external RAID system for home network (NAS)

[[R-COM]SnipingCoward]

Hi guys!

Introduction:
I am thinking about getting an external RAID system and was wondering if there are any already decent and affordable systems out there and whether it would be better to build a custom raid myself.

The Setup:
I will probably be getting a whr-hp-g300n-Router shortly (somewhat along with the RAID). I will install dd-wrt on it. I have 2 PCs directly connected via ethernet cable and 1 Notebook connected via WLAN.
The future network RAID shall be connected via Ethernet cable as well. All Devices shall have read and write access to the files provided on the RAID. (Note: I do not yet require setup instructions for dd-wrt ... yet. This is just for you to get the picture.)

Requirements for the RAID:
Price: ~500€
effective Size: >= 2 TB
RAID Variant support: 3, 4, 5 (above is optional)
Network: Ethernet capable (>= 100Mbit)
Internal Connectors: SATA
External Connectors (optional): USB, SATA (if thats even possible)
Case size: somewhat like a Barebone (i.e. no ATX size tower)

Motivation:
How it is:
I am currently using a system of IDE inner rack swap frames (some thing similar to these). This was OK back when I started using it. Every PC has such a swap fram and I can easily change HDDs without having to open the whole pc case. However now that SATA is replaceing IDE and drives start to increase in size it is a hazle to keep up with what is on what IDE disk. Also not using a HDD for a year or so is bad for data integrity and now that those IDE HDDs are growing old they start to fail and need to be replaced.
What I want:
I want a small, yet quiet central stand-alone storage location that is accessible from any device in the network no matter which PC is on or off. I also want an additional data security which I can rely on that it keeps the data integrity up and data loss during hardware failures at a minimum while keeping storage efficiency at a maximum. Hardware failures are a thing I am sure that they will happen so I would like to be able to replace the faulty piece of hardware (i.e. HDD).

Questions:

1. Make or Buy? And why?
   1. if Make
      1. What are good brands?
      2. What are good models?
      3. Where to buy?
      4. Is replacing a faulity part easy? Having to send it in (a data storage device full of data that will be erased) is not what I am hoping for.
   2. if Buy
      1. Which Mobo?
      2. Which HDDs? How many?
      3. How much RAM?
      4. Which OS? I wouldn't mind Linux, which distribution?
      5. Anything else required besides Case and PSU?
2. What are your experiences on RAIDs (internal or external)?
3. Did I forget anything?
4. Do you have further suggestions?
5. Are there things you want to warn me about?

Reference example:
I would like to get something similar to TS-HTGL : TeraStation Pro™ II, however I can't seem to find it for the desired price range.

Additional:
When answering please provide a certain level or reasoning. Simply stating that something is good or bad yet not telling why it is might just cause confusion.


Any advices, thoughts or feedback is much apprechiated.

Cheers,
SC

[VoXiNaTiOn]

Not really an expert on NAS enclosures so can't give much recommendations beyond looking on e-tailers and looking at the reviews each one gets.


However I can ask questions haha. Have you considered using an old PC running Windows Home Server or Linux? This way you may be able to use some old hardware you may have lying around to save money, plus you have more flexibility for adding drives (motherboard and case permitting.) The only small issue with it is that it may be a bit larger than what you were hoping for based on whatever case you use, although I'm sure a small mATX build could be tucked away somewhere?

[[R-COM]Darkpowder]

My advice is to build your own NAS for those who aren't too petrified of some pretty simple Linux GUI configuration is a decent offering, though there are others.
the XFX Revo64 RAID3 Raid card if your ancient old pc can't handle it is a good option.
That way you can buy/use your own HD's.
For simplicity, use a Compact Flash / IDE adaptor as the System Drive. - Low Temp, Low Power, Space Saving.
Build your own NAS using FreeNAS | geekyprojects.com

Don't you dare waste your money on a bought one

What you planning on doing with that custom firmware mate?

[[R-COM]SnipingCoward]

Thank you for your replies, your assistance is much appreciated!

I am glad you both pointed out that another name to look for at this subject is "Network-attached storage" (NAS). I did not know that.

Originally Posted by VoXiNaTiOn

Have you considered using an old PC running Windows Home Server or Linux? This way you may be able to use some old hardware you may have lying around to save money, plus you have more flexibility for adding drives (motherboard and case permitting.)

Yes, I did consider that, however I rejected this idea since I only have those "ancient" mainboards with IDE and no SATA but I want SATA HDDs. Thanks to Dark's suggestion I am reconsidering it because I never thought of the RAID controller card that will use SATA.

The only small issue with it is that it may be a bit larger than what you were hoping for based on whatever case you use, although I'm sure a small mATX build could be tucked away somewhere?

I only have midi-towers and old dusty high power PSUs with them. I am looking for something more energy saving. I will probably get a new case which mainly focuses on noise reduction, size and cooling.

Originally Posted by [R-COM]Darkpowder

My advice is to build your own NAS for those who aren't too petrified of some pretty simple Linux GUI configuration is a decent offering, though there are others.

Now that is actually exactly what I was hoping for on a custom build. A compact Linux designed for network storage.

the XFX Revo64 RAID3 Raid card if your ancient old pc can't handle it is a good option.

I'll have a closer look into those cards. Although I do not really mind getting a new mobo since the old ones are already above their expected life span. However maybe this will help me optimze performance while keeping price for the new mobo low.

That way you can buy/use your own HD's.

This will be perfect in regards to repairing and upgrading the storage device.

For simplicity, use a Compact Flash / IDE adaptor as the System Drive. - Low Temp, Low Power, Space Saving.

I am a bit sceptic about the CF due to the limited number of erase/write cycles on them. I am worried that using it as a system drive might wear it out too quickly.

Build your own NAS using FreeNAS | geekyprojects.com

This, sir, is exactly what I needed! I am glad I posted here .

Don't you dare waste your money on a bought one

Yeah, seeing that guide I think I know my next little home project.

What you planning on doing with that custom firmware mate?

I take it you are talking about dd-wrt. Well, basically just a regular home network, nothing special. I will try to set up a VPN, so I can connect to the NAS securely from my Laptop when I am not at home.
A friend of mine recommended this router and firmware. I might just play around with it abit. He said it has really good traffic shaping capabilities.
I might get a different router though. I have seen the one in my first post only has 100Mbit max. I will try to get my network to be a 1Gbit one.


I'll read through that guide and will post back what conclusions I drew.

[SocketMan]

Use one PC for both functions: NAS and Routing.
I'd go with 790gx or 890gx chip-set,microATX,IGP (video) is included, as well as the integrated RAID5 support (3 drives minimum) for both speed up and redundancy.

The 890gx has "SATA3" built in,as well as the (on most models) USB3 - if you want some
future proofing.It's about 50$ more then 790gx,but well worth it imo.

Add a second network card (100Mbit will do for the Internet side,use the integrated gigabit for
the LAN side, add the wireless card (look for the one with atheros chipset,supported by most
Linux distros).
Add some ram, a cpu, and one of your older PSUs and that should do it.

[[R-COM]SnipingCoward]

Originally Posted by [R-COM]SocketMan

Use one PC for both functions: NAS and Routing.

This is a valid point. Why not have 2 in 1? Well I admit I have not really thought about it myself but there are things you just don't feel like doing so you don't look deeper into it.
This was one of them. After reading your post I put some thought into why I rejected that idea. I figured that I didn't think about it because the sole purposes of each device is so different. A router will be on 24/7 no exceptions. A NAS only needs to be on when I need to access the data. I don't want 4 HDD Disks spinning all day even though I am just surfing. I am thinking about Wake-On-Lan functionality for the NAS there.

Originally Posted by [R-COM]SocketMan

I'd go with 790gx or 890gx chip-set,microATX,IGP (video) is included, as well as the integrated RAID5 support (3 drives minimum) for both speed up and redundancy.

The 890gx has "SATA3" built in,as well as the (on most models) USB3 - if you want some
future proofing.It's about 50$ more then 790gx,but well worth it imo.

Add a second network card (100Mbit will do for the Internet side,use the integrated gigabit for
the LAN side, add the wireless card (look for the one with atheros chipset,supported by most
Linux distros).

SATA3 sounds terrific at first glance but when I was at my local pc store the guy (I trust) mentioned that RAID optimize the filesystem and increase the data rate of the disks leaving my GigaLan as the bottleneck. So even if I would get SATA3 going the LAN will still decrease the overall data rate to its maximum transfer speed. After all its still just a NAS.
I will go with an Intel-Chipset (ICH10R) mobo as the store guy recommended them for durability and failure-safe behavior while still giving a decent RAID performance as I am aiming for RAID-Lvl 5.

Originally Posted by [R-COM]SocketMan

Add some ram, a cpu, and one of your older PSUs and that should do it.

As I mentioned earlier I want to get a new system. I agree that it would be possible to get my old hardware together and wrap em up with some duct tape and woops got a cheap NAS. But although I am going for the generally cheapest parts I am still trying to achieve 2 more things:

1. fewest hardware failures as possible (as opposed to using old components which are dying - the reason I am getting the NAS in the first place)
2. easy and cheap repairs (antiques that I can build into the system are more expensive than modern hardware and less likely to get)

I have already built a system I will post the parts that I use as soon as they are here. There might be some problems getting some of the parts.
I might even give you some photos of that thing.