GnuBee
Networking
Embedded Linux Boards
GnuBee Personal Cloud 2
A low-cost, low-power NAS for 3.5" drives
GnuBee
Networking
Embedded Linux Boards
The GnuBee Personal Cloud 2 (GB-PC2) is a network-attached storage (NAS) device specifically engineered to run free, libre, open source software (FLOSS). The GB-PC2 has all the functionality of any commercial, proprietary NAS, but at a much lower cost and with the transparency, reliability, and accessibility advantages that come with using FLOSS.
The GB-PC2 is the big sibling of the GB-PC1 in the sense that it accommodates 3.5" drives instead of 2.5" drives. The GB-PC2 design is based on the GB-PC1 design, but is modified to handle both the larger size and greater power requirements of the 3.5" drives. The chipset and capabilities are otherwise the same.
Whether you’re a developer or a digital artist, chances are you have a lot of essential data, from music tracks to application code. So you probably already know that data loss is a fact of modern life, and backing up your data is the surest way to prevent it. You could use an online service for backups, but doing so exposes you and your data to a wide range of privacy, security, legal, and financial risks beyond your control. For example:
All these questions and more make a strong case for using not only a NAS, but a NAS over which you have complete control - a FLOSS NAS! Enter the GnuBee Personal Cloud 2.
The GnuBee Personal Cloud 2 can be used for a wide variety of applications, including:
The GB-PC2 offers increased information security, easier collaboration, and less administrative mess compared with SaaS solutions and other NAS devices.
There are hundreds of NAS devices out there, but none of them except the GnuBee PC1 and PC2 are designed from the beginning to be open hardware and run FLOSS. The table below shows two of the most comparable NAS devices and how they stack up against the GB-PC1 and GB-PC2.
| TS-431 | DS416slim | GnuBee Personal Cloud 1 | GnuBee Personal Cloud 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Freescale ARM Cortex A9 | Marvell Armada 385 | MediaTek MT7621A | MediaTek MT7621A |
| Cores | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Threads | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Speed | 1.2 GHz | 1.0 GHz | 880 MHz (overclocked to 1.2 GHz) | 880 MHz (overclocked to 1.2 GHz) |
| Memory | 512 MB DDR3 | 512 MB DDR3 | 512 MB DDR3 | 512 MB DDR3 |
| Drive Bays | 4 x 2.5" or 3.5" | 4 x 2.5" up to 12.5 mm drive height | 6 x 2.5" up to 15 mm drive height | 6 x 3.5" |
| Idle Power | 14.84 W | 11.63 W | 11.64 W | TBD |
| Openness | partial software | partial software | hardware schematics + all software | hardware schematics + all software |
The minimal enclosure design is a major factor in making the GnuBee Personal Cloud 2 small, inexpensive, and energy efficient. Though we love the aesthetic of the enclosure, keep in mind the universal truth about NAS devices: they are best placed near your wireless router and viewed from the command line or web interface.
The fact the mainboard isn’t fully enclosed allows for better airflow and fanless operation (though the mainboard can accommodate two small fans). No fan means much less build up of dirt and dust - few things compare to the inside of a fan-cooled PC that hasn’t been opened in years, whereas we’ve never seen a dirty free-standing printed circuit board assembly.
In addition to the enclosure’s great airflow, its anodized aluminum side plates help dissipate heat away from the mainboard.
The GB-PC2 is compatible with 3.5" drives, and can work with a wide variety of adapters for SSDs & HDDs.
We designed the GnuBee Personal Cloud 2 with the Free Software Foundation’s Respects Your Freedom (RYF) certification in mind and have already initiated the application process with FSF.
Like the GnuBee Personal Cloud 1, the GnuBee Personal Cloud 2 firmware is 100% free of binary blobs. Check out this GB-PC1 campaign update to see some of the backstory of how this is possible.
The GnuBee Personal Cloud 2 can run several popular FLOSS suites for managing routers, NAS devices, or just general computing. These are some of the main suites the GB-PC2 can run:
Yep, the GB-PC2 can run Debian.
The openmediavault project is a Debian-based network-attached storage solution designed for home and small office user who lack deep technical experience or knowledge of setting up and and administering an NAS.
Billed as "the libre embedded GNU/Linux distro," libreCMC is a fork of OpenWrt that uses only libre components. The GnuBee Personal Cloud Two will ship with libreCMC installed.
The Linux Embedded Development Environment (LEDE) project is a reboot of the OpenWrt community. GB-PC1 is supported by the LEDE-project, which means the GB-PC2 will also be supported, since the two devices use the same OS image.
Produced by GnuBee in Shenzhen, China & Tulsa, OK.
Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply.
One fully populated and assembled GB-PC2 mainboard, two anodized aluminum side plates, six threaded brackets and bracket screws, and 24 drive mount screws. Power supply, microSD card, and drives not included. Requires screwdriver for assembly.
An energy efficient (level V) global input power supply that puts out up to 8 A at 12 VDC through a 5.5 mm x 2.1 mm center-positive barrel jack. Perfect for powering your GnuBee Personal Cloud 2.
All the bells and whistles: one fully populated and assembled GB-PC2 mainboard, two anodized aluminum side plates, six threaded brackets and bracket screws, 24 drive mount screws, power supply, imaged SD card, and USB-to-UART adapter cable. Drives and screwdriver not included.
A 2 GB (or greater) full-sized SD card imaged with Debian. Run your GnuBee Personal Cloud 2 directly from the SD card. Copying Debian to an SSD or HDD is recommended, but this SD card will get you started.
