NAS for Steam games

[Suoy]

Hi,
I have a huge bottleneck that is in fact my DSL speed. I don't want to let my computer run all day and night to get me some updates or even new games with a 512kbyte/s cable. Its not energy efficent.

I wana use my Raspberry Pi, to download Steam Games over night and use the storage for NAS tasks.


First Question:
If i download Steam for Linux, will the downloaded Games after the Steam Backup be playable on Windows Systems?

Second Question:
If not, is there a other way to download Steam games and store em after that as Backups on my Raspberry Pi?

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

If trying to run Windows games on Linux yes, you be using Steam play, which is a python and wine you need to look up guides to check if game are playable on what version of python build, and what you need to do. There are community sites for this.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561

[Suoy]

引用自 Dr.Shadowds 🐉：

If trying to run Windows games on Linux yes, you be using Steam play, which is a python and wine you need to look up guides to check if game are playable on what version of python build, and what you need to do. There are community sites for this.

I dont want to play the games on Linux.
But Wine could be the solution, - downloading the Steam .exe file and run it via Wine. Then just install the games on the system but never have to run them.

[HypnoToad]

It's funny I came across this thread. I've been doing the same with a raspberry pi 4b custom NAS.

I know what you mean, I was thinking it would be great to have a steam library NAS manager. Even considered Steam Play to just set up the server libraries, but like you said I don't intend to play these games on this server.

So I searched steam NAS topics and this pretty much sums up what I am looking for at the moment.

So it would be nice if we can get some attention from Valve Devs and perhaps get some information into this because I am wanting to convince friends to upgrade their networks to do the same.

Since buying my first Raspberry Pi 4b I have since got some and set them up for other people as media centers, and if I can convince them that it can efficiently remotely store and update out of usage hours game files. They would very likely let me set them all up a NAS with plex and hopefully a steam NAS client.

So yeah devs, Steam NAS client plz give.

[HypnoToad]

Oh yeah currently I just set up the steam folder as a separate samba share and have it mapped on my gaming htpc.

There is an issue where you need to delay or have a script on a delay to check the share right before steam loads on boot.

The speeds I have pushed out of my raspi 4 have been the fastest when loading skyrim SE over the network got around 900MB/S Peak. Every other game has been around 40-300MB/S and I usually throw resource stream intense games on my local SSD because even at max transfer the speed is too slow compared to onboard GB/S transfer. This is just for high velocity streams like GTA V for example. Slow things like Fallout 4 aren't an issue.

But yeah as most of us have thought it would be very nice to not download through one computer and upload to another.

I know it's selfish and probably a small demographic that want to do this, but if devs can give us a lean linux client it can help me convince people they need personal NAS/VPN box. Which for those who don't understand it's significance can be used to isolate peoples internet usage from analytics and meta gathering companies.

I know valve are a smart business trying to avoid the ugly aspects of capitalism, so give us a NAS client yo.

Also merry christmass you filthy animals.

[Suoy]

If you use SteamCMD for Linux and run it on a ARM to x86 architec converter tool like exagear you can do that...

Right now Valve has no interest in program their environment for ARM Paltforms... But maybe for the future, server programs will move eventualy to ARM based Platforms due to their low energie cost... Windows a. Apple are working together and finance the ARM project for that specific reason...

[HypnoToad]

Ya, I am usually left waiting for these things.

But I figured just registering interest and why couldn't hurt.

The thing as a NAS and service host so far has been really solid so I can imagine there are dozens of us going through this exact same thought right now.

Not to mention the main reason I am making an armed based single board NAS is probably the same as everyone else in that I can easily host it on a battery, during blackouts and even potentially gather enough energy to run it even during hard times.

I mean I have a plan to make another few as a car dash system with a hosted car access point which can in itself house the NAS if it has to.

I mean I remember when power was the biggest issue around owning and running a server and where it can be run from. The prospect of a mobile NAS or service host is interesting. Drive over to a mates house and you can share the steam library on their local network. Do this with family also and I eventually want to set one up for my mother as a secondary backup for her traveling photos.

Arm based stuff like this will probably end us empowering people more than we think.

EDIT: Thanks for the references you've given me a rabbit hole to go into.

[Suoy]

Until that happen, everyone will have a good internet connection and we all can share our stuff via ftp over our local net... There is actualy no need as a consumer to have server grade hardware or even hardware to work server like in a minimalistic way. Its just a fun thing to play with for technical interest or enthusiasts or people who have jobs that depend on stuff like that... But then... would you love to have some kind of backdoor?

Its complicated, and so its the project youre lookin for...
There are no work arrounds for problems in linux, only smart decisions and patience ;)

[Kaldaien]

I had a local SteamPipe Content Distribution Network setup on my NAS box for a while. I ultimately retired the thing because I found the noise of spinning hard drives completely obnoxious :-\ That and I now have a gigabit fiber Internet connection, which means my pipe to the outside world is just as fast as the NAS box :P

[Bad_Conduct]

引用自 Suoy：

Hi,
I have a huge bottleneck that is in fact my DSL speed. I don't want to let my computer run all day and night to get me some updates or even new games with a 512kbyte/s cable. Its not energy efficent.

I wana use my Raspberry Pi, to download Steam Games over night and use the storage for NAS tasks.


First Question:
If i download Steam for Linux, will the downloaded Games after the Steam Backup be playable on Windows Systems?

Second Question:
If not, is there a other way to download Steam games and store em after that as Backups on my Raspberry Pi?

Just map an iscsi target to Windows and skip the pi completely.
https://osquest.com/2012/01/30/synology-to-windows-home-server-using-iscsi/

[Bad_Conduct]

引用自 Suoy：

Hi,
I have a huge bottleneck that is in fact my DSL speed. I don't want to let my computer run all day and night to get me some updates or even new games with a 512kbyte/s cable. Its not energy efficent.

Power off and powering on the computer uses a fair amount of energy.

引用自 Suoy：

I wana use my Raspberry Pi, to download Steam Games over night and use the storage for NAS tasks.

The pi might reduce CPU usage, but unless you are running an SSD NAS, the HDD's with spinning disks are going to use the same power no matter the PC.

引用自 Suoy：

First Question:
If i download Steam for Linux, will the downloaded Games after the Steam Backup be playable on Windows Systems?

No.

引用自 Suoy：

Second Question:
If not, is there a other way to download Steam games and store em after that as Backups on my Raspberry Pi?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S51LmTWs1q8


Just buy a 4TB disk for this much effort and leave your PC on. Nothing you do will make the internet faster.

[Suoy]

I dont think you can compare pc power consumption with an raspbi and some ext. HDDs you could plug on/off...

A Raspberry needs an avg power of 5.5W for me, bound to a hard drive with low energy consumption with 4-10W you end up with still under 20W of power consumption...

Now for the pc, I have an old first gen i7, 45nm node, with an max TDP of ~140W... Even if the CPU will clock down to 2Ghz (which equals the quadratic power outlet of ~50W), then it still will be almost tripple the power consumption of my raspbi... - and I didnt even count my 3 HDDs, GPU, Mainboard South/Nortbridge and any kind of fans...


To be honest, your comment doesnt count on my old machine...
And it still wouldnt count on any other, unless you have some kind of Intel U Processor with an M.2...

[Bad_Conduct]

引用自 Suoy：

I dont think you can compare pc power consumption with an raspbi and some ext. HDDs you could plug on/off...

A Raspberry needs an avg power of 5.5W for me, bound to a hard drive with low energy consumption with 4-10W you end up with still under 20W of power consumption...

Now for the pc, I have an old first gen i7, 45nm node, with an max TDP of ~140W... Even if the CPU will clock down to 2Ghz (which equals the quadratic power outlet of ~50W), then it still will be almost tripple the power consumption of my raspbi... - and I didnt even count my 3 HDDs, GPU, Mainboard South/Nortbridge and any kind of fans...

TDP is during usage though, downloading doesn't require that much CPU usage, it's not going to be running at 100%, it will barely go over idle.

You also have to consider that the amount of CPU required to decrypt the patches and files is fairly high. You may actually bottleneck on the pi's CPU and end up running it longer than the PC anyway, getting 0 net gain. Shutting the PC on and off also uses a significant amount of power ontop of that.

You also need to copy the files from the NAS to the PC, which is going to use more CPU on both and both HD's running at the same time.
It's just extra work to get the same results.

引用自 Suoy：

To be honest, your comment doesnt count on my old machine...
And it still wouldnt count on any other, unless you have some kind of Intel U Processor with an M.2...

TDP is a meaningless value.
https://www.anandtech.com/show/13544/why-intel-processors-draw-more-power-than-expected-tdp-turbo

It's just a sales pitch at this point, with Turbo, it always exceed the TDP anyway. Powerconsumption hasn't really changed that much. You would have to actually measure it at the wall if you wanted to see the difference.
The pi won't have enough power to run multiple disks. If you are just running a single disk on the pi, the extra CPU overhead and the transfer from the pi to the PC, plus the powering on and off is just going to add up to the same usage at the end of the day.

[Suoy]

TDP is a meaningless value.

Yes, unless you read it from tools like HWM for idle, avg. workload, heavy workload and network trafic...

I think we both know our stuff. But in my practical experience, runin both systems on a 512KByte/s cable where the one system needs a minimum of 100W and the other one a max of 20W for 8h minimum per day has definitly an impact per year.

[Bad_Conduct]

引用自 Suoy：

TDP is a meaningless value.

Yes, unless you read it from tools like HWM for idle, avg. workload, heavy workload and network trafic...

I think we both know our stuff. But in my practical experience, runin both systems on a 512KByte/s cable where the one system needs a minimum of 100W and the other one a max of 20W for 8h minimum per day has definitly an impact per year.

Except the decompression on the Raspberry pi is going to take a larger workload from the Pi processor vs. the Intel, so it will be running hotter anyway.
Ontop of that, the HDD powerconsumption is still the same.

You ultimately won't save any money doing this. Nor would it speed up the downloads.

Also, by "NAS", I assume you mean more than one disk, so you'll probably need a powered backplane to go with it. For just a single disk, you are better off just buying a NAS with a low TDP.
https://www.qnap.com/en/product/ts-131

[IceFoxX]

install steam the normal way... launch steam with the -console startparameter... inside steam you got the console now. with the console you can directly download the correct files and the correct version (all has unique appid's). this way is just downloading without installing.. and at the download tab you only see the traffic speed but list will be empty. after its finished you have to move anything to the correct place + maybe modify the state in the manifest from 1-3 to 4 (for installed and up to date)