Backup Server Suggestions

[r3d10]

Hey Everyone,

I work at a small nonprofit, and we currently have a FreeNAS server with about 25TB of data on it. We've decided we need a backup, and I'm hoping to avoid a build and just buy a server that will meet our needs. The iX servers are out of our price range, does anybody know of any pre-built servers that are TrueNAS compatible? I'd be happy to hear any suggestions.

Thank you!

 

[r3d10]

Also, our budget is capped around $2800.

 

[jayecin]

Any x86 based computer will run TrueNAS.

 

[Patrick M. Hausen]

Rackmount or (mini)tower? I can generally recommend Supermicro and I would also recommend an Intel CPU because that is what iXsystems mostly test. For a dedicated backup system the main factor is hard drive bays, because you probably want to stick 3.5" spinning drives in there for maximum capacity. At 14G per drive for current SATA HDDs 4 bays might be a little tight, because you want to go at least RAIDZ2 for disks that large. 6 or 8 bays will be better.
And make sure you have plain SATA ports, on the mainboard or a HBA, and no RAID controller in there.

 

[r3d10]

Rackmount or (mini)tower? I can generally recommend Supermicro and I would also recommend an Intel CPU because that is what iXsystems mostly test. For a dedicated backup system the main factor is hard drive bays, because you probably want to stick 3.5" spinning drives in there for maximum capacity. At 14G per drive for current SATA HDDs 4 bays might be a little tight, because you want to go at least RAIDZ2 for disks that large. 6 or 8 bays will be better.
And make sure you have plain SATA ports, on the mainboard or a HBA, and no RAID controller in there.

Thanks! It would be rackmount. I am considering a Lenovo Thinksystem SR650. Would that be a viable option, and are there any potential issues with it? I'm basically looking for something I can buy, plug the USB sticks into and get things going right away.

 

[Patrick M. Hausen]

Well, the first thing that link threw at me: "for compute intensive workloads". So you would probably be wasting money on CPU power you don't need.

What about https://www.supermicro.com/en/products/system/2U/5029/SSG-5029P-E1CTR12L.cfm ?

You would have to contact the supplier/integrator or Supermicro support to have the controller flashed to IT mode.

 

[r3d10]

Well, the first thing that link threw at me: "for compute intensive workloads". So you would probably be wasting money on CPU power you don't need.

What about https://www.supermicro.com/en/products/system/2U/5029/SSG-5029P-E1CTR12L.cfm ?

You would have to contact the supplier/integrator or Supermicro support to have the controller flashed to IT mode.

Thanks, I will look into options from SuperMicro.

 

[Patrick M. Hausen]

I am not claiming Supermicro being inherently superior to Lenovo. Only that if the manufacturer positions a system as "for compute intensive workloads", it is probably not a cost effective storage platform.

 

[dracozny]

Look for a JBOD box on ebay. Some come prepopulated with memory and CPU and then you just need to get some disks. Most of these will be older boxes that aren't going to blow away any current network service center but they are good enough for what you need. I run an older SuperMicro box with 12 drives. drives are where you can easily blow your budget.

 

[r3d10]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm looking into both new and used options right now. In sizing the new server, what is a good rule of thumb for determining how many TB's you need? Lets say I want to have the capacity to store 30TB of data, what would I need in total hard drive capacity on the server?

 

[dracozny]

rule of thumb I see mentioned often is the 80% rule, that said you might plan on 50% because life and theory don't always mesh. so I would recommend 60TB. but if you stick with the conservative rule of thumb then you would aim for 37.5TB. might as well round up to 40TB. once you hit the >90% margin you may notice a performance hit depending on your ram.

 

[r3d10]

rule of thumb I see mentioned often is the 80% rule, that said you might plan on 50% because life and theory don't always mesh. so I would recommend 60TB. but if you stick with the conservative rule of thumb then you would aim for 37.5TB. might as well round up to 40TB. once you hit the >90% margin you may notice a performance hit depending on your ram.

That makes sense, thanks!