[tilt]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

I am assuming you will have important files that you want to store in the NAS. Since you don't want to use Google/OneDrive/Dropbox, have you thought of a backup strategy?

1) Are you planning to back it up to a separate drive?
2) How are you planning to automate backing up? Manually backing up the important files periodically will require you to be very disciplined.

Forgive me, but just curious:

What kind of policies are you worried about in using Google/OneDrive or similar? I asked because using these services makes your life a lot simpler, easier, and less stressful. The trade-off you have to make is very much worth it. Unless you are into tinkering and all and enjoy it, then fine, otherwise nothing like the cloud services for backup.

Yes I am planning to backup onto a separate drive (4TB) and no, I am not automating it (at least not immediately, maybe later when I learn more Linux) - I shall do this manually regularly. And yes, I am quite disciplined when it comes to backing up

Re. policies I am worried about - things like Google suddenly reducing "all you can eat" free storage to 15 GB; companies like some photo-storage companies suddenly getting sold and saying "please download your photos before they get deleted" etc.

I also do not want the hassle of paying subscriptions to have storage.

Thanks and cheers

[sachind]

Originally Posted by k10_nag

Its important to use NAS rated drives like Seagate Ironwolf series in your build. Please do not use a normal HDD as they aren't rated to reliably handle read/write requirements of NAS. .

I whole heartedly second that opinion, I had 3 (reused desktop HDDs) fail over last 5 years and the Seagate ironwolf's are spinning away happily. Am currently using the failed disk platters as Tea/coffee coasters

However, for some strange reason the cost of NAS HDDs in India is very high, I bought mine when on a trip to USA, do check prices on amazon india and usa sites and if you have anyone travelling do use that option, warranty is not of much use and failure within warranty is uncommon.

[warp_10]

Originally Posted by GTO

Out of curiosity, why would you not simply use Dropbox, Google Drive or similar? These services are built for storage + syncing and offer so many more benefits (multiple offsite backups, security, apps, smartphone access etc.)? Will also be cheaper in the longer run as there is no hardware cost, electricity etc. Just a monthly subscription and you're all set.

Just because I do not trust any of them trying to make money (read business). If you read the dropbox fine print, it allows them to scan and interpret your data. Also, they can very well give the data to third party (they call it affiliates to keep it legal)

From dropbox fine print:

To provide these and other features, Dropbox accesses, stores, and scans Your Stuff. You give us permission to do those things, and this permission extends to our affiliates and trusted third parties we work with.

Say you want to store your critical documents, definitely NAS hosted at home is the way to go.

And this is with dropbox who charges you for the service. I can hardly imagine the state of data, if only Facebook had a file sharing service, lol

[rnkgrg]

A little off topic, but is anyone here running a Plex server?

[lordtottuu]

I do. For the multiple TVs at all of our homes as well as for my close family and friend's circle. It's very hassle free once setup and even then, the setup is really simple as well. I wouldn't call it very feature leaden, compared to something like Kodi, but it's a solid piece of software.

[aashishnb]

I'm not an expert in this matter, but just a thought

We do get wifi HDDs now a days. Would your purpose be served by connecting them to your home wifi network ? Backup to one of the other drives you already own can be done once a week/fortnight manually.

May save costs & hassles.

[G V Krishna]

As few other members already said, RPi 4 with OMV is the best solution if you are looking for Cheap (Initial cost and electricity as well), robust NAS solution.

Combine this with PiVPN (Wireguard or OpenVPN) & you have set yourself a cloud NAS which you can connect from anywhere. Also I use Pi-Hole as well.

Since RPi 4 has two USB3.0 ports you can connect 4 2TB drives with USB multiport adapters, and use RAID 5 configuration (inbuilt with OMV). Use NAS drives instead of normal HDDs. Also you have to buy 3.5 inch hard disk enclosures which include power adapters.

This is the most reliable NAS within a small budget. You can DM me for detailed technicalities. RPi has the lowest power consumption for its capability & make sure you connect it to the router via lan cable. And do not worry about USB 3.0 speeds.

[dheer4]

Hi,
I've been running a Raspberry Pi4 NAS for well over a year now and the experience has been good. Its really cheap and you should try it out before shelling out anything more than 10k.
As you already have the hard drives, maybe try a sata to USB adapter with the raspberry pi.
The power consumption is also very little compared to a fully built pc.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by aashishnb

I'm not an expert in this matter, but just a thought

We do get wifi HDDs now a days.

Thank you. I didn't know this stuff exist. I WANT this!

Originally Posted by warp_10

Say you want to store your critical documents, definitely NAS hosted at home is the way to go.

NAS is only useful only when there are multiple computers at home that want to access the same data. For storing highly confidential, critical documents, multiple portable disc/USB drives are the best way. My suggestion is to never store critical data on devices that aren't very reliable (like a DIY NAS server). These devices can die without a warning.

However, I would use Google Drive mainly because of the availability factor. It will be very difficult for me to carry my discs everywhere I go. All my legal documents are uploaded to my Google drive, which helps me retrieve them anytime, anywhere. Ever been to a government office or a bank and you forgot that one file?

Sorry for going OT .

Originally Posted by tilt

Yes I am planning to backup onto a separate drive (4TB) and no, I am not automating it (at least not immediately, maybe later when I learn more Linux) - I shall do this manually regularly. And yes, I am quite disciplined when it comes to backing up

Since this is a home-built NAS, don't overlook the importance of having a strong backup mechanism. After losing many GBs of files and photos myself a few years back when my computer died, I make sure that all my important documents and pictures are up in the cloud and on a spare hard drive. I still cannot get over losing our honeymoon pics.:(

Originally Posted by tilt

Re. policies I am worried about - things like Google suddenly reducing "all you can eat" free storage to 15 GB; companies like some photo-storage companies suddenly getting sold and saying "please download your photos before they get deleted" etc.

I also do not want the hassle of paying subscriptions to have storage.

The chance of Google getting sold is way slimmer than the chance of a home-built NAS going bust. Sorry if my comments sound discouraging to you.

[warp_10]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

NAS is only useful only when there are multiple computers at home that want to access the same data. For storing highly confidential, critical documents, multiple portable disc/USB drives are the best way. My suggestion is to never store critical data on devices that aren't very reliable (like a DIY NAS server). These devices can die without a warning.

However, I would use Google Drive mainly because of the availability factor. It will be very difficult for me to carry my discs everywhere I go. All my legal documents are uploaded to my Google drive, which helps me retrieve them anytime, anywhere. Ever been to a government office or a bank and you forgot that one file?

NAS at home can be extremely reliable and resilient to failures (and super simple to set up) - you need to add the resiliency. RAID-1 is a very simple option every NAS supports. If you are still paranoid of failure, you can have it in RAID-3 and have an array of disks replicated with your data to handle 'n' failures.

What Google Drive states in their policy:

We will not share your files and data with others except as described in our Privacy Policy.

Privacy policy states this: Provide personalized services, including content and ads

I would never compromise privacy for ease of use (but that's just me). If you feel the data is something that you are ready to share with the companies, definitely Google Drive / Microsoft One drive / Dropbox are pretty efficient.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by warp_10

What Google Drive states in their policy:

We will not share your files and data with others except as described in our Privacy Policy.

I would never compromise privacy for ease of use (but that's just me). If you feel the data is something that you are ready to share with the companies, definitely Google Drive / Microsoft One drive / Dropbox are pretty efficient.

If the reason for not using Google/One Drive is privacy, then think about this. A huge majority, if not all, of us (and that probably includes you too) use:

1) Google Maps.
2) An Android/iPhone.
3) A public email service.
4) A browser controlled by Google or Apple or Microsoft.
5) An operating system controlled by Microsoft or Apple.
6) Trust an ISP.

They are all intermediaries between us and our bank/office/clients/vendors/friends. And we entrust our most sensitive data with 2,3 and 4 in exchange for convenience.

Privacy is a myth in this connected world. Not using Google Drive or One Drive in the name of privacy is a lot like worrying about someone unlocking the doors of your open-top car parked on the street.

Sorry for taking this OT again _/\_

[Dry Ice]

Following this with interest.

Guys recommending Pi4, where do you get one? It seems to be out of stock everywhere? Looks like everyone was busy completing a Pi4 project in the lockdowns

[warp_10]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

If the reason for not using Google/One Drive is privacy, then think about this. A huge majority, if not all, of us (and that probably includes you too) use:

1) Google Maps.
2) An Android/iPhone.
3) A public email service.
4) A browser controlled by Google or Apple or Microsoft.
5) An operating system controlled by Microsoft or Apple.
6) Trust an ISP.

They are all intermediaries between us and our bank/office/clients/vendors/friends. And we entrust our most sensitive data with 2,3 and 4 in exchange for convenience.

Privacy is a myth in this connected world. Not using Google Drive or One Drive in the name of privacy is a lot like worrying about someone unlocking the doors of your open-top car parked on the street.

Sorry for taking this OT again _/\_

Privacy comes in different levels and is definitely comes at a cost. RBI mandate on credit card storage to businesses, just reinforces belief in privacy.

Again, reiterating what I said before, please, let us not generalize this problem to a single solution. For data where you want strong privacy the idea should be NAS (or private data web servers), and where it's not that private or confidential data, can still go ahead with cloud providers. That is just a broad guideline. Folks can decide based on what they feel.

Btw, not everyone uses chrome, I use Duckduckgo and works like a charm.

[attinder]

I use rpi4 with a tplink powered usb hub and all the HDDs extracted from laptops when those were replaced with SSDs.

Originally Posted by rnkgrg

A little off topic, but is anyone here running a Plex server?

I do, Works fine on the above setup as I don't need transcoding.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by warp_10

Privacy comes in different levels let us not generalize this problem to a single solution. Folks can decide based on what they feel.

Btw, not everyone uses chrome, I use Duckduckgo and works like a charm.

Agreed. To each his own.

P.S:- DuckDuckGo is a search engine, not a browser.