Win 8.1 'server' to UnRaid transition

[mhum]

My current “server/NAS” is just a computer running Windows 8.1 that is on all the time.  I use it as a Plex server, torrents and a variety of other things.  Everything is run from the OS, no VMs, no containers, so it’s just set up for failure.

 

Hardware list

Mobo : ASRock Rack H87WS-DL http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=H87WS-DL#Specifications

CPU : Intel i3-4330 https://ark.intel.com/products/77769/Intel-Core-i3-4330-Processor-4M-Cache-3_50-GHz

RAM : 20GB

 

OS Disks : 2x WD 320GB Blue in Raid 1 - Windows 8.1

Storage : 5x WD 3TB RED

Pool software : Stablebit Drivepool

Monitoring software : Stablebit Scanner

Using under 6TB of available storage

Variety of Intel PCI-E gigabit NICs lying around

 

All housed in a Fractal R4 - nice and quiet

 

I want to switch to UnRaid.  I will buy a 500GB SSD.

I was thinking of removing three of the Reds and pooling the data on the remaining two.  I can temporarily put those two Reds along with the Drivepool software on my primary rig.

 

Next install the 500GB SSD and UnRaid along with the three Reds in the i3 box. Setup UnRaid and transfer my dataset from the main rig to UnRaid

 

Another option is to purchase a 6-8TB external HDD and just move the data there first and then build the UnRaid box with the SSD and 5 Reds, but I would rather not spend the money.

 

I’d like to continue using Plex, Torrents, I’d like to have a Win 7/10 VM spun up for accessing remotely (work related, sometimes need OS files). Will have a Pi3 for setup as VPN server.  May consider a WD Purple and a couple IP cameras in the future

 

Any thoughts on my transition?

Thank you

[tdallen]

Hello and welcome.  I think unRAID will work well for your needs and your hardware looks good, with one comment on that below.  Comments, in random order, follow:

• 20 GB of RAM is lots, more than you'd need for unRAID and plenty to help with the VM. 
• unRAID runs from a USB stick - get a good one like a Sandisk Cruzer Ultra Fit.  8GB is more than you'll need, but it's hard to get a small one.
• The 500GB SSD would be used as the cache drive, which is also where you run Dockers and VMs from.
• Install Community Applications when you are up and running, it is effectively the app store for unRAID.
• Your transition strategy of moving 3 Reds into unRAID will work well.  Keep in mind unRAID will format them - make sure the data is cleaned off.  You can setup both data and parity now, but you might want to just setup data drives for now.  The transfer will go much faster if you aren't calculating and writing parity.  You can setup parity as a last step. 
• Before you buy a Purple for cameras - FYI, drives aren't accessed independently, but as part of the array. https://wiki.lime-technology.com/UnRAID_6/Overview#Parity-Protected_Array
• And then the one bit of bad news - your CPU is a pretty light for what you want to do.  Virtualization doesn't perform miracles - if you want one box to do the work of two boxes, you need a big box.  Running both unRAID and a Windows VM on a two core box, even if it is hyperthreaded, is asking a lot.  It might work, you can try - but I'm doubtful you'll be happy with the results.  Grab a Core i5 off eBay, or better yet a Core i7.

[mhum]

3 hours ago, tdallen said:

Hello and welcome.  I think unRAID will work well for your needs and your hardware looks good, with one comment on that below.  Comments, in random order, follow:

• 20 GB of RAM is lots, more than you'd need for unRAID and plenty to help with the VM. 
• unRAID runs from a USB stick - get a good one like a Sandisk Cruzer Ultra Fit.  8GB is more than you'll need, but it's hard to get a small one.
• The 500GB SSD would be used as the cache drive, which is also where you run Dockers and VMs from.
• Install Community Applications when you are up and running, it is effectively the app store for unRAID.
• Your transition strategy of moving 3 Reds into unRAID will work well.  Keep in mind unRAID will format them - make sure the data is cleaned off.  You can setup both data and parity now, but you might want to just setup data drives for now.  The transfer will go much faster if you aren't calculating and writing parity.  You can setup parity as a last step. 
• Before you buy a Purple for cameras - FYI, drives aren't accessed independently, but as part of the array. https://wiki.lime-technology.com/UnRAID_6/Overview#Parity-Protected_Array
• And then the one bit of bad news - your CPU is a pretty light for what you want to do.  Virtualization doesn't perform miracles - if you want one box to do the work of two boxes, you need a big box.  Running both unRAID and a Windows VM on a two core box, even if it is hyperthreaded, is asking a lot.  It might work, you can try - but I'm doubtful you'll be happy with the results.  Grab a Core i5 off eBay, or better yet a Core i7.

 

Thanks for the reply.  I hadn't looked much in to using UnRaid for surveillance so I'll have to look more in to that.  I am doing direct play to my Roku 4 and rarely transcode.  My plan was to VPN in and spin up whatever Windows VM I needed on the fly, they won't be doing anything other than booting up and copying system files.  After delving in a bit more to the recommended specs, seems that the i3 could just handle what I'm looking to do, but I'd probably drop in an i7 at some point.

 

I think the best thing to do is spin up the trial. I have a spare Dell desktop (conveniently with an i3) and three random HDDs that I found today, so that should give me a better look at UnRaid.  I do like to tinker!

Edited November 26, 2017 by mhum

[tdallen]

Getting started with the trial on a test system is definitely the way to go!