DrZombi
Dabbler
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2019
- Messages
- 15
Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen,
Here is my try at building a FreeNAS configuration. I've read a lot here on the forums and found a lot of very useful information (thanks everybody !!) so I hope I will be able to dodge some of your tomatoes but I'm here for it anyway so please don't hesitate to challenge my build and tell me if you find something wrong. The primary goal is just to build a file server for home but very resilient (I've had some pretty nasty experiences with other solutions). But I may also extend the use of the FreeNAS in the future to serve other different purpose.
Before I go on with the description and links, please keep in mind that: Yes, I know that my configuration will be overkill for my primary objective to just have a big file repository at home but since I work in IT, I will also use this personnal project as a way to learn more about FreeNAS and ZFS. (That's mainly the reason why I'll buy a SLOG which otherwise would not be that much useful for a pure file server).
So I have this in mind:
Motherboard SuperMicro X11SSL-CF (because I want the smallest form factor but would also like to be able to go with as much as 64 GB of RAM if needed since I've read here that you cannot have too much RAM and that a rule of thumb of 1GB of RAM per 1TB of storage is not a bad idea). Also I wanted to go RAIDZ-2, hence 8 disks to minimize the cost of parity and so, the integrated SAS Controller was a must have so that I still have the internal SATAs for SLOG devices, boot disks, etc...
I know that I will need to flash the SAS controller with a passthrough firmware. I remember having read somewhere that I can just ask it to SuperMicro support. Can anyone confirm this or share a link if it's available somewhere ?
Yes I've seen This thread about the problem with BIOS 1.0 and Kaby Lake processors but I really do hope that having been shipped in December 2018, my motherboard will have a 2.0 BIOS at least ! And if not, now I know what to do ;)
RAM will be SAMSUNG 16GB DDR4-2400 UDIMM ECC Unbuffered CL17 Dual Rank, 2 x 16 GB to begin with, or maybe 4 x 16 GB if I can afford it right from the start but I was more like I'll add them later.
My CPU choice is INTEL Xeon E3-1220v6 3,00GHz LGA1151 8MB Cache. Because I don't want to limit myself to only file servicing and may want to install a few VMs or use it as a media server. Did not want to pay the extra bucks for a 1230 and its hyper-threading though...
I was thinking of a Noctua NH-L9I to cool the CPU but this is clearly a part where I'm not used to make clever decisions as I usually buy whole servers at work with the cooling already designed by the vendor. The TDP of the Xeon E3-1220v6 is below what is recommended for this cooling device but I may not be that much limited by the form factor anyway because of the case I've chosen so I'll let you tell me if it's good enough or if there's a potential risk and it would be better to up my game on this one. Also, I've just realized that Intel already ships a cooler with its CPU. Is it cheap or not ? Do you guys think It's better to invest in a Noctua or that I sould stick to the one that goes with the CPU ? I'd like my FreeNAS to be the most cold and silent as reasonably possible and that's why I thought of Noctua in the first place.
The case... I really like the idea of hot-swappable disk bays so I've chosen the SilverStone SST-CS380 which really seems to be a good product. If anyone here have it, please tell me what you think ! I was planning on 2 x SAS breakout cable to plug the SAS controller to the backplane. I'm posting a french reference here but I'm not fixed on the final product since I'll wait to receive my case and begin the assembling before I buy the breakout cables as I want them to be the shortest possible. I will also try to find a cable without sideband as I won't have anywhere to plug it and don't really like free cables plugged nowhere (for electrical interference, and yes, I know I'm a maniac
)
I will use an Intel D3-S4610 SSD 240 GB as SLOG device. If I were a professional, with real SLOG necessity (aka hypervisor using the FreeNAS for example) and an unlimited budget, I would have chosen the Intel P3700 of course. The more consumer-friendly approach is the Intel 750 but still too far of my wallet than I'd like it to be given the limited use of the SLOG that I'll have. I've also made some research around the Startech PCI-E NVMe M.2 adapter but the SSDs in M.2 form factor with Power Loss Protection are too expensive for the extra latency. Again, keep in mind that this is just because of my own personal use. A much more professional user will prefer to go PCI-E NVME for its SLOG but I don't. This is a choice I've consciously made. I found the D3-S4610 is a good compromise between the price and the latency and the 240 GB of its lowest product in the line will give it a good endurance factor over time.
As for my Storage Disks, I've chosen the WD Red NAS HDD 8TB 3,5" SATA 5400RPM. I'd like to achieve the 8x8 TB of raw storage and I really think that the WD Red is the perfect disk for this. Reduction of noise, vibration, temperature, etc... I'm already selling these disks (or their pro counterpart) to my customers when they want a Synology for their backups and those disks never disappointed me ! I thought the non-pro version would be enough for my personal use case.
For the Boot Drive I'll go with 2 x Supermicro SSD SATADOMs 32 GB mirrored (by ZFS, not with a hardware RAID 1). By the way, do you know if I'll have to flash the firmware of the SATA controller for it to be passthrough like the SAS ? Or is it possible with a SuperMicro Motherboard to just ask the SATA Controller to operate in passthrough mode ? (I've read that 16 GB should be enough but I may want to play with the jail and see what apps can be installed there so I thought 32 would be better !)
And at last, but not least, For powering this whole lot of components, I was thinking of a Seasonic FOCUS Plus 650 Gold. Unless you think that going platinum would be worth the extra bucks ? I'm not really sure since I'm not used to size those components but it seems to me that 650W is already pretty Overkill so maybe it's not really useful to go after the betterest efficiency. Still, this is a very little price difference so if anyone can tell me why I would need to spend a little bit more in a Platinum, I would be very interested in the answer :)
Thank you to anyone who have read this until the end and a biggerest thanks in advance for anyone who will be kind enough to contribute :)
Here is my try at building a FreeNAS configuration. I've read a lot here on the forums and found a lot of very useful information (thanks everybody !!) so I hope I will be able to dodge some of your tomatoes but I'm here for it anyway so please don't hesitate to challenge my build and tell me if you find something wrong. The primary goal is just to build a file server for home but very resilient (I've had some pretty nasty experiences with other solutions). But I may also extend the use of the FreeNAS in the future to serve other different purpose.
Before I go on with the description and links, please keep in mind that: Yes, I know that my configuration will be overkill for my primary objective to just have a big file repository at home but since I work in IT, I will also use this personnal project as a way to learn more about FreeNAS and ZFS. (That's mainly the reason why I'll buy a SLOG which otherwise would not be that much useful for a pure file server).
So I have this in mind:
Motherboard SuperMicro X11SSL-CF (because I want the smallest form factor but would also like to be able to go with as much as 64 GB of RAM if needed since I've read here that you cannot have too much RAM and that a rule of thumb of 1GB of RAM per 1TB of storage is not a bad idea). Also I wanted to go RAIDZ-2, hence 8 disks to minimize the cost of parity and so, the integrated SAS Controller was a must have so that I still have the internal SATAs for SLOG devices, boot disks, etc...
I know that I will need to flash the SAS controller with a passthrough firmware. I remember having read somewhere that I can just ask it to SuperMicro support. Can anyone confirm this or share a link if it's available somewhere ?
Yes I've seen This thread about the problem with BIOS 1.0 and Kaby Lake processors but I really do hope that having been shipped in December 2018, my motherboard will have a 2.0 BIOS at least ! And if not, now I know what to do ;)
RAM will be SAMSUNG 16GB DDR4-2400 UDIMM ECC Unbuffered CL17 Dual Rank, 2 x 16 GB to begin with, or maybe 4 x 16 GB if I can afford it right from the start but I was more like I'll add them later.
My CPU choice is INTEL Xeon E3-1220v6 3,00GHz LGA1151 8MB Cache. Because I don't want to limit myself to only file servicing and may want to install a few VMs or use it as a media server. Did not want to pay the extra bucks for a 1230 and its hyper-threading though...
I was thinking of a Noctua NH-L9I to cool the CPU but this is clearly a part where I'm not used to make clever decisions as I usually buy whole servers at work with the cooling already designed by the vendor. The TDP of the Xeon E3-1220v6 is below what is recommended for this cooling device but I may not be that much limited by the form factor anyway because of the case I've chosen so I'll let you tell me if it's good enough or if there's a potential risk and it would be better to up my game on this one. Also, I've just realized that Intel already ships a cooler with its CPU. Is it cheap or not ? Do you guys think It's better to invest in a Noctua or that I sould stick to the one that goes with the CPU ? I'd like my FreeNAS to be the most cold and silent as reasonably possible and that's why I thought of Noctua in the first place.
The case... I really like the idea of hot-swappable disk bays so I've chosen the SilverStone SST-CS380 which really seems to be a good product. If anyone here have it, please tell me what you think ! I was planning on 2 x SAS breakout cable to plug the SAS controller to the backplane. I'm posting a french reference here but I'm not fixed on the final product since I'll wait to receive my case and begin the assembling before I buy the breakout cables as I want them to be the shortest possible. I will also try to find a cable without sideband as I won't have anywhere to plug it and don't really like free cables plugged nowhere (for electrical interference, and yes, I know I'm a maniac
)I will use an Intel D3-S4610 SSD 240 GB as SLOG device. If I were a professional, with real SLOG necessity (aka hypervisor using the FreeNAS for example) and an unlimited budget, I would have chosen the Intel P3700 of course. The more consumer-friendly approach is the Intel 750 but still too far of my wallet than I'd like it to be given the limited use of the SLOG that I'll have. I've also made some research around the Startech PCI-E NVMe M.2 adapter but the SSDs in M.2 form factor with Power Loss Protection are too expensive for the extra latency. Again, keep in mind that this is just because of my own personal use. A much more professional user will prefer to go PCI-E NVME for its SLOG but I don't. This is a choice I've consciously made. I found the D3-S4610 is a good compromise between the price and the latency and the 240 GB of its lowest product in the line will give it a good endurance factor over time.
As for my Storage Disks, I've chosen the WD Red NAS HDD 8TB 3,5" SATA 5400RPM. I'd like to achieve the 8x8 TB of raw storage and I really think that the WD Red is the perfect disk for this. Reduction of noise, vibration, temperature, etc... I'm already selling these disks (or their pro counterpart) to my customers when they want a Synology for their backups and those disks never disappointed me ! I thought the non-pro version would be enough for my personal use case.
For the Boot Drive I'll go with 2 x Supermicro SSD SATADOMs 32 GB mirrored (by ZFS, not with a hardware RAID 1). By the way, do you know if I'll have to flash the firmware of the SATA controller for it to be passthrough like the SAS ? Or is it possible with a SuperMicro Motherboard to just ask the SATA Controller to operate in passthrough mode ? (I've read that 16 GB should be enough but I may want to play with the jail and see what apps can be installed there so I thought 32 would be better !)
And at last, but not least, For powering this whole lot of components, I was thinking of a Seasonic FOCUS Plus 650 Gold. Unless you think that going platinum would be worth the extra bucks ? I'm not really sure since I'm not used to size those components but it seems to me that 650W is already pretty Overkill so maybe it's not really useful to go after the betterest efficiency. Still, this is a very little price difference so if anyone can tell me why I would need to spend a little bit more in a Platinum, I would be very interested in the answer :)
Thank you to anyone who have read this until the end and a biggerest thanks in advance for anyone who will be kind enough to contribute :)
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