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Raspberry Pi NAS Server

Raspberry Pi NAS

Project Overview

A budget-friendly Network Attached Storage (NAS) server built around a Raspberry Pi 4 (8GB) running OpenMediaVault. It provides 8TB of RAID-1 mirrored storage for automated backups, media streaming via Plex, and file sharing across the home network.

Hardware

Component Details
Raspberry Pi 4 8GB RAM model
USB 3.0 Hub Powered 4-port Sabrent
Hard Drives 2x Seagate IronWolf 4TB
Drive Enclosures 2x ORICO USB 3.0 SATA
Case Argon ONE M.2 (with fan)
UPS APC Back-UPS 600VA

Software Stack

  • OS: Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)
  • NAS Platform: OpenMediaVault 6
  • File Sharing: SMB/CIFS, NFS
  • Media Server: Plex Media Server (Docker)
  • Backup: rsnapshot for incremental backups
  • Monitoring: Netdata for system dashboards

Setup Guide

1. Base OS Installation

Flash Raspberry Pi OS Lite to a micro SD card using Raspberry Pi Imager. Enable SSH on first boot.

2. Install OpenMediaVault

# Update system first
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install OMV using the official script
wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/OpenMediaVault-Plugin-Developers/installScript/master/install | sudo bash

3. Configure RAID-1

Using OMV's web interface, create a RAID-1 (mirrored) array from both 4TB drives. This gives 4TB of usable space with full redundancy — if one drive fails, no data is lost.

4. Docker & Plex

# docker-compose.yml for Plex
version: "3"
services:
  plex:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/plex:latest
    container_name: plex
    network_mode: host
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=America/New_York
    volumes:
      - /srv/dev-disk-by-uuid/.../config:/config
      - /srv/dev-disk-by-uuid/.../media:/media
    restart: unless-stopped

Performance Note

The Raspberry Pi 4 can handle 1-2 direct play streams comfortably. Transcoding is limited, so clients should ideally direct play compatible formats (H.264, AAC).

Power Consumption

The entire NAS draws approximately 18W at idle and 25W under load. Running 24/7, that's about $2/month in electricity — far less than a commercial NAS or a repurposed desktop.

Backup Strategy

  • rsnapshot runs nightly: 7 daily, 4 weekly, and 6 monthly snapshots
  • rclone syncs critical folders to Backblaze B2 weekly for offsite backup
  • Both drives are monitored via SMART with email alerts on early failure signs