl. The "extra space" in the 4-in-3 actually goes into those indents on the side, providing no extra spacing between the drives, as is clearly verified by simply looking at the back of the unit.



No extra space means no extra cooling benefit. You are flatly wrong on that point. Get over it.

Buy the CoolerMaster because its so much cheaper, enough cheaper that it makes up for the loss of potential storage or even according to frequent customer complaints you end up having to replace the fan it ships with. But don't pull nuggets out of your derriere and tell me they are gold based on decidedly non-scientific assertions. Now, finally, I'm done with this topic.

[poofyhairguy]

Dollar to drives the Cooler Master is a much better deal. Actually even assuming you have to replace the fan it ships with which is a frequent complaint on the unit, its still a much better deal. And cheaper is very good thing. By settling for 12 instead 15 over the course of the build you save enough to buy two more HD's. Which is awesome.

I agree 100%.

That is it in a nutshell.

For the record though (for everyone's benefit), the fan the Cooler Master comes with is not that bad...

[aoaaron]

this thread is really helpful.

about this unraid business. could i instead of using unraid, just plonk harddrives in there and add multiple media sources for my media from each harddrive? (i.e. each HD have a TV Shows directory?). or is unraid that good that its a near must for a server?

thanks
[/newbie]

[T800]

this thread is really helpful.

about this unraid business. could i instead of using unraid, just plonk harddrives in there and add multiple media sources for my media from each harddrive? (i.e. each HD have a TV Shows directory?). or is unraid that good that its a near must for a server?

thanks
[/newbie]

The whole point of the unRAID server is all the files are backed up 100% and you only have to use one HDD to do that.
The only advantage of not using unRAID is having one more drive for storage but there's no protection.

[jschoen]

While I am sure you are aware, the statement

The whole point of the unRAID server is all the files are backed up 100% and you only have to use one HDD to do that.

is not really correct. You should not consider this a backup. It is really a step below a backup, to prevent the need to restore from a complete backup. If one drive fails you will be able to get back up and running with no missing data quicker than if you had to do a restore from backup.

Nitpicky I know but I think it is important to remember that anything you consider irreplaceable (family pictures, etc..) or difficult to replace, you should back it up properly to another drive not in the system and to an offsite location.

[T800]

Yes I realize that it's not a 100% fool proof back up. Maybe using 100% was a bit strong but at the same time offsite isn't a 100% guarantee.
I was just trying to get across the advantage of using the build for an unRAID server as opposed to just a server full off drives. If he loses one drive he is protected.

[aoaaron]

thankyou for your swift response. from my research, i need 3x 2TB WD Green Drives? is that fine? the parity drive would only be equal (as far as i know thats fine... ?)

[wsume99]

thankyou for your swift response. from my research, i need 3x 2TB WD Green Drives? is that fine? the parity drive would only be equal (as far as i know thats fine... ?)

You can use as many or as few drives as you wish. The only constraint within unRAID that limits the number of drives you can use is the the type of license you have - free, plus, or pro.

If you decide that you want parity protection (which is kind of the whole point on unRAID) then the parity drive must be as large or larger than the biggest data drive in the array.

So ... 3 x 2TB WD Green Drives is fine. 3 x 2TB drives will give you 4TB of space in a parity protected array (or 6TB of storage in an unprotected array).

[seand]

Green drives (not just the WD kind) are considered preferable because they generate much less heat and are fast enough for HD streaming. Faster, higher RPM drives might give faster access outside of a media server context but run hotter and the main issue that will kill drives in a media server with lots of drives jammed together is heat.