The ULTIMATE Raspberry Pi 5 NAS

Jeff Geerling2 minutes read

The Raspberry Pi 5 offers increased speed and PCI Express capabilities for building a Pine Nas, with concerns about potential bottlenecks in gigabit speed compared to other nases addressed through networking tests. Benchmarking reveals impressive speeds in RAID zero and ZFS setups, with power consumption ranging from 8 to 22 watts, emphasizing the importance of testing performance with large files and managing software for DIY projects.

Insights

  • Raspberry Pi 5 offers increased speed, PCI Express support, and better availability compared to its predecessors, addressing performance concerns with previous models.
  • ZFS utilization in a Pine Nas setup initially outperforms RAID zero but eventually slows down due to caching, emphasizing the importance of testing performance with large files and monitoring CPU usage, power consumption, and file copy speeds for optimal functionality.

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Recent questions

  • What are the key features of the Raspberry Pi 5?

    The Raspberry Pi 5 offers increased speed, PCI Express, and better availability compared to previous models.

  • How can I build a Pine Nas for less than $150?

    You can build a Pine Nas for under $150 using a $45 SATA hat, a 12-volt power supply, a Raspberry Pi 5, a fan, and a micro SD card.

  • What are the potential bottlenecks with the Pi 5's gigabit speed?

    Concerns about potential bottlenecks with the Pi 5's gigabit speed compared to 2.5 gig networking in other nases are raised.

  • How can I achieve 2.5 gig networking with a Raspberry Pi 5?

    You can achieve 2.5 gig networking with a Raspberry Pi 5 by using a 2.5 GB hat, a PCI Express switch, and cables.

  • What software can I use to manage a Raspberry Pi Nas setup?

    Open Media Vault is a suitable software option for managing a Raspberry Pi Nas setup.

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Summary

00:00

"Raspberry Pi 5 NAS Building Guide"

  • Raspberry Pi nases have been built, ranging from small SSD Nas to the largest one, the petabyte Pi Project.
  • The Pi4 and compute module 4 were found to be barely adequate, achieving less than 100 megabytes per second network speed even with SSDs.
  • The Wire Truste SATA board and Radas Taco projects, promising for nases, were unsuccessful due to the Raspberry Pi shortages.
  • The Raspberry Pi 5 is now available, offering increased speed, PCI Express, and better availability.
  • Building a Pine Nas for less than $150 is explored using a $45 SATA hat, a 12-volt power supply, a Raspberry Pi 5, a fan, and a micro SD card.
  • Concerns about potential bottlenecks with the Pi 5's gigabit speed compared to 2.5 gig networking in other nases are raised.
  • The SATA hat includes five SATA connections, with the option to add another drive externally.
  • Power supply considerations are discussed, with the option to power the board through a 12-volt barrel Jack or an ATX MX power supply.
  • The SATA hat lacks a normal PCI Express connector for the Pi 5, necessitating the use of flat flexible circuit boards for connection.
  • The SATA hat utilizes the JMB585 PCIe Gen 3x2 controller, potentially limiting bandwidth compared to Gen 3 speeds.

14:46

"High-Speed Networking Setup with Raspberry Pi"

  • A handprint is left on a table due to a screen generating heat, with a fingerprint now visible.
  • Formatting is completed, and the next step is to mount the array and set up RAID zero.
  • A disk benchmark is run, showing speeds of 850-860 megabytes per second in RAID zero, with random reads at 687 megabytes per second and random writes at 758.
  • A 4K block size shows 44 Megs read and 152 Megs write, performing well.
  • A folder with 100 gigs of footage is copied over to a Pi, achieving a line speed of 110 megabytes per second.
  • Cooling is considered due to slight off-gassing, with a comparison to another NAS setup.
  • An attempt to achieve 2.5 gig networking is made using a 2.5 GB hat for the Raspberry Pi 5, involving a PCI Express switch and cables.
  • The networking test results in speeds of 1.6-2 Gbps, with read speeds reaching 217-250 megabytes per second.
  • Open Media Vault is installed on the Pi, with power consumption ranging from 8 to 10 watts during installation.
  • ZFS is used to create a RAID Z1 array, with a shared volume set up and data copied over at speeds comparable to RAID zero.

29:33

"ZFS vs RAID: Performance Testing and Costs"

  • The system utilized 22 Watts during processing, with ZFS potentially involved in compression. Despite initially outperforming RAID zero, it eventually slowed down slightly, emphasizing the importance of testing performance with large files due to ZFS caching in RAM affecting disk array speed. CPU usage remained moderate, power consumption ranged from 8 to 16 Watts, and file copy speed was 74 MB/s in RAID Z1 and nearly 100 MB/s in RAID zero for writing, while read speeds were similar.
  • Benchmarking on a Mac led to slower network file copies, highlighting the need to avoid Macs for such tasks despite their networking capabilities. Transitioning to a Windows PC significantly improved file copy speeds, showcasing the impact of the operating system on performance. Building a similar system for under $200 is feasible, but DIY projects necessitate software management and maintenance responsibilities.
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