Homeserver setup concerns

1

I run a medium sized, virtualized (I need both Windows and Unix for some services) Home-Server with fileshareing, DLNA streaming, backups etc etc. in a pretty heterogenous network (OS wise). As file protocol choose SMB and rsync as backup solution, with the data contained on 4x3 TB RAID 10 or 5 (with a dedicated 3ware controller, so speed shouldn't be an issue).

Questions: Is samba / rsync the best solution? RAID 5 or RAID 10 (Some of the data is really critical!)? Being able to mount the shares as drive and having "snapshot"-backups (like in Apple's "Time Machine") is an absolute must have.

EDIT: With "backup solution" I meant backing up the other PCs in the network.

incaseoftrouble

Posted 2012-11-01T13:40:37.403

Reputation: 145

These are three questions. Please cut them into pieces and ask away! :) We are happy to help. – Apache – 2012-11-01T13:43:03.513

i'll do as you ask :D – incaseoftrouble – 2012-11-01T13:50:19.903

Answers

0

You should look into Proxmox. It works great with consumer hardware and sounds like it will give you the flexibility that you need. It is a virtualization operating system; similar to VMWare ESXi.

It's all managed via web interface and will allow you to create several different virtual servers. You can format and mount your RAID5/10 to install the Virtual Machines on. This software also allows full automatic backups of the Virtual Machines.

Here is an image of my server.

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Windows Home Server 2011 is virtualized. I have this VM back up my desktop, laptop, and media center nightly.

enter image description here

kobaltz

Posted 2012-11-01T13:40:37.403

Reputation: 14 361

ah, I should rephrase my question a bit, I see. I need backups of the other PCs in the network, not only the VMs itself. Proxmox looks like though, I'll take a look at that. – incaseoftrouble – 2012-11-01T14:03:03.760

Are your PCs Windows based? I virtualized Windows Home Server 2011 for the backups. It takes a nightly backup of these computers and then a weekly backup image of the WHS2011. – kobaltz – 2012-11-01T14:05:43.667

PCs are both OS X and Windows, I really want and need a crossplatform solution (I don't want to manage two different applications) – incaseoftrouble – 2012-11-01T14:08:45.223

Windows Home Server also allows OSX to connect and do nightly backups. However, Linux is not supported. Best part is that it only costs $50 for the full OS. – kobaltz – 2012-11-01T14:11:11.573

http://www.wegotserved.com/2012/05/17/windows-home-server-2011-step-step-part-17-windows-home-server-apple-macs/ – kobaltz – 2012-11-01T14:12:10.153

There is a link for using OSX to connect to the WHS for nightly backups. – kobaltz – 2012-11-01T14:12:29.360

Sie sollten es versuchen. Es funktioniert wirklich gut. – kobaltz – 2012-11-01T14:13:28.003

I'll definitely consider WHS then! I have to run a windows machine anyway, so I can use the server. VM snapshot can be done via the hypervisor (I'll stick with ESXi unless there are serious concerns speaking against it, as I already have some experience with it. A full web interface is really compelling, though :D) – incaseoftrouble – 2012-11-01T14:17:19.803

ESXi 5 is much nicer with the added hardware support. I did find that Proxmox has better overall customizing and consumer hardware support. ESXi 4 was horrible with consumer hardware support. – kobaltz – 2012-11-01T14:26:47.190

Well, the only things I'll need is USB passthrough, maybe a tape-drive passthrough and jeah, that's it. I guess both will do that :) One question to the WHS solution: How easy is it to restore a system? (especially a OS X system) – incaseoftrouble – 2012-11-01T14:31:11.683

If your computer has a CD/DVD Drive or available USB then not hard at all. It will allow you to boot a restoration CD and then restore from the network WHS. However, you will want to have a copy of your LAN Drivers on a USB Drive handy. I have a 256MB Thumb Drive that I keep handy with my computer's NIC Drivers. – kobaltz – 2012-11-01T14:34:01.540

Asked: 2012-11-01T13:40:37.403

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Active: 2012-11-01T15:11:17.077