Worth it making a new node

Node Operators
1

Hey i wanna run a storage node but i don’t have any drives that i have enough capacity to run storj but i have a raspberry pi so is it worth in April 2024 to make a new storage node with a drive only dedicated to store storj data that ill buy from Amazon? Thanks

2

Its a guessing game. ROI is maybe 2-3Y depending on prices on ebay (not amazon) and capacity.

2 Likes
3

What is the optimal size of HDD to get?

4

Depends how you think of worth…

It’s worth it (in my opinion) if you;

  • Want to learn about Linux, containerz, filesystem optimisation, uptime monitoring and all the other fun things needed for keep a node online for 3+ years…

  • Want to learn in a controlled and tested environment on how Crypto works, wallets and transactions without having to put any Credit Card Details or KYC checks in place, with no need to stake tokens upfront.

  • You are happy to accept that return on the money for a new drive on Amazon, will probably take 3+ years to recover on todays usage patterns - obviously that can change with customers behaviour - 2nd hand on Ebay or use what you have makes the ROI better.

It’s probably not worth it if you;

  • Expect to make huge % profit on a single node

  • Expect to ever cover your future unknown costs (it’s a gamble)

  • Have unstable power / internet and will fail to cover the node vetting period and held period for tokens.

Given the recent SNO cost cuts to Egress - and given the customers changing behaviour, you should be looking at a ;

  • MINIMUM of 4TB
  • OPTIMUM of 8-10TB
  • Moneys no object 12TB+

(Also type / manufacturer of drive matters, there’s loads of posts in the forum about it, so won’t repeat here)

The reasons for these larger sizes are :-

  • Customers delete more… We are in a situation where deleted data hangs round for 7days, maybe longer :wink: They also upload allot more… This means if you only have a 1-2TB drive, you might find that you have 100GB’s in the trash, which will make your node full, and stop ingress, until it’s emptied.

  • You also need to factor in a safe 10% buffer on the drive size, vs the amount you give to Storj.

  • The size on the Drive I.e 4TB isn’t what will be available when formatted and made available, it will be much less, depending on how you format and set the disk up.

  • Side note - you’ve not mentioned which Rpi - optimal is Rpi5, much better USB support - Rpi4 will still work, although it will be picky on which USB to HDD controller you choose - must always be externally powered, look for ones that support UAS mode / USB 3.1

  • Also consider booting you Rpi either from the Network, if you have a home server or NAS or alternatively use a SSD - if you happen to have the Rpi5, theres a nice M2 hat you can get for zoom zoom speed :wink:

Thanks

CP

1 Like
5

great but wont ever buy any 8TB, 10TB or 12TB, those sizes are handicaped! i found for example 8TB and 10TB ultrastar vs 16TB ultrastar got significant advangates over smaller HDDs, in speed of woking, also newer technology, more polished. Also in terms price to amount of TB You get, and Watt power consumtion (efficiency). i Would not go past 16TB tho, becaue its the last size that got 512 kalster size, past that there are only 4k in production, and thats not good for small files.

1 Like
6

I wouldn’t make a new node unless I already had spare free space.

I wouldn’t make another node unless I had at least one full already to help pay for it.

And if I chose to get a HDD just for Storj… because I already filled that one node… I’d get the cheapest $/TB large refurb I could find (which is probably 18TB these days)

2 Likes
7

I will run it on an existing RPI 4 2 GB. Running it for the longterm is fine and money isn’t really an issue. I got a budget of 1500 SEK (as i live in Sweden) can someone here send me some amazon/ebay links where i can get a HDD + a good SATA to USB with preferably free shipping or shipping that is in my budget

rate this drive combo

8

this is cool site to compare prices:

9

ordered the hdd and sata to usb

10

Don’t buy new drives from Amazon. Buy used, under 2 year old, enterprise drives from eBay.

They are cheaper, better, and you are avoiding left edge of a bathtub curve.

2 Likes
12

send me then a link to buy. EU only

13

What percentage of the new price are you willing to pay for a 2 years old hdd?

14

what? i just need a ~10 TB sata HDD drive with a SATA to USB that works with a pi 4. Used drives are fine just they are enough to run storj for some years

budget 1500 SEK send links

15

Under $9.5 per TB is my target, at least this is what I have been able to buy at pretty consistently. Now prices seem to be a bit higher, so I’m waiting.

My recent purchase was four 18TB Dell branded Seagate X18, with about 100 hours each, at $9.5/TB, in November last year, from this listing Dell Seagate Exos X18 18TB SATA 7200RPM 4-pack Enterprise HDD - ST18000NM002J | eBay. Now it’s listed at higher price, but you can make an offer and see what happens.

HDDs don’t spoil, “1-2-year old HDD” means “well tested HDD”. Vast majority of HDD failures I saw were with new drives. Then you send it for replacement and get a refurb anyway. So why bother paying more for a privilege to pay shipping and wasting time? Once I started buying used drives, I’m running out of space faster than they reach the other end of bathtub curve to experience failures due to aging; I sell them and replace with higher capacity ones. Not one failed yet on my hands, it’s been about 8 years.

16

On amazon i cancelled a order by someones request here that was a 10 TB 120$ drive renewed

is it good enough?

Its kinda hard to just tell (get a drive for this and this) as almost all sellers are in US or UK where i have to pay hefty import fees

17

I am in the european union i aint wanna pay for customs

18

I’m sure there are similar recyclers in EU, you’ll need to find them. Retired and recertified stuff from datacenters must go somewhere, other than landfill.

19

Is amazon renewed good? I cannot seem to find a good enough item at eBay

20

they got datacenter hdds 10 Tb there used for 5 years with extended 5 year warranty

21

This one looks good, but I haven’t searched deep enough. WD HGST Ultrastar 3,5" 10TB HE SATA III 7200U/m 512E 256MB Cache HUH721010ALE601 | eBay

But I would go for 18-20TB disks today, you also want to optimize storage per watt.

Ignore the warranty, it does not matter.

Amazon renewed does not mean much, it all depends on a seller.