Evaluate replacement hardware for GoFlex Home

[braddockcg]

The Seagate GoFlex Home we've been using has been discontinued. We badly need to migrate to another NAS that can run Debian. We need to standardize so we can start pumping out units on demand.

This task:

1. evaluate simple low end Network Attached Storage hardware which can be hacked to run Debian
2. (if Buffalo) contact the http://buffalo.nas-central.org folks to make sure debian is compatible with the current exact version (much of those Wiki pages are very out of date and the model names are a bit confusing).
3. Tell me to buy one (please specify exact model)
4. Hack the NAS and install Debian and IIAB on the unit.
5. Document the installation procedure so any of us can replicate it

My Top candidates in order are:

-Buffalo LinkStation Pro
(1.6 GHz ARM, 256MB RAM, $192 for 2TB version)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822165269

-Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo
(1.6 GHz ARM, 256MB RAM, $140 WITHOUT hard drive)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822165483

-Buffalo LinkStation Live
(only 64MB RAM, but starts at $109 for 1 TB version)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822165451

[braddockcg]

In light of the limitations of the 128MB GoFlex Home in serving large numbers of users, perhaps we should look at the BUFFALO LinkStation 410 (LS410D0201) which has 512MB RAM and is $180 with a 2TB HD included.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822165540

[braddockcg]

Here is a nice sub-$200 server that OLPC in Nepal is using as a school server: ZOTAC ZBOX Intel Atom D525 1.8 GHz Dual Core Barebone Mini-PC ZBOX-ID41-U

[paperdigits]

There are a bevy of barebones atom/celeron/amd computers available, much like the zotac zbox. They are generally a bit more expensive than the home NAS buffalo hardware you have listed above, but could probably serve way more workstations.

Are you looking for as cheap as possible or could you come up a bit to ~$200-225?

The x86 boxes also come with the advantage that you don't need to hack them; install debian on the disk and you're good to go.

This is ~$210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856205007
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226018
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339

I own a couple of computers with similar specs, so if you're interested in some sort of testing on x86 intel atom hardware, I'd be happy to do it.

[omwah]

@paperdigits Do you have an experience with how durable they are? Meaning can they get knocked around, and have you had any failures? You could go ahead and try out setting up IIAB one using the Quickstart sampler dataset.

See the install documentation for more info.

[braddockcg]

Tony Anderson was recommending the Intel NUC 2820 which without RAM and HD is $150. He is also using the Zortac. Talking with him and the OLPC School Server folks I'm convinced we want an x86 platform because it makes installation so much easier than ARM.

price wise, I think under $250 is a good goal.

[paperdigits]

@omwah I think the durability will come down to the individual make and model. In general, the atom boards tend to be SoC like ARM, so the CPU is fixed to the motherboard. I have 3 of these systems, have had two of them on more or less continuously for 2+ years. The only hardware problems I've had are SATA cables coming loose. I fixed this by using SATA cables with clips on them.

I will setup an IIAB sometime in the near future and see if I can run some load testing.

@braddockcg <$250 seems like a good price point. I agree with the want of x86.

[Admin-DataRoads]

I agree with using an SoC x86 board, especially now that Intel and AMD are bringing out low power designs for tablets and developer boards, and they're even trying to compete with RaspberryPi (Intel's Galileo) and game consoles (AMD's G Series APU SoC).

It may even be possible to hack a small SoC board into a commodity SATA top-mount case like this, depending on how much case alteration people are willing to undertake:
http://www.rakuten.com/prod/rosewill-rx-du101-drive-dock-external-black-1-x-total-bay-1-x-2-5-3-5/228366804.html?listingId=201505113

I personally like the idea of swapping and shipping bare SATA drives as needed, but I might be alone as all-in-one packaging seems very popular.

[paperdigits]

@JH-DataRoads I'm all for hacking, but once you need to hack more than a handful of units for production, it seems like more trouble than it is worth. Time better spend elsewhere improving the project.

The Galileo is cool, but unfortunate that it doesn't have a SATA connector.

[braddockcg]

I'm almost sold on the NUC 2820 with 2GB RAM and a 1TB HD as the $250 solution - unfortunately it looks like the 2820's are sold out at the moment.

$140 Intel NUC DN2820FYKH
$21 2GB RAM CT25664BF160B 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$70 SAMSUNG Spinpoint M8 ST1000LM024 1TB 5400 RPM Notebook Hard Drive Bare Drive

---

$231 + tax S&H

[paperdigits]

still says it ships in 1-2 months from amazon :(

[braddockcg]

Since the NUC 2820 seems to be out of stock everywhere, an alternative (used by the BERNIE School Server project) is the Zortac ZBox ID 15 also available at $142 without RAM or HD.

[jasco]

The NUC2820 appears to be in stock at Amazon:

4 units:
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-DN2820FYKH-Celeron-Trail-BOXDN2820FYKH0/dp/B00IB40AC0/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1394735613&sr=1-2&keywords=DN2820FYKH
19 units:
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-DN2820FYKH-Celeron-Trail-BOXDN2820FYKH0/dp/B00ICXO12U/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1394735613&sr=1-3&keywords=DN2820FYKH

Do we need to start an evaluation matrix for all of the different
candidates? I'm unclear on the selection criteria.

On Wed, Mar 12, 2014 at 8:47 AM, Braddock Gaskill
notifications@gh.neting.ccwrote:

Since the NUC 2820 seems to be out of stock everywhere, an alternative
(used by the BERNIE School Server project) is the Zortac ZBox ID 15 also
available at $142 without RAM or HD.

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/83#issuecomment-37424482
.

[paperdigits]

Joel,

Those are both combo kits that include an ssd and ram. The ssd is not nearly large enough and adds too much cost to the product. We were shooting for under $250.

Best,
Mica

[jasco]

Mica,

Thanks for the clarification. I figured I was missing something. I was
aware of the price target, but wasn't considering that as I looked at the
inventory.

Regards,
Joel

On Thu, Mar 13, 2014 at 11:56 AM, Mica notifications@github.com wrote:

Joel,

Those are both combo kits that include an ssd and ram. The ssd is not
nearly large enough and adds too much cost to the product. We were shooting
for under $250.

Best,
Mica

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/83#issuecomment-37572733
.

[Admin-DataRoads]

Good news on the embedded x86 SoC front, as predicted in my earlier comment:

New $99 Minnowboards with better CPUs
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/04/intel-upgrades-minnowboard-developer-computer-cuts-price-to-99/

That should hit the stated price target with sufficiently low cost case designs. Similar boards for AMD x86-64 SoC designs should come out later this year.

@paperdigits I was just reinforcing the basic x86 hardware design choice which makes Debian installs trivial, and thinking about the options that gives the DIY crowd, never recommending that anyone undertake any workload they are uncomfortable with. The external SATA-USB or eSATA mounts are also a cheap COTS option for keeping the disks outside the server case for tool-free swaps. I thought part of the point here was to provide a well-tested configuration, and let end users either buy that or adjust the spec for their own use cases.

Yours,
Jared

[paperdigits]

@Admin-DataRoads Do you know if the minnow board will have enough juice to power an external SATA drive without the need for another power supply?