Build Report: Norco RPC-4224, SuperMicro X10-SRi-F, Xeon E5-1650v4

[droeders]

Forgive me for being dense here, but what is the PIDified version.

I believe @Stux is referring to this:

https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/pid-fan-controller-perl-script.50908/

 

[rivey]

I have been reading a lot about this topic and I now have a few questions I am not sure about.

1 Where do I put the script. I assume it can't be put in the boot drive so that leaves me the "jail drive" or one of my data pools?

2 I assume I should set this script up as a task in FreeNAS 11.2?

3 If that is the case, what settings under tasks would I use?

4 I am further assuming that I will need to edit the script to account for my exact setup?

My system details are in my signature but the basics are as follows,
MB is a Supermicro X9SRL-F
HD fans are on "FanA" and are the Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 3000rpm PWM
Exhaust fans are on "Fan3&4" and are the Noctua NF-A8 PWM
The CPU cooler fans are on "Fan1&2" and the CPU cooler is the Noctua NH-U9DX i4
Thanks for any help in this. Slowly learning about FreeNAS but it is not easy.

 

[Kevin Horton]

I have been reading a lot about this topic and I now have a few questions I am not sure about.

1 Where do I put the script. I assume it can't be put in the boot drive so that leaves me the "jail drive" or one of my data pools?

2 I assume I should set this script up as a task in FreeNAS 11.2?

3 If that is the case, what settings under tasks would I use?

4 I am further assuming that I will need to edit the script to account for my exact setup?

My system details are in my signature but the basics are as follows,
MB is a Supermicro X9SRL-F
HD fans are on "FanA" and are the Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 3000rpm PWM
Exhaust fans are on "Fan3&4" and are the Noctua NF-A8 PWM
The CPU cooler fans are on "Fan1&2" and the CPU cooler is the Noctua NH-U9DX i4
Thanks for any help in this. Slowly learning about FreeNAS but it is not easy.

The script will need to be editted to match your configuration. See the comments in the script for details of what each section does. The control loop gains may need to be tweaked to give acceptable performance.

I put the script in /root/bin, which means it will end up whereever the system dataset is located. For testing, it is useful to run the script in tmux. Once you have confirmed it is working correctly, you can add it to the "Init/Shutdown Scripts" section of "Tasks". The Type is Command. The Command is the full path to the script, e.g. "/root/bin/PID_fan_control.pl". When is "Post Init", and Enabled is "Yes". This will cause the script to start after boot.

 

[rivey]

The script will need to be editted to match your configuration. See the comments in the script for details of what each section does. The control loop gains may need to be tweaked to give acceptable performance.

I put the script in /root/bin, which means it will end up whereever the system dataset is located. For testing, it is useful to run the script in tmux. Once you have confirmed it is working correctly, you can add it to the "Init/Shutdown Scripts" section of "Tasks". The Type is Command. The Command is the full path to the script, e.g. "/root/bin/PID_fan_control.pl". When is "Post Init", and Enabled is "Yes". This will cause the script to start after boot.

Another question, will this script solve a problem I am having with my fans. I believe the issue is with the Noctua NF-f12 iPPC 3000rpm PWM fans and that is that the fans are going high to low. I seems that it is a 5 or 10 sec. cycle. From different things I have read, it seems that there may be some fan settings that need to be changed in the IPMI gui but I can't find where to do that. Thanks

 

[Kevin Horton]

Another question, will this script solve a problem I am having with my fans. I believe the issue is with the Noctua NF-f12 iPPC 3000rpm PWM fans and that is that the fans are going high to low. I seems that it is a 5 or 10 sec. cycle. From different things I have read, it seems that there may be some fan settings that need to be changed in the IPMI gui but I can't find where to do that. Thanks

This sounds like an issue with the upper fan speed thresholds set in IPMI, and this script will not solve that problem. In fact the script will not work correctly until the fan speed thresholds are set to be higher than the max speed these fans run.

More info here

Check the fan speed thresholds with ipmitool sensor | grep FAN. The three values on the right end of the line should all be greater than the speed of the fans at 100% duty cycle (i.e. when running at full speed).

If one of your 3000 rpm fans was connected to the FANA header, you would issue this command: ipmitool sensor thresh "FANA" upper 3100 3200 3400. Replace "FANA" with the fan header of interest. Increase the values if a fan runs at more than 3000 rpm (the reported speed of some fans does not exactly match the manufacturer's specs).

 

[rivey]

This sounds like an issue with the upper fan speed thresholds set in IPMI, and this script will not solve that problem. In fact the script will not work correctly until the fan speed thresholds are set to be higher than the max speed these fans run.

More info here

Check the fan speed thresholds with ipmitool sensor | grep FAN. The three values on the right end of the line should all be greater than the speed of the fans at 100% duty cycle (i.e. when running at full speed).

If one of your 3000 rpm fans was connected to the FANA header, you would issue this command: ipmitool sensor thresh "FANA" upper 3100 3200 3400. Replace "FANA" with the fan header of interest. Increase the values if a fan runs at more than 3000 rpm (the reported speed of some fans does not exactly match the manufacturer's specs).

Thanks for the help. In this case, the three 3000 rpm fans are all on "FANA", the CPU cooler fans are on fans 1 & 2, and the rear exhaust fans are on fans 3 & 4.

Due to a few issues, I am reinstalling FreeNAS on this system to start with a clean slate. After this is done, I will check this out.

Thanks

 

[Danielx]

Was there any steps to test the backplanes? I thought the Norco 4224 is deemed unreliable and potentially kills drives. I read reviews for it and I really wanted to go with this chassis. I just don't feel like loosing 8 hard drives if the backplanes fails..

 

[rivey]

I have heard similar comments, but I have 12 WD Reds installed as of two days ago and so far no hard drive issues. When I was installing the drives to the removable trays, I made sure that there was a small gap between the drive and the metal. So far so good.

So far I am very happy with this case. My only complaint is that between the drive bays and the fan wall, the cutouts for the fans have sharp edges. Caused a bit of blood on the back of my hand, but that is no big deal.

 

[Danielx]

I have heard similar comments, but I have 12 WD Reds installed as of two days ago and so far no hard drive issues. When I was installing the drives to the removable trays, I made sure that there was a small gap between the drive and the metal. So far so good.

So far I am very happy with this case. My only complaint is that between the drive bays and the fan wall, the cutouts for the fans have sharp edges. Caused a bit of blood on the back of my hand, but that is no big deal.

Where did you purchase the chassis if you don't mind me asking? I wonder how many versions of the backplanes there are if Norco bothers on improving their product.

 

[Kevin Horton]

Was there any steps to test the backplanes? I thought the Norco 4224 is deemed unreliable and potentially kills drives. I read reviews for it and I really wanted to go with this chassis. I just don't feel like loosing 8 hard drives if the backplanes fails..

I'd be interested in learning more about these reliability issues (i.e. can you point to a source with more details), as I'm currently running a Norco RPC-4224. It has been in service since Dec 2016 with 16 WD Red 4TB drives. No issues yet. I should have 24 drives in it before mid-2020.

 

[Danielx]

I'd be interested in learning more about these reliability issues (i.e. can you point to a source with more details), as I'm currently running a Norco RPC-4224. It has been in service since Dec 2016 with 16 WD Red 4TB drives. No issues yet. I should have 24 drives in it before mid-2020.

Newegg reviews, reddit, and there's a YouTube video. A few forum posts on other sites. There's even a blog post about it that has quite a bit of info. Just search Google "norco rpc-4224 killed" or kill or any variation of that and it all will appear.

 

[Kevin Horton]

Newegg reviews, reddit, and there's a YouTube video. A few forum posts on other sites. There's even a blog post about it that has quite a bit of info. Just search Google "norco rpc-4224 killed" or kill or any variation of that and it all will appear.

Thanks for the hints. It looks like there were significant design and build quality issues with older Norco back planes, and that the newer generation back planes are better. This blog post from 2013 suggests that the components used in that generation back planes could not handle the current required to spin up 3TB drives. Mine handles 4TB drives just fine, and I've had 8TB drives in several of the slots on occasion. So far I've had no issues with my server, purchased from NewEgg in late 2016.

 

[rivey]

Where did you purchase the chassis if you don't mind me asking? I wonder how many versions of the backplanes there are if Norco bothers on improving their product.

Got it from Amazon. Came with the 3 120mm fans and the SSD tray. Obviously changed all the fans.

 

[rivey]

The script will need to be editted to match your configuration. See the comments in the script for details of what each section does. The control loop gains may need to be tweaked to give acceptable performance.

I put the script in /root/bin, which means it will end up whereever the system dataset is located. For testing, it is useful to run the script in tmux. Once you have confirmed it is working correctly, you can add it to the "Init/Shutdown Scripts" section of "Tasks". The Type is Command. The Command is the full path to the script, e.g. "/root/bin/PID_fan_control.pl". When is "Post Init", and Enabled is "Yes". This will cause the script to start after boot.

Is there a preferred program to use in windows for editing the scripts. When I use wordpad or notepad, it is all jumbled looking? What would you recommend for this purpose?
Thanks, Bob

 

[pro lamer]

windows for editing the scripts. When I use wordpad or notepad, it is all jumbled looking? What would you recommend for this purpose?

Windows: notepad++ :)

Sent from my phone

 

[rivey]

Windows: notepad++ :)

Sent from my phone

Thanks for the quick reply. Just downloaded the program and it seems to work perfectly.

 

[rivey]

The script will need to be editted to match your configuration. See the comments in the script for details of what each section does. The control loop gains may need to be tweaked to give acceptable performance.

I put the script in /root/bin, which means it will end up whereever the system dataset is located. For testing, it is useful to run the script in tmux. Once you have confirmed it is working correctly, you can add it to the "Init/Shutdown Scripts" section of "Tasks". The Type is Command. The Command is the full path to the script, e.g. "/root/bin/PID_fan_control.pl". When is "Post Init", and Enabled is "Yes". This will cause the script to start after boot.

So far, I have the script edited using notepad++ (thanks pro lamer). I now need to transfer the file from my windows computer to freenas. I assume I can do that via a thumb-drive but I am not sure what commands I will need to use. I have ordered a Unix For Dummies book from Amazon, but I am not sure yet how to do this. I am assuming that is will be done from the shell or through putty. So much new to learn.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Bob Ivey

 

[Danielx]

So far, I have the script edited using notepad++ (thanks pro lamer). I now need to transfer the file from my windows computer to freenas. I assume I can do that via a thumb-drive but I am not sure what commands I will need to use. I have ordered a Unix For Dummies book from Amazon, but I am not sure yet how to do this. I am assuming that is will be done from the shell or through putty. So much new to learn.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Bob Ivey

I recommend putting it in your primary login home folder. You could use a thumb drive or just transfer to your pool and move it within shell or SSH.

Once you have your script in the home folder you will need to test it out

screen ./nameofscript.pl

And then if everything seems to function properly make another file ... start_nameofscript


#!/bin/bash
echo "Starting Fan Controller..."
/<path to fan ctrl script>/nameofscript.pl &>> /<path to fan control log>/fan_control.log &

Once that script is saved, go into the FreeNAS web UI and set it to run on startup. Go to Tasks > Init/Shutdown Scripts, click “Add Init/Shutdown Script”, set it to “Command”, enter the path to your start_nameofscript script (-NOT- to the larger perl script), and select “Post Init” for when.

 

[rivey]

I recommend putting it in your primary login home folder. You could use a thumb drive or just transfer to your pool and move it within shell or SSH.

Once you have your script in the home folder you will need to test it out

screen ./nameofscript.pl

And then if everything seems to function properly make another file ... start_nameofscript


#!/bin/bash
echo "Starting Fan Controller..."
/<path to fan ctrl script>/nameofscript.pl &>> /<path to fan control log>/fan_control.log &

Once that script is saved, go into the FreeNAS web UI and set it to run on startup. Go to Tasks > Init/Shutdown Scripts, click “Add Init/Shutdown Script”, set it to “Command”, enter the path to your start_nameofscript script (-NOT- to the larger perl script), and select “Post Init” for when.

Not knowing the directory structure for FreeNAS (FreeBSD), I am not sure of where to find the "primary login home folder". Is that just the folder that is automatically logging into when I go to shell in the GUI?

And then if everything seems to function properly make another file ... start_nameofscript I assume that this will be the new files name?

(-NOT- to the larger perl script) I am not sure exactly what this means?

One good thing is knowing about Midnight Commander (MC) as that is one of the first programs I learned WAY back in the days of DOS. Of course what I learned was Norton Commander but if I under correctly, both programs were written by the same person.

In the next day or so I will have a Unix for Dummies book and hopefully that will help with learning more of the fine points behind the scenes of the FreeNAS GUI.

Thanks, Bob Ivey

 

[rivey]

I have been able to move the script to the FreeNAS server. The script was updated for my fans. When I used the command "screen ./nameofscript.pl" I get the message at certain lines that says "can't send raw commands". Not sure what this is about. I guess I did something wrong.