Building my first freeNAS!!

[kourosh]

First of all let me thank you for all of your efforts and the great forum.

I am completely new to freeNAS. It has been a month or so that I am researching about it and I decided to build my own homer server with freeNAS as the OS. My main usages are twofolds;
1) Plex media server and 2) backup machine for my macBook along with the Time Machine.

The main issue is that I am having a tight budget for now (I am Ph.D. student, hopefully things will change in a near future), therefore I would like to go with the minimums but with the ability to expand in the future.

Based on my understanding a descent freeNAS server, with the ability to stream to 3-4 devices using Plex server cost around $700-$800. Am I right?

So far, I have ended up with the following build which is based on this build by John Ramsden. Thank you John!

My two main questions are;
1. Of course, is this a good build for freeNAS?
2. Can I start with one 4TB hard drive, and then later on add two more 4TB hard drives and get RAID-Z1 (with one parity). I think this is not possible, and I have to start with three hard drives(with whatever capacity) for RAID-Z1, is that right?

Basically, based on my limited research, it seems that I cannot change the capacity of VDev after its creation without loosing my data. Right?

The system:
Processor: Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 3.4 GHz Quad-Core LGA 1150 Processor
Model #: BX80646E31231V3

Motherboard: Supermicro X10SL7-F

RAM: 8GB Crucial ECC RAM
Model #: CT8G3ERSLS4160B

Hard Drives: Western Digital-Red 4TB 3.5’’
SanDisk-X300S 64GB 2.5’’

Power Supply: Corsair RMx Series, RM850x

 

[danb35]

I think this is not possible, and I have to start with three hard drives(with whatever capacity) for RAID-Z1, is that right?


That's correct.

it seems that I cannot change the capacity of VDev after its creation without loosing my data. Right?

Not exactly. You can't change the number of disks in a vdev (other than adding a second disk to a single-disk vdev to turn it into a mirror). You can, though, change the capacity of the vdev by replacing its disks with larger disks.

But for a budget-conscious FreeNAS box in .us, it remains very hard to beat the HPE Proliant ML10 at US$169 + $5 shipping. Add an 8 GB stick of RAM, a boot device, and your desired disks, and you're set.

Edit: The E3-1231 and X10SL7 are a fine combination, but the built-in SAS HBA on the X10SL7 doesn't really do anything for you unless you're planning on using more than 6 disks.

 

[Chris Moore]

Can I start with one 4TB hard drive, and then later on add two more 4TB hard drives and get RAID-Z1 (with one parity). I think this is not possible, and I have to start with three hard drives(with whatever capacity) for RAID-Z1, is that right?

Basically, based on my limited research, it seems that I cannot change the capacity of VDev after its creation without loosing my data. Right?

No, that is not right. You can change the capacity, just not the 'layout' which is my terminology, not the ZFS terminology.
Here is what I mean, currently if you start with a pool of mirrored drives, you can add additional mirrors to the pool to expand the capacity, but you can't change from a mirror to a RAIDz. Likewise, in a RAIDz pool, you can't start with 3 disks and add just one more disk. It isn't designed to grow the number or configuration of disks in what is called a vdev (virtual device) but you can add another vdev to the same pool. This may change in the future, but that is not available yet. What you can do, as an example, is start your pool with 4 inexpensive 1 TB hard drives in RAIDz and later replace (one at a time) the 1 TB drives with 4 TB drives. Once all four drives are replaced, you get the capacity of the new (larger) drives.
If you were going to do something like that, I would suggest that you start with 5 drives in RAIDz2 as using RAIDz (RAIDz1) with larger drives in not recommended.
There is a lot to learn about the intricacies of how ZFS works and you will want to read the manual to familiarize yourself with the terminology and what the terms mean.

 

[Inxsible]

My main usages are twofolds;
1) Plex media server and 2) backup machine for my macBook along with the Time Machine.

Processor: Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 3.4 GHz Quad-Core LGA 1150 Processor

To me it looks like you are overbuilding the system. At least as far as the CPU is concerned. You want 3-4 streams. Do you want them simultaneously?

Even if you want them simultaneously a Pentium would probably be able to achieve that. I have a basic Pentium G3240 and it can easily support 2-3 streams. Now if you were to be transcoding, that would be different.

If the budget is in a pinch, you would do well to save the money on the processor -- depending on your needs of course.

When the situation changes in the future, you could always swap out the processor in the future

 

[kourosh]

To me it looks like you are overbuilding the system. At least as far as the CPU is concerned. You want 3-4 streams. Do you want them simultaneously?

Yes, I want to have the ability to stream them simultaneously. And based on the Plex guidelines I need 2000 PassMark for every 1080p movie. The cpu that I chose has a PassMark of 9600.
Besides, since I want my motherboard to be compatible with ECC memory, my options are limited. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

 

[Ericloewe]

Even if you want them simultaneously a Pentium would probably be able to achieve that.

Unless you're transcoding, in which case the Xeon is a better choice.

Besides, since I want my motherboard to be compatible with ECC memory, my options are limited.

LGA1150 Celerons, Pentiums and i3s support ECC (with one or two minor exceptions that you're unlikely to run into).

 

[Inxsible]

Unless you're transcoding, in which case the Xeon is a better choice.

Agreed.

 

[kourosh]

LGA1150 Celerons, Pentiums and i3s support ECC (with one or two minor exceptions that you're unlikely to run into).

What do you think of Intel Core i5-4460?

 

[Chris Moore]

What do you think of Intel Core i5-4460?

i5 and i7 processors do not support ECC, and are not recommended because of it. If you need the 'horsepower' of an i5, go with a Xeon e3

 

[kourosh]

Hey all,

Thank you for all of your responses.
I decided to go with Intel Core i3-4170.

Regarding the storage, I am gonna go with three WD Red 4TB with RAID-Z1 for the time being. Doing so, I can always expand it by adding the second VDev (with similar hard drives and layout).

With the above processor, I think I need to buy a separate cooler though. Is that right?

Also, do I need to buy separate case fans? I am getting Fractal Design Node 804 which comes with 3 fans. I have read people getting extra case fans, is that necessary?

Thanks again.

 

[Chris Moore]

With the above processor, I think I need to buy a separate cooler though. Is that right?

That is not strictly needed as the boxed CPU does come with an Intel fan. Some people replace it because they want a quiet fan and if you are going to have this in the living room by the TV or right next to your desk, and fan noise bothers you, you might want to do that because the included Intel fans (in my opinion) have a bit of a high pitched buzz to them that can be annoying. That is just down to preference and you can always change it later.

Also, do I need to buy separate case fans? I am getting Fractal Design Node 804 which comes with 3 fans. I have read people getting extra case fans, is that necessary?

If I recall correctly, that case only comes with three fans and some people replace them for quieter fans but I think the Fractal fans are pretty good. The other thing is that some people add more fans to ensure there is enough air flow over the hard drives to keep them cool.
You want to monitor the temps on your drives and try to keep it under 40 degrees centigrade. If they run over that for short periods, it won't hurt them but high temperatures on the drives reduces their life expectancy.

PS. Cooler is better as long as you don't go below their rated operating temp and most drives I have seen don't like to be below 5 degrees centigrade when they are running. So, if you were putting the system in an unfinished basement and you lived in a cold climate, you might even have to keep the temperature up to the minimum.

 

[CraigD]

I used the X10SL7-F in my DIY build 18 months ago and have no complaints

If I was building today I would base it on the X11SSL-CF board, it is supports newer CPU's, faster drive ports, and twice the RAM

The X11SSM-F is as good, but only supports 8 drives, great for a seven wide volume plus boot drive

I am currently running 16 drives in two pools, 1 SSD, and a hot swap bay. I planned ahead to make this possible, you should to

If you don't foresee a pool containing 8-13 drives in the next three years, you don't need hardware that supports it

Have Fun

 

[kourosh]

but the built-in SAS HBA on the X10SL7 doesn't really do anything for you unless you're planning on using more than 6 disks

Let me understand this once for good, I have already found this good article on the forum but I am still missing some points.

For 6 drives I can use the normal SATA ports on the motherboard. Correct? Does it matter if two of them are SATA 3.0 (6GB/s) and 4 of them are SATA 2.0 (3GB/s)?

Now, if I want more than 6 drive (or if I want to use SAS HBA instead of SATA) I am gonna need to flash LSI 2308 to IT mode. Otherwise, I do not need to worry about LSI controller, is that right?

In light of the above questions, does SAS HBA have any advantage over SATA?

 

[Ericloewe]

For 6 drives I can use the normal SATA ports on the motherboard. Correct?

Yes.

Does it matter if two of them are SATA 3.0 (6GB/s) and 4 of them are SATA 2.0 (3GB/s)?

No.

Now, if I want more than 6 drive (or if I want to use SAS HBA instead of SATA) I am gonna need to flash LSI 2308 to IT mode.

It should already be, but you need to update it to the latest version, P20.0.00.07.

Otherwise, I do not need to worry about LSI controller, is that right?

Yes.

In light of the above questions, does SAS HBA have any advantage over SATA?

For mechanical HDDs, no. For SSDs, it's faster than SATA 3Gb/s and it has a dedicated, wider pipe straight to the CPU, whereas the SATA ports share the same crummy PCIe 3.0 x4 link with GbE, the video controller, all sorts of low-speed I/O and USB.

 

[LIGISTX]

I just picked up the HPE solution. Seriously, for the price it’s to hard to pass up. All you need is more RAM and your set!

169 bucks, although it was 190 after tax and shipping. Still, that’s a freaking steal.

The i3 6100 has a 5,500 passmark, supports ECC, comes with 4 GB of ECC, case, PSU, mobo and some fans.

If you really need more simultaneous transcodes, yea I guess it won’t be fast enough. That being said tho, I bet for that price, you can just buy a Xeon, sell the i3 for 70 bucks and still be way ahead of building your own solution. And this is coming from a huge hardware nerd. I haven’t bought a prebuilt PC in my entire life, this is literally the first one I have ever purchased and that is simply because the price is unreal.

That being said, I am swapping the guts into a Corsair 700d and using an rm650i since the case only support 6 drives and I need 8-9 (still undecided). But STILL it was worth it.

http://m.tigerdirect.com/products/5...aoDKL5PVCIWNA4MTaXK6InMclfZu6mdRoCnWsQAvD_BwE


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kourosh]

The X11SSM-F is as good, but only supports 8 drives, great for a seven wide volume plus boot drive

Thank you for your comment. Based on this I changed my whole build, it now is as follows,
Supermicro X11SSM-F
Intel core i3-6300
The memory is a little fishy, but I have read people using Crucial 16GB DDR4 2133 (CT16G4WFD8213) and they are happy with their choice. No compatibility issue. So I am gonna go with the same thing.