Hello!
This is my first post here, but I've been lurking this site for years, fantasizing about having my own network/servers. I'm considering building a SOHO setup, which includes a network setup as well as server setups. I have so many questions and ponderings, but I'll start with the storage needs.
I have two different storage needs:
1) Critical data
2) Bulk data
The critical data is e.g. personal files etc. which are irreplacable, whereas the bulk data is more about plain volume and probably not very long-lived. I hope I made the distinction between my two needs clear.
(Note: I will have an off-site backup for the critical data, so this question is focused on the server design - not how to achieve absolute data reliability.)
Having no experience in setting up RAID and maintaining a file server, I did my research and came to a proposed solution:
I haven't decided on exact details yet, which is why I need help evaluating my options:
For the critical data:
For the bulk data
I would very much like your opinions on this setup.
Is this a stupid idea (two separate arrays) or am I on the right track?
Would it be better to just use one giant RAID-array for everything? What RAID-level would I use then?
This is my first post here, but I've been lurking this site for years, fantasizing about having my own network/servers. I'm considering building a SOHO setup, which includes a network setup as well as server setups. I have so many questions and ponderings, but I'll start with the storage needs.
I have two different storage needs:
1) Critical data
- Data loss is unacceptable
- Low data quantity
For the foreseeable future, 2-3TB should be enough. - Many small files
Measured in kB, not GB. - High availability
I would like to replace my local hard drive with a network share.
2) Bulk data
- Data is replaceable, but data loss should be avoided (but not at any cost)
- Large data quantities
- Large files
Temporary storage of video editing materials, which amounts to many TBs.
- Low availability
Few concurrent users, low transfer speeds is OK.
The critical data is e.g. personal files etc. which are irreplacable, whereas the bulk data is more about plain volume and probably not very long-lived. I hope I made the distinction between my two needs clear.
(Note: I will have an off-site backup for the critical data, so this question is focused on the server design - not how to achieve absolute data reliability.)
Having no experience in setting up RAID and maintaining a file server, I did my research and came to a proposed solution:
- Use two separate RAID arrays
- For the critical data, ensure redundancy
- For the bulk data, use storage space-biased RAID
I haven't decided on exact details yet, which is why I need help evaluating my options:
For the critical data:
- RAID-1 with two identical disks.
Seems cheap. No possibility to extend storage space, though. - RAID-10
A reliable solution with performance, but at a cost due to many disks. - RAID-5
Maybe insufficient reliability? - RAID-6
Expensive, and maybe too much? - RAID-Z2
FreeNAS supports it, and it appears to be very well thought of.
For the bulk data
- RAID-5
- RAID-6
Will likely be very expensive, depending of the storage space required. - RAID-Z1
I would very much like your opinions on this setup.
Is this a stupid idea (two separate arrays) or am I on the right track?
Would it be better to just use one giant RAID-array for everything? What RAID-level would I use then?
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