@Pete-S I turned off the R410s and 510 last year. I'm currently running a newer "entry-level" server as my VM host. It has a low-end Xeon and maxes out at 32G of RAM. I have been shopping around for a while for a more robust host but can't decide on anything.

The ReadyNAS units were free and new from a relative's business that shut down. They are EOL now and slower than I would like. I plan on a similar setup to what I have now - Plex as a VM and the new storage server as a VM with an NFS share for Plex. I don't believe I will need hardware transcoding for Plex.

I run an edgerouter lite and Unifi APs. Been that way for a long time with zero issues. I plan on upgrading to the ER4 one of these days.

@EddieJennings said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@scottalanmiller said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

We love talking to ours. But maybe that's because we use a good one.

Who do you use?

Creditcardadillo

I actually lol'd.

The only one I've ever had dealings with starts with an F. I have listened to a few of the others give their "sales pitch" but when you are so heavily involved and invested with the same core for so many years, there is a "fear" among the C-levels that prevent them from wanting to change. Some of the ones we listened to even offered to buy out the current contract, etc. just to be awarded the contract.

My biggest gripe with the above mentioned is the lack of keeping software current and not using legacy programs and software. In 2020, we still are forced to use IE11 for most of the web-based items. If you question it, you are asked to submit a feature request to update a platform.

@DustinB3403 It amazes me how many governments, etc, still "REQUIRE" IE11.

@stacksofplates That is what I did the last time. Bought empty caddies and SATA drives.

I've almost always purchased HP servers with a few exceptions (customer wanted Dell) but on the refurbished market, Dell drives are a lot cheaper. Especially for drives over 2 TB.

@Grey said in NAS for Plex use... Again:

@brandon220 said in NAS for Plex use... Again:

@Grey I have 2 - R410s and 1 - R510 but they are getting a little dated and I'm wanting something newer and more efficient. They pump out a lot of heat too. Just can't decide on what I want to replace them with.

I jumped from a 2950 to the r710. Big jump. @xByteSean or one of his buddies helped me out.

I check there often. I caught a great deal on 2 R720xd machines with 8 - 4TB drives a few years ago for a project. Wish I would a bought a pair for myself. It was a steal.

@NashBrydges I wish there was a more affordable colo closer to me. Maybe I need to revisit that.

@Grey I can believe that for sure.

@Grey I have 2 - R410s and 1 - R510 but they are getting a little dated and I'm wanting something newer and more efficient. They pump out a lot of heat too. Just can't decide on what I want to replace them with.

@scottalanmiller said in NAS for Plex use... Again:

@brandon220 said in NAS for Plex use... Again:

Would a new NAS be a better solution or a linux server with samba shares for movies and music? Is there a better solution?

Mostly this comes down to form factor. If you want four or fewer drives, likely a NAS will be the only path to the form factor that you want.

But if you want an excuse to run a "real" server, this is a good one.

I have "real" servers. They just don't have enough storage to move the data from the NAS. I'm looking for an excuse to upgrade though. In fact, my wife just asked me at lunch if I ordered new drives yet....

@scottalanmiller Try telling that to the auditors. Dealing with those folks make me want to drink.

@DustinB3403 Sadly, yes. They are now in Rubbermaid containers in my shop. If she buys a new movie, it gets removed from the package, ripped, and then put away. Haven't played a physical disc in a long time.

@JaredBusch did you go directly to H265 or start out with another container? MakeMKV has worked well and consistent. Have not used Handbrake in a while. May have to compress a few files and see how big or a reduction in size there is.

@DustinB3403 My wife ripped all the DVD and Blu-Ray discs. It is pretty much her "project". I just maintain it. I believe we have about 460 movies or so. I ripped all my music to flac files and have it on there as well. Works great for my needs.

@JaredBusch This is what I have been wanting to do. I may have to upgrade my host to pull this off. I have all the movies stored as MKV files. Maybe I should store the originals as MKV and compress the files Plex uses as mp4. Do you keep the original rips or compress them?

I currently have 2 ReadyNas 2100 units with 5 TB. One is primary and the other is a backup copy. They are used strictly as storage for Plex. I am out of space and need more. I can upgrade the drives for more storage space but the NAS is not very fast, taking into consideration that it is an older unit.
My thoughts were to set up a new server with samba to serve Plex, and re-purpose the older NAS units as backup targets for the new "solution". Plex runs as a VM and there is not enough storage on the existing host. I need another solution.

Would a new NAS be a better solution or a linux server with samba shares for movies and music? Is there a better solution?

@scottalanmiller I look at the docs and it seems you can set up a server to manage backups and then have the client on the machines you are backing up. I will go verify.

I've never used Duplicati and am interested in trying it out. What OS have you all had the best experience with for the server?