Need help deciding

Hi There,

Looking to build a new server/nas and my head is exploding with all the info.  I really like what I am seeing with Unraid but am down the rabbit hole now that I have learned about Bit-Rot etc....

So here is my dilemma. In all the years I have had computers I can't recall having any corrupted files at least that I have noticed. My research has lead me to understand that hard drives have there own protection against bit-rot and that regardless of the file system (Windows)  an individual drive itself has a frontline defense. I like the idea of FreeNas with ZFS/ECC/etc.. but not the costs involved. And then I think whats the point of having that if my primary data that is getting put onto the server is generated and stored on a windows desktop without all that fanciness.

My intent is that the server is a backup for the important data which is primarily stored on my desktops and is also backed up on an external WD drive routinely which is then stored off site. It will also be used for sole primary storage of my ripped movie collection (Bluray Mkv.) I am also interested in using it as a backend for KODI. Maybe might use Plex for only one or two transcodes at a time once in a while.

Basically I want to know from personal experience as Unraid users if my plan for my data is safe. Details here:

I have ~2GB of "Important" data on my windows desktop, this would be irreplacable photos, home videos, documents etc...

I have another ~ 3GB and growing media collection....

I feel very comfortable with Unraid for the media collection as I feel like most likely Unraids parity will protect me from having to re-rip on a disk failure, If a movie file gets corrupted its not the end of the world.

I am worried about the irreplaceable files however. I also have been reading about people doing all this extra work with checksumming files against all there backups etc... to make sure everything is healthy. That sounds like a lot of work!

I am thinking of building out this system with an i3-6100 thats on sale at Frys for $99.00 right now and using an Asus/Asrock/gigabyte MB with 6 sata ports and something like 8GB of ram. I have 1 4TB WD red so far (was going to use as the parity drive) and was going to use my 3 Samsung F4 2TB that are going string still (firmware patch applied a long time ago.) I have a couple WD greens I was going to use also but CrytsalDisk shows health only as "Good" so those are probably out. I will probably buy one or two my Reds to phase out the Samsungs shortly.

I know this is a post of scattered thoughts but it all comes down to is Unraid sufficient/safe for me and is that ok hardware at least to start?

Thanks!

I think your understanding of unRAID is good and so is your plan.  Your ideas for parity, your media collection, and multiple copies of data (with a multi-tier backup strategy) are all consistent with unRAID.

I wouldn't worry about bit-rot too much, it's very, very rare.  Yes, unRAID could probably do a better job having bit-rot protection built in but there are add-ins available to help there.  No storage solution is perfect, but I think unRAID is good at the things that matter most and adequate for less common concerns like bit-rot.

The hardware you are considering sounds fine.  When you have a specific motherboard in mind search the forums here for any issues.  Almost all Asus/ASRock/Gigabyte boards work with unRAID, but there are rarely problems that a search would turn up.

You're going to need a transition strategy.  You won't be able to plug your existing drives into unRAID - plan on the drives being reformatted as they are introduced to the unRAID array.  That probably means getting your server setup and then migrating the data one drive at a time.

Last, you're going to want a cache drive.  A cache drive under unRAID is the defacto "application" drive.  It's where you install Docker and data for your dockers (like Plex, etc).  An SSD is ideal for a cache drive but a small spinner works too.

Thanks for the response.  I went ahead and picked up the processor today while the deal was on.  I just need to choose a board some ram and a power supply and I have the rest.  I also have a 120GB SSD to use as the cache so good there as well. So once I get that all together I will look forward to giving the trial a go!

I created an account to ask a question, but saw this and need to answer.

RAID (in any form) is just a protection against hardware failure.  It is NOT a backup against disaster!  If there is a fire, robbery, hacker, ransomware, delete-button, etc, YOU WILL LOOSE YOUR DATA!

For your photos and other irreplaceable data, GET A BACKUP SERVICE!  Make sure your data is stored offsite, safe from natural disaster and software issues.

Personally I'm partial to CrashPlan (which happens to be a docker container for unRAID I saw) but there are several other good ones out there as well.