I currently have an aging HPn54L with 4 x 4 tb drives in it running Xpenology.
I'm looking at getting rid of it before it fails and to do a new NAS/Server.
What what would you recommend as a replacement? I've been happy with the performance of the n5l, although I did add extra RAM to max it out.
Any help/suggestions greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Johno
I imagine because of the bathtub curve. The N54L was released in 2010 so if OP's server has been running 24/7 for the past 10-15 years, there's a higher chance of it suddenly dying now, so might as well replace it to avoid unexpected downtime.
Fair call, but what's the average lifespan of a Nas? and how do the lifespans of the drivers change that curve?
It really depends on a lot of things (e.g. environmental temperature, dust, server load, number of drives etc) but if I'm running a server 24/7 at home I'd probably want to replace it after maybe 6-8 years. Realistically though since it's not critical I'd probably let it run till it plays up, unless downtime means the whole familiy is inconvenienced because all the lights and home automations stop working and no one can watch movies or something like that.
The server will usually outlast the drives so the drives would have their own curve.
@oscargamer: It really depends on how it's used. Enterprise drives in a server running at home with a home user workload could last as long as the server. Or not, depending on the environment. A single bump while running could kill them all in one go. Or dust filters that never get cleaned leading to high operating temperatures could shorten their lifespan.
If all you're storing is uh, linux ISOs which can be redownloaded you can just run the drives until SMART starts showing increasing errors, then replace it ASAP. Or you can proactively replace the drives every x years… how many is really up to you depending on how much risk you're willing to take.
When I got rid of one of my N54L, I replaced it with one of these motherboards https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006221619148.html (paid US$112.07 at the time)
in a case like this, that I had bought from eBay ages ago https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004477330498.html
I'm very happy with it.
CPU TDP of 10W & Passmark of 1498/4004 compared to N54L 25W & 894/854
How much do you want to spend.
I replaced the motherboard with that from a lenovo tiny, others put in a modern Intel N150.
The quality of the HP case is good - you will find lots of guides online and Youtube videos on this topic.
thanks. i didn't even think about just replacing the motherboard etc.
Why do you need to replace it?