I know several of you members have a pro-sumer NAS.
What of a free NAS that uses a old(er) computer?

Last week I read about FreeNAS,
It uses a current distro of FreeBSD and XFS.
https://www.servethehome.com/freenas-11-3-u3-1-out-with-major-smb-fix/
By Cliff Robinson - May 22, 2020

https://www.FreeNAS.org
Comments, suggestions please

I use UnRaid another FreeBSD based system, but it's not free.

 

When I got it years back it was free for a small number of devices and I bought a Pro licence which I still have. It's developed into much more than just a NAS now but for US$60 for the base version I can't really recommend it now, shame because it's really good ????

 

 

Buy a Synology nas and avoid DIY nas unless you're on a very tight budget.

I use DS918+ and this is my 3rd Syno nas. I used to build DIY nas in the past with FreeNas. I won't go DIY route ever again.

7 minutes ago, muratremix said:

I used to build DIY nas in the past with FreeNas. I won't go DIY route ever again.

Can you elaborate a bit  what was so wrong with  the DIY route ?  reliability , features, compatibility, technical support, running costs ?

1 hour ago, johng said:

Can you elaborate a bit  what was so wrong with  the DIY route ?  reliability , features, compatibility, technical support, running costs ?

Synology is reliable, UI is much better, hardware is reliable, quickconnect is great for CGNAT and those who can't forward ports or have issue with blocked ports. 

 

The other alternative is to buy some Nas case, install some itx board which may or may not fail due to no reason, and deal with NAS OS (freenas etc) yourself. When it comes to DATA, if it is valuable, it's worth paying some extra for the tech support and service and the peace of mind it brings on the table. 

 

I also happen to love Synology apps and cloud sync features, everything is so easy. That's why you're paying a premium compared to other NAS devices with similar hardware.

Zyxel has always worked well for me, 3,200bht

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/zyxel-cloud-storage-2-bay-capacity-12tb-nas326-network-i247459068-s380970991.html

You can put 2 bare HDs inside, and hang another two USB drives off the back.

Edited June 2, 20206 yr by BritManToo

You can use any Windows PC, including old Windows XP, instead of a NAS.

 

I think the most important part, at least often, is the advice to use mirrored hard disks to make sure you don't lose any data if a hard disk crashes. 

11 hours ago, Crossy said:

I use UnRaid another FreeBSD based system, but it's not free.

 

When I got it years back it was free for a small number of devices and I bought a Pro licence which I still have. It's developed into much more than just a NAS now but for US$60 for the base version I can't really recommend it now, shame because it's really good ????

Is that the only reason you wouldn't recommend it these days? Due to the price?

2 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Is that the only reason you wouldn't recommend it these days? Due to the price?

 

'Fraid so, it's gone from free for a small number of drives (3 IIRC) to $60 for the basic system.

 

It is now much more than just a NAS, but if you just want a NAS it's over the top.

I've got a 2012 Raspbery Pi Model B Revision 1.0 (256MB) (still)running as a (kind of) NAS server.

 

 

 

I use UnRaid another FreeBSD based system, but it's not free.

 

When I got it years back it was free for a small number of devices and I bought a Pro licence which I still have. It's developed into much more than just a NAS now but for US$60 for the base version I can't really recommend it now, shame because it's really good ????

 

 

Stadtler wonders why Crossy won't pay for a "really good" program?  Don't be a cheap charlie, support the developers if it is so good.  Stadtler is going to look at it now.

Thanks for the comments.
Surprised nobody mentioned XFS.
Seems it out performs both Classical RAID and mraid,
and is more robust, fault-tolerant (especially with zpools).

I'm not interested in "Synology" or the such.
Thanks for the suggestion.

Want a decent DIY NAS, using my existing old hardware.
Will use 'spinners' (Seagate only, no WD).
Will only be for local LAN.

BTW, saw last week where Samsung has a 2TB SSD for USD $135.-
Did'nt save the link.

Just saw this last week concerning TrueNAS and FreeNas ,,,
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/06/truenas-isnt-abandoning-bsd-but-it-is-adopting-linux/
TrueNAS isn’t abandoning BSD—but it is adopting Linux
Jim Salter - Jun 3, 2020 6:15 pm UTC
FreeNAS vendor iXsystems is building a new version of its core product, TrueNAS, on top of Debian Linux.

This week's TrueNAS Scale announcement builds on the company's March announcement that its commercial project TrueNAS and its community project FreeNAS would be merging into a common base. Effectively, all the NAS projects from iXsystems will be TrueNAS variants moving forward, with the free-to-use version being TrueNAS Core, the new Debian-based project becoming TrueNAS Scale, and the commercial project remaining simply TrueNAS.

Again, thank !