Buying a server for storage

[flashiling]

Hello.
i've been looking around for recommendations on some posts but can't seem to find any.
i'm an intern who's been tasked with finding a possible server that we can store ouer backups on with roughly 8 slots for 2'5 inch drives.

so i'm looking for any recommendations from any of you guys who might have more knowledge about which server to get, and preferably one that we can place in ouer server rack, so the flat ones.

Apologies for the possible lack of information as i'm still leraning :)
i hope i fulfilled the necessary amount of information to get some assistance with choosing a server.
We are located in denmark so some american only items might not be available for purchase

 

[Jessep]

Sorry to be blunt, you are not qualified to setup and run a FreeNAS server in a production environment.

You should be looking at business solutions that are supported by the vendor.

If this is EXCLUSIVELY a target for backups you could use a Synology RackStation. Linked below is an acceptable solution as a backup target.
https://www.synology.com/en-au/products/RS3617RPxs
https://www.newegg.com/synology-rs3617rpxs/p/N82E16822108433?Description=RS3617RPxs&cm_re=RS3617RPxs-_-22-108-433-_-Product

Use these drives (x6)
https://www.newegg.com/p/1Z4-0002-00366?Description=HUH721010ALE604&cm_re=HUH721010ALE604-_-1Z4-0002-00366-_-Product

Set it up in RAID6 of x6 drives using BTRFS as the file system. Setup periodic scrubs of the RAID.

IF needed add a second set of x6 drives to the pool.

RTFM before you start.

 

[Jailer]

Sorry to be blunt, you are not qualified to setup and run a FreeNAS server in a production environment.

But maybe the OP is open to learning so why disqualify them from the start?

Use these drives (x6)
https://www.newegg.com/p/1Z4-0002-00366?Description=HUH721010ALE604&cm_re=HUH721010ALE604-_-1Z4-0002-00366-_-Product

You must have missed this part:

8 slots for 2'5 inch drives.

Ebay would be the obvious choice for a rack mount system if cost is a major concern if that option is available to you. @Chris Moore is a great resource for used rack mount systems if you are ebay shopping.

What are your storage requirements? What is your budget? Those are 2 very important questions that need to be answered first before a solid recommendation can be given.

 

[Jessep]

For personal use I would agree, learn all you want.

As an intern that likely wont be there in 3-6 months it's not a good idea.

Protecting company data is infinitely more important than an intern learning something.

No I didn't miss that, it's a poor choice to use 2.5" drives as a backup target. Most non SAS 2.5" drives 2TB and above are SMR.

I provided a complete solution for someone of their skill level and available time investment that wont be a poor solution for the business.

 

[flashiling]

Sorry to be blunt, you are not qualified to setup and run a FreeNAS server in a production environment.

You should be looking at business solutions that are supported by the vendor.

If this is EXCLUSIVELY a target for backups you could use a Synology RackStation. Linked below is an acceptable solution as a backup target.
https://www.synology.com/en-au/products/RS3617RPxs
https://www.newegg.com/synology-rs3617rpxs/p/N82E16822108433?Description=RS3617RPxs&cm_re=RS3617RPxs-_-22-108-433-_-Product

Use these drives (x6)
https://www.newegg.com/p/1Z4-0002-00366?Description=HUH721010ALE604&cm_re=HUH721010ALE604-_-1Z4-0002-00366-_-Product

Set it up in RAID6 of x6 drives using BTRFS as the file system. Setup periodic scrubs of the RAID.

IF needed add a second set of x6 drives to the pool.

RTFM before you start.

I know i know.
That's why i'm asking here.
i'm also not the one who needs to set it up, that job is goign to my boss i was just told to try and find some possible options for him to choose from in case he didn't find any.
i won't be doing any configurations myself for at least another year.
(and btw i've signed the internship contract that will last till summer 2021 and possibly resigning till fall of 2023 so i'll have more than 3-6 months here)

 

[flashiling]

Ebay would be the obvious choice for a rack mount system if cost is a major concern if that option is available to you. @Chris Moore is a great resource for used rack mount systems if you are ebay shopping.

What are your storage requirements? What is your budget? Those are 2 very important questions that need to be answered first before a solid recommendation can be given.

As we're located in denmark and we don't use ebay frequently i never even thought of it, but i'll go check it out. thanks for the suggestion.
As for storage, he'd like around 15-20TB and the budget would be less than 5000$ if possible

and again apologies for some of my statements that might sound ridiculous

 

[zenon1823]

Sounds like you boss might be giving you a chance to cut your teeth and explore a bit. I would suggest a couple questions for your boss to get you pointed in right direction.
First question for your manager should be if he wants you to research a business/enterprise solution that can be purchased with maintenance and support, or if he is looking for a solution that can built/owned/supported internally with the support of communities such as the fine folks on this forum. The answer to that will give you direction as to which path to look down and spend your time. If your boss is looking for a solution with support/maintenance then a Synology such as Jessep suggested is one alternative or an actual IXsystems chassis. If hes open to something you would build, and maintain internally with only community support then there are plenty of good suggestions the community here can give.

One comment I would add is that I agree with JesseP that getting 15-20TB useable from 8 2.5" drives is likely not the best layout from a cost/performance perspective. in a RaidZ2 config you need to be using 3TB drives as a minimum those will be out of budget for 2.5" SAS and I'm hesitant to suggest consumer 2.5" platter drives.

This leads to questions 2 & 3:
Asking about the 2.5" vs 3.5" preference and 8 drive preference.
As mentioned above 3.5 drives are generally cheaper at the sacrifice of some a small increase in power/heat.
Commonly 2 Rack Unit server chassis are limited to 6 or 8 3.5" bays or 8-16 2.5" bays, so if he was saying 8 bays in thinking about keeping it to 2RU that would be for 3.5" drives you could get a 16Bay 2.5" chassis which would mean you could drop to 2TB 2.5" drives which are more affordable. But still when it comes to bang for buck 3.5" will win.

 

[flashiling]

thanks a lot @zenon1823 i'll ask and figure out what he'd rather have.
:)

 

[kdragon75]

Just to say it again. In a production environment, you should always have vendor support, at least initially to get the equipment set up and validated.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Set it up in RAID6 of x6 drives using BTRFS as the file system.

Whoa whoa now, we don't use the "B-word" here, this is a family forum. ;)

But seriously, BTRFS parity raid is still unsafe. https://btrfs.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/RAID56

Just to say it again. In a production environment, you should always have vendor support, at least initially to get the equipment set up and validated.

For organizations under cost constraints, or smaller business, this isn't always viable. You may consider hiring a contractor for the setup that has prior knowledge of FreeNAS/ZFS - but even then, it's down to risk tolerance of the business.

One comment I would add is that I agree with JesseP that getting 15-20TB useable from 8 2.5" drives is likely not the best layout from a cost/performance perspective. in a RaidZ2 config you need to be using 3TB drives as a minimum those will be out of budget for 2.5" SAS and I'm hesitant to suggest consumer 2.5" platter drives.

Definitely agree with this as well. For a backup target, 3.5" allows for much higher density in terms of TB per dollar (euro?) and TB per rack unit. 2.5" is for SSDs and edge cases where you're sitting on a stack of Spinpoint M9Ts, SAS drives, or other non-SMR 2.5" units.

 

[blanchet]

A FreeNAS server is ideal for backup. You can purchase ready-to-use FreeNAS server from many vendors, but I recommend:

• iXsystems (the best solution to have not compatibility issue)
• Thomas-Krenn (easier to purchase when you are in Europe, but the compatibility is not as good as iXsystems server. For example the Intel x710 network interface are not as good as Chelsio T520 when using bhyve or DHCP jails)

For mission critical workload (for example VMware datastore), TrueNAS is a better but more expensive solution.

 

[Adrian]

I am in Europe and have had little trouble in buying disk-less FreeNAS Minis from iXsystems via Amazon USA, then extending the warranty to 3 years directly with iXsystems.