Ubuntu Linux with Dual SSD - RAID1?

Channels DVR Server
#1

Hi guys,

I am still a Tivo customer, but we all know the writing is on the wall there (and the wall is filling up quick!). I am also a Comcast/Xfinity cable customer, but will be ditching them imminently. At any rate, am really enjoying reading about Channels and the functionality it provides. I may have some hardware I can use, but quite honestly am thinking of just picking up one of those tiny Lenovo ThinkCentre PC's (M700 Tiny or similar), and running Ubuntu Linux. From what I read, Channels seems to run solid on Linux.

My main question in on the storage...

  1. Is there a "formula" on figuring out how much storage I may need?

  2. I was thinking of getting two drives and mirroring them (RAID 1) for redundancy. I believe it's possible to attach two M.2 SSD's via a USB connection, but have never did this. Can someone validate this setup? And even possibly recommend the USB interface/connector that would allow for this?

Thanks much, definitely appreciate any assistance!

Regards,

  • Dave
#2

I doubt there’s a formula for drive space. It depends on personal factors — how much do you record and how long do you keep it etc. I run Channels on Ubuntu in Docker and it works great. I have a single 1 TB internal drive for DVR and a 8 TB USB drive for other media. This configuration meets my needs but it would be easy enough to expand if needed.

#3

Thanks for the feedback. I hadn't thought about Docker, because I was going to just run a dedicated Linux server for this.

In terms of hardware, I was looking at a Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tiny and connecting two Crucial 4TB 2.5" SSD's via a USB dock. I think something like this Sabrent dock would work, though I've never done this. Anyone have experience with these USB docks to run multiple SSD's?

Thanks!

  • Dave
#4

Just checking if anyone here is doing something similar or can validate... i.e., using a USB hard drive dock like the one I referenced in my reply above.... to create a RAID1/mirror set?? Bonus if you can validate this configuration with Ubuntu or another mainstream Linux distro! :slight_smile:

Thanks!

  • Dave
#5

I run Raid 5 on my Channels DVR UBUNTU Server .... ORICO 5Bay Hard Drive Enclosure Type-C to SATA 3.5inch ... so you should not have a problem setting up Raid 1 with 2 Drive Dock.

Amazon.com: ORICO 5 Bay Hard Drive Enclosure USB 3.0 to SATA 3.5 inch Enclosure Magnetic Tool-Free External HDD SSD Enclosure Storage Case Built-in Fan for Data Backup, NAS Expansion Up to 80TB(5x16) - DS500U3 : Electronics

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#6

Thanks Edwin! I was actually reviewing some old posts on the forum, and in this thread you mention you use RAID 1. Did you migrate to RAID 5 because of some concern or issue with RAID 1? Just curious about your experience here.

I was only going to use 2 disks for the server, and I think I would need a third for RAID 5, right?

  • Dave
#7

With only two disks, and having experienced a failed drive, I've moved from non-redundant arrays and decided that I'd rather sacrifice size for resilience.

RAID5 requires at least 3 disks. It basically maximizes storage usage at the cost of speed. (Writes are slower because of the need for parity. Also, should a disk fail, rebuilding the array can take a very long time.)

If you want both redundancy and speed, the best standard RAID profile is RAID10. Of course, what you gain in resiliency and speed costs efficiency: it requires at least 4 disks, and the total size of the array is essentially the equivalent of only 2. It is essentially 2 RAID0 (striped) arrays beneath a RAID1 (mirrored) array.

If you can only have 3 disks and you do not fast I/O, RAID5 is perfectly acceptable.

(Some file systems offer great redundancy, too, such as ZFS; but it has rather large memory overheads. And I don't think Btrfs' RAID is quite ready for critical applications.)

1 Like
#8

Raid 1 is just fine. Is use Raid 5 but only for secondary storage not for recording I use an SSD to record and move the recordings over to Raid5 when the DVR is not in use using RSYNC.

1 Like
#9

Sounds like a good solution... appreciate the reply.

-d.

#10

Thanks, this is a comprehensive answer. Based on my understanding of my storage needs though, I think a RAID1/mirror configuration with two 4TB disks should be sufficient. I believe the cost of the 4TB disks is low enough now for me to do this... and not sure I would need the added complexity of a RAID5 setup. Also, as you said, rebuilding the array can take quite some time should one of the drives fail with RAID5. With RAID1, I would just replace the one faulty drive.

At least that's the current thought process!

Thanks,

  • Dave
#11

What I would do instead of Raid 1 is use each drive individually. Record to one and run RSYNC to continuously make a copy of the recording drive and avoid using raid.

#12

Yeah I Plan on going away from Raid 5 with 5 Disks as I really do not need that much space for recording as I usually watch and delete. I have 2 8tb Drives sitting on a shelf will use that with Rsync on a dual dock. Like you said rebuilding the raid is a long slow process especially software raid.

Quick recovery from a failure is a must as our household has grown dependent on Channels DVR for watching TV.

#13

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