Hi, not sure if this has already been suggested, but:
one problem with NAS servers is when their power supplies blow, which can happen way after support has finished and parts are discontinued. Often, the drives are no longer compatible with newer NAS servers (different formatting or old drive incompatibility, etc), so there’s a serious risk of loss of data. Also, NAS technology evolves and rather than ditching whole NAS boxes an upgradable Framework NAS server would be perfect.
currently, when we upgrade our Framework laptops and have spare motherboards, we have to resort to 3D printing cases to make use of them, but not everyone has access to such printers. Would be much better, if Framework sold cases and bundles of all the parts so that we could create our own home servers or desktops from this old hardware.
(1) and (2) could be part and parcel of the same idea…if after upgrading why not plug the old motherboard into a framework NAS server box?
You don’t really need to get a machine labeled as NAS for a NAS: at the end of the day, a NAS is a computer with a NIC and a bunch of drive bays, and any old desktop can fit that role, and those don’t need HDDs with DRM on them. And if I want a data center grade NAS I’m not doing an hackljob with a laptop board.
Also, last time I checked, 12, 13, and 16 boards all have exactly 0 SATA ports, are you gonna do a NAS enclosure where every bay is a USB dock? Getting a used desktop is cheaper than repurposing the Framework board at that point.
You’re suggesting a DIY product which is only suitable for a tiny subset of users and for non-technical users their inexperience puts their data at risk. I’m talking about an off-the-shelf turnkey product that’s repairable and upgradable.
Of course it will be more expensive than DIY with a used desktop, but that’s not an apples-to-apples comparison: you’re completely missing the point of Framework, where reuse, upgradability, and user-repairability are the USPs.
“Buy a used desktop, shove a bunch of hard drives into it” isn’t any more DIY than “gut an old laptop, shove it into an enclosure together with with a bunch of hard drives”.
Hell, “buy an off the shelves NAS, shove a bunch of drives into it” is hardly less DIY than the old desktop, unless you consider installing Debian a DIY project.
The old desktop is still a form of reuse, it doesn’t stop being so just because it doesn’t have the Framework logo on it, and it’s the better fit for the job than a machine with exactly 0 SATA ports.
the used desktop requires operating system installation & configuration: I’m talking about a turnkey Framework NAS.
the used desktop won’t be repairable, upgradable & reuseable in a user-friendly way with a marketplace for guaranteed compatible parts when bits need replacing.
So does a enclosure for a FW16 board. Which is what you’ve been talking about in the first post. A dedicated computer sold preconfigured is a different thing, but still, maybe I’m bieased, but it hardly counts as DIY.
This is straight-up false. A desktop is more repairable and upgradable than a Framework, the thing is Framework laptops is that they approach desktop repairability and upgradability while still being laptops. Screwdriver and slotting things is still screwdriver and slotting things, on the desktop you need to do cable management but there are also a lot less screws involved, that’s about it. And different form factors allow for different reusability.
We’ve been talking at cross purposes the whole time. Let me clear it up:
My post was always about a dedicated preconfigured NAS as a new Framework product line: it’s even in the title of my post. And in my text I said “rather than ditching whole NAS boxes an upgradable Framework NAS server would be perfect.” So I was always talking about a preconfigured, turnkey solution that’s upgradable and user-repairable. But what I also said is if the NAS used compatible motherboards, then we could reuse our old motherboards i.e. putting them to good use.
You’re right and wrong. Where you’re right is if it’s a DIY desktop, then sure you can put any parts you like in the box, so in that sense its more upgradable and maintainable than any Framework desktop. But that also requires a high degree of technical knowledge well beyond most NPCs who have no idea of how a computer works. Framework’s strategy targets the NPCs who are prepared to use a screwdriver but still have no interest in learning how to configure and match hardware specs the way a DIYer needs to know.
Here’s where you’re wrong: the average non-tower off the shelf desktop from Dell, Lenovo etc is less user-repairable and upgradeable (for NPCs) than what I’m talking about.
A framework product simply brings upgradeablity and repairability to the masses, and if they made a NAS, then it would have those advantages as well.
To summarise: I’m saying, if there’s a market for turnkey NAS solutions (despite the existence of DIY possibilities), then there’ll also be a market for a Framework NAS.
Well, you haven’t been researching the archives of the forum. Before the FL16 was produced people were muttering about a NAS as a future product, and I pointed out that although FW hadn’t yet produced the FL16, they had said they had a dual NVME board that would fit in the expansion bay that they had developed as a proof of concept. So in the discussion on having a NAS as a product I pointed out this would be a possibility, allowing an OS on a 2230 drive plus three 2280 drives as storage, which could be arranged as a mirrored or striped set if desired. That is about as close to having a NAS using an old motherboard as you are going to get unless you use USB attach drives.
And I pointed out that all the electronics was already designed, and all it needed was a suitable case to put it all in.
I cant see Framework being able to get the price down to something people would be willing to pay for a NAS.
As for the blown power supply issue, if the power supply is separate from the NAS, universal power supplies can be easily picked up cheap enough - you just need to match the specification so its suitable for voltage, polarity & amperage.