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NAS buying Advice? - Enquiries - 02-28-2020
I've watched what feels like 50 of your videos, which is a good sign I either like you or that you are well marketed on Youtube for good reason. I've been considering picking up my first home SMB nas for some time now and always drawn to QNAP....similar to how we use Android and stay rather clear of Apple.
I'll tell you what I'm considering first, then offer some of the non-tech variables also impacting my final decision. I previously was the admin at a company using an old Netapp. I think 20TB at the time took up a good 2 full size racks. It was stable and very resilient in the even t of power outages....oh times change.
I have about 2 1/2 TB of of data across 3 computers. I guess the annual change rate of that data to be 15%-20%. The annual growth that I'd account for is under 1 TB. So I will be needing to account for snapshots, backup and the system could sync to a cloud account on some data.
Right now I am waffling between the QNAP TS-453D-8G 4 Bay or QNAP TS-653D-8G 6 Bay.....leaning more towards the 4 bay (Ive no first hand experience with the QNAP). At first I though I'd go with four 4TB drives...whether in the 4 bay or the 6bay (for growth). Then I started considering instead starting off with a RAID1 using two 10 or 12 TB drives and then adding more drives (and changing at that time to RAID5) if capacity somehow is tight.
I think I started to get stuck when looking at what drives to use. The videos on CMR vs SMR vs DSMR and Western Digital PR errors with disclosure. I was also considering an NVME expansion for a caching SSD.....but honestly....I dont have the network performance to realize the value of that speed just yet.
Here is something I need to plan for. I am from the USA but my wife and I live overseas in Egypt. Our internet service is acceptable but can hit a cap now and then. Because of the nature of our jobs and location...we have GO BAGS ready in the event we are given notice that we have 5 minutes to be out the door and evacuate....leaving everything else behind (which we would most likely be able to return at some point...but that is never certain).
So...others like me have gone with smaller (2 drive) NAS units that fit in large carryon backpacks as part of the normal airline carryon bag. I would consider this but cannot help feeling vulnerable not having the long term option to get to RAID5 at least. If I had a relative back home in the States that could also get a unit...I suppose doing a sync between the 2 would technically work...just creates new complexities. And in regards to noise...will be in my office in an apartment so most preferred not to hear something that sounds like an air purifier running.
I'd love any insight you might have for choosing a solution. I know there are many other expats that asks similar questions in the circles we travel in.
Thanks for your consideration
NAS buying Advice? - ed - 01-18-2021
Yes, Celeron based models such as 53D series would be a minimum requirement for snapshot functionality. They are also fairly fast and are capable of delivering 2.5 and 5GbE speeds when equipped. Choosing between RAID1 and RAID5 is often a problem. Mirroring is good as long as possible. But with a 2 bay unit, it sounds like a waste. Having a mirror in a 4 bays makes more sense. And when time to expand comes you simply can upgrade to RAID5.Best drives for this model would be WD Red Plus, they seem to be more quite. But if you like a free data recovery then Ironwolf drives.I hope this helps.