NAS / Server for XBMC and other tasks
#1
Having set up xbmc on a windows 7 desktop, a dedicated self-built htpc, an android phone, a re-purposed old dell desktop running linux, and most recently a fire tv, this forum has been invaluable in getting helpful info. Thanks everybody.

I currently use my dedicated htpc in my living room to do all my downloading and hosting of files to serve my fire tv in my bedroom. Said htpc has a haswell i3, which I take to be quite efficient, but I still prefer to put the device to sleep or shut it down completely when not actively in use, for the sake of saving energy and wear-and-tear on it. More recently I've been thinking about building a server or buying a pre-built NAS (like a synology or qnap) to take care of the downloading and hosting of files to take stress off the living room htpc. Also, I figure this would allow me to leave the new machine on 24/7 without running up too high an electricity bill; correct me if I am wrong.

I would be looking for the machine to do the following:

-Run the usual sab/sb/cp trio for downloading purposes
-Host my media files (tv shows, movies, music, pictures) for devices on my home network to access via xbmc
-Run mysql for xbmc library synchronization - something I have yet to play with
-Save periodic backups of my other files from a desktop on my same home network
-Serve audio files to airplay instances in the house (fire tv and apple airport) headless via mobile app remote
-Have 4-6 TB of usable storage
-Offer redundancy (preferably something like RAID 1 or RAID 5)
-Run headless, offering me the ability to access it to change settings and such via another device on the network
-Allow hdd formatting for large individual files (10 GB+) - so like, NTFS or something similar
-Not cost an arm and a leg
-Require little energy to run 24/7
-Create little heat running 24/7 so that it could safely be stored in a cabinet

Is there a recommended build to make to accomplish this stuff or a recommended pre-build NAS that would serve all of these purposes? If I build it myself, I would prefer to put ubuntu on it for the sake of costs, but, if necessary, I could pay for a Windows license. Also, I tend to prefer Intel over AMD.

I would imagine most of the above tasks wouldn't require much in the way of cpu or ram; however, sab seems to be a resource hog at times when it is unpacking .rar files, so I am concerned about that.

Anybody got a similar device going in their arsenal and be willing to offer advice? The one feature I have not really seen people mention their server / NAS giving them is playing music to airplay instances. That is something I would really love to have, if at all possible. I know I could point an instance of itunes running on my htpc at a folder on the server/NAS, but that would defeat the purpose of trying to reduce the time that the htpc is awake. If I were to do that, I would just stick with my current setup and not go down the server/NAS route.

Any ideas or advice? Thanks.
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#2
For my nas I use a HP n54l microserver running xpenology. Which is synology software, it runs really well I've currently got 5 HDD in it but can fit a 6th if needed. Its cheap and easy to setup. I highly recommend it, if you wanted a lower power version you could use a motherboard q1900 motherboard thats low power with the same software.
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NAS / Server for XBMC and other tasks0