Purchase and configuration of Lincstation N1 and disk drives

[jacksondaniel]

I retired a few months ago and finally have time, ... but no money. In this scenario, I started planning and building a home NAS based on Proxmox and OMV. Despite my background in computer programming and security, I've had no previous experience with NAS. No wonder I find your internet channel and reviews so valuable. Thank you for your excellent work from a subscriber. google block breaker
I am currently in love with UnRaid and the Lincstation N1 seems like a cheap, almost ideal option, but I have some doubts:
- According to your tests, what is the maximum speed I need for M.2s/2.5s units? Is there an ideal buy for the six discs?
- Which format do you recommend? Can I have problems recovering encrypted units in a disaster scenario?
- How many discs should I configure as "cache"? What is the minimum capacity for each?
- What kind of data should I store in the cache and in the M.2 and 2.5 units?
Can you please help me solve my questions and give me some recommendations? Thanks in advance!!

It's great to see your enthusiasm for building a NAS with Proxmox and OMV! Here are some thoughts on your questions:
Maximum Speed for M.2/2.5" Units: For optimal performance, aim for M.2 NVMe drives with speeds around 1500 MB/s or higher. For 2.5" SATA SSDs, speeds of 500-600 MB/s are sufficient.
Drive Format: Using a RAID format like RAID 5 or RAID 6 can provide a good balance of performance and redundancy. However, be cautious with encrypted drives, as recovery can be tricky if you lose keys.
Cache Disks: Configuring 1-2 disks as cache is usually sufficient. A minimum of 250GB per cache disk should work well for most use cases.
Data Storage: Store frequently accessed files (e.g., VMs, databases) on the cache, while archiving larger files (e.g., media) on the M.2 and 2.5" units.
Hope this helps, and happy building!