Email alerts from multiple FreeNAS servers in same network

[Mlovelace]

I guess is good to know in both cases: You want the warnings to prevent ( if possible, you can't always prevent it) a pool failure and what to know when pool fail so you can minimize the damage. Freenas does that, but it would be nice to know who send the alert in order to locate it faster and not mess something else. I guess is not very important for most people since is not meant to be used in Enterprise environment.

Anyways if it's not there, that's fine. I just wanted to make sure is not something that I miss-configured.

P.S. Features that are "critical" in enterprise environment I just find them "cool" home environment. Like the IPMI which I can't live without now.

As a work around you could make a Gmail account specific for each freeNAS server so you know which one is messaging you.

 

[Black Ninja]

As a work around you could make a Gmail account specific for each freeNAS server so you know which one is messaging you.

Yes that is also a way to do it. Thanks

P.S. What is your chassis for the nas in your signature ?

 

[jgreco]

Like the IPMI which I can't live without now.

I wonder how many geeks I've ruined for life here by promoting IPMI.

I won't be happy until I can camp my fat arse in my office chair all day every day and not leave it for any reason...

 

[Black Ninja]

I wonder how many geeks I've ruined for life here by promoting IPMI.

I won't be happy until I can camp my fat arse in my office chair all day every day and not leave it for any reason...

IPMI sells itselft.:)
I smell to coolness of remote management with dell drac4 card which I bought for Poweredge 860, after that it's like a grizzly bear tasting blood- you just can't go back without it. Then IPMI 2.0 came with Supermicro.
I never had a KVM switch despite the fact I always intend to get one. Now I am glad I never did.

 

[Mlovelace]

P.S. What is your chassis for the nas in your signature ?

It's in a Norco RPC-4224 4U rackmount.

 

[Black Ninja]

It's in a Norco RPC-4224 4U rackmount.

Thanks. How is you CPU doing ? I am asking cause bought X9SRL-F and debating between e5-1620 v2 or e5-1650 v2, so is 4 cores doing all to work for you ? What are your thoughts on that ?

 

[Mlovelace]

Thanks. How is you CPU doing ? I am asking cause bought X9SRL-F and debating between e5-1620 v2 or e5-1650 v2, so is 4 cores doing all to work for you ? What are your thoughts on that ?

The E5-1620V2 has been great for my work load. I use these freeNAS servers as VEEAM backup target for our VMWare cluster, backup target for 6 MSSQL databases and their transaction logs, afp shares for 40 apple clients, cifs shares for 233 windows clients, sftp share for website backup, nfs volume for vCenter ISOs (the VM's and SQL databases live on a Nimble SAN), rsync target for 20 linux clients, and ZFS snapshot/replication for offsite DR of the VEEAM backups. The AFP and CIFS shares don't have constant traffic, mostly reads.

I don't know what your work load will be. If you are going to run live VMs off the freeNAS server the E5-1650V2 will probably be a better way to go.

 

[Black Ninja]

Oh boy, and this CPU can handle all that ?My usage will be embarrassing in comparison:
Only using it for CIFS share, mostly one client at the time out of few. The goal is to handle 36x4Tb or 24x6TB which in both cases endup to be 144TB RAW storage, and to saturate one 10Gb link as much as possible.

P.S. SAN I am planing another box, so this will be just for CIFS

P.S. I am not using any jails, plex , mlex, or any other shenanigan-ex.:)

 

[jgreco]

I never had a KVM switch despite the fact I always intend to get one. Now I am glad I never did.

What do you use when the network loses its sanity? KVM-over-IP is still a great backup.

 

[Black Ninja]

What do you use when the network loses its sanity? :) KVM-over-IP is still a great backup.

Well IPMI is has KVM over IP so I am sure what do you mean. So both cases if network stop KVM-over IP stops, unless is on separate network. I am talking about these 2 cases:

1. When each server has build in IPMI with it's dedicated lan port, you only have to connect one extra lan port to the network ( main network or management one) and the computer could be anywhere in the building you can control it from the network.

2.When you use KVM switch , then bulky cables for video and keyboard has to be run from each server to KVM switch (so they better be very close) and then from KVM switch to the network in order to control it. If KVM switch dies , all control is lost due to a single point of failure.

That's what I meant with using build in IPMI for KVM over IP is so much better than doing it with KVM switch , if server doesn't have IPMI interface.

CORRECTION: Actually with KVM switch you don't have to be very close to KVM switch since you end-up with cat5 connection at the end of the module, but still bukly , still build in IPMI 2.0 more flexible and no single point of failure like the KVM switch

 

[Mirfster]

I have/use both. Servers are all Dell so I can use BMC. However, I have ~15 machines that are desktops/laptops which are needed to QA the Windows Images I create. So for them, they are connected to a Raritan PX20 PDU as well as a Raritan KX2-832 for KVM over IP. Makes life much easier. :)

 

[Black Ninja]

I have/use both. Servers are all Dell so I can use BMC. However, I have ~15 machines that are desktops/laptops which are needed to QA the Windows Images I create. So for them, they are connected to a Raritan PX20 PDU as well as a Raritan KX2-832 for KVM over IP. Makes life much easier. :)

If they are desktops , and they don't have ipmi (now available on desktops too) then yeah, you have to use it.

P.S. My experience with dell is limited and mostly on old hardware ,but I remember that BMC didn't not give you all the options that IPMI 2.0 does. With dell you need to add a DRAC controller which will then give you KVM over IP and, mounting ISO , or USB drive and etc.

 

[Mirfster]

I got all that with BMC; it does IPMI and lets me mount ISOs as well as KVM. Actually, I don't even use IPMI in FreeNas I just connect to the dedicated IP of the BMC NIC. You are right some boxes require a dedicated DRAC, just not mine. :)

 

[Black Ninja]

Actually, I don't even use IPMI in FreeNas :)

I don't even know what IPMI in Freenas does I thought it's just a way to change the desired LAN ip ?!Didn't do anything for me when tried to see what will do !

Yours is much newer, that's why. But the way what kind of Dell server you are using to run Freenas on it ?

 

[Mirfster]

Dell PowerEdge C2100/FS12-TY. Have six of them personally and support two more for clients.

 

[Black Ninja]

Dell PowerEdge C2100/FS12-TY. Have six of them personally and support two more for clients.

I was looking at these before. Can you confirm they are running freenas 9.3 on them without issues ?

 

[jgreco]

build in IPMI 2.0 more flexible and no single point of failure like the KVM switch

I caught a client recently running DHCP on the internal management network. The DHCP server crashed and it was ... interesting ... watching devices drop off the network as they failed to renew leases.

Having redundancy at various levels is a good idea.

 

[Black Ninja]

I caught a client recently running DHCP on the internal management network. The DHCP server crashed and it was ... interesting ... watching devices drop off the network as they failed to renew leases.

Having redundancy at various levels is a good idea.

Ohh I had similar experience when I finally switch to static IP's on all important machines:
My DHCP was on a router and the router was switched off for upgrade, but I continue installing software over IPMI on my workstation cause I was thinking "well don't need internet for remote acces on LAN , I'll get to it later", but my workstation was due for IP renewal , and when tried to renew and DHCP was missing it dropped the ip and subnet it did and pick a random subnet and ip , then IPMI got error and my remote install failed. Pretty much like pull the network cable out. I didn't expect this happens when failed to renew.


You are right, another way to access it if first one fail is good idea. Redundancy is a king.:)


P.S. I think I have redundancy addiction.

 

[Mirfster]

I was looking at these before. Can you confirm they are running freenas 9.3 on them without issues ?

Yep works great. Only small thing is that with 9.3 & 9.10 there are messages regarding KCS. This was seen a long time ago and I even opened a bug on it. Although not detrimental in any shape or form; it is a tiny annoying. This did not occur with 10.x Alpha.

Bug link: https://bugs.freenas.org/issues/13378#change-69405

/Just noticed that the devs are guessing it is on my end... Will reply to that shortly...

 

[Black Ninja]

Yep works great. Only small thing is that with 9.3 & 9.10 there are messages regarding KCS. This was seen a long time ago and I even opened a bug on it. Although not detrimental in any shape or form; it is a tiny annoying. This did not occur with 10.x Alpha.

Bug link: https://bugs.freenas.org/issues/13378#change-69405

/Just noticed that the devs are guessing it is on my end... Will reply to that shortly...

Not sure about what this KCS is , but I know is not KFC so no chance for crispy chicken.:D

Where you you get this message, IPMI should be invisible to the installed OS, unless freenas is trying to access it from the os ?