Help with speccing a machine out please

[Kitten Kong]

Hi everyone, I have a client, who is extremely into his multi media.

So much so, that he has a new 4TB ext drive, which has gone off to be data recovered.

This client, has approx 7TB of media, be it films, or tv shows etc.

He is wanting either some form of NAS, or a complete pc setup, with at least 20TB of storage data.

He will be using a wireless to Western Digial WDTV live box?, if that makes sense to anyone.

Now im unsure, of whether to look into a NAS storage unit (I do know they have a 20TB one, or to build him a full media center storage machine. If its the MC machine, then obviously it will have to be in Raid format. Mirrored over a few volumes.

Questions are: What would you go for. Any ideas, as to if this machine would need to be a all singing all dancing one, with tonnes of memory etc.

He ideally would like it wireless from his router. As the machine will be hidden away in a cupboard. I am aiming for it to be hard wired, with cat 6e, and if needed upgrading his home router (currently has a bog standard one from Sky.) I'm more concerned with dropout issues, when he is transferring multiple GB's of media from 'a' machine to the WD box.

Money is not really a concern, as he has been saving for a few years for this setup. But I don't want to go overboard if its not needed.

Thanks for any advice, please shout if there are any other questions or concerns you can think of, that I have not included.

 

[markcuk11]

I would go with the Nas. something like this

http://www.ebuyer.com/280698-qnap-t...ium=products&gclid=CL2N1dzqz7kCFe_LtAodCXMAlg

raid 6 and supply a spare drive for quick swap over. I would also go for the hardwired option.

oh sky like you to keep there router so you might need this page https://www.cm9.net/skypass/generate.cgi

Question is he keeping the wd live box?

 

[Kitten Kong]

Thanks for the info Mark. It's appreciated.

I had no idea that Sky like you to keep their router. Wow, im amazed at that site, and will keep it for future ref for sure. (+rep coming your way on that find!!).

Yes he intends on keeping the wd live box.

I will certainly look into the nas box you found, or similar devices.. I think that £2k, plus another £800 for the drives would be a little out of his reach.

 

[markcuk11]

no problems

but the cost of 20TB will cost abit 10x 2tb wd red £820

The WD live is a good product and can connect to WiFi I have one but i play my films from usb drives

Mark

 

[HFultzjr]

I'm not much help in this area, but one item in your post caught my attention.

"As the machine will be hidden away in a cupboard".

Just be careful of ventilation issues.

Just wanted to point it out.

 

[Maniaman]

If you're running 20TB in RAID make sure it's atleast RAID 6, and preferrably RAID 10. RAID 5 runs too much of a risk of losing another disk during a rebuild and thus losing the entire array.

 

[drjones]

If you're running 20TB in RAID make sure it's atleast RAID 6, and preferrably RAID 10. RAID 5 runs too much of a risk of losing another disk during a rebuild and thus losing the entire array.

I would second this. Most major-brand NAS (Netgear, Synology) have dual-disk redundancy, and it is a *very* good idea, especially with that much data.

Look at it this way; you configure a new NAS with X number of hard drives; by the time one fails, the drives are all the same age, so the chances of another drive dying either during the rebuild process, or before you can even replace it, are pretty high.

The other thing he's *got* to do, is backup all that stuff.

Really with as much data as he's got & wants to grow to, he should buy two NAS & have the primary backup to the other. It would be too cumbersome to backup to USB disks.