Is it possible to use an external usb hub/ethernet adapter in FreeNAS?

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jArtibise

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http://aluratek.com/usb-3-0-hub-gigabit-ethernet-adapter Here is the adapter in question. My current network card is only 10/100mbps unfortunately, upload times are taking forever.

I looked around town and didn't find an internal network adapter but I did come across the external hub. When I plug it into my FreeNAS PC nothing happens, no connection to the internet at all. I'm assuming its because it has no drivers and cannot search for them itself... is there a way to manually install them?

I know its not the best situation but its all I have for now... any help is appreciated!
 
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krikboh

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The page you linked shows the adapter only supports Windows and Mac.


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anodos

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http://aluratek.com/usb-3-0-hub-gigabit-ethernet-adapter Here is the adapter in question. My current network card is only 10/100mbps unfortunately, upload times are taking forever.

I looked around town and going find an internal network adapter but I did come across the external hub. When I plug it into my FreeNAS PC nothing happens, no connection to the internet at all. I'm assuming its because it has no drivers and cannot search for them itself... is there a way to manually install them?

I know its not the best situation but its all I have for now... any help is appreciated!
Out of curiosity, what hardware do you currently have for your freenas server?
 

jArtibise

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Out of curiosity, what hardware do you currently have for your freenas server?

I'm currently running an old HP Pavilion m8040n with FreeNAS installed. Different harddrivers and 8gb of RAM are the only changes to it.

The specs are here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883107365

I'm basically just using it as a Plex Media Server... I'm transferring all of my media from my desktop to the FreeNAS server and its taking forever due to the 10/100mbps network card. Everything else supports 1000mbps. :(
 

DaveF81

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http://aluratek.com/usb-3-0-hub-gigabit-ethernet-adapter Here is the adapter in question. My current network card is only 10/100mbps unfortunately, upload times are taking forever.

I looked around town and didn't find an internal network adapter but I did come across the external hub. When I plug it into my FreeNAS PC nothing happens, no connection to the internet at all. I'm assuming its because it has no drivers and cannot search for them itself... is there a way to manually install them?

I know its not the best situation but its all I have for now... any help is appreciated!

Stop. Please. A USB 3.0 network adapter is not going to work. For one, USB 3.0 is turned off by default. Find an Intel Gigabit adapter on-line.
 

jArtibise

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Stop. Please. A USB 3.0 network adapter is not going to work. For one, USB 3.0 is turned off by default. Find an Intel Gigabit adapter on-line.

I understand it wasn't the best solution but I was impatient and wanted a solution for this evening.

Worst case scenario(which seems to be the one I'm in) is to just return it and purchase a adapter online.
 

anodos

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Get an Intel pcie nic. You may want to get a server with ECC ram. A used server (sandybridge or more recent) or a dell T20 might be good low-cost options.

Regarding hardware - see stickies.
 

jArtibise

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Get an Intel pcie nic. You may want to get a server with ECC ram. A used server (sandybridge or more recent) or a dell T20 might be good low-cost options.

Regarding hardware - see stickies.

Thanks I will look for that nic tomorrow at a couple shops.

Since you are suggesting a different server do you think I will run into issues with my current setup? I am only using it to store media for Plex... no important files or pictures, etc. Will what I have suffice?
 

babaroga

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For your needs, I do not think that you should waste money on the upgrade. Just get NIC and off you go. ECC RAM is nice "to have" option, but not required for light home use.

Here is an example for NIC
 

pschatz100

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Since you are suggesting a different server do you think I will run into issues with my current setup? I am only using it to store media for Plex... no important files or pictures, etc. Will what I have suffice?
For your needs, I do not think that you should waste money on the upgrade. Just get NIC and off you go. ECC RAM is nice "to have" option, but not required for light home use.
The notion that ECC ram is a "nice to have" for home use totally ignores the fact that FreeNAS is designed for systems that have ECC memory. If you don't understand why, then read the stickies about hardware configuration.

You will risk a loss of data - do you really want to do that? Sure, you might be able to recreate your media - but at what expense? Personally, I have hundreds of hours of my time committed to the data I store on my server, and would not look forward to losing all that. To me, my time has a value.

Quite frankly, your hardware choice is not a good one for FreeNAS. Adding the Intel NIC as suggested will make things a little more pleasant, but it won't change the fact that you are running a hardware configuration that is specifically not recommended.
 

babaroga

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If you would like to go that route about ECC memory, fine. Why is then all memory ECC? Cost reasons? I have not seen a single company/bank that is installing ECC memory on their desktops, and I do believe they have much more to lose that us at home with a few thousands of ripped CDs/DVDs/BDs.
 

pirateghost

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If you would like to go that route about ECC memory, fine. Why is then all memory ECC? Cost reasons? I have not seen a single company/bank that is installing ECC memory on their desktops, and I do believe they have much more to lose that us at home with a few thousands of ripped CDs/DVDs/BDs.
If you think bank/company data resides on those desktops you are crazy.
 

Ericloewe

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If you would like to go that route about ECC memory, fine. Why is then all memory ECC? Cost reasons? I have not seen a single company/bank that is installing ECC memory on their desktops, and I do believe they have much more to lose that us at home with a few thousands of ripped CDs/DVDs/BDs.

That's because the crummy desktop at the bank has to go through a big fscking mainframe that most certainly uses ECC throughout.
 

pschatz100

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If you would like to go that route about ECC memory, fine. Why is then all memory ECC? Cost reasons? I have not seen a single company/bank that is installing ECC memory on their desktops, and I do believe they have much more to lose that us at home with a few thousands of ripped CDs/DVDs/BDs.
Actually, if you had read the sitckies about hardware and ZFS files systems, you would know that ECC memory is a requirement for reliable ZFS operation. Even if you don't enable RAID or Mirroring, ZFS is still designed for RAID and all raid systems use ECC memory (including hardware raid systems which have ECC memory onboard.

Yes, it's true that you don't need ECC memory for Windows and Mac OS, but then they don't use ZFS either. Different hardware for a different purpose. Quite frankly, for reliable storage with the system you described, you would be better off using windows or linux for your Plex server.
 
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babaroga

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I totally agree with ECC statement and ZFS, even I am having it on my HP Microserver N40L. I do not want to start flaming people here, but for light personal use, even for my home, I do think that is an overkill. If I had memory laying about and not having to purchase ECC, I would have used it without giving it second thought.
 

anodos

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You'll be surprised on that quote, as I can say that I have seen it all :)
Don't know much about banking, but if that actually happens I'm sure it's a violation of coporate policy, which means it is not intentional.

Most low-end home/small business servers from OEMs that I've looked at recently ship with ECC. So apparently OEMs think it's important with windows /NTFS servers. Considering their tendency to pinch pennies wherever possible, it's a telling sign.
 
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babaroga

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yup, even HP MicroServer shipped with ECC, 2GB only though, so much about pinching pennies as what exactly are you going to do with 2GB of RAM these days?
 

pschatz100

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I totally agree with ECC statement and ZFS, even I am having it on my HP Microserver N40L. I do not want to start flaming people here, but for light personal use, even for my home, I do think that is an overkill. If I had memory laying about and not having to purchase ECC, I would have used it without giving it second thought.
Well, if you understood how ZFS actually works, then you wouldn't say that. It is not a question about light use, heavy use, or any other kind of use. ZFS uses the memory in part of its operation, and if the memory is not ECC then you run the risk of corrupting your data and never knowing until it is too late. Other file systems, such as NTFS (Windows) don't do this.

Everything will work fine, until there is an error and then it breaks. Worst part is, that you might actually make backups of corrupted data and never know it until you try to access one of the corrupted files.
 
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