SFF-8088 bottleneck for QNAP TL-D1600S ?

[Arjestin]

I'm looking to add a large media server to my home network.

A dedicated 16-bay NAS, like the QNAP TVS-h1688X would have been perfect at 2,000 USD, but as its currently selling for 3,000 USD that's a hard no for me.

To save costs, I'm thinking of a TrueNAS Scale system, based on a QNAP TL-D1600S and a Minisforum MS-01 workstation.

I have no doubt that with 96GB of DDR5, the MS-01 would do great managing 2/3 ZFS vdevs. My main concern is the connection between the PC and the JBOD. I'm not familiar with SAS and SFF-8088 cables.

1) What's more important for a media server - latency or throughput?
2) What would be the bottleneck of this system - SFF-8088 cables, OS overhead, or maybe something completely different?

Thanks in advance,
Arjestin

[ed]

When considering a setup like the QNAP TL-D1600S (which uses SFF-8088 connections) and a Minisforum MS-01 workstation for a media server, here are some insights to address your concerns:

1. Latency vs. Throughput for a Media Server
For a media server, both latency and throughput are important but can be prioritized differently based on the specific use cases:

Throughput: This refers to the amount of data that can be transferred per unit of time (e.g., megabytes per second). High throughput is crucial for streaming large media files without interruptions or delays.

Latency: This is the delay incurred in processing data over the network or storage system. Low latency ensures quick access to data, which is beneficial for responsive media playback and accessing files promptly.

2. Potential Bottlenecks in Your Setup
Considering the QNAP TL-D1600S with SFF-8088 connections and the Minisforum MS-01 workstation, here are the potential bottlenecks:

SFF-8088 Cables: These cables are typically used for SAS connections and can handle high throughput (up to 6 Gbps per lane). However, if multiple high-definition media streams are being accessed simultaneously, the aggregate throughput of the SFF-8088 connection could become a bottleneck.

OS Overhead: The performance of your media server can also be impacted by the overhead of the operating system managing the storage (e.g., TrueNAS Scale) and the workload. Efficient utilization of system resources and optimization of software configurations are important here.

Storage Array Configuration: How you configure your storage arrays (ZFS vdevs in this case) will also affect performance. Ensure you understand the optimal configuration for your workload and storage capacity requirements.