BUILD First FreeNAS project - Config check/questions

[telvary]

Hi all, first time here !

I spent the last 24 hours reading hardware related posts and I still have some questions.

First, here's what I plan to build considering the following requirements :

• Compact (I don't have a lot of space)
• As quiet as possible (will be in my home office)
• Reasonable power consumption

1/ Chassis : Fractal Design ARC Mini R2 with hotswap in the 5.25 bay
2/ Motherboard : Supermicro X10SL7-F
3/ CPU : Intel E3-1275v3 (because I can get one at a very cool price =) )
4/ RAM : 16GB DDR3 (Is DDRL3 interesting ?), probably kingston
5/ Cooling : lots of silent fans. Is watercooling reliable ? (with kits from corsair ?)
6/ Disks : I don't know :)

My idea is to have 2 or 3 types of storage :
1/ fastest but less space, for server applications/VM/frequently accessed files... using 3 or more SSD
2/ Storage volume with SATA or SAS disk. Is SAS better/worse the price ? (never had the chance to compare SAS disks :/)
3/ Backup volume with SATA disks (is SAS used in (2))


Thanks for your help.

 

[JohnK]

Some thoughts
1. Why a hotswop bay? Are you planning on removing 1 disk more than others?
2. Motherboard is good.
3. CPU has integrated graphics, something you would never use, 4W more than the e3-1270.
4. Personally I would just go with the normal ram.
5. If you are going to run 6 disk, I would recommend one more front fan. You are not going to over clock with a Supermicro so forget water cooling. Remember that it is not really your cpu that you are trying to keep cool but your disks.
6. I recommend wd red, but just because I'm biased.

If you are planning on installing FreeNas, I recommend you read CyberJock's guide and get a good understanding of volumes, disk etc. That will answer 1,2 and 3.

I don't think you will ever need more than SATA disks in a home setup.

 

[telvary]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

1/ To extend the number of disks in the chassis.
2/ Now I have to find it in Europe =)
3/ I have a great price with this CPU, that's the only reason
4/ Ok. Anyone tried ?
5/ Exact. This was more for the silence and space optimization inside the chassis.
6/ So am I =)

Is it possible to have multiple Z-Pool ?

 

[JohnK]

1. A normal 5.25 to 3.5 bracket might be cheaper. I have both the FD Mini and Midi and though the Midi is bigger, I would recommend it over the Mini if you can live with a little more space. The thing I like most is the adjustable fan speed button on the front of the case rather than the back where you have to add a bracket for the Mini. In the long run I might move to the XL if I ever get up to 14 disks...
2. You might some of the other X10 boards easier in Europe, though they normally only have 6 SATA ports you can always add a M1015 card.
3. A good price is always a good reason. I bought my i3 because it was really a good price even though my Pentium is more than good enough for my FreeNas needs. In the long run I might even move the I3 to my MythTV back end and get another Pentium.
4. I have not read anything about ppl using those modules. I note that they are compatible with both 1.5V and 1.35V. I am not sure the SuperMicro SL7 can be adjusted for 1.35V. I don't see anything in my bios.
5. I the FD Mino you are not going to have space problems. No video card, small PSU and stock cpu cooler and you have space to burn. I have added two CoolerMaster fans to the front my Midi and move the front one to the top and my disk runs at around 26C.

I do not believe you can have multiple pools. Unless you have multiple servers :) My recommendation is to have all similar size disks.

 

[Michael Wulff Nielsen]

Honestly, you could probably run a medium sized company of 6 WD Reds and 16 GB of memory. A setup like yours can most likely saturate a single gigabit connection with little trouble.

But regarding the X10 motherboard. I couldn't find it either in Europe so in the end I bought an ASUS P9D-M. Same chipset and works extremely well as long as you disable usb3 support.

You can have multiple pools. They are created from the volume manager.

But a simpler setup with 6 WD Reds in RaidZ2 will go a long way. You can then add an SSD cache drive if you need that kind of performance.

I would second JohnK's recommendation and say that 6*3TB WD Reds are the sweet spot at the moment.

 

[Z300M]

4. I have not read anything about ppl using those modules. I note that they are compatible with both 1.5V and 1.35V. I am not sure the SuperMicro SL7 can be adjusted for 1.35V. I don't see anything in my bios.

I haven't rechecked, but I am sure I saw certain 1.35V modules listed on the SuperMicro site as compatible with the X10SL7-F. Perhaps the switching is automatic.

 

[JohnK]

I haven't rechecked, but I am sure I saw certain 1.35V modules listed on the SuperMicro site as compatible with the X10SL7-F. Perhaps the switching is automatic.

I'm busy scrubbing, but when it is done I will reboot and check the bios. The RAM can do either voltage, so I'm not sure it will be automatic and might just default to 1.5V.

 

[telvary]

Thanks for your tips/help. I'll go for the 6 Reds in a RaidZ2 configuration. Maybe i'll try the DDRL3, if I can get it.
I'll wait a month before ordering my MB, maybe I'll be able to find it ... If not i'll go gor the Asus =) (nice info !).