I'm planning to set up a basic file and media server using an older PC, likely with Ubuntu Server installed. My focus is on creating a mirrored hard drive setup for redundancy, and I want to run either Plex or Jellyfin on it. However, I'm a bit confused about the best way to approach the disk configuration. There are so many file systems and RAID options available that it's overwhelming. I need a solution that works for both Linux and Windows systems accessing the shared storage, probably using SAMBA as the network sharing method. Should I go with EXT4, ZFS, XFS, or NTFS? Most tutorials I found seem to dive into complex setups with virtualization and containers, which isn't what I want. Any advice on simplifying the disk setup?
4 Answers
You might want to consider Open Media Vault! It's known for being user-friendly, equipped with a nice web interface, and it supports ZFS for creating a RAID mirror easily. Plus, you can run VMs if you ever decide to expand your setup. Overall, it’s a great option without too much hassle.
Honestly, you're probably overthinking it a bit. Jellyfin is super easy to set up and doesn’t need redundancy to just enjoy your movies. Just make sure to keep a backup with rsync, and you could've had Jellyfin running by now rather than worrying about all the technical details. The main goal here is to enjoy your media!
ZFS is my go-to for disk pooling, but it can be complex. It’s great if you're willing to learn the ins and outs. Since Ubuntu has ZFS support, that could be a solid choice, but it does come with some quirks. On another note, EXT4 might require additional tools for RAID, and NTFS is generally only useful for dual-boot setups with Windows.
After some trial and error, I found that the specific file system doesn't matter too much for basic setups. I made a simple RAID 1 with an EXT4 partition and everything worked smoothly with Samba for file sharing across Windows and Linux. So don't stress too much about it!
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