This section of the wiki will help you decide what server to buy.
We first cover some general topics such as:
- The absolute minimum hardware you can run TrueNAS on
- Some other general guidelines about more realistic minimum specifications
Then we look at the broad categories of server hardware:
- Commercial NAS appliances - pre-built specialised NAS hardware from one of several commercial companies (including ixSystems, the people who bring you the free TrueNAS software)
- DIY NAS appliances - build-your-own NAS hardware, built by you from a range of cases (specialised NAS or standard tower) and motherboards specifically designed for NAS.
- General purpose servers - if your NAS requirements are larger than an appliance can provide, then a (rack-mounted) general purpose server may be what you need
Finally we will cover how to match one of the above server types with the other hardware requirements, most importantly the number of SATA ports.
- Minimum / Other Hardware Guidelines
- Storage hardware (HDDs, SSDs)
- Using commercial NAS appliances
- Building a DIY NAS appliance
- Using a general purpose server
- Your final selection of a server