Rack mount nas - total noob

[scorpi00n]

Hey, I've been lurking in and out of these forums for the last year but keep getting intimidated each time I decide I want to build a NAS.

I know what I want but have no idea where to start. My main goal in building a NAS is for personal photo/video and maybe movie storage. I have seen that there is something called Synology photos getting released, will I be able to use this with Xpenology?

I currently have a data cabinet setup and would like to build the NAS from an old server off ebay. 

I've nearly gave in and purchased a DS920+ multiple time, but every time I pull back due to the price and rack mount issue. 

If someone has the time, could you please lead me in the right direction on what I should be looking for in an old server to build something. TIA

Edited May 17, 2021 by scorpi00n

[asheenlevrai]

On 5/17/2021 at 12:21 PM, scorpi00n said:

I have seen that there is something called Synology photos getting released, will I be able to use this with Xpenology?
 

AFAIU, Synology Photos runs on DSM 7.

Currently XPEnology supports up to DSM 6.2.3

 

AFAIU, in order to run Synology photos, we will need to wait for a new loader to come up, allowing the upgrade to DSM 7.

 

For now, I believe you should be able to run Synology Moments on DSM 6.2.3

 

Best,

-a-

[asheenlevrai]

On 5/17/2021 at 12:21 PM, scorpi00n said:

what I should be looking for in an old server to build something.

Have a look at this chart:

 

 

Then define what hardware you will need according to your needs.

If you need to purchase anything, also consider aftermarket prices, sometimes they don't make any sense...

I guess the 1st line (loader 1.04b - DS918+) is the safest bet. so Haswell CPU and above. Now pay attention since I am not sure whether very recent CPUs are supported at all.

I believe I read somewhere that Coffee lake CPU can also be tricky in some ways. Maybe search for that if you plan on using one.

 

Then adapt this old tutorial to your setup (it's pretty easy actually).

Classic noob mistake: make sure to provide the appropriate .pat file when installing DSM onto your setup. XPEnology doesn't support the most recent version of DSM.

 

Good luck