NAS Maintenance Day

infotech

Twelve years ago, in March of 2014, I built my own NAS (Network Attached Storage) as part of my pursuit to go paperless. I was scanning all of my paper documents, and shredding them. I needed a reliable place to store the scanned files. I needed something that would be resilient in the face of technical failures (if I lost any of my scanned files, they would be gone forever), and would make my documents easy to access. After shopping around, I decided to build my own NAS, set it up with an array of disks that could handle disk failure, and set up backups that followed the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of data, stored on two different media types, with one copy kept off-site. A few days ago, after more than a decade of constant spinning, the CPU fan started sounding like a small airplane taking off. I needed to replace it ASAP. So that's what I'm working on today. While I'm at it, I'll blow the dust out. 😉

Here are some pics of the adventure.

NAS disassembled
Replacing the CPU fan requires completely dismantling the NAS.

Labels on cables
Labeling everything, so I can put it back together.

NAS reassembled
Cable management was never my strong suit, and the screws on top in this pic are the wrong ones.

Now seems like as good a time as any to write down the details, history, and costs of this NAS, so here goes.

The Original 2014 Build

  • Motherboard - ASRock E3C226D2I
  • RAM - 2 x 8GB Kingston KVR16E11/8R ECC
  • CPU - Intel Xeon E3-1230V3
  • Internal Drives - 6 x 2TB Western Digital Red (configured for RaidZ2)
  • External Drive - 1 x Seagate 5 TB USB (for an offsite copy of important files)
  • Power Supply - Seasonic SSR-550RM 550W
  • UPS - APC Back UPS BE750G
  • Case - Fractal Node 304 White
  • Boot Drive - USB stick

Total build cost, including tax and shipping, was $1494.

FreeNAS to TrueNAS

FreeNAS transitioned to TrueNAS in late 2020. I was hesitant to switch to a completely new NAS operating system, so I waited quite a while. Finally, in February 2022, I made the switch. While FreeNAS recommended booting off of a USB stick, TrueNAS needed to boot from an internal drive. My NAS already used all six SATA connectors on the motherboard, but I did have an open PCIe slot. I installed an M.2 NVME to PCIe adapter, added a Crucial NVME PCIe M.2 SSD, upgraded the motherboard firmware so that it would recognize the new drive, and installed TrueNAS on it.

  • Boot Drive Adapter - M.2 NVME to PCIe 3.0
  • Boot Drive - Crucial P2 250GB NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD - CT250P2SSD8

Total upgrade cost: $53.

UPS Battery

Batteries have a lifespan. In March 2022, the runtime mine would support during a power outage was getting less and less. I ordered a replacement on Amazon.

Here are pics of testing the old and new batteries:

Old battery
Still some life left, but not enough for my needs.

New battery
Much better!

  • UPS Battery - APC RBC17

Total replacement cost $43

More Storage

My storage pool reached 80% capacity in October 2024, and the original drives had high power-on hours anyway, so I upgraded to some new bigger drives. (I also built a Direct Attached Storage using the old drives, but that is an entirely different topic).

  • Internal Drives - 6 x 4TB Seagate IronWolf (configured for RaidZ2)

Total upgrade cost: $604.14

Motherboard Battery

In December 2025, my NAS lost its brains. It booted needing a date input. The CMOS battery was done, and needed replacing. This was cheap and easy.

Total replacement cost: $5

CPU Fan

That brings us up-to-date. The CPU fan was kind of annoying because it required a tear-down to get to the back side of the motherboard.

  • CPU cooler - Noctua NH-L9x65

Total replacement cost: $75.14

Conclusion

I'll keep this NAS for as long as possible. It serves my purposes well. My total cost to build and maintain so far has been around $2,274, which works out to about $15/month over twelve years. Not too bad.