ninjarobert
Dabbler
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2014
- Messages
- 30
Hi all, total NAS noob here. This is going to be a bit of a rambling, knowledge dump from info that I've gathered in my brain over the past few days from various webpages and these forums (btw, the stickies are amazing). The need for a NAS was recognized recently and I need to make purchases before the end of the year. Yikes! Any assistance is greatly appreciated!
tl;dr
Usage: Photography. Backup/store image files from at least two Windows 7 computers
MicroATX Build:
Hard drives: 8x – 3TB WD Red
Motherboard Option #1: SuperMicro X10SLM-F-O
Motherboard Option #2: ASRock C226M (no dual LAN)
Motherboard Option #3: ASUS H97M-Plus (no dual LAN)
MicroATX Case: Fractal Node 804
Motherboard Option #4: X10SAE-O (will need ATX case)
ATX Case: ?
RAM: 16 or 32 GB compatible ECC RAM
CPU: i3-4330 or G3220
Power Supply: SeaSonic 550
USB stick: 8 or 16 GB SanDisk
SATA Card: ?
Switch: ?
***Update: Final Build
Thanks to everyone that gave feedback to arrive to my final build!
Motherboard: SuperMicro X10SL7-F-O
CPU: Intel Core i3-4330
Memory: 2x - 16GB Crucial CT2KIT102472BD160B
Hard Drives: 6x - 4TB HGST Deskstar NAS H3IKNAS40003272SN
Case: Fractal Node 804
Power Supply: SeaSonic 550
USB: SanDisk 16G Cruzer Ultra Fit
Switch: NETGEAR 5 Port Gigabit Business-Class Desktop Switch - GS105
Backup Power Supply: APC Back-UPS Pro 1500
Questions:
1. Will the server/network be fast enough to store images on the NAS and edit on computer(s) over the network?
2. The drives are spec'd at 6 Gb/s, but I keep reading that a mobo with SATA 3 Gb/s is sufficient. Is that because of network bottleneck?
3. I don't expect to use many of the drives to start. At our current rate, we fill 1 TB per year. In ZRAID-2 does data get 'spread' across the whole array of drives or does it fill up sequentially? If it's sequential, will the 'unused' drives get worn down while not being really used?
4. How painful will it be to eventually migrate to bigger drives?
5. With the 8 WD Red drives, could I add more non-Red drives?
6. Should I bother with a fan for the top of the fractal node 804 case?
7. Any recommendations on a PCIe SATA card?
8. Any experience here with the SuperMicro X10 SAE board?
9. I’ve read the G3220 is sufficient for simple data servers. Is there any reason to get the i3 for my use case? 10. Any recommendations for a good switch?
11. 8 or 16 GB USB stick?
12. USB stick hanging out of my case seems… odd. Are there any other options for the boot drive?
13. Did I miss any major components?
Usage of Server
Backup/store image files from a Windows PC (v7 Ultimate, 64-bit). More details in my intro: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/howdy-howdy.25657/
Question 1: Will the server/network be fast enough to store images on the NAS and edit on computer(s) over the network?
Hardware
Hard drives: I've settled on WD Red drives- I can be convinced otherwise. The WD website says 8 of these drives can be used in NAS before requiring the PRO drives. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236344
Question 2: The drives are spec'd at 6 Gb/s, but I keep reading that a mobo with SATA 3 Gb/s is sufficient. Is that because of network bottleneck?
I read the system needs to be reconfigured when adding new drives, so I'd rather just configure with all 8 drives to start. Therefore, the price point at 3TB is manageable for 8 drives.
RAID Configuration: RAIDZ-1 should suffice, but will probably go with RAIDZ-2 to protect against multiple disc failures. The ~16GB of usable space should last quite a while.
Question 3: I don't expect to use many of the drives to start. At our current rate, we fill 1 TB per year. In ZRAID-2 does data get 'spread' across the whole array of drives or does it fill up sequentially? If it's sequential, will the 'unused' drives get worn down while not being really used?
Question 4: How painful will it be to eventually migrate to bigger drives?
Form Factor: No preference really. Seems like micro-ATX allows for more free space in the case and room for expansion as compared to mini-ITX
Question 5: With the 8 WD Red drives, could I add more non-Red drives?
Case: For micro-ATX, Fractal 804. Pretty easy choice. Only one I can find that holds more than 8 3.5” HDD. Luckily, it’s well reviewed. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352047
Question 6: Should I bother with a fan for the top of the case?
Motherboard: As I expect to one day expand storage capacity, I’d like a mobo capable of 32 GB of memory. Seems like a favorite here are the SUPERMICRO X10’s. Never heard of SuperMicro before coming here, so I’ll put my trust in you experts! Need to do side-by-side comparison to see which fits my needs. Seems like all models have only 6 SATA ports though.
Question 7: Any recommendations on a SATA card?
Also considering the ASRock C226M and ASUS H97M-Plus. Have to do a more detailed comparison, but they don’t have dual LAN.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157561
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132119
The SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SAE-O is tempting because it has 8 SATA ports. It’s a full ATX board though. Not a huge deal because I have the space to put the tower.
Question 8: Any experience here with the SuperMicro X10 SAE board?
CPU: Since I’m just storing data, I don’t see much need for processing power. Would like one with decent/supported integrated graphics so I won’t need a gfx card though. Intel Core i3-4330 or G3220.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116945
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116950
Question 9: I’ve read the G3220 is sufficient for simple data servers. Is there any reason to get the i3 for my use case?
Memory: Didn’t realize ECC memory was so pricey, may start with 16 GB. If I go with the SuperMicro board, will follow this sticky: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/ram-recommendations-for-supermicro-x10-lga1150-motherboards.23291/
Power Supply: Someone on this forum had an X10 build with the SeaSonic 550. Looks good to me!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151119
Router: I just know a switch is preferable to a hub.
Question 10: Any recommendations for a good switch?
Boot Drive: I must admit that running an OS off a USB stick seems ‘crazy’ to me. Nevertheless, I’m a fan of SanDisk. Never had a card fail in my camera. I vaguely recall reading an 8 GB stick is sufficient.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171651
Question 11: 8 or 16 GB USB stick?
Question 12: USB stick hanging out of the case seems… odd. Are there any other options for the boot drive?
Final Question: Did I miss any major components?
Thanks again for taking the time to look through this!
tl;dr
Usage: Photography. Backup/store image files from at least two Windows 7 computers
MicroATX Build:
Hard drives: 8x – 3TB WD Red
Motherboard Option #1: SuperMicro X10SLM-F-O
Motherboard Option #2: ASRock C226M (no dual LAN)
Motherboard Option #3: ASUS H97M-Plus (no dual LAN)
MicroATX Case: Fractal Node 804
Motherboard Option #4: X10SAE-O (will need ATX case)
ATX Case: ?
RAM: 16 or 32 GB compatible ECC RAM
CPU: i3-4330 or G3220
Power Supply: SeaSonic 550
USB stick: 8 or 16 GB SanDisk
SATA Card: ?
Switch: ?
***Update: Final Build
Thanks to everyone that gave feedback to arrive to my final build!
Motherboard: SuperMicro X10SL7-F-O
CPU: Intel Core i3-4330
Memory: 2x - 16GB Crucial CT2KIT102472BD160B
Hard Drives: 6x - 4TB HGST Deskstar NAS H3IKNAS40003272SN
Case: Fractal Node 804
Power Supply: SeaSonic 550
USB: SanDisk 16G Cruzer Ultra Fit
Switch: NETGEAR 5 Port Gigabit Business-Class Desktop Switch - GS105
Backup Power Supply: APC Back-UPS Pro 1500
Questions:
1. Will the server/network be fast enough to store images on the NAS and edit on computer(s) over the network?
2. The drives are spec'd at 6 Gb/s, but I keep reading that a mobo with SATA 3 Gb/s is sufficient. Is that because of network bottleneck?
3. I don't expect to use many of the drives to start. At our current rate, we fill 1 TB per year. In ZRAID-2 does data get 'spread' across the whole array of drives or does it fill up sequentially? If it's sequential, will the 'unused' drives get worn down while not being really used?
4. How painful will it be to eventually migrate to bigger drives?
5. With the 8 WD Red drives, could I add more non-Red drives?
6. Should I bother with a fan for the top of the fractal node 804 case?
7. Any recommendations on a PCIe SATA card?
8. Any experience here with the SuperMicro X10 SAE board?
9. I’ve read the G3220 is sufficient for simple data servers. Is there any reason to get the i3 for my use case? 10. Any recommendations for a good switch?
11. 8 or 16 GB USB stick?
12. USB stick hanging out of my case seems… odd. Are there any other options for the boot drive?
13. Did I miss any major components?
Usage of Server
Backup/store image files from a Windows PC (v7 Ultimate, 64-bit). More details in my intro: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/howdy-howdy.25657/
Question 1: Will the server/network be fast enough to store images on the NAS and edit on computer(s) over the network?
Hardware
Hard drives: I've settled on WD Red drives- I can be convinced otherwise. The WD website says 8 of these drives can be used in NAS before requiring the PRO drives. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236344
Question 2: The drives are spec'd at 6 Gb/s, but I keep reading that a mobo with SATA 3 Gb/s is sufficient. Is that because of network bottleneck?
I read the system needs to be reconfigured when adding new drives, so I'd rather just configure with all 8 drives to start. Therefore, the price point at 3TB is manageable for 8 drives.
RAID Configuration: RAIDZ-1 should suffice, but will probably go with RAIDZ-2 to protect against multiple disc failures. The ~16GB of usable space should last quite a while.
Question 3: I don't expect to use many of the drives to start. At our current rate, we fill 1 TB per year. In ZRAID-2 does data get 'spread' across the whole array of drives or does it fill up sequentially? If it's sequential, will the 'unused' drives get worn down while not being really used?
Question 4: How painful will it be to eventually migrate to bigger drives?
Form Factor: No preference really. Seems like micro-ATX allows for more free space in the case and room for expansion as compared to mini-ITX
Question 5: With the 8 WD Red drives, could I add more non-Red drives?
Case: For micro-ATX, Fractal 804. Pretty easy choice. Only one I can find that holds more than 8 3.5” HDD. Luckily, it’s well reviewed. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352047
Question 6: Should I bother with a fan for the top of the case?
Motherboard: As I expect to one day expand storage capacity, I’d like a mobo capable of 32 GB of memory. Seems like a favorite here are the SUPERMICRO X10’s. Never heard of SuperMicro before coming here, so I’ll put my trust in you experts! Need to do side-by-side comparison to see which fits my needs. Seems like all models have only 6 SATA ports though.
Question 7: Any recommendations on a SATA card?
Also considering the ASRock C226M and ASUS H97M-Plus. Have to do a more detailed comparison, but they don’t have dual LAN.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157561
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132119
The SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SAE-O is tempting because it has 8 SATA ports. It’s a full ATX board though. Not a huge deal because I have the space to put the tower.
Question 8: Any experience here with the SuperMicro X10 SAE board?
CPU: Since I’m just storing data, I don’t see much need for processing power. Would like one with decent/supported integrated graphics so I won’t need a gfx card though. Intel Core i3-4330 or G3220.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116945
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116950
Question 9: I’ve read the G3220 is sufficient for simple data servers. Is there any reason to get the i3 for my use case?
Memory: Didn’t realize ECC memory was so pricey, may start with 16 GB. If I go with the SuperMicro board, will follow this sticky: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/ram-recommendations-for-supermicro-x10-lga1150-motherboards.23291/
Power Supply: Someone on this forum had an X10 build with the SeaSonic 550. Looks good to me!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151119
Router: I just know a switch is preferable to a hub.
Question 10: Any recommendations for a good switch?
Boot Drive: I must admit that running an OS off a USB stick seems ‘crazy’ to me. Nevertheless, I’m a fan of SanDisk. Never had a card fail in my camera. I vaguely recall reading an 8 GB stick is sufficient.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171651
Question 11: 8 or 16 GB USB stick?
Question 12: USB stick hanging out of the case seems… odd. Are there any other options for the boot drive?
Final Question: Did I miss any major components?
Thanks again for taking the time to look through this!
Last edited: