The original post: /r/datahoarder by /u/Majiir on 2024-08-17 19:01:29.
I'm looking for advice on hardware for a new 2-bay backup NAS.
I currently have a 2-bay Synology running NixOS Linux and ZFS. Fun fact: You can totally run ZFS on 512MB RAM! Not-so-fun fact: ZFS on that CPU is slow.
I'm looking for a replacement with a similar form factor, but with more modern hardware to shore up some performance and feature gaps.
Requirements:
- Small form factor
- 2x 3.5" SATA HDD
- 1Gbps NIC
- Not very loud (aside from the drives)
- Something I can run Linux on, even if some hacking is necessary
- Either x86_64 or ARM
- 1GB+ RAM
- USB port
- RTC
Nice-to-have:
- Hot-swap drive bays
- Secure Boot (or similar ARM feature)
- TPM
- Good performance with ZFS for checksums and encryption (for x86_64, that means AES-NI and AVX; for ARM, I think it just means speed)
- Good performance with Wireguard (hardware acceleration doesn't matter as far as I know, just raw CPU power)
- 2+ USB ports, at least one USB 3
Not important:
- Graphics or display outputs (only need a UART/RS232 header)
- "Hardware Encryption Engine" on ARM (Linux supports these, but ZFS does not)
- Software (I'm replacing it anyway)
- Transcoding performance
Other:
- I have a spare RPi CM4.
- I have a 3D printer.
- I'm open to buying used.
- I'm willing to do some DIY assembly.
- I don't want to worry about flaky or amateur electronics. (No DIY PCBs for this one.)
Some things I looked at:
- Another Synology, like a DS723+.
- A similar QNAP product, like a TS-253E.
- In both cases, I'm concerned that they may be more locked-down and require quite a bit of hacking. Has anyone run Linux on these?
- Mini-ITX cases. Most of these seem designed for gaming builds more than NAS.
- CM4 carrier boards. I didn't find many with SATA ports.
Thanks.