Helios64 Arm-Based Linux NAS announced

Helios64 is an upgraded version Helios4 of ARM-based NAS SBC (Single-board computer) for Linux. This NAS (Network Attached Storage) comes with 5 SATA 3.0 port, M.2 sata slot, LPDDR 4 ram, and hexacore SoC. Let us see some details about the Helios64 Arm-Based Linux NAS SBC, including pricing and hardware specs information.



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Helios64 Arm-Based Linux NAS Hardware Specification

CPU: ARM 64-bit Hexacore SoC RK3399(K) (2x Cortex A-72 and 4x Cortex-A53) Memory: LPDDR4 4GB Storage: eMMC 5.1 – 16GB SATA storage ports: 5x SATA 3.0 M.2 SATA Slot: 1x (shared with one SATA 3.0) Ethernet: 2.5 Gbe and 1 GB Ethernet USB: Type-C (DP and DAS mode), 3x USB3.0 microSD: Yes On-Board HDD Power Built-In UPS (battery in option) Dual DC Input Rich IO Interfaces (i2c, spi, uart, gpio and more…) 2x PWM Fan Heatsink included Nano-ITX Form factor (120 x 120mm)

Helios4 is an ARM-based device specially designed for Network Attached Storage (NAS) that will run Linux.

Helios64 case

HDD Support: 5x 3.5″ HDD

Hot-Plug HDD Tray System: Yes

Integrated Control Panel: Yes

Front USB 3.0 Port: Yes

Fans/Cooling: 2x 80mm PWM Fans

Dimension : H 134mm x W 222mm x D 250mm

Other: Easy assembly includes all wiring

Helios64 pricing

Naturally, network-attached storage (NAS) requires enclosure. Helios64 case is a storage device that provides HDD capacity to devices connected to a network. The specs are as follows:

Individual components price is as follows:

Helios64 mother board price : USD $189

NAS (Helios64) case: USD $95

Power Adapter 12V / 10A: USD $14

UPS Battery Pack (2S1P pack composed of Panasonic Cell NCR18650BD): USD $12

However, one can get the Helios64 full kit bundle for USD 295 provided that you pre-order it before March 2020, you would pay USD 285. The full kit bundle includes:

Heliso64 board + case + UPS battery pack + PSU 12V / 10A

The Helios64 kit and other parts will be ready to ship end of March 2020.

Operating system support

Apart from standard Linux distros such as Debian and Ubuntu, one can use Armbian and OpenMediaVault NAS operating system. It is not clear at this time if one can install FreeBSD/OpenBSD or FreeNAS.

Conclusion

Overall, Helios64 is a low-cost and energy-efficient SoC NAS unit for Linux operating system. However, it does not support ECC ram, and it is not clear if one can run FreeBSD with ZFS. The older model had 2GB ECC ram. I believe the ECC ram could increase the reliability of NAS for software RAID. It is also not clear if SoC support hardware-accelerated AES encryption, which is typically faster than encryption performed by pure software implementation. However, the price is competitive, and they have delivered products in the past. I am tempted to order one for just playing around and storing data locally instead of someone else computer, aka the cloud. You can find more information here.

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