Network Attached Storage
For its backup needs, DILC is initiating a network-attached storage (NAS) project. The goal of the project is to deploy inexpensive, reliable, robust, scalable backup system for DILC's use. It only uses commodity, off-the-shelf parts and free and open source technologies.
Specs and Features
The system
- uses NAS4free
- embedded installation (USB)
- protocols deployed SFTP, NFS, Samba, AFP, RSYNC
- intranet only
- ZFS (NAS1), UFS (NAS2)
- "hot" expandable (additional 2TB hard drives can be added thereby expanding the current CONTIGUOUS volume; the limit of the number of drives is determined by the number of SATA slots available in the motherboard)
- NAS-to-NAS syncing
Deployment
In April 2013, the initial NAS configuration for Remote Site B includes a 4TB contiguous space, using 2x2TB commodity hard drives. There appears to be a 2TB-limit to individual hard drive without getting errors. "Hot swap" addition of 2TB drive was done on 8 June 2013 bringing the total size of the contiguous drive to 6TB.
Remote Site B backup is meant to cope with backup requirements that now exceed the capacity of Remote Site A (as of 21 April 2013):
By far DILC storage requirements appear to grow at a rate of about 1TB a month.
Reviews
Development Team
- Ma. Cristina Dalupan - Team Leader
- Raff Alimbuyuguen
- Don Cadavona
- Thaniel Jay Duldulao
- Dominick Tunac
Components and Costs
- old PC with a year or two expected life left
- commodity 2TB driveS: Php 4,935 per drive (x number of drives)
To Dos
- Webdav integration
- throughput optimization
- persistent automount
- peer-to-peer syncing of files via direct private torrent
- NAS-to-NAS folder auto-syncing