Spare PC for node

Node Operators getting started
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I have a spare Dell precision t1700 that has a Xeon processor plus a 500GB main drive with 2x 3TB drives inside. It’s just sitting here not doing anything. My ISP is FIOS, and I have symmetrical Gigabit internet with no data caps.

Any ballpark idea of how much I can make if I setup this machine as a node? It seems like a pretty cool idea since this machine id on 24/7 but not doing anything.

Also, I had some questions like can I adjust how much bandwidth the node uses?

Do I need to dedicate 100% of each drive I choose or can it be a specific folder?

Since I have 2x 3TB drives, am I better off using 3TB of storage in a RAID1 config?

Would I be better off buying a QNAP NAS?

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From $0.01 to $xxx.xx

As long as you don’t go below the recommended speeds Step 1. Understand Prerequisites - Storj Docs and break Terms of Service.

Assign only 90% of free space from your drive and keep 10% for overhead.

I would suggest to keep it in a folder rather than having it all in the root.

Storj recommends using 1 node per drive so you should start off by using one 3TB drive and see how it goes. I would suggest to stay off RAID.

Start with what you have and then decide if you want to invest.

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Agreed, unless you’ve got tons of hardware just laying around don’t worry about RAID. Alternately spin up 2 nodes and do one to each of those 3TB drives. This keeps the “1 drive per node” recommendation but also allows you that if a drive should fail you’ve at least still got another node that can keep running and earning. Keep in mind that because both nodes will be behind the same IP it will be treated as 1 node for geographic reasons. You’ll see slower growth on them individually but together they should amount to what you would have seen if you only had one node running. The benefit of doing this is assuming your drives hold out for the long haul then they will both be out of the “held amount” period as soon as possible. Can start one up, get it stable and looking good for a few days, then take a shot at adding the second.

Just another option to consider.

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Why is it on 24/7 then?

Nope, you should use the hardware you already own.

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I am seeing around $3 to $4 per TB stored currently.

Not from the node software. You would need to cap it from your router or OS.

It is a folder and you set it in the node software how much space you wanna provide.

You better set up 2 nodes. One for each drive.

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Spare box I used for some lab testing with hyper-v. Just idling now.

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You better set up 2 nodes. One for each drive.

Can that be done on the same physical machine or does it need to be separate?

Also, what happens when the drives fill up to capacity?

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No.

Then the drives are full. That’s when you can add additional drives to offer more space.

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Thanks for the help!!