Home project - Media server & Lab
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I'm upgrading my home network a bit and ultimately would like 2 things.
- A server for a home lab/homePBX/security camera storage, etc (thinking an R710 for this. I have some non dell drives laying around that I can stick in the R710, so I can keep the cost pretty low. As far as I know, you are able to use non-dell drives in the R710.)
- A Device for streaming media content, and storing all of my family's media from various PCs. (thinking a Synology DS216j for this)
The question is, is getting both a waste of money? Couldn't I just install Plex or Kodi on a VM on the R710 to stream content and call it a day, or is there something that the Synology units offer in regards to media streaming that is not present on the roll your own solutions such as Plex or Kodi?
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R510 works great too. Probably you can get that one cheaper.
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Why a separate device for streaming and not leveraging the awesome server for that?
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@scottalanmiller said in Home project - Media server & Lab:
Why a separate device for streaming and not leveraging the awesome server for that?
Virtualize, Virtualize, Virtualize!
I've got a Plex server that runs in a VM over the internet, and it generally works really well, even for streaming large movies.
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Synology just uses standard stuff that you could build yourself for streaming. It's handy if you don't have a server, but once you have a server of your own Synology or ReadyNAS don't offer anything special as far as storage or streaming.
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What hypervisor do you plan to use?
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@dafyre said in Home project - Media server & Lab:
@scottalanmiller said in Home project - Media server & Lab:
Why a separate device for streaming and not leveraging the awesome server for that?
Virtualize, Virtualize, Virtualize!
I've got a Plex server that runs in a VM over the internet, and it generally works really well, even for streaming large movies.
Awesome. I like the interface of Plex also. I used Kodi back in the day when it was XBMC....on my modded original Xbox.
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@scottalanmiller said in Home project - Media server & Lab:
Synology just uses standard stuff that you could build yourself for streaming. It's handy if you don't have a server, but once you have a server of your own Synology or ReadyNAS don't offer anything special as far as storage or streaming.
This is exactly the feedback I was looking for. The Synology interface looks nice and all, but if it doesn't offer any benefits in regards to media streaming VS Plex or Kodi, then it's probably useless for me and a waste of money.
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@scottalanmiller said in Home project - Media server & Lab:
What hypervisor do you plan to use?
Well, either Hyper-V OR, more than likely, I'll plan to use Xen so I can get familiar with it. I've been using Hyper-V for years now at various businesses, so I feel like it's time to learn something else like Xen.
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@fuznutz04 said in Home project - Media server & Lab:
@scottalanmiller said in Home project - Media server & Lab:
What hypervisor do you plan to use?
Well, either Hyper-V OR, more than likely, I'll plan to use Xen so I can get familiar with it. I've been using Hyper-V for years now at various businesses, so I feel like it's time to learn something else like Xen.
Makes sense.
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This is why this group is great. Instant feedback.
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Clarification: instant, educated, feedback.
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So with a personal budget of about $400 for this, I think this is a decent option.
Dell R710It has the H700 RAID card in it, so it will accept my WD 2-3 TB drives that I plan to put in it.
Opinions? I can find this server cheaper, but it either doesnt have the drive trays, or it has a Perc 6i, which wouldn't work for the large drives.
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yes, the R710 is excellent.
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The H700 upgrade is great. That will be quite the performer. Throw a hypervisor on there, load it up with memory and you can just go crazy.
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Now I just need to either build or find a rack to put in the closet under my staircase. I have access to a shorter 23" deep rack that I could probably make work with some shorter rails.
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@fuznutz04 said in Home project - Media server & Lab:
Now I just need to either build or find a rack to put in the closet under my staircase. I have access to a shorter 23" deep rack that I could probably make work with some shorter rails.
You can do a wall rack and hang the server flush against the wall, we've done that with Sparc RISC servers before, worked great. Just remember, faceplate towards the floor as heat rises.
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I thought of that option, but I also have my other networking gear that I want to put in there as well, as well as my gaming rig which is currently on the other side of the wall in my office. I'm thinking about relocating that to inside the closet in the aforementioned rack and running the usb/video cables through the wall. (less than 3 feet)
See how I am trying to justify a rack in my head?
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You could get a quarter rack or quarter cab with castors. Makes it easier to justify and way easier to move around. Get a nice cab and it limits noise too, but make sure that it doesn't overheat.
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@fuznutz04 said in Home project - Media server & Lab:
I thought of that option, but I also have my other networking gear that I want to put in there as well, as well as my gaming rig which is currently on the other side of the wall in my office. I'm thinking about relocating that to inside the closet in the aforementioned rack and running the usb/video cables through the wall. (less than 3 feet)
See how I am trying to justify a rack in my head?
I've totally considered putting a gaming rig onto a rack in a closet and playing from the other side of the wall!
