A newbie and not knowing where to start.

[Griffey]

Alright. My hardware.

I7 3770k 4.2ghz
Asus P8Z77 Ws motherboard.
32gb Ddr3 1854 Patriot ram.
2x HP P410 raid cards with sata breakout cables.
16x Intel 520 series 120gb sata ssd's.
4x Samsung 950 Pro 512gb nvme drives in a Syba quad nvme pcie bifurcation card.
Sun/Oracle F80 card.
Intel 520 series 480gb boot drive.
Unused lsi 9272 8i.
All in a custom made enclosure with noktua fans everywhere and a 240mm rad on a custom loop to keep the cpu happy. Located in my really cold basement.

Ok. This is what I want to put TrueNas on. Currently, it's in a windows 10 pro environment. I'm testing out how to use TrueNas with a cobbled together dell optiplex 7010sff.

Ok. That out of the way. I'm going to probably ask questions you've probably answered before countless times.

Software. From what I see. Jail is where the apps are delt with. Is there one I can have my kids and a few select friends "log into" and use this as a place to put their data? Possibly being unreadable on my end? I don't know if this exists. But, its 2023. It might?

Drives. I've never had an issue with any of those Intel drives. My goal is to eventually replace them with much higher capacity. Samsung 850 pro? I have 4 512gb in my main rig atm. But for now in just trying to get it working before I start putting money in new drives. I am trying to have no moving parts in my storage media.

Hba's. My understanding is those HP cards can not be used in that function. So maybe a lsi 9211? My intention is to have 3 and loose the nvme card. It'll go back into my main rig. Can the 9272 be turned into one? I've not found a tutorial yet on how to do so. But my youngest son found some on Ebay that claim to be flashed to hba. Also, when in hba mode, is there a program you need to go along with them or any other one? I honestly don't know.

And since I'm new to this. Any other programs, software, jail things I should look at? Or recommendations? Configurations? My plan is to keep at least one F80 for the Minecraft server because of its write endurance. Maybe as a cashe drive as well? I am trying to get as much knowledge and advice in advance before I take that server and put a whole new OS in it. Speaking of Minecraft. Can you take your world file from a windows environment and copy it to a Linux one somehow? And what program would that have to run on if any?

I could probably sit here all day and ramble on asking questions. But I think this is good enough for now.

Thanks in advance.

 

[danb35]

Software. From what I see. Jail is where the apps are delt with. Is there one I can have my kids and a few select friends "log into" and use this as a place to put their data?

Sounds like Nextcloud. It's available as an app in SCALE, and some genius has put together a script to install it in a jail in CORE (consult the Resources section)--do not under any circumstances use plugins in CORE.

This is what I want to put TrueNas on.

I'd recommend you consult the hardware recommendations guide and reconsider.

 

[LarsR]

@danb35 did you just refer to yourself as genius? :D

 

[danb35]

Yeah, totally humble about it too.

 

[Griffey]

Alright. I'll ask. What are plugins in this scenario?

And by the looks of the hardware section. For what I'm planning to do with this so far. I'm ok. Just file or data storage and 1 game. I'm planning on hardware to be replaced if need be. But as a Windows device. It's not needed. ECC I would like to get. But atm, it's not needed.

Next cloud? When I tinker with it again tomorrow I'll look at it. Thanks.

 

[danb35]

What are plugins in this scenario?

Plugins are a misfeature of FreeNAS (since 8.x), then TrueNAS CORE. The idea is that you'd be able to click a button and install the app. The problem is, they just have never worked as intended. See:

iXsystems, when are you going to stop pretending that CORE has (usable) plugins?

Plugins are broken. We all know it, and you have no intention of fixing them. Most notably, @Kris Moore has said not to use them, and that they're "more or less deprecated": using plugins on CORE is a path to sadness. The plugin system is more or less deprecated and as you can tell, somewhat...

www.truenas.com

 

[Griffey]

Then I have a question. If I currently am only using this for storage for me and a few others. Would scale be a better idea? The reason I ask is who knows where this is going to be in like 5 years.

Also, what hba in your experience would you recommend to connect storage media? This will all evolve. But this is where I start.

 

[jgreco]

SCALE is its own kind of trainwreck, based on Linux, it has poor memory management for ARC (Linux's fault), and the container stuff seems to be a constant source of annoyance for users. Core is very stable for all kinds of filesharing use and is what the commercial TrueNAS systems that iX sells is based on.

 

[Griffey]

So how would this be seen with the other computers in my house? Would it show up in network in windows somehow? Or accessible only by an app?

Also, with ecc mem looking like a very strong recommendation. What C602 mobo would you recommend? Or avoid? And lastly, does ram speed matter?

Thanks.

 

[danb35]

So how would this be seen with the other computers in my house?

Depends on what you mean by "this." If you mean Nextcloud, it works a lot like Dropbox--you have a directory on your computer that's kept in sync with the server and any other devices that are logged into it.

 

[Griffey]

Ok. I'll be more specific. I haven't set up anything yet software wise. I'm just gathering as much info as I can before I start. By either new software or hardware. Probably both. I was curious if I set up a Truenas system. If it could be picked up by windows on the network? Is probably more in line of what I'm asking. I wasn't sure if it would see it or if I needed an app of some sorts to access it. I'm cautiously optimistic about trying this. But, pretty excited about learning new things.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Yes, TrueNAS Network Attached Storage can be found by and used extremely effectively by MS Windows clients.

What is your intended purpose/use case?

I find it interesting people focus on the tools instead of the goal. "Use the right tool for the job," because "when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

 

[jgreco]

"when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

"And when you have a Milwaukee Sawzall, everything turns to sawdust."

Just a random unrelated thought.

 

[jgreco]

Also, with ecc mem looking like a very strong recommendation. What C602 mobo would you recommend? Or avoid? And lastly, does ram speed matter?

Supermicro X9SR or X9DR mainboards are normally highly TrueNAS-compatible, that'd probably be X9SRL-F (uniprocessor) which are kinda hard to find, or X9DR* like X9DRH, X9DRi, X9DR3 which are variations on a dual processor design and are relatively easy to find on the used market. DDR3 ECC RAM is relatively inexpensive on the used market; I think I found 16x 32GB (512GB total) for $450 recently.

It wasn't this one but it was similar: https://www.ebay.com/itm/202488751827

In any case, ZFS thrives on RAM and I would prefer double the RAM at half the max supported speed any day. ARC for ZFS is very important. Others may disagree. I respect their right to be incorrect. ;-)

 

[Griffey]

What is your intended purpose/use case?

The use case thus far is general data storage (pics, video's and other things) and to host Minecraft atm. But as with everything in my life. Evolution steps in and grows it to beyond whatever I intended. An example. When I was a teenager. I worked in my grandfather's auto shop. There was tools he had he used only once or twice over 40 years. 4 years latter I'm using those said tools almost daily. That's been a norm in my life. And with this history. I'm preparing for this to grow in ways I cant even imagine yet. So I'm trying to cover as many bases I cant see yet in hopes it don't get to messy.

 

[Griffey]

Supermicro X9SR or X9DR mainboards are normally highly TrueNAS-compatible, that'd probably be X9SRL-F (uniprocessor) which are kinda hard to find, or X9DR* like X9DRH, X9DRi.

A big thank you. I'll start looking at them and keep an eye out for one.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Good to know. I just responded to another Minecraft inquiry, and I stand by that.

I'm also a fan of one server per task, mainly because the systems are much more reliable. A few older, slower repurposed systems vs. a new, fast, sleek system...what to do, right? The new system is exciting, but after the newness wears off (which doesn't take long) you may wish for several stable systems that don't require constant attention.

I think the best part of the iX systems community is people here really try to help you get a great system that's highly reliable at budget prices and that it works for you. Consider what's been said, and if that's not an ideal path for you choose another that is. We want you to succeed.

 

[Griffey]

I am considering everything before I even set my self in any direction. For now, everything is working. I'm just looking for long term stability and expandability. Especially compared to an older system running Windows 10.

Btw, that X9DR3-LN4F-EAXT looks absurd. Lol. 12 ram sticks per cpu? That's new.

Ddr3 systems look appealing because of the price of the system in whole. Any advantages of the c612 compared to C602? I'm kinda worried about price. But I'm willing to spend money if it's a better idea.

Thanks.

 

[jgreco]

Btw, that X9DR3-LN4F-EAXT looks absurd. Lol. 12 ram sticks per cpu? That's new.

Not really. There's always been a need for systems with lots of memory; the main problem being that bus speeds typically have to drop somewhat with maximal configurations. 32GB sticks used to cost a fortune but prices have dropped quite a bit over the years, and you can get 512GB worth of 32GB'ers for about $500 today. If you can find the 64GB'ers at a decent price, you can get 1.5TB of RAM on those boards -- but it'll be somewhat slower access speeds. That's fine for something like ZFS where you are using it for cache.

Its bigger brother the X9DR7-TF+ has 10GbE and an LSI 2208 RAID controller built in.

Any advantages of the c612 compared to C602?

The C612 supports Xeon v3 and v4 CPU's (Haswell/Broadwell) and would be found on various Supermicro X10 boards. This will mean a system that's a bit newer and takes DDR4.

 

[Griffey]

Now that I have a second. About to go blow snow for 6 hours. I'm thinking a single cpu system for now sounds like a better idea for me then a dual cpu based system. My untrained and zero experience brain is telling me that a second cpu is pretty much useless for a file sharing Minecraft system. I am open to being wrong about this.

So C602 vs C612 is just cpu and ram? If so, that's about what I was thinking. In a overly simplified nutshell.

Supermicro X9SR or X9DR mainboards are normally highly TrueNAS-compatible, that'd probably be X9SRL-F (uniprocessor) which are kinda hard to find, or X9DR* like X9DRH, X9DRi, X9DR3 which are variations on a dual processor design and are relatively easy to find on the used market. DDR3 ECC RAM is relatively inexpensive on the used market; I think I found 16x 32GB (512GB total) for $450 recently.

Just to pick your brain. If you were to pick one of those boards, what would be your strongest recommendation and a brief why please. I'm in entirely new waters for me and looking for guidance. Also, why is the ecc mem listed with specific board models? I don't see that in consumer grade stuff and it has my attention.

Cooling. How do you keep the cpu's cool if its not in a rack mount system? Can these be, for example, watercooled? My current one is and in a custom wooden enclosure. It'll be in a Minnesota basement. So, cooling it shouldn't be, fingers crossed, a big problem.

And a fyi. I'm not expecting to have this up and running for about 6 months. I do hope to have stuff ordered and tested out by then. The whole "make sure the hardware works first" thing and play with the software a lot before I move all saved stuff over. This is a whole new journey. So, slow and steady.