First FreeNAS server build

[tballgame]

Hi all,

This is my first server build and first time working with a mini-atx case. I figure I'm almost certainly missing something or making a mistake and very much appreciate any guidance I can get. My build is below. The primary goal is to have 2 6TB drives in Raid 1 for backing up key files that are shared by 2 users. The other 2 6TB drives would be for growth - or to use as a media server.

Case: iStarUSA S-35-DE4RD 4x3.5" hotswap mini-ITX tower
Mobo: MSI H310I PRO LGA 1151 Intel Mini ITX Intel Mobo
CPU: Intel i3-8350K Coffee Lake Quad-core 4.0 GHz LGA 1151
PSU: FSP Group Mini ITX/Flex ATX 80 PLUS Gold 400W power supply
RAM: G.SKILL 8GB DDR4 3000 F4-3000C16S-8GISB
HDDs: 4x Seagate 3.5 HDD ST6000NM0034 6TB 7200 RPM Dual SAS 12Gb/s Interface 128MB Cache
SSD (Boot Drive): KingDian N400 32GB M.@ 2242 NGFF SSD

I'm particularly concerned about:

• The M.2 boot disk - compatibility and using that form factor
• The MOBO and Case compatibility
• Whether or not my drives will interface correctly with the case/MOBO
• If this has any serious deficiencies for the media server idea
• How I might be able to cut down on price

Thank you!

 

[Basil Hendroff]

Have you reviewed the minimum and recommended hardware specs for FreeNAS? https://www.freenas.org/hardware-requirements/
Seagate's tend to run hotter than WD drives. I have both. If I could replace my Seagates, I would.
ECC RAM is strongly recommended for a server.
Just be aware that your growth option limits you to another mirror. Your overall potential available disk space is limited to 12TB. Wonder if you're better off with RAIDZ2, which is 12TB as well, but tolerates the failure of two disks in the pool. You may wish to review https://www.ixsystems.com/community...ning-vdev-zpool-zil-and-l2arc-for-noobs.7775/. The design of your pool is crucial from the start and is not easily altered later.

 

[tballgame]

Have you reviewed the minimum and recommended hardware specs for FreeNAS? https://www.freenas.org/hardware-requirements/
Seagate's tend to run hotter than WD drives. I have both. If I could replace my Seagates, I would.
EEC RAM is strongly recommended for a server.
Just be aware that your growth option limits you to another mirror. Your overall potential available disk space is limited to 12TB. Wonder if you're better off with RAIDZ2, which is 12TB as well, but tolerates the failure of two disks in the pool. You may wish to review https://www.ixsystems.com/community...ning-vdev-zpool-zil-and-l2arc-for-noobs.7775/. The design of your pool is crucial from the start and is not easily altered later.

Thanks very much for the response - both of those links were (and will continue to be) extremely helpful. RAIDZ2 does sound like it's a better pool. I'll look to replace the seagates with WD (although switching to 4x 3 TB drives, as I think that will be sufficient). I didn't realize that was the case. I'll also bump up to 16GB EEC RAM based on the recommendations in the requirements link.

HDD: WD 3TB 7200 RPM Class SAS 6Gb/s 32 MB Cache WD3001FYYG
RAM: 2x HYNIX HMA42GR7AFR4N-TF DDR4-2133 16GB ECC (288 pins)

 

[Basil Hendroff]

Consider 2 x mirrored vdevs. If one of the disks fails in a vdev, you lose redundancy on that vdev and will not be able to tolerate another disk failure on the vdev. In a RAIDZ2 vdev, if one disk fails, you still have redundancy on the vdev, which means you can tolerate a second disk failure and not lose any data. Your other option is a RAIDZ1, which gives you 18TB of available disk space, but single disk redundancy. The consensus seems to lean towards RAIDZ2 (not my preference, but then I replicate my data, which I feel mitigates this requirement somewhat). For more info, refer to https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-raid-5-stops-working-in-2009/

 

[MDD1963]

from your original post : "HDDs: 4x Seagate 3.5 HDD ST6000NM0034 6TB 7200 RPM Dual SAS 12Gb/s Interface 128MB Cache "

Your MB likely has standard SATAIII/6 Gbps ports, not SAS ports...

So unless you've installed a SAS HBA, which you did not mention, get SATA drives, not SAS drives, if that is your intent...

(How many SATA ports does your board have? if limited number, best to get decent capacity drives while you can to make it last, but, you know how much storage you will need)

 

[anmnz]

Mobo: MSI H310I PRO LGA 1151 Intel Mini ITX Intel Mobo

I'll also bump up to 16GB EEC RAM based on the recommendations in the requirements link.

That motherboard does not appear to support ECC RAM.

It's also going to be an unpopular choice around here because it's targeted at gaming not server duty; it has Realtek ethernet which historically does not play well with FreeBSD; the onboard audio will be useless with FreeNAS...

Do you really need Mini-ITX?

 

[tballgame]

from your original post : "HDDs: 4x Seagate 3.5 HDD ST6000NM0034 6TB 7200 RPM DualSAS 12Gb/s Interface 128MB Cache "

Your MB likely has standard SATAIII/6 Gbps ports, not SAS ports...

So unless you've installed a SAS HBA, which you did not mention, get SATA drives, not SAS drives, if that is your intent...

(How many SATA ports does your board have? if limited number, best to get decent capacity drives while you can to make it last, but, you know how much storage you will need)

I had not considered that. Pivoting to SATA drives.

 

[tballgame]

That motherboard does not appear to support ECC RAM.

It's also going to be an unpopular choice around here because it's targeted at gaming not server duty; it has Realtek ethernet which historically does not play well with FreeBSD; the onboard audio will be useless with FreeNAS...

Do you really need Mini-ITX?

The only need for Mini-ITX was to fit that case and have a smaller form factor. However, finding a mobo has been a pain (now looking at ASRock C236 WSI Mini ITX Server Motehrboard LGA 1151 Intel C236) and both the case and the mobo seem to be more expensive than a standard size build would be. Now at about $1,200, the cost of this has ballooned beyond my original hope, and now options like tie iX FreeNAS Mini seem easier and about the same cost...

 

[anmnz]

both the case and the mobo seem to be more expensive than a standard size build would be

Yes. For a decent FreeNAS server, Mini-ITX will be more expensive to build -- because it's a niche market, as you're discovering. It will also tend to be more expensive to run, because either you'll use more energy (and create more noise) pushing air through that restricted space, or you won't be cooling your disks properly and they'll die sooner. I think of it as "small, cheap, quiet -- pick two". (And then I think the smart thing is usually to just give up on "small".)

You can save a lot of money and have an excellent FreeNAS system if you are willing to go with used server hardware, by the way. Look through the forums for some of @Chris Moore's suggested builds to see some great examples.

 

[Chris Moore]

Look through the forums for some of @Chris Moore's suggested builds to see some great examples.

Here is one of those where I listed out the case all the way down to the thermal compound:
https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/best-practices-upgrade-path.71019/post-491084

I am sure those specific items have sold, so watch out for eBay substituting in something that isn't compatible.

 

[Chris Moore]

Now at about $1,200, the cost of this has ballooned beyond my original hope, and now options like tie iX FreeNAS Mini seem easier and about the same cost...

I don't know what your budget is, but you might want to take a look at this parts list I just put together:
https://www.ixsystems.com/community/resources/specific-build-components-list-up-to-32gb-ram.109/