ODROID-HC2 : Home Cloud Two
ODROID-HC2 is a mini PC which can be an affordable solution for a network attached storage (NAS) server. This home cloud-server centralizes data and enables users to share and stream multimedia files to phones, tablets and other devices on a network. Ideal for a single user on many devices, sharing between family members, developers or a group. Tailor the ODROID-HC2 to your specific needs. Plenty of software is available with only simple configuration. Determine the storage capacity of your server with a higher HDD/SSD. Depending on your needs, the frame is made to be stackable.
The HC2 is based on the very powerful ODROID-XU4 platform and it can run Samba, FTP, NFS, SSH, NGINX, Apache, SQL, Docker, WordPress and other server software smoothly with full Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Debian, Arch and OMV. Available and ready-to-go OS distributions are on our WiKi. Any OS for XU4 is fully compatible with the HC2.
https://wiki.odroid.com/odroid-xu4/os_images/os_images
Installed with a high performance SATA port and a Gigabit Ethernet port, to build a faster network storage device. Engineered metal frame body is designed to store a 2.5 inch HDD/SSD or 3.5inch HDD with great heat dissipation.
Key features
* Samsung Exynos5422 Cortex-A15 2Ghz and Cortex-A7 Octa core CPUs
* 2Gbyte LPDDR3 RAM PoP stacked
* SATA-3 port for 3.5inch or 2.5inch HDD/SSD storage up to 27mm thickness
* Gigabit Ethernet port
* USB 2.0 Host
* UHS-1 capable micro-SD card slot for boot media
* Size : 197 x 115 x 42 mm approx.(Aluminium cooling frame size)
* Linux server OS images based on modern Kernel 4.14 LTS
* We guarantee the production of ODROID-HC2 to the End of 2021, but expect to continue production long after.
Example of setup
The basic setup requires additional items as below.
– 1 x 8GB microSD card for OS installation
– 1 x 3.5inch HDD
– 1 x 12V/2A Power Supply
– 1 x Router
– 1 x Ethernet cable
– 1 x ODROID-HC2 Case
Normally ODROID-HC2 consumes less than 1Amp/12V in most cases.
CPU/RAM PERFORMANCE
We ran several benchmarks to measure the computing power on the HC2/XU4. The same tests were performed on the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, ODROID-C1+, ODROID-C2 and ODROID-HC2/XU4.
The values of the test results were scaled uniformly for comparison purposes. The computing power of the HC2/XU4 was measured to be ~7 times faster than the latest Raspberry Pi 3 thanks to the 2Ghz Cortex-A15 cores and much higher 64bit-wide memory bandwidth. Using the HC2/XU4 as a computer provides a “professional server like” experience, unlike the sluggish performance of most single-board computers!
Particularly for developers, compiling code on the HC2/XU4 is super fast. The high-performance 2GB DDR3 RAM is an additional advantage allowing most programs to be compiled directly on the HC2/XU4.
| Benchmarks (Index Score) | Raspberry Pi 3 | ODROID-C1+ | ODROID-C2 | ODROID-XU4/HC1/HC2 |
| Unixbench: Dhrystone-2 | 865.4 | 1571.6 | 2768.2 | 5941.4 |
| Unixbench: Double-Precision Whetstone (x3) | 1113 | 1887.3 | 3076.8 | 6186.3 |
| Nbench 2.2.3: Integer (x40) | 619.92 | 1173.6 | 1808.92 | 2430.52 |
| Nbench 2.2.3: Floating-Point (x100) | 781.8 | 1245.3 | 2300.3 | 3787.3 |
| mbw100: Memory Bandwidth (MiB/s) | 542.912 | 616.339 | 1472.856 | 2591.461 |
ETHERNET PERFORMANCE
The HC2/HC1/XU4 has an on-board Gigabit Ethernet controller. Our bi-directional streaming speed was measured at ~910 Mbps.
Thanks to the advanced technology of the RTL8153 controller, the HC2’s Ethernet controller easily outperforms the connectivity solutions of prior generations.
Test command
Server mode : iperf -s
Client Mode : iperf -c [ip address] -P 10 -W 32k
| Ethernet performance | XU3 On-board 100Mbps | XU3 External 1Gbps | HC2/XU4 On-board 1Gbps |
| iperf Server on SBC (Mbit/sec) | 114.0 | 419 | 915.0 |
| iperf Client on SBC (Mbit/sec) | 114.0 | 625 | 911.0 |
NETWORK STORAGE PERFORMANCE
These days, network storage applications like NAS and cloud services are popular. We ran the famous OMV (Open Media Vault) OS on the HC2 to measure network storage performance.
WD 3.5inch 8TB NAS HDD was connected to the HC2 via SATA port. The Gigabit Ethernet port was connected to a Windows-10 laptop via a simple switching hub.
We copied a big 8GB file from the HC2 to the PC via a Samba connection.
This resulted in a download speed of ~110MB/sec. The upload speed was measured at ~95MB/sec.
The transfer speed is very close to the high-end commercial NAS product in the market.
The HC2 is a great solution to make a DIY personal Network Storage Server!
ODROID-HC2 is stackable
ODROID-HC2 is tested with various 3.5inch drives as well as 2.5inch storages.
SPECIFICATIONS
| CPU | Samsung Exynos5422 ARM Cortex??A15 Quad 2.0GHz/Cortex??A7 Quad 1.4GHz |
| DRAM Memory | 2Gbyte LPDDR3 RAM PoP (750Mhz, 12GB/s memory bandwidth, 2x32bit bus) |
| GPU | Mali??T628 MP6 OpenGL ES 3.1 / 3.0 / 2.0 / 1.1 and OpenCL 1.2 Full profile |
| HDD / SSD SATA interface | JMicron JMS578 USB 3.0 to SATA Bridge with UAS capability to archive over ~300MB/sec transter speed 3.5inch or 2.5inch HDD/SSD can be installed. Some HGST/WD HDD mechanical holes are not compatible with HC2. |
| Micro-SD Slot | UHS-1 compatible micro-SD slot up to 128GB/SDXC |
| USB2.0 Host | HighSpeed USB standard A type connector x 1 port |
| LEDs | Power, System-status, SATA-status |
| Gbit Ethernet LAN | 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet with RJ-45 Jack ( Auto-MDIX support) |
| Power Input | DC Barrel Jack Socket 5.5/21.mm for 11~13 Volt input (12V/2A Power supply is recommended) |
| System Software | Ubuntu 16.04 + OpenCL on Linux Kernel 4.14 LTS Debian, DietPi, OMV and other Linux distributions are available too. Full source code is accessible via our Github. |
| Size | 197 x 115 x 42 mm (weight: 361gram) |
HDD Storage parking issue.
There is sound ?lack??you can hear from the HDD when the system almost the end of power-off process.
To avoid the behavior, we strongly recommend applying this script.
https://wiki.odroid.com/odroid-xu4/troubleshooting/shutdown_script
3.5inch HDD mounting holes mechanical compatibility issue.
There are 3 screw holes on the HC2 metal frame for mounting 3.5″ HDD.
But a few HDD models have different positions of mechanical mounting holes.
In that case, you can fasten only one screw.
Two models have the issue so far.
– HGST 10TB Deskstar NAS HDN721010ALE604
– WD 8TB WD80EMAZ NAS