Replacing a Mac Pro with a NAS

[ademanuele]

I am looking for a standalone cloud server to replace a Mac Pro. I am looking for the following:

- Ability to run Plex

- 10 to 12TB of storage

- Ability to act as a Time Machine backup device

I have no experience of NAS devices and have a few questions"

1) Is it possible to run a web server on a cloud server?

2) What is the recommended backup for NAS devices, is built in RAID sufficient or would a cloud backup be recommended?

What features do I need to look out for when making a selection?

Thanks in advance.

Best wishes

Tony

 

[next010]

If its only 12GB of data were talking about here and you want Plex with hardware transcoding, then this QNAP TS-251D would do the job. Purchase two 1/2TB 2.5" HDD's if you want to keep noise down, if this NAS is in your computer room.

Are you sure its only 12GB and not 12TB of data ?

Timemachine = yes (qnap tutorials for multiple or one mac)
web server = yes
back up's should be external from NAS, to cloud or USB storage (qnap tutorial for USB, same app is used for cloud). Cloud can work if willing to pay for service and have good internet.

Plex relies on video transcoding to make video play on clients that don't support xyz, however Plex themselves restrict hardware video transcoding support to Plex pass subscribers. The TS-215D is capable of hardware transcode if you so desire but it may not be needed if all your plex clients can direct play the video.

Something to be aware of after installing Plex server app go to users and give the new plex user account permissions over your media shared folder.

There is a video tutorial on setting up QNAP NAS for beginners.

There are other brands all just as capable.

 

[ademanuele]

Thanks, it is 12TBs…

 

[mickevh]

2) What is the recommended backup for NAS devices, is built in RAID sufficient or would a cloud backup be recommended?

RAID is not "backup." RAID avails uninterrupted access to data in the event of a disk failure (they all die in the eventually,) some RAID version do not even do that.

"Backup" means making duplicate(s) of your data "somewhere else" - RAID does not do that.

For backups, how many copies to make, how long to keep them, how often to make them and where to store them are all decisions informed by the value of the data one wants to protect which thence informs the backup regime required which informs what to use to make the backups. Though it is a bit of a circular discussion sometimes as when one sees how much a given regime will cost, we might perhaps revisit (or even reorganise) some of the data and decide some of it is "perhaps not as valuable as we first though it was."

 

[next010]

Thanks, it is 12TBs…

In which case you want a 4 bay model like this or look at Synology or Asustor products with same features.