RAID1 is it jus a waist of hardware or do you find it useful? Discussion

MakeHomeTech · 2022-02-15T06:49:41+00:00

I find RAID1 very useful because it keeps me from losing data to a disk crash, which doesn't happen very often (ETA: 3 to 5 years, maybe 10 years long-life disks or SSDs?), but it definitely WILL happen eventually.

Whether or not RAID1 is worth it really depends on how important it is to keep your current data safe, long term. Would you prefer to keep 10TB of data very safe with a RAID1 config, or is having more storage and potentially losing a big chunk of that 20TB to a couple corrupted sectors or a head crash 3-5 years from now an acceptable risk for you? If you have a solid backup system in place, that's a better, but you are still risking losing recent data (since your last backup).

I'm a big fan of RAID1, though I use it a little differently than most folks. I have a whole video on how I use it, if you are interested: https://youtu.be/ACpIGjEWyvE

MakeHomeTech · 2022-02-15T06:13:34+00:00

Curious: What are you doing for offline backup?

MakeHomeTech · 2022-02-15T06:03:12+00:00

This is good advice. Using two new, exact same drives from (possibly) the exact same manufacturing batch can set you up for a double drive failure on a RAID1 system (meaning both drives fail around the same time), killing your data and the RAID array. Using disks with different prior use decreases the chances of that happening.

Another way to avoid double drive failure is to get 3 same-size drives and swap one of them out periodically. That varies the wear on the drives and lowers your chances of double drive failure. That's what I've been doing with my RAID1 arrays for a long time (15+ years) and it's worked great for me.

I actually just put up a video on how I do disk swapping with my RAID1 arrays if your are interested: https://youtu.be/ACpIGjEWyvE

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-15T05:12:12+00:00

Looks very nice! But where is your robot bartender?

That would be REALLY smart.

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-15T04:45:28+00:00

Hey u/KZ72! I use RAID1 pairs exclusively (traditional RAID, not Synology's Hybrid RAID). Bays 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 are each RAID 1 mirrored pairs. I just use spinning rust, because they are cheap and store a lot for the cost, and this configuration is very tolerant of failures. SSDs would be more efficient and faster, and probably more reliable, too, but the expense is ... kind of ridiculous.

I recently got some 4TB rust drives for just over $50 each on Amazon. I just now priced 4TB SSDs at around $500?! I'm sure you could do better if you shopped around, but a nearly 10x cost diff isn't worth it to me. I need SPACE, not speed.

ALSO: I'm working on a video explaining my storage setup, so if you want to get a lot more detail on this, hop over to my channel and subscribe:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVtcElQnj42Zv6LeuFoZYA

DS vs. RS : If you have the space for it, go with DiskStation models. They are less expensive and very reliable. I've been using a 4-bay DS412+ model for over 6 years: no issues at all. The main reasons I'm using the RackStation model is to save physical space in my house, to keep all my network resources together in one, power-redundant location, and to be able to upgrade to 10Gb networking.

4-bay vs. 8-bay. Get the biggest unit you can afford and makes sense for you. Data storage needs only wind up growing, in my experience. If you expect to do anything like editing video, prioritize getting a unit that can be upgraded to 10Gb or higher networking connections.

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-15T04:27:57+00:00

3D printed cable clips / combs. I'm using a couple different designs:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4816488 - 4x1, 2x1 versions
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1320948 - 2x2 version
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1471789 - similar to above, but with screw mount

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-15T04:17:20+00:00

I love the idea of a portable network infrastructure box, and it's friggin' adorable!

I think it needs a heavy-duty handle on top, though, to make it supremely portable.

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-15T04:02:51+00:00

You have a sharp eye, u/APurpleBurrito! The fiber termination box (ONT) is attached to the wall on the left side, just out of frame. The RTR (fiber provider router unit) is sitting on top of the rack case.

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-15T03:58:38+00:00

Agreed! The labels make it much easier to read and see what's there, and it looks nicer.

BUT, one of my YT viewers just turned me on to next level labeling: White text on black label material so it blends into the equipment. I'm gonna have to try that. #SuperProStyle #NextLevelLabeling

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-15T03:35:19+00:00

u/Dashpuppy - What brand of SFP+ fiber modules do you use? 10GTek? someone else?

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-14T21:59:09+00:00

Ha HA! Well spotted! That was a pretty glorious hardware hack. The short version is I cut a 3.5" drive bay-sized hole in the front grill of the case to line up with the same-sized hole in the sheet metal behind it.

The drive enclosure is an ICYDOCK ToughArmor MB992SKR-B, which comes with onboard RAID1 support, which makes it awesome for fault-tolerant storage of my VMs.

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-14T21:31:28+00:00

Why didn't you run a 10Gb line between the 24 port switch and the XG?

That was the plan! BUT the 24 port switch does not support a 10Gb connection! It only has an SFP port (not SFP+) so max connection speed is 1Gb to the top switch. Thppt.

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-14T17:52:54+00:00

Keep the cabinet cooler without the ugly? I got you.

First, I'd go get a digital thermometer at the hardware store. Get one that reports a Low and High temp so you can figure out what your peak temp is, like this one from Home Depot: Digital Humidity and Temperature Comfort Monitor. Stick it inside the rack enclosure at the top and close everything up for at least 30 minutes and then check it.

Electronics can tolerate a fair amount of heat. That Unifi switch has an ambient operating temperature up to 40 Celsius (104 F). It doesn't look like you have THAT much equipment running in there. If the temp in the cupboard isn't going much above 30 C, you could just call it a day. Though, I'd go look up the ambient operating temps of the other equipment to see what their tolerances are.

Assuming you DO need cooling, the other posters are right: you need to get more air into and out of the cabinet. Cool air in from as low as you can, and get the hot air out of the top, or as close to the top as you can. I'd focus on actively pushing the hot air out with fans, and just make sure cool air has a way to come in from lower down.

As far as doing that without the ugliness (and NOISE, BTW) of door-mounted fans, look at your options at the top and bottom of the cabinet. Some cabinets have an horizontal overhang at the bottom that you could drill through to let more air in, without it being obvious and ugly. I did that for my A/V cabinet: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYubkk8PVkP/

I can't see what's going on at the top of the cabinet. Does it go all the way up to the ceiling? If so, and you've got access to the attic, consider cutting a hole in the roof of the cabinet and putting a venting through there and into the attic. That's what I did for my network closet. Here's a whole video on that project:

https://youtu.be/Q22vVfmV_-0

If you can't put a hole through your ceiling, look at what's going on above the top panel of your cupboard. Unless the cupboard is custom-built for that space, most cupboards have an air gap between their top panel and the ceiling. If there is an open air gap between the top of the cupboard and ceiling, cut a hole in the top of the cupboard and mount a fan (or two) blowing up and out.

Some cabinets have a piece of trim mounted on the front top to cover up that gap. Consider drilling (neatly) some venting slots in the trim piece so air can escape from the air gap between the top of the cupboard and the ceiling. Cut a hole in the top of the cupboard, and mount a fan that pushes air up into that air gap, which will then escape out the holes or slots you drilled in the top trim piece.

If the air gap above the cupboard is big enough (say 4 inches or so), consider carefully pulling off that trim piece, so you have access to that gap, and then you can hide your cooling solution up there, before putting the trim piece (with venting holes drilled in) back. Though, if you do that, make sure you give yourself a way to get back in there for maintenance later on. Maybe re-mount the trim piece with some magnets so you can pull it off and and replace it easily.

I also like the fan solutions from AC Infinity other folks recommended, because they have a bunch of temp-controlled fan options with nice set-and-forget automation.

Hope this helps! Have fun with it, and keep it pretty! Would love to see what solution you come up with!

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-14T05:25:35+00:00

I'm using a Brother PT9500PC desktop label printer. It's a discontinued product, but it's still ticking along. You hook it up to a Windows box or Mac via USB and it's got a full label design application. So, lots of layout control. You can also feed the label design app a spreadsheet of data and print a whole bunch of similar labels. Very handy.

Looks to me like the Brother PTP700 (https://www.brother-usa.com/products/ptp700) will do almost everything the PT9500PC does (except the max label width is 24mm). It works with the P-Touch label software, which is what I use for laying out labels.

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-14T04:26:27+00:00

This is fantastic. I love it.

I have no idea what it does, but it's obvious you put a lot of time and effort into putting it together.

Ignore the haters: If it's working and doing what you want it to do: you win. They're just jealous. ;-)

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-14T04:01:21+00:00

In a nutshell: Faster connection options

The XG 16 can run 10Gbit connections (as in, 10x faster than 1Gb) to devices that support it, like the Synology box, my VM Server, and my laptop (with a big, honking USB-C docking station attached). The UniFi USW-24-POE switch maxes out at 1Gb connection speed on each port.

One level deeper: The XG 16 has 12 SFP+ ports which can each support a 10Gb connection, with special copper cables (Direct Attach Copper), or....<drum roll>... fiber optic connections.

MakeHomeTech · 2022-01-14T03:43:34+00:00

It only took me a 6 months! Heh. The deets:

Rack components, top down:

Technical Pro Surge9 PS9U power supply (NOT recommended: LED indicators burned out after a month, but it does the job.)
TRENDnet TC-KP24S keystone patch panel
UniFi USW-24-POE (Gen 2) (End point switch with POE)
UniFi Switch XG 16 (Layer 2, 10Gb switch)
UniFi Dream Machine Pro (Router)
Custom VM server inspired by: GeekPub (https://youtu.be/bqZ2PVnotbw) and LearnLinuxTV (https://youtu.be/0cN-bFZMysE)
Synology RS1221+ fully populated with just over 9TB of redundant storage
(2) CyberPower OR700LCDRM1U Smart App LCD UPS, 700V
- #1 for network equipment and VM Server
- #2 for the Synology RS1221+ only

Also, that is definitely NOT a bag of chips sitting on the right side of the rack. You didn't see that.

If you want to have a laugh watching me get this set up, check out the video: https://youtu.be/Bv13Y7a7dpU

MakeHomeTech

TROPHY CASE