How to Design Your Own File Server?

Linux

With the ever growing amount and size of files people need to store, hard-drive space is becoming increasingly inadequate. Thankfully, there is one solution. That solution is to use a file server. Here are some steps you can follow to design your own file server.

First, you need to figure out what you need a file server for. Do you need it to hold large HD movie files? Do you need it to contain hard drive space for multiple computers? Do you need one to store music files for use with your HTPC?

You will also need to consider the amount of storage space you will actually need. The size and number of files will determine the kind of drive you purchase. You will also want to account for the possible expansion of your collection of files as well.

More than likely you will need a lot of space. If this is the case, you will need something referred to as a RAID array. A RAID array is a number of storage discs that operate as a file server through redundancy.

A RAID array can also come in a number of different levels. The RAID level you will use is something you must decide. For example, RAID 1 will contain mirrors of all files stored on multiple discs. However, you may not need this level of security. You can also, for example, choose RAID 6. RAID 6 can tolerate two drive failures and takes up less space.

There are also other choices. RAID 5 gives you the highest capacity. Raid 10 has the best performance. You can also choose RAID 0, which is the fastest option. However, all data will be lost after a single drive failure.

You will also need to consider the hardware you will use as a controller for your file server. Such controllers are very reliable and run very fast. They can also be used with many different kinds of RAID array configurations.

However, RAID controllers have one big down side. They are prohibitively expensive. Thankfully, you also have the option of using computer software as a replacement for the controller. You can do so if you have a computer that has the correct number of ports required for your RAID array. Most people who use this option use a Linux operating system to manage their RAID arrays. However, there are many other software options on the market to choose from as well.