Hey again! I’ve progressed in my NAS project and I’ve chosen to go for a DIY NAS. I can’t wait for the parts to arrive!

Now I’m a bit struggling to choose an OS. I am starting with 2x10To HDD + 1To NVMe SSD. I plan to use 1 HDD for parity and to add more disks later.

I plan to use this server purely as a NAS because I will be getting a second more powerful server some time next year. But in the meantime, this NAS is a big upgrade over my rpi 4, so I will run some containers or VMs.

I don’t want to go with TrueNAS as I don’t want to use ZFS (my RAM is limited and I’m not sure I can add drives with different sizes). I’ve read btrfs is the second best for NAS, so I may use this.

Unraid seemed like the perfect fit. But the more I read about it, the more I wonder if I shouldn’t switch to Proxmox.

What I like about Unraid is the ability to add a disk without worrying about the size. I don’t care much about the applications Unraid provides and since docker-compose is not fully supported, I’m afraid I won’t be able to do things I could have done easily with a docker-compose.yml I also like that’s it’s easy to share a folder. What I don’t like about Unraid is the cache system and the mover. I understand why the system works this way but I’m not a fan.

I’ve asked myself if I needed instant parity for all my data and if I should put everything in the array.

The thing is that for some of my data I don’t care about parity. For instance, I’m good with only backing up my application data and to have parity for the backup. For my tv shows I don’t care about parity nor backup while I want both for my photos.

After some more research, I found mergerfs and snapraid. I feel that they are more flexible and fix the cache/mover issue from Unraid. Although I’m not sure if snapraid can run with only 2 disks.

If I go with Proxmox I think I would use OpenMediaVault to setup shares.

Is anyone using something like this? What are your recommendations?

Thanks!

  • TCB13@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    9 months ago

    Use Debian, no need for those over bloated systems. BTRFS as filesystem. Then setup LXD/Incus to run containers and VMs and you’ll get a very Proxmox like experience without the bloat or the nagging to buy licenses.

    Some people also like Cockpit which comes with a nice UI, has basic virtual machine management features and has a Samba plugin to manage users and shares.

    • VelociCatTurd@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      9 months ago

      I’m going to disagree with this. I’ve setup everything in one Debian server before and it became unwieldy to keep in check when you’re trying new things, because you can end up with all kinds of dependencies and leftover files from shit that you didn’t like.

      I’m sure this can be avoided with forethought and more so if you’re experienced with Debian, but I’m going to assume that OP is not some guru and is also interested in trying new things, and that’s why he’s asked this question.

      Proxmox is perfectly fine. For many years I had an OMV VM for my file server and another server for my containers. If you don’t like what you’ve done it is much easier to just remove one VM doing one thing and switch to some other solution.

      • TCB13@lemmy.worldEnglish
        01·
        9 months ago

        I’m going to disagree with this. I’ve setup everything in one Debian server before and it became unwieldy to keep in check when you’re trying new things, because you can end up with all kinds of dependencies and leftover files from shit that you didn’t like.

        Run your new things inside Docker OR LXD/Incus and destroy the containers/VMs when not required anymore. I don’t get your comment.

        Proxmox is perfectly fine. For many years I had an OMV VM for my file server and another server for my containers. If you don’t like what you’ve done it is much easier to just remove one VM doing one thing and switch to some other solution.

        And you can use LXD/Incus for that as described. LXD replaces Proxmox the difference is that it isn’t an entire OS with quirks but a simple thing you install on Debian. It will allow you to create, move, remove VMs and containers, and also has a WebUI for those interested. The irony here is that in your Proxmox setup, if you’re using containers, you’re already using LXC containers, a technology effectively created by the same people who made LXD.

        But as I said, even if you don’t want LXD/Incus you can also use Cockpit, it also provides a WebUI you can use to create and manage your VMs.

        • VelociCatTurd@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          9 months ago

          Look, I never said you were wrong man. Clearly you probably have a lot more experience than i do. Which is why I said what I said. Because I personally believe Proxmox is way easier for someone who is a casual like me. That’s all.

          Edit: Also, though it doesn’t really matter, I don’t use LXC.

    • Kwa@derpzilla.netOPEnglish
      0·
      9 months ago

      Don’t I need mergerfs and snapraid with BTRFS?

      Also it’s not clear what LXD/Incus replaces? Is it Promox or Promox + OMV?

      • TCB13@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        9 months ago

        Don’t I need mergerfs and snapraid with BTRFS?

        No. It’s just a FS like any other… actually it’s a proper filesystem unlike Ext4. Why would you need those tools? https://wiki.tnonline.net/w/Btrfs/Profiles

        Also it’s not clear what LXD/Incus replaces? Is it Promox or Promox + OMV?

        It replaces Proxmox and can run both containers and VMs, but it isn’t an entire OS, it’s just something you can install on a clean Debian system (from the Debian repository) and enjoy it.

        Some people also like Cockpit which comes with a nice UI, has basic virtual machine management features and has a Samba plugin to manage users and shares.