NAS Purchase Questions

Posted by AntoxicDWA

I want to purchase a NAS as a first timer, but I am between the UGREEN DXP2800, or the ZimaBoard 2 832. I know the DXP2800 is fully supported with sparkbox, but I dont know if the zimaboard running ZimaOS would be compatible, does anyone have experience with using sparkbox on a ZimaBoard 2?

4 replies

tomspark wrote:

Honest answer: for a first-timer I'd point you at the DXP2800 — it's the fully-tested, known-good path, so SparkBox just works on it. The ZimaBoard 2 I genuinely can't promise. SparkBox isn't UGREEN-specific; under the hood it needs a fairly standard Linux (Debian/Ubuntu-family) plus Docker, run as root. ZimaOS is Docker-based so it MIGHT work, but I haven't seen anyone confirm SparkBox on a ZimaBoard 2, so you'd be the test pilot. If you want it to just work out of the box, go DXP2800. If you're comfortable tinkering and willing to fall back to plain Ubuntu on the Zima if ZimaOS fights you, it could work too. Either way I'm happy to help you through setup.

AntoxicDWA wrote:

I wound up getting the DXP2800 like you guys advised! I feel like for the price on a prime day deal and the polished experience it was a no brainer, im stoked to give this a go!

popuman wrote:

Hi. ZimaBoard 2 owner here. Technically you could install Sparkbox on it, but you would have to install a Debian-based distro first, then Sparkbox on top of it. To give you an example, and especially since you are using the 832 model (If going for the Zimaboard 2 I would suggest buying the 1664 model instead because of the memory but hey) depending on your setup (are you adding drives? If so, what kind?)!I would first install a light Debian distro like MX Linux, Peppermint, Lubuntu, or even Ubuntu Server or straight up Debian and then once that’s done, Sparkbox on top. The ZimaBoard 2’s ZimaOS is a modified Debian distro but I don’t know if it would be fully compatible with Sparkbox because ZimaOS is a bit different when you have to go to the terminal to run some tasks. Having said all that, you might follow an easier path using the UGREEN DXP 2800 since it’s compatible with Sparkbox and you have a shorter path to get it installed and proper documentation and support. The ZumaBoard might be a bit cheaper, but you’ll ensure compatibility going with UGREEN. I own a DXP 4800 Pro myself, but that’s for another project in my homelab. Pick whatever path is more convenient for you. Best of luck! Sparkbox is a great project and I’m glad to support it.

tomspark wrote:

Awesome, great call — the DXP2800 is the sweet spot for getting going fast, and snagging it on a Prime deal is perfect. When it arrives: get the OS on it, paste the SparkBox install command, and the browser setup walks you through the rest. Give a shout right here if anything trips you up and we'll get you sorted. Welcome aboard — enjoy it!