need help choosing server OS (and file system)
Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 1:31 pm
This might not be the correct place to post, but this seems to be the most "NAS-centric" area of SPCR at least.
I have this little system which I would like to use as a home file server and need to choose an OS to put on it. I will not be using it as a HTPC. My main requirement is that it support encrypted storage of my files.
Gigabyte GA-B75M-HD3 (w/ 8GB NON-ECC RAM)
Intel Celeron G1610
2x Samsung HD502HI 500GB HDDs (for data storage)
OS Drive:
16 GB Corsair USB Stick (for lightweight embedded/Linux type OS)
or
64 GB Sandisk SSD (if I choose an OS that requires a larger drive)
My first choice was FreeNAS but have learned that the ZFS really needs ECC RAM to run properly (which my build doesn't have).
I am currently trying out NAS4Free which still supports UFS, but not sure that's really reliable without ECC RAM either.
Given the lack of ECC RAM in my system, I'm wondering if perhaps there is a server file system that might not be so dependent on the RAM and would work fine with non-ECC RAM. I will consider other free linux distributions (such as Amahi for example), and commercial products such as Windows Server.
The other consideration for me is just my own lack of knowledge about servers generally speaking.
My experience so far with Linux and trying to set up regular (non-NAS) Linux distributions as a file server has been time-consuming and not easy for me due to my lack of familiarity with Linux. And choosing one without a GUI would be probably even tougher for me.
If there is simply no DIY server that will work for me, I can alternatively get a Synology.
I have this little system which I would like to use as a home file server and need to choose an OS to put on it. I will not be using it as a HTPC. My main requirement is that it support encrypted storage of my files.
Gigabyte GA-B75M-HD3 (w/ 8GB NON-ECC RAM)
Intel Celeron G1610
2x Samsung HD502HI 500GB HDDs (for data storage)
OS Drive:
16 GB Corsair USB Stick (for lightweight embedded/Linux type OS)
or
64 GB Sandisk SSD (if I choose an OS that requires a larger drive)
My first choice was FreeNAS but have learned that the ZFS really needs ECC RAM to run properly (which my build doesn't have).
I am currently trying out NAS4Free which still supports UFS, but not sure that's really reliable without ECC RAM either.
Given the lack of ECC RAM in my system, I'm wondering if perhaps there is a server file system that might not be so dependent on the RAM and would work fine with non-ECC RAM. I will consider other free linux distributions (such as Amahi for example), and commercial products such as Windows Server.
The other consideration for me is just my own lack of knowledge about servers generally speaking.
My experience so far with Linux and trying to set up regular (non-NAS) Linux distributions as a file server has been time-consuming and not easy for me due to my lack of familiarity with Linux. And choosing one without a GUI would be probably even tougher for me.
If there is simply no DIY server that will work for me, I can alternatively get a Synology.