Alternatives to the Unraid system for the LincPlus LincStation N1 NAS system.
The LincStation N1 comes with a pre-installed Unraid system. This is of course a matter of taste, so let’s see how other operating systems perform on the NAS system.
Unraid OS on the USB stick
On the positive side, other systems can be tested very safely on the system. Unraid is installed on a USB stick, which is inserted on the underside. As the system still has 128 GB of eMMC memory, we can simply install other operating systems on it, with the exception of Proxmox. Alternatively, any other SSD in the system can be used for this purpose.
This means that we can go back to Unraid at any time.
Installing other operating systems, BIOS, boot sequence
The LincStation is a normal PC, i.e. there is also a BIOS/UEFI. We access this with the ENTF key, which we press repeatedly at startup.
We can then select an alternative boot medium in the menu exit and then boot from the USB stick, for example.
Windows 11 on LincStation N1
Let’s start with Windows 11. Windows 11 is easy to install on the eMMC memory. The installation is sometimes a little fiddly, as the display driver only allows a resolution of 640×480 pixels. Sometimes we have to confirm blindly with the keyboard.
Windows also starts like this after installation. The Windows update is recommended here. Some drivers are installed here. Everything works perfectly with the graphics card driver. WLAN also works, as does the classic network via cable.
Missing drivers
Nevertheless, drivers are missing at the end, as the device manager reveals. It was not possible to determine exactly what was missing. Sound, network, display, everything works without any problems. These may therefore be things that can be ignored, or maybe it’s the LEDs, more on that later.
Windows conclusion
Windows runs without problems. Anyone who wants to realise a simple NAS with Windows shares can do so. My current NAS also runs like this. Windows for the shares, with Remote Desktop I can work with a normal Windows system while travelling and otherwise a Linux VM with VirtualBox is still running.
Ubuntu/Linux on LincStation N1
The test installation of Linux Mint works without any problems. Ubuntu Server also runs without problems. The installation can be carried out on the eMMC.
After the installation everything works, display, network, sound, WLAN.
Promox on LincStation N1
The next application, virtualisation with Proxmox. Promox allows us to run several operating systems in parallel. Even with a single Linux system, we have the advantages of virtualisation here, such as snapshots before major system changes, backups, etc.
No installation on eMMC
There is one hurdle during installation. Proxmox cannot be installed on an eMMC storage device. Instead, we only get a meaningless error message:
Promox VE could not be installed
unable to get device for partition 1 on device /dev/mmcblk0
In short, the error message could be better. There are workarounds, but the developers of Proxmox advise against using eMMC memory because it does not support so many memory cycles. It’s hard to say what this means in practice. My old netbook with eMMC lasted for many years without any problems.
I then simply used one of the SSDs for the installation. The installation then went through without any problems.
Runs without problems
Once Proxmox is installed, it runs without any problems. Virtual machines can be created and used without any problems. The performance is also good.
Problems with the LEDs
Under Unraid OS, the status of the hard drives is indicated by LEDs on the front. These can take on different colours depending on their status. A software/service from the manufacturer, which is pre-installed, is used for this purpose.
This is not available in other operating systems and cannot simply be installed later. Unfortunately, the LEDs go into flashing mode without the software. Simply off would certainly be better. Control or deactivation via the BIOS is not possible.
The coloured LED bar does not light up either. Why the manufacturer assigns such default values is a mystery. It would be better to switch off the drive LEDs and have the colour bar light up in a meaningful way.
Conclusion
No major problems were encountered with any operating system. This means that the LincStation N1 can be used with other systems without any problems. The only annoying point would be the LEDs.
My personal opinion: I will probably end up using it with Proxmox. This will allow flexible installation and use of Windows, Linux and other systems.
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