I added 16TB to my Unraid Server From a Storage Bin!

The current configuration of my media server is running out of space and with storage prices at an all time high, I needed to find a more creative solution. So, I went rummaging through my basement and dug up 16TB spread across a number of older, unused hard drives.

In my latest video, I demonstrate just how flexible the Unraid NAS OS can be when adding a bunch of random drives to the mix!

For the past several months, the system has operated on a Beelink ME Mini connected to a four-bay USB drive enclosure. This setup utilized four 4TB drives, with three dedicated to data storage and one acting as a parity drive for data protection. With only 650GB of space remaining and a collection of new media files to move over, an expansion was necessary.

To address the shortage, I began a migration to Beelink’s ME Pro (which has two built in SATA slots along with faster 5 gigabit ethernet) while repurposing storage hardware I already owned. I plan to move my Unraid’s parity drive used for data protection from the USB array to one of the SATA slots. This will free up another slot in the USB array for storage. I also plan to add a second parity drive to the ME Pro’s other SATA slot to add additional protection.

I pulled several 4TB drives that had been sitting idle in a storage container and integrated them into a second four-bay drive array. This is where Unraid is very useful, as it allows for storage expansion just by adding drives without the need for complex RAID calculations and rebuilds.

Find the storage array and Mini PC on Amazon (compensated affiliate link)

While using multiple USB enclosures introduces potential points of failure compared to a traditional server tower with internal SATA connections, the previous USB-based configuration functioned without interruption for over nine months. The only thing it went out of service for was Unraid OS updates.

The migration process began with identifying the serial number of the existing parity drive. Because all the drives in my collection are the same make and model, tracking the serial numbers ensures that the parity drive is not accidentally assigned as a data drive, which would result in data loss. I also created a backup of the Unraid boot drive configuration to a zip file as a precaution.

After preparing the software, I moved my existing NVMe drives from the old mini PC to the new hardware. One NVMe drive serves as a cache for the array, while the other is dedicated to running Docker containers, such as Plex, to ensure higher performance for applications. Once these were installed, I moved the Unraid USB boot drive to the new machine and connected my existing USB arrays.

Once I booted up on the new system, Unraid spun up without issue. This is what I love about Unraid – hardware migration is usually a simple swap of drives from one PC to the next.

To expand the storage, I connected the second drive array and assigned the four additional 4TB drives to the pool. Unraid requires new drives to undergo a clearing process, which involves writing zeros to the entire disk to maintain parity integrity. This process took approximately seven hours for the 4TB units. During this time, the server remained functional, and existing files were still accessible. Once the clearing was finished, I formatted the drives and updated the media share settings to include the new disks.

One last note on Unraid parity : parity drives need to be the same size or larger than your largest storage disk. So in my case 4TB drives are as large as I can go at the moment. If I wanted to add a 6TB drive, I’d need to ensure my parity drives are 6TB or more.

Along with relocating my parity drive, this hardware transition has increased the available storage to 20TB. While the current setup relies on USB enclosures, it serves as a practical way to utilize existing hardware. The next logical step in the evolution of this server will likely involve moving away from USB entirely in favor of a motherboard with enough native SATA ports to house all drives within a single chassis. But for the time being, the system is back online with the capacity required for my current storage needs.

Disclosures: Beelink sent the Mini PCs and Terramaster sent the new array to the channel free of charge. The Wavlink array came in free of charge through the Amazon Vine program. I paid for the Unraid license with my own funds. This review was not sponsored nor has any brand reviewed or approved the video prior to uploading. All opinions are my own.