unRAID Server Project
This is a simple photo-version of my unRAID server build.
| Parts arrive, minus the enclosure and eSATA bracket. |  |
| External enclosure arrives… |  |
| …along with the eSATA bracket. |  |
| Memory and CPU are installed first. |  |
| System board is set in the case. eSATA bracket is wired and flash drive is run internally. |  |
| Trays are removed from the enclosure for drive installation. |  |
| Mounting screws go through the bottom. |  |
| Drive is ready for plugging. |  |
| Backplane internal connections. |  |
| Internal enclosure rear connections. |  |
| Internal enclosure backplane connections. |  |
| Case is ready. Flash drive is routed internally via empty expansion slot. |  |
| Carried to the basement and setup with the other “servers”. |  |
| Green means go! (Orange shows populated bays) |  |
| Drives detected and mounted |  |
| After drives are mounted, they have to be formatted. |  |
| After several hours of transferring from my other server, data migration is complete! |  |
| Now that the transfer is complete, it’s time to enable the parity drive. |  |
| Parity disk installed and ready for the build process. |  |
| Parity process has begun. I got about 56MBps. |  |
| A few hours later I’m protected and ready to configure my shares (that’s another story). |  |
Browser: Firefox 3.5.2 OS: Windows XP
Where did you get your case from?
Browser: Internet Explorer 8.0; OS: Windows XP
The external cases came from PC-Pitstop.com.
Browser: Internet Explorer 7.0 OS: Windows Server 2003
I am a fan of UnRaid especially since I believe they (Tom) resolved the stuttering issue. What format do you play your Blu-Rays in? Since I am trying to achieve the best audio/video possible I keep it in the original file format. I currently have two servers and I might have to build a third one soon.
Browser: Firefox 3.5.5 OS: Windows 7
I encode everything and save as MKV. I retain only AC3 or DTS (if available) audio and encode down to 720p. I’ll watch a movie from disc originally, but then it is ripped, encoded and archived to my unRAID for any further viewing. My TVs are all only capable up to 1080i/720p anyway, so I can rarely tell a noticeable difference between an original 30GB rip or a 3-4GB encoded file.
Browser: Internet Explorer 8.0; OS: Windows 7
Wish I could find a case like that which I could also fit a m-ATX board into.
Browser: Firefox 3.5.6 OS: Windows Vista
Jon,
You’ve had this system up and running for a while now. Any further thoughts on it? Does it continue to meet your expectations?
-Sinjen
Browser: BlackBerry 320 OS: Unknown
UnRAID has only improved for me. Since the pause during playback when other disks spin up was fixed, I can say only that it is perfect for my needs. I’ve easily expanded the storage multiple times and rebuilt failed disks without issue. It just works.