BUILD First FreeNas Build

[T-rex]

I've done a lot of research over the last month or two and I'm about to pull the pin on my first FreeNas Build. I'll be using it primarily for media storage and I'll be using plex, couchpotato and transmission. I'll also be upgrading my home network and using a dedicated Pfsense box as a firewall/router/VPN. I'm considering encryption but I haven't done enough research to decide so I would like to keep the option open.

My main goal is future proofing, security and reliability so I think I may have gone a little overboard with the hardware which I don't mind because when I learn more about FreeNas I don't want hardware to prevent me from doing something I may not know about at the moment.

So my build is as follows;

Mobo - Supermicro x11SSL-CF https://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C236_C232/X11SSL-CF.cfm
CPU - Intel Xeon E3 1220 V5 http://www.newegg.com/global/au/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117611
RAM - Crucial 32gb DDR4-2400 ECC UDIMM http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/x11ssl-cf/CT7982583
PSU - Seasonic X650 http://www.newegg.com/global/au/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088
HDD - WD Red NAS 4tb x 4
Case - Lian Li PC-A75 http://www.newegg.com/global/au/Pro...11112387&cm_re=lian_li-_-11-112-387-_-Product
Boot - sandisk cruzer 16gb x2 mirrored
UPS - yet to decide i need to do some more research here I would like to run both the Freenas and Pfsense systems off it.

I was originally going to go with an X10SLF-7 Mobo due to the fact the price difference was negligible chose the X11. I know the LSI 3008 isn't well supported yet but I do like the fact that in the future I'll be able to flash to IT and have 14 drives!!! without an additional HBA.

I was also considering to jump to the E3 1230 CPU but didn't think the extra cost justified it??

Again I was originally going to go with 6 3tb WD reds in RaidZ2 and then in the future expanding by adding an additional 6 drives in another vdev. However having done a bit of reading ( specifically http://jrs-s.net/2015/02/06/zfs-you-should-use-mirror-vdevs-not-raidz/ this blog) decided to go with a mirror vdev(s) with 4tb drives mainly for expandability. It allowed me (cost wise) to use 4tb drives, and hopefully in the future when I expand the cost of drives will have dropped saving money over time. As an added bonus 6x4tb in a 3 mirrored vdevs is the same amount of usable space as 6x3tb drives in RaidZ2 .

As this is my first build I would really appreciate any feedback/criticism before I pay anything for hardware.

Thanks :)

 

[Spearfoot]

I've done a lot of research over the last month or two and I'm about to pull the pin on my first FreeNas Build. I'll be using it primarily for media storage and I'll be using plex, couchpotato and transmission. I'll also be upgrading my home network and using a dedicated Pfsense box as a firewall/router/VPN. I'm considering encryption but I haven't done enough research to decide so I would like to keep the option open.

My main goal is future proofing, security and reliability so I think I may have gone a little overboard with the hardware which I don't mind because when I learn more about FreeNas I don't want hardware to prevent me from doing something I may not know about at the moment.

So my build is as follows;

Mobo - Supermicro x11SSL-CF https://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C236_C232/X11SSL-CF.cfm
CPU - Intel Xeon E3 1220 V5 http://www.newegg.com/global/au/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117611
RAM - Crucial 32gb DDR4-2400 ECC UDIMM http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/x11ssl-cf/CT7982583
PSU - Seasonic X650 http://www.newegg.com/global/au/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088
HDD - WD Red NAS 4tb x 4
Case - Lian Li PC-A75 http://www.newegg.com/global/au/Pro...11112387&cm_re=lian_li-_-11-112-387-_-Product
Boot - sandisk cruzer 16gb x2 mirrored
UPS - yet to decide i need to do some more research here I would like to run both the Freenas and Pfsense systems off it.

I was originally going to go with an X10SLF-7 Mobo due to the fact the price difference was negligible chose the X11. I know the LSI 3008 isn't well supported yet but I do like the fact that in the future I'll be able to flash to IT and have 14 drives!!! without an additional HBA.

I was also considering to jump to the E3 1230 CPU but didn't think the extra cost justified it??

Again I was originally going to go with 6 3tb WD reds in RaidZ2 and then in the future expanding by adding an additional 6 drives in another vdev. However having done a bit of reading ( specifically http://jrs-s.net/2015/02/06/zfs-you-should-use-mirror-vdevs-not-raidz/ this blog) decided to go with a mirror vdev(s) with 4tb drives mainly for expandability. It allowed me (cost wise) to use 4tb drives, and hopefully in the future when I expand the cost of drives will have dropped saving money over time. As an added bonus 6x4tb in a 3 mirrored vdevs is the same amount of usable space as 6x3tb drives in RaidZ2 .

As this is my first build I would really appreciate any feedback/criticism before I pay anything for hardware.

Thanks :)

Welcome to the forum! You've really done your homework and made some good hardware choices.

Using 2 of the 16GB memory modules means you have 2 open memory slots and can therefore double your memory to 64GB down the road. That's smart.

Depending on your use-case -- i.e., if you're not planning on doing a lot of transcoding and won't have a large number of users sharing the system -- you could save some money by using a Pentium instead of a Xeon CPU:

http://ark.intel.com/search/advance...sor&SocketsSupported=FCLGA1151&ECCMemory=true

The LSI 3008 is indeed a newer HBA chip, but it's on the FreeBSD support list so it ought to work. Perhaps an owner of this motherboard or a HBA based on the chip will drop by and share their experiences with it.

However... I don't know from personal experience, but threads here on the forum indicate that you may not want or even be able to run pfSense in a jail or virtualbox VM:

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/pfsense-within-virtualbox-on-freenas.39747/
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/has-anyone-tried-running-pfsense.30221/

Good luck!

 

[Stux]

I was also considering to jump to the E3 1230 CPU but didn't think the extra cost justified it??

The jump from the 1220 to the 1230 is one of the few cases where it can be worthwhile stepping up the processor list. They both have 4 cores, but the 1230 has 8 threads, vs 4 threads (ie it supports Hyperthreading). And for some work-loads this can result in it being about 60% faster, clock-to-clock, and its nearly 13.5% faster clocked as well.

So its circa 80% faster with twice the threads, for 10% more.

Its a bargain ;)

I'd certainly strongly consider the 1230 if you're interested in Plex and running lots of additional plugins/services.

BUT the 1220 is more than enough for file serving.

 

[T-rex]

Depending on your use-case -- i.e., if you're not planning on doing a lot of transcoding and won't have a large number of users sharing the system -- you could save some money by using a Pentium instead of a Xeon CPU:

http://ark.intel.com/search/advanced?s=t&FamilyText=Intel® Pentium® Processor&SocketsSupported=FCLGA1151&ECCMemory=true

I hadn't even considered a Pentium.........tough decisions.

However... I don't know from personal experience, but threads here on the forum indicate that you may not want or even be able to run pfSense in a jail or virtualbox VM:

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/pfsense-within-virtualbox-on-freenas.39747/
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/has-anyone-tried-running-pfsense.30221/

Sorry didn't word it the best, I am actually setting up a dedicated Pfsense device and won't be running it in a VM.


Thanks a lot for your input, puts my mind at ease, now I just have to decide on the CPU. I'm worried that the Pentium won't be able to handle Plex but then again I don't know what I'm talking about.

 

[T-rex]

The jump from the 1220 to the 1230 is one of the few cases where it can be worthwhile stepping up the processor list. They both have 4 cores, but the 1230 has 8 threads, vs 4 threads (ie it supports Hyperthreading). And for some work-loads this can result in it being about 60% faster, clock-to-clock, and its nearly 13.5% faster clocked as well.
So its circa 80% faster with twice the threads, for 10% more.
Its a bargain ;)
I'd certainly strongly consider the 1230 if you're interested in Plex and running lots of additional plugins/services.
BUT the 1220 is more than enough for file serving.

Interesting........now I'm really undecided hahah ........to save money and go for a pentium g4520 or on the other hand go all out and jump to a Xeon 1230.

 

[Stux]

Interesting........now I'm really undecided hahah ........to save money and go for a pentium g4520 or on the other hand go all out and jump to a Xeon 1230.

;)

(not sure if this link will work for you)
http://ark.intel.com/compare/90732,88182

The G4520 only has 2 threads, and 3/8ths the cache, no turbo, no AVX.

The E3-1230v5 doesn't come with a cooler.

AVX is probably used by the latest video encoders.

Besides, if you're looking at saving money, there's the G4500, or even the G4400... or G3900
http://ark.intel.com/compare/90741,90730,88179,90732,88182

 

[MisterIce]

Really depends on your plans for the future.

I was going for a 1220 but went for a 1230 instead, because I knew I wouldn't just using it for media backup. I wanted to have the possibilty to expand. I'd rather have the CPU to be over qualified for its current needs than it coming up short later in the future. This was I can throw a couple of VM's + jails at it without any problem.

And like @Stux said, the cost/perfomance ratio made it an easy decision for me.

 

[Dice]

I went the other route - I downgraded my initial ambitions from a 1230, to a i3-6100. At the time - 1/3 of the cost.
In retrospect, I should've chosen a G4400 and cutting cost in half once more.

Upgrading CPU can be done once built. It is more difficult to motivate cost when CPU utilization is "topping out" at 10-15%, while mostly being idle.

 

[Ericloewe]

The SAS3008 is well supported by now.

 

[Spearfoot]

Thanks a lot for your input, puts my mind at ease, now I just have to decide on the CPU. I'm worried that the Pentium won't be able to handle Plex but then again I don't know what I'm talking about.

The Pentium is a good choice for a simple file server. If you're planning on using Plex or any jails/VM's you'll probably be happier with a Xeon.

 

[CookiesLikeWhoa]

If you plan to transcode a lot with Plex a decent CPU is worthwhile. Plex recommends a passmark score of 2000 per transcoded stream. The 1230V5 will do just south of 10K.

Now this assumes you have to transcode everything, which you likely won't have to. Most media can be and is found in x264/mp4 format, which will work on almost every device under the sun, without transcoding. Meaning your CPU will not be doing a whole lot of work to stream content.

Now if you're running your own content in some wack format and it will have to be transcoded, then considered the Xeon.

Hopefully that helps with the selection.

 

[Stux]

And burning subtitles counts as transcoding

 

[SweetAndLow]

Don't put too much thought into my next statement but it's something to consider. With freenas 10 heavenly using vms for all plugins having a cpu that supports virtualization and has enough cores to run it would be a good idea. For just file sharing anything will work but going forward I think a good portion of users will choose freenas because if the plugins and vms. I also think more RAM in systems will become the normal thing, Skylake systems had already helped with this.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Stux]

That's part of why I went with my E5-1650v4. I see much more demand for ram/cores when you essentially have vm deployment with a few clicks.

 

[Dice]

Definitely increased need of RAM in the future.
Just look at what the top arguments are for leaving the X10 platform? ....32GB RAM limitation.

To cover as much future ground as possible - Aim for lot's of RAM capability.

 

[CookiesLikeWhoa]

With FreeNAS it's really going to be a double edged sword. FreeNAS requires ram to perform well, the more you feed it, the better it can perform.

On the flip side, one of the usual constraints for VM deployment is RAM. (Yes IOPS is first but...) Finding a good balance between VM deployment and FreeNAS usage (for RAM) is likely going to be the way of the future.

 

[T-rex]

Ok so....I've decided on the Xeon E3-1230 and i went with a Platinum Seasonic SS-660 PSU as it was only sale and only $7 more than the gold. Now I've just got to source a case somewhere locally.

Thanks very much for all your help, I'll let you know how it all goes when it all arrives.