[bjorsa]

Required: want to watch 4K HDR movies from storage, no streaming from Netflix or similar required.

I'm looking to buy an Odrid N2+ and want to attach two 3.5 HDDs (WD red) that now lives in my 15 years old HTPC, soon out of a job. The NAS route had me worried since it involved lots of new words, protocols and setups. Also all NAS seemed expensive and would likely prompt an upgrade of my old sub-gbit/s router too. So I turned to USB adapters with external power. Then I noticed they often say "Windows compatible" or something like it. But I figured I'll be running Coreelec and Kodi. Does that mean I'm busted? I've never run these OS's and SBC's and know nothing.
This is the dock I was contemplating:

https://www.proshop.se/Haarddisk-tillbeh...-2/2804089

Unnecessarily expensive? Incompatible?

And speaking of HDDS, that old HTPC has an SSD in it. Any ideas of how to use it? Can I adapter-swap out any eMMC and use the SSD?


You guys on this forum are GOLD! So knowledgeable and helpful. Big thanks!

/Bjorn from Sweden

[noggin]

Hej Bjorn!

There's no problem attaching USB storage to an N2+ (or pretty much any ARM-based box running CoreElec, LibreElec etc.).  The OS happily copes with ExFAT, NTFS etc. formatted hard drives, and external USB->SATA adaptors should work fine - as the drivers most of them use are in mainstream Linux kernels (like those used by LibreElec, CoreElec etc.).  Without testing the specific one you are using it can't be 100% guaranteed - but it's incredibly unusual for mainstream devices like that not to be Linux compatible.

You could use the SSD from your PC as additional storage if it is a SATA SSD (it will behave just like a 2.5" hard drive in that case) - but you can't use it as a direct replacement for the eMMC (I don't think N2+ have USB boot functionality like some of the Raspberry Pis). If the SSD is an M2 or mSATA module then you can buy a USB adaptor for it - but whether that makes sense depends on the size of the drive and the cost I guess?

I'd always recommend getting the eMMC module for an ODroid - but if the cost is an issue you can boot from MicroSD card instead (though it may be a little bit slower to boot, but only marginally so)

Hälsningar!

[Sholander]

I don't think N2+ have USB boot functionality like some of the Raspberry Pis

Odroid N2(+) can boot from USB attached sticks or HDD and SSD drives.

[noggin]

I don't think N2+ have USB boot functionality like some of the Raspberry Pis

Odroid N2(+) can boot from USB attached sticks or HDD and SSD drives.

Thanks for the correction.

[noggin]

I don't think N2+ have USB boot functionality like some of the Raspberry Pis

Odroid N2(+) can boot from USB attached sticks or HDD and SSD drives.

Thanks for the correction.