[ubuntu-uk] Low power 2-drive NAS box that can run Ubuntu?

[Glen Mehn]

  I think you'll have at least a bit of trouble doing this with 
current-ish kit, the big killer will be the "silent" requirement.

I suspect, though, that putting together osmething like one of those 
Shuttle mini things with an Atom or C3 processor will do what you need. 
Alternatively, a netbook and a couple of external USB boxes for your 
drives. Also, finding an old-ish machine and underclocking the CPU might 
work-- I'm thinking centrino-era solos.

Or why not put the drives in your mid-tower? If you're running it most 
of the time anyway. The best you'll get will be about 12-15w 
consumption, so maybe doing the math will see if it makes sense to just 
have a single box vs. the additional capital expense/carbon/energy/etc. 
of having a separate box.

Best of luck,

Glen

On 02/09/2010 10:04, Andrew Oakley wrote:
> I'm looking for a low power NAS box that supports:
> * Two SATA hard drives up to 2TB each in RAID1 mirroring
> * Runs Ubuntu Server or can be flashed/reinstalled to run a variant of 
> Ubuntu (or failing that, Debian) - in particular, must be able to run 
> cron/at jobs, must be able to do overnight large file transfers and 
> torrents
> * Is low power (I already have an miditower Linux server... it uses 
> too much power and does too little to warrant 24/7 ATX PSU power 
> consumption)
> * Is silent or near-silent (may be situated in spare bedroom that is 
> frequently occupied)
> * Can operate in a dusty environment (may be situated in loft with 
> dust and occasional spiders)
> * Ideally has E-SATA and USB2 ports for occasionally connecting 
> external drives
> * Ideally budget of £50-£100 (without drives, I already have the 2 
> drives) but up to £150 if outstanding
> Any suggestions gratefully received please, thanks all.
> *Andrew Oakley
> Head of Software Development*
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