\\NASty – Home Media Server

A few years ago, I began to look into having a proper NAS solution for my home network. I spent countless hours reading about Synology, QNAP, and other devices, however, none of them really checked every box I was looking for. I was about to just pull the trigger on a Synology device, until I started reading about Unraid OS.

Why Unraid?

Unraid OS, developed by Lime Technology, is a flexible operating system designed to manage network-attached storage (NAS) devices, virtual machines (VMs), and Docker containers. Unlike traditional RAID solutions, Unraid offers a hybrid approach:

• Mixed Drive Sizes – You can use drives of varying capacities without sacrificing storage space.
• Parity Protection – Offers data redundancy by using parity drives (up to two), ensuring that data can be rebuilt if a drive fails.
• Docker & VM Support – One of the biggest selling points for me was Unraid’s ability to run Docker containers and VMs natively. This meant my NAS could double as a full-fledged homelab.
• Community & Support – Unraid has a vibrant and active community that shares guides, plugins, and support for various use cases.

In this post, I’ll walk you through my hardware setup, how I installed Unraid OS, and the Docker containers and VMs I’m running to make my home server a multifunctional powerhouse.

Hardware Setup

Here’s the hardware I used for this build. I’ve linked to my parts list on PCPartPicker for convenience:

Core Components:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (8-core, 16-thread) – Plenty of multi-threaded performance for handling Docker, VMs, and Plex transcoding.
• GPU: EVGA GTX 1050 Ti – Primarily used for hardware-accelerated Plex transcoding and experimenting with AI workloads using Ollama.
• Motherboard: Gigabyte B550M DS3H – A reliable and affordable Micro ATX board with enough SATA ports and expansion slots for my needs.
• Memory: 16GB (2x8GB) G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200 CL16 – More than enough for Unraid’s RAM-based operation and VM/docker workloads.

Storage Configuration:

• Cache Pool:
  • Samsung 860 Evo 500GB SSD
  • WD Blue 1TB SSD
• Array:
  • (6) WD Red 4TB HDDs
  • (2) WD Red Pro 6TB HDDs
• Parity:
  • WD Red 6TB

Additional Components:

• Case: 4U rack-mount chassis – A budget-friendly solution that fits neatly in my home rack.
• Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G5 80+ Gold – Fully modular and reliable power for a 24/7 server.
• HBA Card: LSI 9211-8i (flashed to IT mode) – Used to connect multiple drives via SAS expanders, ensuring Unraid has direct access to the disks.

Installing Unraid OS

The Unraid installation process is straightforward:

Assign cache and array drives, configure parity protection, and set up shares as needed.

Create a Bootable USB Drive:

Download the Unraid OS installer from the official website.

Use Rufus (or the Unraid USB creator tool) to create a bootable USB stick.

Ensure the USB drive is between 1GB and 32GB (as per Unraid’s recommendations).

BIOS Setup:

Enter the BIOS during boot (usually by pressing DEL or F2).

Enable XMP for the RAM to ensure it runs at the correct speed.

Enable Virtualization Support (AMD-V or Intel VT-x), as it’s required for Docker and VMs.

Boot and Configure:

Plug in the USB drive, boot into Unraid, and complete the setup via the web GUI.

Services

This is where I will talk about the different services that I have running. Here’s a list with a brief description of each, separated via category.

Media Management

• Plex – media server
• Sonarr – uh… Linux ISOs
• Radarr – more Linux ISOs…
• Prowlarr – tracker indexer
• Overseerr – automating requests from users
• Bazarr – subtitle search
• Lidarr – music library manager
• Wizarr – automated Plex invites and setup with media requesting access
• Deluge – torrent client
• Tautulli – media monitoring/statistics
• youtube-dl – video downloader
• Kometa – automated custom metadata
• Handbrake – automated video encoding
• Readarr – eBooks and audiobooks for your library

Networking

• Pihole – network-level ad block
• CloudflaredTunnel – self explanatory, WAN access tunnels
• Speedtest Tracker – throughput monitoring to keep ISP honest
• Flaresolverr – breaking through pesky web barriers

Management

• Dozzle – centralized container logs
• Krusader (binhex-krusader) – GUI file management
• Adminer – lightweight database GUI management
• Mariadb – databases
• Uptime Kuma – sleek uptime monitoring
• Homarr – custom dashboard
• Ollama – playing around with LLMs of course
• Open-WebUI – perfect for ollama
• Tdarr – media transcoder
• Tdarr Node – companion to above
• HandBrake for Nvidia – GPU-powered video encoding
• VM Custom Icons – not running, but it’s hanging out, used for HA VM icon