Opinions on a setup

[AaronG85 48]

Hi guys and girls,

Been using MB for a while now, former XBMC fan now die hard MB3 fan. I will firstly explain what setup I have and, if possible, what I want.

 

Firstly I have a standard Windows 7 computer in my room with 4x 4TB hard drives that stores and streams all my media and I use everyday on a wireless N600 network connection. I've installed numerous programs like MB3 Server, SabNZBd, qBitTorrent and NZBDrone for full automation of my media.

What I want and need to know if possible:

A "server" that I can

 - Store safely away out of sight

 - Handle the 4x 4TB hard drives without performance lost

 - Stream media to all MB3 front-ends (currently I use Windows, Xbox One and Android)

 - Able to use the above mentioned programs

 - Able to set a set IP address so I can log in from all around the world

 - Possible set a section aside for a personal cloud storage that I can access from my android phone and the Internet

 - Low power consumption

 - Dual gigabit Ethernet connection

 - Some front USB drives to load data onto

 - A usable graphical user interface that is easy to learn and understand

 - Set share permissions so my kids/employees can only access their own folders (as this will be a business/personal server or depending on price will have to buy two)

 - Remotely download any file from a website login

 - SECURE

I know this is alot to ask but if anyone knows of any out-of-box solutions that would be great or suggestions on hardware/software to build my own.

[fantaxp7 190]

If I were you I'd consider something to provides redundancy with your hard drives as well.

[thefirstofthe300 291]

I would say that you might consider building your own rig so that you know the components will fulfill your purposes and then you could throw something like Ubuntu desktop on the rig.

 

Setup Samba, ownCloud, MB, and maybe SnapRAID for your media drives and you should be set to go.  Best part is the only thing you would have to pay for is the components for your rig.

 

As for setting the IP, you will either want to use a DynDNS client like NoIP or DuckDNS, or talk to your ISP about getting a static address (generally getting a static IP is going to cost a little extra).

[AaronG85 48]

@ What type of hardware do you think I would need? In terms of the case and size I want this to be as small as possible and as quiet as possible.

@@fantaxp7 I'm planning on this for the future but want to keep the build as small as possible for now.

[thefirstofthe300 291]

Here is something to get you started: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bsPtnQ

 

You can pick whatever memory you trust.  You could even swap out the CPU for something more along the lines of what you need.  That case should be something like what you are looking for.

[c0m3r 95]

I have a HP N54L microserver which I find to be a great compromise. Has 4 HDD bays and with a bios mod you can use the disc drive to mount another. The server can hold up to 16GB RAM (despite saying a max of 12GB on the box) and so whilst it may not be as fast as a purpose built PC, it is plenty fast enough for most. I have windows 7 installed on mine as I use a couple of programs that are windows only so you could use the license you already have if its transferable. I have it on all day everyday and it consumes very little power and is very quiet.

 

In terms of streaming potential, I guess that would depend on the clients but on the local network for things such as MBC and MBT, you would be using direct play so not an issue. I have also had great success streaming to multiple devices both on the LAN and off site and no complaints. For the price, its an excellent piece of kit.

[Tranquil 93]

I will add some comments to your points:

 

- Store safely away out of sight

 

If you want to run a 24/7 system with many HDDs, you should really take care of a good cooling system. Many of my HDDs died because of bad cooling during the summer days. So, if you want to buy a small case, its more difficult to do so.

 

- Handle the 4x 4TB hard drives without performance lost

 

That shouldn't be noticeable on actual systems. 

 

- Stream media to all MB3 front-ends (currently I use Windows, Xbox One and Android)

 

That means, you also need to transcode your media. From what I have learned in the past days (I'm currently setting up a new system as well), you should use at least an I5 4670 to ensure a fluid stream.

 

- Able to use the above mentioned programs

 

Not a big deal.

 

- Able to set a set IP address so I can log in from all around the world

 

If you don't have a static IP, you can use a dyndns service of your choice. Some are free, others are not. Just search a bit using your favorite web searchengine.

 

- Possible set a section aside for a personal cloud storage that I can access from my android phone and the Internet

 

It can be done by a FTP service or bind your Android device into your LAN by using a VPN connection. All is possible.

 

- Low power consumption

 

Low power often means: low performance. I think you should find the middle from those both. Choose a good power supply with a good rating. Don't take the cheapest one.

You can also save power by selecting green hardware. Powerful good "green hardware" is much more expensive then normal one. 

 

- Dual gigabit Ethernet connection

 

Uh, thats a lot. Some mainboards offer dual ethernet connectors, others not. In this case you can add an additional ethernet card to your system.

Why do you need so much network bandwidth?

 

- Some front USB drives to load data onto

 

Standard for most systems. 

 

- A usable graphical user interface that is easy to learn and understand

 

I use a windows system, but it's up to you. My system powers down to S3 sleep mode during the night, if there is no activity on the system, and wakes up in the morning to save power.

 

- Set share permissions so my kids/employees can only access their own folders (as this will be a business/personal server or depending on price will have to buy two)

 

For media, this can be done easily by MBS. For all others, eg FTP, you have to set up accounts for each user/ Group with their rights. This is a standard feature of nearly all FTP servers. It can also be done with the integrated SMB share functionality of Windows.

 

- Remotely download any file from a website login

 

There are many solutions for that. I'm using the jDownloader with a remote Webview and an android client. You will only have problems, when you have to solve a capatcha first. In this case, I use a VNC connection from my Web or Android-Client to my server, so that I'm able to completely control my server remotely.

 

- SECURE

 

What does that mean? Do you want HDD encryption/ full system encryption? Then you can use the free software TrueCrypt, for example.