QNAP server using Subversion Setup Questions

[Beefyfife]

I am currently working at a small automotive tool maker company and we are looking into getting and maintaining a server with VPN access. I was looking into purchasing a QNAP or NAS 2/4 slot server. However, before my boss will purchase it, he wants to see a work flow process regarding use.

A little background, we make tools and because of customer needs, we constantly make design changes due to cost/deadlines and how much time we are required to provide service to a tool. For example, we make a tool to make a part of your car and 4 years down the line, it breaks. Potentially, we need to be able to access the schematic data out in the field that is massive and sits in a hard copy file here. The problem, what if the tech who's working on it doesn't have any previous experience with the project until he needs it this moment ?

I was looking into TortoiseSVN and revision control through a Subversion server as a potential option to always make sure the data (that isn't clearly defined due to automotive nomenclature) is the current working model and not a potential design that was never built.

Is this the right way to go about this? This isn't what I was brought in to do, administrative staff who can speak Japanese, so I'm basically fumbling my way through setting up a potential server and don't know where to begin.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

[Technician1]

I recently put in a my cloud Western Digital 32 terabyte four slot server in our living room home office and have had nothing but success and it was very easy. I combined it with the Tripp Lite UPS and the Tripp Lite has smart shutdown so if anything happens and the electricity is interrupted the Tripp Lite will send a message to the server and it will automatically shut it down safely before the power goes out completely it's a great system. It will store all your data in a raid 5 configuration so if you lose a disc you can just replace it and it will rebuild so your data will always be there and be accessible.

 

[Beefyfife]

Thank you for that response, I will definitely look into that. However it doesn't address the larger issue with regard to a version control or revision control system. That is the largest problem I am trying to tackle at the moment. I also don't wish to store the information cloud based. Main reason I am looking at the QNAP with their VPN setup.

 

[crazyman143]

Sounds to me like you're on the right track. I would look at Synology also. I've been really been impressed with their software. Their products are probably similar to the QNAP you've been looking at. They're a little more expensive but very solid in my experience.

You might want to look into a web-based document management system and just use the NAS as backend storage. VPN connections are always buggy and trying to get them working out in the field is a huge pain.

If it were me, I'd set up web based document management secured with an SSL certificate, and use the NAS as backend storage. Then I'd replicate this NAS either to a cloud backup service, or to another NAS located offsite. If you're concerned about privacy, I believe there are ways to encrypt a cloud backup before it's transported for storage.

At work we use a document management system called WebDocs. It's not very good, honestly. But, something along those lines might be what you're looking for. Maybe subversion will work for your needs, hard to say.

 

[Technician1]

I had synology but the software isn't as good as that of western digital frankly and I researched qnap and found it also was lacking a lot of the functionality of wd. I like that net gear has an auto bit rot prevention but there were too many other shortcomings with their servers. So I just do the bit rot prevention manually on a schedule.
A cloud based set up will be a lot more useful to your field techs like the one I used when I was working as a tech for Xerox.

 

[Beefyfife]

Thank you everyone for the help and advice. Unfortunately my boss explicitly stated he wanted it non-cloud based. I revised my search and was looking at the WD My Cloud Pro Series PR4100 vs QNAP TS-453A and I understand why you guys went with WD but I learned something interesting while on the phone with WD sales people. They said

If you open your unit for any reason, clean it out, change the fan, you void the warranty

whereas the QNAP you void it by messing with the motherboard or the operating system. Also with the QNAP, they have a parts store so if something breaks and you want to fix it yourself or have them fix it, it's possible unlike with the PR4100 from WD.

If anyone else has any other suggestions or comments, they are greatly appreciated!!

 

[root]

If it were me, I'd probably use GIT rather than SVN, but that's only a preference of tools to interact with it rather than purpose.

you are exactly right in saying that you want to use something like SVN with branch control.
in a lot of ways I'm surprised that this isn't already in place, as I would assume that tools are designed and then made rather than eyeballing them during production!


in terms of attached drives...

I would not use any of the NAS devices, (either specified or otherwise), I'd use internal drives on a server, in the long run that will probably work out cheaper than trying to do something with a NAS.

the reason for this is simple.
if you're planning on running SVN and using a peer to peer style of version database, then you don't need a centralized storage, and if you have centralized storage, a single database and all people trying to update that at once, it is almost guaranteed to break.

conversely, if you have a centralized database that people just check stuff out of, then, you have to get a central server anyway, so, why not just add a couple more disks to that server, (it's cheaper than buying a whole new NAS) and you don't have any associated issues like, the power on the NAS went out and now some files in references in the database no longer exist. getting a NAS to work as storeage in a single server setup is just adding more complexity, (and more places where it can fail.)

the only way a NAS makes sense is if you plan to do version control with file names and folders.

e.g.
\\network share\fiat\500\door-lock\dies\left-side-v6.dxf

and that's just not a good way to keep files like that.

 

[Technician1]

Thank you everyone for the help and advice. Unfortunately my boss explicitly stated he wanted it non-cloud based. I revised my search and was looking at the WD My Cloud Pro Series PR4100 vs QNAP TS-453A and I understand why you guys went with WD but I learned something interesting while on the phone with WD sales people. They said whereas the QNAP you void it by messing with the motherboard or the operating system. Also with the QNAP, they have a parts store so if something breaks and you want to fix it yourself or have them fix it, it's possible unlike with the PR4100 from WD.

If anyone else has any other suggestions or comments, they are greatly appreciated!!

WD has 4 gb ram upgadeable to 8 and an empty slot for you to upgrade so you have to open it up to upgrade the ram so that does not void a warranty as you were erroneously told. I also don't see why you couldn't clean it out while it's open.

The biggest difference is a celeron laptop processor vs a pentium desktop processor, both are quad core at 1.6 gHz.

The other main difference is that the WD has 2 power inputs for redundant power supply lines in case one power brick fails and this was a main consideration for my use, I do not want the server going down and destroying data without any warning.

Both run Linux and so you will most likely be using root command SSH (secure Shell) so you will probably be voiding the warranty anyways just by doing that.

https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Pro-PR4100-Network-Attached-Storage/dp/B01GLRX66A?th=1