This article is part of a series on Self-hosted Services.
Self-hosted Cloud Storage
If the Proxmox VE server wasn’t my first “home lab flex,” then my network attached storage (NAS) definitely was. It’s a flex because of the hardware it’s running, but it’s also a flex because of the software it’s running. And, it’s a flex because of how that software is configured. It was actually as impressive as rebuilding a PC and turning it into a Proxmox server with GPU passthrough. Maybe more.
What makes my NAS so great?
The 16GB of RAM it has is pretty great. What makes it better is that I had to completely disassemble the ASUSTOR NAS I had purchased in order to install the two RAM modules. After working on my desktop PC and the Proxmox server, opening up a NAS was no problem, even if it was a complete disassembly.
It runs TrueNAS Scale. TrueNAS is awesome because it’s free and open-source software (FOSS) that’s built on a Debian architecture. What’s more awesome is that I installed TrueNAS on a device whose manufacturer doesn’t condone non-official softwares being installed on their hardware. I would rather have control over the devices I purchase than have a warranty, so I just installed my own software over it. So cool.
The 4 drives that fill the 4 bays of the NAS, and all their storage capacity, are maybe the best part. Self-hosting my own cloud storage that I can access from anywhere with the help of my home VPN server – that’s undoubtedly pretty cool. BUT, what’s actually the best part is how I set those drives up:
- The NAS is running ZFS as the file system.
- The NAS is configured in RAID 10.
- RAID 10 isn’t officially a thing in ZFS. So, I just configured my datapool to stripe the data between two drives, and then use the other two drives as mirrors. Basically, a RAID 10 on ZFS.
- I get 50% of the theoretical storage capacity of my 4 drives, but I get increased transfer speeds and the ability to lose any 1 drives without issue.
- Depending on which drives fail, I can even lose two drives without issue.
- The NAS has link aggregation (LAG).
- I had extra room on the switch, so I configured LAG on my NAS take advantage of the second Gigabit Ethernet port and speed up transfer times.
That’s why my NAS is such a “home lab flex” – it’s freaking awesome.
The Build
Base - ASUSTOR NAS:
- Upgrades/additions:
- 16GB RAM, upgraded from 4GB
- Internal SSD
- 4x 8TB hard drives
Software
- TrueNAS Scale
Fresh Install Bullet Points
Here’s how I would reinstall TrueNAS if I needed to:
- Use the video guide released by ASUSTOR to correctly disassemble the unit and replace/upgrade the RAM and add an internal SSD
- Follow the video guide by the YouTube channel NASCompares to walkthrough the software install, using TrueNAS Scale instead of Core (not by choice; Core wouldn’t install; related to drivers for the NIC)
Thanks to those who got me here!