I will have 10 UGreen DXP8800+. Each NAS will benefit the other. The servers will act as a backup to each other. Each of the 2 servers will be located opposite of each other, and the systems will synchronize every hour to make sure there is minimal chance of loss. In example, one storage server will be at the 3 Story Building, and the other will be located at the 4 Story Building. While not ideal for backup locations, it is the best I can do with for now. If I was to acquire another location that is more suited, then I will consider that solution. Each server will have the same specs, and will cost almost $11,000 for each system.
The System
CPU: Intel I5 1235u 10-Core CPU
Memory: 64GB
OS Drive: 128GB with NGOS Pro
Storage 8×32TB + 2×8TB NVME
SD Card Reader: Yes (3.0)
Connectivity: 2×10GBPS
Ports: 2 Thunderbolt4, 2 USB-A3.2, 2 USB-A2, HDMI – 8K @ 60hz
The system will have an Intel I5 1235u CPU. Personally, I am not a fan of Intel, but there is no other suitable alternative that I could find. Therefore, I will have to settle for this i5 CPU, and a 128GB storage for the OS, and applications. The memory will be expanded to 64GB. This should be more than enough to handle all of the tasks at hand, and offer a buffer while loading data on the drives. There will be 2 8TB NVME drives that would be in RAID-1. This will cut the total space in half, but if one drive fails, I will be notified, and will replace the failed drive without any loss of data. There will be 8 32TB drives, but with different RAID configurations depending on the role of the NAS.
Media Server
A media server will be essential for storing movies, and TV shows. Assuming that I would earn a lot of money from my investments, I will be able to buy digital movies, and TV shows, and download them to the media server. With 192TB of storage, this is literally more than 4,000 hours of content. Obviously, this is overkill, but the goal is to never need to upgrade unless replacing a failed drive. I also wanted to make sure I would have the processing power, and memory to transcode video files they can play on any television. With RAID-6, there could be 2 drive failures before the failed drives must be replaced. Obviously, when 1 drive fails, it would be replaced immediately.
The two 8TB drives will be used for caching. This will allow every member of the family to watch something completely different on their TV, and be assured that the system will work without skipping a beat. The 8TB will be enough to store multiple videos on the drive once transcoded. Again, this is intended to be over-kill.
NAS
This will be a fully capable Network Attached Storage system that each family member will receive. Whereas the other system functions as a media server, these systems will be more for the personal use files of the person the NAS is assigned to. There will be 5 storage pools. Each pool will be in a RAID-1 configuration which will divide the storage in half. The NAS can be used for any reason, but one 32TB pool must be for the backup of the computer. The configuration of the pools will be one 8TB NVME pool, and four 32TB hard drive pools. With the condition placed on the member, this will mean that the family member will have 3 additional 32TB pools that they can use for whatever they would wish to use for their purpose.
I would recommend the 8TB NVME pool to be used to replace online storage services like DropBox, or iCloud. This will save money, and may even gain better performance than an online storage system. Since the drive is an NVME, it has the best speeds, and since all computers will have a VPN connection to the residence, this means they don’t have to do anything special as long as they have an internet connection. This could be applied for the files the member is working on now, or have access to high performance systems.
As mentioned, one 32TB pool must be for backup. This will allow the member to always be able to backup their computer. If something was to happen to the system, the 32TB drive can be used to restore the computer back to the latest backed up state. Considering that the largest capacity storage I seen is 8TB, this will mean the backup drive will be 4 times the capacity of the largest drive I could find. Every member of the family will have their own notebook PC based on their choice of OS (excluding ChromeOS). ChromeOS is an exception since the computer does not work with NAS resources, and therefore relying exclusively on Google Services. This means that if the resources were to be too high, then acquisition of online storage with Google Drive will be required.
So what could one do with the extra 32TB drives? Well, this will depend on the member of the family. If someone is a budding videographer, then a 32TB drive for their video files will be a significant improvement, and since the 32TB drive is actually 2 drives in a RAID-1 configuration, then the drive has a chance of replacing the defective drive quickly, and efficiently. There will even be a few 32TB drives that will be in storage so the drive can be replaced immediately while another one is ordered. The member is not obligated to using these extra storage pools, so one can have room to grow.