45HomeLabs HL8 NAS Follow-Up With Rocky Linux and RAIDZ2

When I first looked at the 45HomeLabs HL8, it was all about first impressions. This time, the focus is a lot more practical. The setup here is simple and clear: four Seagate Exos 20TB drives, Rocky Linux as the operating system, ZFS for storage, and the Houston UI to get the NAS configured.

That combination says a lot about what this box is trying to be. It is not just another sealed NAS appliance with a polished app store and a guided wizard for everything. The HL8 is positioned much more like an open-source NAS platform for people who actually want to know what is going on under the hood, while still getting some help from a management interface.

Based on the setup and follow-up focus, this is really about how the HL8 holds up in a homelab after months of use, and whether an open-source approach can stand next to the usual Synology and QNAP conversation.

The Core Setup

The storage configuration in this build uses four Seagate Exos 20TB drives. Those drives are installed into the HL8 and then grouped into a RAIDZ2 pool using ZFS.

That matters because RAIDZ2 is a pretty specific choice. It is aimed at redundancy, and it is the kind of option people look at when they care about fault tolerance and data protection more than just chasing the biggest possible usable capacity number. Since the setup here is clearly highlighted in the video, it is one of the defining parts of the whole build.

The software side is just as important. Rocky Linux is the operating system, and the Houston UI is used as the management layer for the NAS. That gives the HL8 an identity that is very different from consumer NAS products that ship with their own custom operating systems.

If you are already comfortable in Linux or trying to move toward a more open stack, that is a big part of the appeal.

Why Rocky Linux Changes the Feel of the System

Running Rocky Linux on a NAS shifts the experience immediately. Even without going beyond what is shown in the video setup, the direction is clear. This is not about buying into a heavily locked-down ecosystem. It is about using a real Linux distribution as the foundation of your storage box.

That can be a big win in a homelab. A standard Linux base makes the system feel closer to the rest of an open infrastructure stack. For a lot of us, that is a more natural fit than learning a vendor-specific NAS environment that only exists on one class of hardware.

At the same time, Rocky Linux also tells you something about who this kind of system is really for. If your ideal NAS experience is something ultra-appliance-like where you never want to think about the underlying OS, this approach may feel more hands-on. The HL8 setup shown here is open-source friendly, but it is still clearly aimed at people who appreciate flexibility.

Using Houston UI for the Setup

One of the standout pieces in this build is the Houston UI. It sits between full command-line management and the more polished but proprietary interfaces you get from mainstream NAS vendors.

That is a smart middle ground.

The video specifically calls out configuring ZFS with RAIDZ2 using Houston UI on Rocky Linux, and that is important because it frames the setup experience. You are not just dropped into a blank Linux install and told to figure everything out manually. There is still a management layer designed to help with the storage configuration.

For a lot of homelab users, that is exactly the sweet spot. You get the comfort of a UI for core tasks without giving up the open-source base that makes the platform appealing in the first place.

The Drive Installation and Backplane Experience

The video also highlights the process of installing the drives and specifically mentions the direct-wired backplane and the drive setup experience.

That is one of those details that can make or break a NAS build, even if it does not sound flashy on paper. Storage hardware lives or dies on basic reliability and ease of installation. If drive installation is frustrating, awkward, or inconsistent, it leaves a bad impression fast. The fact that the direct-wired backplane is called out as part of the experience suggests it is a meaningful part of what using the HL8 is actually like.

For anyone considering a NAS in this class, those physical details matter just as much as software features. You can have all the right buzzwords on the spec sheet, but if the hardware side feels clunky, you are going to notice every time you touch it.

Building the ZFS RAIDZ2 Pool

The storage pool in this setup is built with ZFS in RAIDZ2. Since the focus is on what is explicitly present, the key takeaway is not a deep technical breakdown of ZFS tuning, but the fact that the HL8 is being used in a way that leans into data-focused storage practices.

ZFS is a huge part of why open NAS builds are attractive in the first place. Pairing it with RAIDZ2 on this system positions the HL8 as something meant for serious storage duties in a homelab, not just casual network file sharing.

There is also a practical lesson here.

A Gotcha to Avoid

Do not confuse “four large drives installed” with “all that raw capacity becomes usable storage.”

This build uses four 20TB drives and RAIDZ2, which is a redundancy-focused layout. The reason I am calling this out is because this is exactly the kind of mistake people make when they are excited about drive size and start doing rough mental math. If you are planning a similar setup, the storage layout matters just as much as the drive count.

The safer takeaway is simple: choose RAIDZ2 because you want the protection characteristics of that layout, not because you expect to keep every bit of raw capacity. That is not a knock on the HL8. It is just the reality of building around redundancy.

Real-World Use After Months

The most important part of the whole follow-up is that this system is not being judged on day-one excitement. It is being discussed after months in a homelab.

That changes the conversation.

A lot of hardware looks great in an unboxing or on a spec sheet. What actually matters is how it fits into your workflow once it becomes part of your environment. Here, the HL8 is framed around both homelab use and a content creator workflow.

That pairing makes sense. A homelab workload can expose whether a system is flexible enough to live inside a broader self-hosted environment. A content creator workflow adds another layer because storage is not just about archiving data. It becomes part of how projects move, where files live, and how dependable the box feels over time.

Even with limited source detail, that real-world angle is one of the strongest signals in the whole video topic. The HL8 is being used, not just tested.

Open-Source NAS Versus Synology and QNAP

The comparison point brought into the discussion is whether this open-source NAS holds up against Synology and QNAP.

That is the right comparison because those are the names most people default to when shopping for a NAS. But the HL8 appears to be approaching the problem from a different angle.

Synology and QNAP are often about integrated ecosystems. The HL8 setup here is about combining hardware with Rocky Linux, ZFS, and Houston UI. That gives you a more open foundation, but it also means you should be evaluating it on those terms.

If your priority is an open-source storage platform with a Linux base and ZFS at the center, the HL8 conversation is very compelling. If your priority is a fully vendor-curated software ecosystem, you are looking at a different type of experience.

That distinction matters because people sometimes compare NAS devices as if they are all trying to solve the same problem in the exact same way. They are not.

Cooling, Power-Up, and First Impressions Over Time

The video outline also calls out power-up, cooling, and first impressions before moving into the long-term experience. That is a good progression because thermal behavior and basic startup experience are not side issues on a NAS. They are part of daily ownership.

A storage system has to feel solid when it powers on, and it has to manage cooling in a way that supports long-term use. Even without going beyond the available details, the fact that these areas are highlighted shows they are part of the real ownership story, not just background noise.

And honestly, that is how a good follow-up should work. The little things that seemed minor at first usually become the things you remember months later.

Who This Setup Makes Sense For

This specific HL8 build makes the most sense for people who want a NAS that feels at home in a Linux-centered environment. Rocky Linux, Houston UI, and ZFS RAIDZ2 are not random choices. Together, they point to a user who values openness, control, and a more infrastructure-like approach to storage.

That does not mean it has to be difficult. The Houston UI exists for a reason. But it does mean this is not just about buying a black box and treating it like an appliance forever.

For homelab users, that is often a plus.

For creators who need dependable storage and like the idea of a more customizable platform, it is also an interesting direction.

Final Thoughts

After months of use, the HL8 follow-up is really about confidence in the platform. The hardware is populated with four Seagate Exos 20TB drives, the storage pool is built with ZFS in RAIDZ2, Rocky Linux provides the base, and Houston UI helps tie the experience together.

That is a strong statement about what kind of NAS this is. It is open-source minded, Linux based, and clearly targeted at people who want more control over their storage stack.

It may not be trying to win by copying the usual consumer NAS playbook, and that is probably the point. The value here is in the blend of hardware, Linux, ZFS, and a UI that makes the system more approachable without taking away the core flexibility.

If that is the kind of NAS experience you want, the HL8 is a really interesting box to keep an eye on.

Catch you in the next one.