You can buy a DAS (Direct Attached Storage) enclosure[1], some even support RAID. If your Nuc is multipurpose, you could then run a virtualized TrueNAS guest (BSD or linux) in QEMU and give it control of the DAS block device for ZFS pools. Being able to run a virtual NAS that actually gets security updates on demand is pretty neat - TrueNAS has an excellent API you can use to start/stop services (SMB, SSH, iSCSI, etc) as well as shutdown the vm cleanly.
1. Newer DAS devices connect using USB-C, but USB type-A/e-SATA ones can be found.
Edit: figuring out how to run TrueNAS as a guest OS was a nightmare, the first 5+ page of results will be about TrueNAS as a host.
Isn't running a NAS on top of USB storage very strongly discouraged? TrueNAS cautions against it.
I also want to set up a NAS on a mini-PC with some sort of attached external storage, but I haven't been able to get past this blocker. USB is the only external interface these mini PCs typically support.
There are issues with USB from a compatibility standpoint.
I think its mainly a factor of the ubiquity of it, there are SO many poor controller chips out there, even when you buy seemingly reputable hubs/drive cases. Its hard to find a good one sometimes.
I did, however, stumble upon a gem early on, it was a 3.5" usb drive case from BestBuy which has since been discontinued(because it was good). Never in 15 years has any of the half dozen ones i got dropped from thier system.
This is more than i could say about alot of pricey stuff on amazon sadly.
Its typically manifested as a random loss in connectivity to the system.
Similarly,
heres a very low power writeup I did for using 2.5" drives with a dedicated power hub/splitter.
http://www.jofla.net/?p=00000106#00000106
This will still have issues if the mains lines sag (a pole goes down somewhere), but you can fix it with a reboot remotely. Other than that it works great.
This was/is definitely a labor of love, primarily as I've come from a time when all you could get for a server were huge boxes idling at 50 watts, so i felt guilty of all the power I used to consume.
> I also want to set up a NAS on a mini-PC with some sort of attached external storage, but I haven't been able to get past this blocker
You could also buy a PCIe to multiport SATA (RAID) card, but you'll also need a bigger[1] NAS-like case[2] to house the hard drives and multiple power cables for the drives
1. Depending on how mini your PC is and how many drives you want to attach to it
2. I have noticed any case that's sufficiently NAS-like (hotswap trays) is sold at a premium.
> Isn't running a NAS on top of USB storage very strongly discouraged? TrueNAS cautions against it.
You're right, and I don't recommend USB as the only backup solution. I an old eSATA enclosure - not sure if that's an improvement over plain USB - as a secondary backup and keep the device on long enough to complete)
1. Newer DAS devices connect using USB-C, but USB type-A/e-SATA ones can be found.
Edit: figuring out how to run TrueNAS as a guest OS was a nightmare, the first 5+ page of results will be about TrueNAS as a host.