Custom built in DELL POWEREDGE T320: is this a good plan?

[Rogierp]

Hi, I have used Synology NAS since DS210. I am no IT expert (only IT(IL) process knowledge), but I like using the NAS to store and stream movies, music and photo's. I replaced the DS210 with the DS213+ and used DS210 as backup until it deceased recently ☹. The DS213+ is still working 😊, but it is time to look for a new one. I want to use XPenology to build my  own energy efficient NAS now, using a DELL POWEREDGE server, with Dell RAID Controller. I have no Linux knowledge so I hope this forum can help me to make it happen.

 

What is available

 

I have a DELL POWEREDGE T320 8X 3.5", with:

• Dell PERC H310 RAID Controller Full Profile
• 48GB DDR3 memory
• 6 x 2TB drives
• 1 x 10TB drive ST10000VN0008
• 1 x 10TB Seagate HDD NAS 3.5" 10TB ST10000VN000 IronWolf
• SSD 840 EVO 250GB
• Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2407 v2 @ 2.40GHz
• 2x 495W Power Supply Dell 80+ PLATINUM D495SE-S0

 

Additionally, in my current DS213+ NAS, I have a 6TB and a 4TB drive. I also have seperate drives ranging from 1TB to 3TB, which are currently being used for backups with an Orico docking. I've realized that the RAID controller cannot be used efficiently as RAID 5 initially because I have different sizes of storage. I might consider doing that later when I have purchased 1 or 2 more 10TB drives. Therefore, I will use the present connections and use the drives as individual disks by using them as "JBOD" or "Pass-Through" through the RAID controller.

 

What I want

 

• I want to make this an energy-efficient server by replacing the motherboard, CPU, memory (which should be upgraded to 32 GB), and cooler.
• I plan to set up the server with Synology DSM software and connect it to my GB network.
• I want to maximize the use of my GB internet connection to automatically find and download torrents and NZB files, particularly for larger video files, using software like Radarr, with the ability to unpack files at a minimum speed of 50MB/s.
• As long as the DS213+ NAS is still working, I want to use it for certain backups because I don’t find it safe to make backups within the same case.
• Be able to add hard disks easily
• I want the server to enter hibernate mode when it’s not being used for a certain period, but I also want it to automatically and quickly start up again as soon as a connection is made. I believe the WOL (Wake-on-LAN) functionality will be necessary for this.

 

When I came up with this idea, I saw that it was possible to use Xpenology by using a boot disk. That seemed like a relatively easy way to install DSM on a computer. Now I see that DSM 7 is also possible, but it requires more Linux knowledge. I’m not sure to what extent I will need that.

 

Required Hardware

 

Assuming that the above is indeed practical and possible, I started looking at which affordable components I still need to purchase in order to assemble the server.

 

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
• Motherboard: ASRock B450M Steel Legend (I know it does not fit perfectly so I will need to make it fit myself)
• Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
• Cooler: be quiet! Silent Wings 3 PWM

 

My questions are:

 

1.        Is this a good plan looking at the requirements and circumstances? Or did I forget something?

2.       Do I need DSM 7 or will DSM6 be good enough?

 

I hope this information is sufficient to help me determine what exact plan I need to create this NAS.

[Rogierp]

update: since the B450M is not availble anymore, I plan to buy the Gigabyte B550M DS3H motherboard.