Second Aoostar as a backup

[Dylan]

Picked THIS up for my primary streaming/storage device about four months ago. I've been super pleased with its performance so I went ahead and bought a second SIMILAR unit primarily for backups and potentially other edge/IOT (read home surveillance) usage.

The difference being the primary uses an Intel N100 and, near as I an tell, is a little better supported when it comes to transcoding and streaming. The backup is slightly more equipped with CPU and RAM. Primary has 4x8TB raidz1 and the backup unit (eventually) will have 4x18TB in a raidz2.

The only issue I see is if I use the back up unit for home surveillance, the high read/write IO could impact overall disk life. Am I wrong here?

Tagging @Sonic as I would like to hear your experience on the AMD version of the Aoostar, so far.

Thanks!

 

[NAS]

I'm also interested in experience utilizing Intel N100 based NAS. My use case is for backup purposes with a similar raidz2 configuration. Let us all know how it goes!

[PsychoWards]

If we look at the specs for the Seagate Ironwolf Pro, they are rated for up to 550TB/year, which is a ludicrous amount of data and which you will never write in the lifetime of the disk. I wouldn't worry about writing surveillance data to the drives, that's what the are ment for (writing and reading data 24/7) and it's likely not going to impact the life at all, or at least not in a significant way.

Usually the other alternative for home surveillance would be micro sd cards and those die very fast compared to the lifetime off your surveillance setup and you need to swap them out every other year to be safe.

[Sonic]

On 2/26/2025 at 1:52 AM, Dylan said:

Picked THIS up for my primary streaming/storage device about four months ago. I've been super pleased with its performance so I went ahead and bought a second SIMILAR unit primarily for backups and potentially other edge/IOT (read home surveillance) usage.

The difference being the primary uses an Intel N100 and, near as I an tell, is a little better supported when it comes to transcoding and streaming. The backup is slightly more equipped with CPU and RAM. Primary has 4x8TB raidz1 and the backup unit (eventually) will have 4x18TB in a raidz2.

The only issue I see is if I use the back up unit for home surveillance, the high read/write IO could impact overall disk life. Am I wrong here?

Tagging @Sonic as I would like to hear your experience on the AMD version of the Aoostar, so far.

Thanks!

 

Hi @Dylan

Apologies for my late reply. I was away for a few days on a city trip.

I'm very happy with my WTR Pro with an AMD CPU. It runs Proxmox, and I have HexOS in a VM with SATA passthrough for four drives. Works great! In addition, I run a PBS VM and a Windows 11 VM on my WTR Pro. Performance is more than fine. I mainly use my WTR Pro for data storage and backup, so I can't comment on transcoding. I don’t use Plex, but the Hardware Haven YouTube channel covers this topic. It works, but from what I’ve heard, the N100 performs better in this area.

I also saw on AOOSTAR’s Facebook page that their new 6-bay NAS will feature an R7 8845HS processor.

[Sonic]

6 bay AOOSTAR

[Dylan]

Thank you for your feedback @PsychoWards and @Sonic. I saw your other post about running HexOS as Proxmox VM and specifically your comment about how much of the HW is under utilized. Since the larger device may only be for backups and perhaps one other use case, this presents opportunity.

I'll keep the forum(s) updated as I get closed to actual deployment but this was a good first round of insight.

[PsychoWards]

If you have an use case for additional VMs just go for it.

However be aware that you have an additional layer which needs to be properly setup and configured and that some things might not be as straightforward as with a bare metal installation. 🙂 

[Dylan]

4 hours ago, PsychoWards said:

some things might not be as straightforward as with a bare metal installation

Which is exactly why I try to preach for consistent backups - it enables you to experiment with reduced risk.

[Sonic]

@Dylan, how did you organize your backups? 

[Sonic]

And another NAS brand entering the market 😀.

https://opnnas.com/

It's to much for me. I don't need so much storage. But I like the concept.

[Dylan]

12 hours ago, Sonic said:

@Dylan, how did you organize your backups? 

Because I finally moved all of my data from old nas to new I am using my old NAS to back up anything really important. Once my 2nd Aoostar device comes in later this month and I get some drives for it I plan to do proper incremental snapshot policy.

[markrieder]

On 28. 2. 2025 at 9:56, Sonic said:

6 pozícia AOOSTAR

I also own an Aoostar 4 bay. The official aoostar website does not offer a 7 bay version. Where did you get it? I like it

[Sonic]

On 3/2/2025 at 10:44 PM, Dylan said:

Because I finally moved all of my data from old nas to new I am using my old NAS to back up anything really important. Once my 2nd Aoostar device comes in later this month and I get some drives for it I plan to do proper incremental snapshot policy.

Did you buy Intel or the AMD version?

[Sonic]

5 hours ago, markrieder said:

I also own an Aoostar 4 bay. The official aoostar website does not offer a 7 bay version. Where did you get it? I like it

Source: Aoostar Facebook page, in the New Product chat. They were uploaded by Joyce (Aoostar admin).

Aoostar announced the 6 WTR 6 bay Nas already in 2023, but it's postponed. See:

https://aoostar.com/blogs/news/aoostar-new-diy-nas-metal-shell-mini-pc-with-6-hdd-bays-6-nvme-slots-10-gbe-ethernet-port-2-x-2-5-gbe-ethernet-ports-led-screen-and-a-ryzen-7-5800u-processor?page=4#Comments-607102894378

But the funny thing is, that Aoostar is talking about a 6 bay NAS and there are 7 bays on the pictures. Nothing final yet 🙂 

[markrieder]

4 hours ago, Sonic said:

Kúpil si si Intel alebo AMD verziu?

I have the AMD version because I think it is better suited for virtualization. I upgraded the ram and ssd. I am not running Hex on it because in my opinion it is a demo that I cannot rely on yet.

[markrieder]

4 hours ago, Sonic said:

Zdroj: Facebook stránka Aoostar, v chate Nový produkt. Nahral ich Joyce (admin Aoostar).

Aoostar oznámil 6 WTR 6 Bay Nas už v roku 2023, ale je odložený. Pozri:

https://aoostar.com/blogs/news/aoostar-new-diy-nas-metal-shell-mini-pc-with-6-hdd-bays-6-nvme-slots-10-gbe-e thernet-port-2-x-2-5-gbe-ethernet-ports-led-screen-and-a-ryzen-7-5800u-processor?page=4#Comments-607102894378

Ale vtipné je, že Aoostar hovorí o 6-šachtovom NAS a na obrázkoch je 7 pozícií. Ešte nič definitívne 🙂 

https://geeksynk.com/wtr-max-upcoming-nas-pc-with-ryzen-8845-8945hs-processor/

[Dylan]

4 hours ago, Sonic said:

Did you buy Intel or the AMD version?

I currently have the Intel version and purchased the AMD version which should ship later this month. So, eventually I'll have both.

[Sonic]

2 hours ago, markrieder said:

https://geeksynk.com/wtr-max-upcoming-nas-pc-with-ryzen-8845-8945hs-processor/

it also says 6xSATA and 6xNVMe. So is on of the 7 drive bays an NVME expander? Probably.

It's a nice device, but I think i don't need so much power. AMD Ryzen7 8845HS has a TDP of 45W. That's much more compared to the WTR pro.

 

[Sonic]

2 hours ago, markrieder said:

I have the AMD version because I think it is better suited for virtualization. I upgraded the ram and ssd. I am not running Hex on it because in my opinion it is a demo that I cannot rely on yet.

I did the same. 64GB and 3 SSD's (I have a adapter for the WiFi slot). I run Proxmox and HexOs in a VM with SATA passthrough. I am very happy with it.

[Sonic]

2 hours ago, Dylan said:

I currently have the Intel version and purchased the AMD version which should ship later this month. So, eventually I'll have both.

Keep us posted which you like the most in the end 🙂. I am very curious.

[Dylan]

27 minutes ago, Sonic said:

Keep us posted which you like the most in the end 🙂. I am very curious.

I sure will!

[Sonic]

I just backed the Lincstation N2 on kickstarter. Also the Lincstation S1 is available. The S1 is comparable with the Aoostar WTR Pro.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lincplus/redefining-nas-style-power-and-usability-with-lincplus/description

I have already a Lincstation N1, really a great device. $309 for a N2 with 30% early bird discount is really a great offer. And the N2 had 10 gbe network

[Dylan]

3 hours ago, Sonic said:

The S1 is comparable with the Aoostar WTR Pro

They are almost identical systems. There seems to be an increasing amount for these small 4 bay NAS systems; I think folks are realizing just how much you can do with them. I mean, they're essentially servers the size of a large grapefruit.

(By the way - just how many NAS devices do you have??? 😆)

[Sonic]

2 hours ago, Dylan said:

They are almost identical systems. There seems to be an increasing amount for these small 4 bay NAS systems; I think folks are realizing just how much you can do with them. I mean, they're essentially servers the size of a large grapefruit.

(By the way - just how many NAS devices do you have??? 😆)

@Dylan,

my answer is already in your comment. 😀  I mean, they're essentially servers the size of a large grapefruit.

My answer depends on how you define a NAS. In the end, they are all mini PCs or servers with a certain form factor. But to give you an idea, I’ll describe my setup. I distinguish between my home network and my homelab.

Home Network

My home network is used by my family, mainly for file sharing and backups. The cornerstone is a rock-solid Synology NAS DS1520+, which I use for local Office 365 backups. Additionally, I back up my photos from my NAS to the cloud, so all my files are stored both locally and in the cloud. Before this, I had a DS414, which ran 24/7 for over 10 years.

Homelab

I have a separate network segment for my homelab (Mikrotik 2.5GbE & 10GbE network). All devices in my homelab run Proxmox in a cluster. My Aoostar WTR Pro serves as a NAS/storage (HexOS) and Proxmox Backup Server.

Additionally, I have:

• Intel NUC 11 Pro → Runs Windows 11 and macOS VMs, stays powered off when not in use.
• Shuttle DL30N (Intel N100) → Runs Docker apps.
• Lincstation N1 → Test server, including a second HexOS installation.

I recently ordered a Lincstation N2, which I plan to use as my primary HexOS server. This will allow me to repurpose my Aoostar WTR Pro as offline storage, activated only when needed using Cron jobs and Wake-on-LAN. The Lincstation N1 will then become my Proxmox Backup Server, allowing me to quickly restore VMs or Docker containers when experimenting with configurations that don’t work as expected.

All of this is housed in 10-inch racks. I’m a big fan of small form factor devices that strike a balance between maximum performance and minimal power consumption.

 

[Dylan]

@Sonic That is significant and sounds like it was fun to build out over time. I think embracing small form factor devices, especially today, just makes sense for home environments. I had my little Netgear ReadyNAS for 10 years and just kind of forgot about it until I realized it was time to upgrade it. When I did, I also realized there were some REALLY cool products out there that are far more tailored to home use the before, like the Aoostart WTR Pro and HexOS. And here we are.

3 hours ago, Sonic said:

Aoostar WTR Pro as offline storage, activated only when needed using Cron jobs and Wake-on-LAN

I'd really like to keep in touch with you on this topic. I have a similar configuration in mind. My Aoostar AMD device wont arrive until later this month or even early April and I still have to get a few more drives but ultimately, this also what I am looking to deploy.