Build for a Fileserver/VM Storage

[teqqyde]

Hello,

at the moment i own two synology boxes (916+ and 1513+) and like to do a small performance upgrade. Additionally i like to build a rack mountable solution. So i think about some components to build my new nas.
What are my requirements:
- Filestorage for my gf and me. We are just put some photos, documents etc on this device. At the moment this will be backup to synology cloud, but i will switch to other cloud provider
- Backup target for two MacBooks via TimeMaschine
- VM Disk Hosts for my Proxmox Cluster
- max of 8 disk capacity.

So you see, that system is just for providing files, there will be no addional software be installed like plex or some other cpu intensive tasks.

Therefore i do some research and came up with the following build:
- 19" Fantac 2U Servercase (Fantec Website)
- bequite 350 W PSU
- Supermicro A2SDi-4C-HLN4F (Atom 3558)
- Samsung 16 GB RDIMM (starting with 1 dimm and expand to maximum in the next few month)
- cheap M2 SSD for System

This Systems costs me about 600 Euro here in Germany. My maximum budget is the price of a new synology 1619+, because that would be my alterative to my diy build. I don't like to buy used stuff because of warrenty. Old stuff are to power hungry. We pay about 0,28 Euro per kwh, so it sould be some sort of powerfriendly (so no Dell 510 or something like that)

A lot of people recommend my a other supermicro board with an i3 CPU. But that would be about 100 Euro more expensive (if i look for a board with 8 SATA ports - a PCI Card would use extra power and i like to avoid that). And, thats because i normally want to pay more, nobody can really tell me the performance boost of an i3 compared to the Deverton CPU. As far as i know RAM does really matter, but not cpu (in this range of build).

So, long text, but i really like to have some opinions for that build. :) Thank you!

 

[Dice]

Hello,

I've just a few small notes for you to consider.

- VM Disk Hosts for my Proxmox Cluster

In doing so, you'd want to consider an appropriate SLOG.
If your pirority is to make the proxmox cluster run smoothly, you'd want to setup your pool in vdevs consisting of mirrors.
If your priority is space efficiency, you'd look into raidz2.

Cheers

 

[teqqyde]

Thank you for your advice!

currently i have a mixed size of disks. So i would create 3 vdevs with 2x4 TB, 2x3TB and 2x2TB of Disks. I expand them later with new disks.

 

[Dice]

So i would create 3 vdevs with 2x4 TB, 2x3TB and 2x2TB of Disks. I expand them later with new disks.

That is a viable option.

Let's challenge your plans, shall we?
Can we bend and pry a little bit on the idea of 2u?

In my personal opinion, the quickest way to render an already expensive freenas build 'value gimped' over time is to settle for a case that already is close to maxed out at the point of first power on.

Even if it seems remotely unlikely to ever want 24 drives online at the same time (I agree to this thought), check out the following scenario unfolding:
There might come a time when you'd want to do some migrations, might need an extra slot for safer resilvering, or for importing another drive temporarily, a few more cheapo SSD gets in the build for you to run the proxmox cluster far smoother, a SLOG device gets in as you start caring about data integrity, perhaps RAM gets upgraded down the line and thus granting you access to a L2ARC that might help certain of your work loads down the line.

Consider what this brings you 2 years from now?
SLOG+L2ARC+4x SSDs + 2 more hdds for expanded storage without binning currently working drives? ..+ a slot for the safer resilver method, ....that's easily 8-10 additional slots required.

At that point you should look back at yourself, evaluating your decisions for sticking with a 2u chassis.