i have a few docker containers running on the NAS. they don't need a lot of resources. and it's relatively easy to move them between NASs. in the meantime, the GUI is also usable. i'm very happy with this combination.
For VMs, the cpu performance is less important than the available RAM. that's why I have a separate server for VMs. (ok, i just chose a stronger cpu). with about 10-12 VMs my 32 GB RAM are exhausted. However, I use the iSCSI function on the VM server to mount disk space from the NAS. this works very well.
You can combine the hard disks in different sizes, but for certain RAID levels such as 1, 5, 6 or 10, only the smallest disk per group is taken into account for the capacity. Pairwise combinations (e.g. 2x4TB and 2x8TB) are possible, but the effective usable capacity depends on the selected RAID level. For JBOD or RAID 0 you can use the entire capacity, but this is less secure. The official specifications confirm that different hard drive sizes are supported as long as they are compatible.
No issues with the DS923+ is powerfull enough like that with 1 or 2 transcoding and way more powerful and more option and evolution for the rest. I clearly don’t regret my purchase
Yes, it is possible to use the Synology DS923+ NAS initially with only two hard drives and later upgrade to four hard drives.
### Capacity expansion
- The Synology DS923+ supports up to four hard drives directly in the device and can be expanded by an additional five bays with the DX517 expansion unit, allowing a total of up to nine hard drives.
### Different hard drive sizes
- You can use different sizes of hard drives, as the DS923+ supports both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA HDDs and SSDs. However, it is advisable to use hard drives with similar storage capacities and speeds for optimal performance and data integrity, especially if you are using RAID configurations such as RAID 5 or RAID 6.
The dimensions of the Synology DiskStation DS923+ are as follows:
- Height: 166 mm (6.53 inches)
- Width: 199 mm (7.83 inches)
- Depth: 223 mm (8.78 inches)
The appliance weighs 2.24 kg (4.93 lbs).
Hello. Ideally 4 drives of the same size. It doesn't matter what the capacity is. I left the configuration recommended by Synology after seeing a few comparisons. Very easy to install. The DSM is already installed, there is only some information to give but very simple.
No, it shouldn't cause any problems..... Synology has created its own RAID system "SHR" especially for this purpose.
But I have no personal experience with HDDs of different sizes. Only use SHR as a RAID system.
Hmm, depends on how you configured your NAS, how many disks were installed, etc.
From my own experience, I recommend staying with Synology and possibly buying the same or a successor system empty without disks - then the data will be available again with a relatively high probability (provided the disks are not defective).
Synology provides plenty of instructions and help for this
Yes, I have measured since commissioning a few months ago. The average is 40W, with short spikes of up to 50W at high write loads. I ended up with 28.8 kWh in March.
For what? As a cache (does that effectively do anything?) or as a storage volume?
As a cache, the SSD should have a high TBW. Because when the TBW limit is reached, the SSD is deactivated by the Synology DS as a cache, even if the SSD still functions in principle without errors.
As a storage pool, you should consider and know the following things:
https://kb.synology.com/de-de/DSM/tutorial/Which_models_support_M_2_SSD_storage_pool
https://www.synology.com/de-de/compatibility?search_by=products&model=DS923%2B&category=m2_ssd_internal&p=1&change_log_p=1
Plex in highest quality via Samsung 82 inch TV, old Microsoft Surface 5 and several Android tablets or mobiles absolutely smoothly, even 4k. CPU of the 923+ not over 30% in each case