First NAS

[Zremos]

Hi guys, i'm looking to build a new NAS for me and my family, i will use it for storage and plexe (i already have an HTPC, so i do not need so much powerful hardware).
First of all i want to a future proof build, i want to start with this:
Case: Phanteks enthoo pro (Because is compatible with ssi eeb motherboards and have enough space for HDD)
Motherboard: Intel s5520hcr (it's cheap and have 6 sata)
CPU: Xeon L5640 (cheap and low TDP)
PSU: Seasonic S12II Bronze 620
RAM: 8GB DDR3
I have already two blue WD 1Tb, i'll add another 3 or 4 of 1tb
I just want a good nas, quiet and with low power consumption
This build can work? need to change something?
Final budget 300-400 euros HDD excluded.

 

[DrKK]

L5640

6 cores; pretty badass sir, for a NAS!

We do not recommend WD "blue" for the NAS. The head-parking behavior (load/unload) is not what is desired in a NAS. And I also believe these drives do not have TLER. But---if you have proper backups of your media, then I am sure your system will be fine.

I like everything except the use of the WD Blue drives.

 

[Zremos]

Thanks for the reply, I can take the 4 core edition with a lower tdp if the nas didn't lose too much performance.
About the drives, I don't want to sell or throw away my 2 wd blue, I can buy another type of drives and use the wd for another stuff? Maybe to place temporarily data that I can loose without problems.
Sorry for my English :( it's a bit bad

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[DrKK]

Thanks for the reply, I can take the 4 core edition with a lower tdp if the nas didn't lose too much performance.
About the drives, I don't want to sell or throw away my 2 wd blue, I can buy another type of drives and use the wd for another stuff? Maybe to place temporarily data that I can loose without problems.
Sorry for my English :( it's a bit bad

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Sir:

We have several users using the WD blue / WD green drives. It should work. We just do not recommend it, because those drives will load/unload their heads too much in a NAS environment, and it would not be good for them or their longevity.

I probably would *NOT* suggest buying new drives; if you already have the drives, then go with it.

 

[Zremos]

After building the nas I will add more drives, is better buying all wd blue drives? Or buy another type?

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[Spearfoot]

After building the nas I will add more drives, is better buying all wd blue drives? Or buy another type?

No, sir. It would be better not to buy more of the WD Blue drives, for the reasons @DrKK mentioned above. Many forum users recommend the WD Red drives, which are designed for use as NAS drives.

 

[Zremos]

OK got it, thanks for the replies, the rest of the build is OK?

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[DrKK]

OK got it, thanks for the replies, the rest of the build is OK?

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I think so. THe only thing that didn't look alright to me was the "blue" drives are not ideal.

 

[Zremos]

Another question , it is possible do a raid between motherboard's Sata and raid controller sata?

 

[Spearfoot]

Another question , it is possible do a raid between motherboard's Sata and raid controller sata?

Yes. FreeNAS doesn't care if the drives are on different controllers. But any added RAID controllers must be used as simple HBA (Host Bus Adapters), not as RAID controllers per se. In other words, drives attached to the RAID controller must be passed through directly to FreeNAS as individual drives, not as a RAID-1 or RAID-5 or other type of RAID array. A good choice for an HBA is the LSI 9211 / IBM M1015 / Dell H200. These are all based on the same LSI chip, and are frequently used in FreeNAS systems.

 

[pirateghost]

Another question , it is possible do a raid between motherboard's Sata and raid controller sata?

You do not use "hardware raid".

You can create zfs vdevs among any SATA controller that the system can see.

 

[Zremos]

OK thanks again, it's possible start a raid 5 with 4 drives then expand to 5 drives without doing any backup or copy of the data? However it's a good move change S5520HCR + Xeon l5630 +Ecc to a i3 3220 + h61m + non-ecc? The price is the same but it will draw less power and it can be upgraded to an i7 with almost the same power consumption.

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[Spearfoot]

OK thanks again, it's possible start a raid 5 with 4 drives then expand to 5 drives without doing any backup or copy of the data? However it's a good move change S5520HCR + Xeon l5630 +Ecc to a i3 3220 + h61m + non-ecc? The price is the same but it will draw less power and it can be upgraded to an i7 with almost the same power consumption.

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FreeNAS uses ZFS, which doesn't support RAID5. ZFS pools are created using one or more virtual devices (vdevs) which may be single disks, mirrors, RAIDZ1 (3 or more disks with 1 parity disk, much like RAID5), RAIDZ2 (4 or more disks with 2 parity disks), or RAIDZ3 (4 or more disks with 3 parity disks).

Once you create a pool, you can only expand it by adding one or more additional vdevs. So if you create a pool of 4 disks configured as a RAIDZ1 vdev, you cannot simply add another disk to the RAIDZ1 vdev. You would have to destroy the 4-disk RAIDZ1 vdev first, and then re-create it as a 5-disk RAIDZ1 vdev, losing all data in the process. If you have a good backup, this shouldn't be a problem... you do plan on making backups, correct? :)

RAIDZ1 (and RAID5) are not recommended for drives over 1TB in size. Since you seem to be planning on using 1TB drives, it will be okay for you to use RAIDZ1.

Regarding ECC memory... there is a great deal of discussion about the subject here on the forum, but most users agree that it's very important to use ECC memory if you really care about the integrity of your data.

I suggest you study FreeNAS a little more before you purchase any hardware. A well-designed FreeNAS system will give you many years of good service, but the key is 'well-designed'. Here are some links to threads on the forum that may help:

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/zfs-primer.38927/
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...ning-vdev-zpool-zil-and-l2arc-for-noobs.7775/
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/comprehensive-diagram-of-the-zfs-structure.38865/
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/hardware-recommendations-read-this-first.23069/
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/building-burn-in-and-testing-your-freenas-system.17750/
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/how-to-hard-drive-burn-in-testing.21451/

Good luck!

 

[Zremos]

ok thanks for the links, they have been helpful.
So i think i'll do two different pools, the first with the 2 WD blue(mirror) , the second one with 1 vdev of 4 WD red in raid z1, then i'll add a second vdev with another 4 drives.
This can work?
I thinki i'll need another case for more drives space, and i think i'll go with a supermicro x9scl-f and a pentium g2020(ecc for cheap) , what do you think about this change?

 

[Spearfoot]

ok thanks for the links, they have been helpful.
So i think i'll do two different pools, the first with the 2 WD blue(mirror) , the second one with 1 vdev of 4 WD red in raid z1, then i'll add a second vdev with another 4 drives.
This can work?
I thinki i'll need another case for more drives space, and i think i'll go with a supermicro x9scl-f and a pentium g2020(ecc for cheap) , what do you think about this change?

That configuration would work. If you wish, you may also create a single pool with two vdevs (the 2 WD blue drives mirrored and the 4 WD red drives in RAIDZ1).

Supermicro makes good motherboards and they are recommended by many here on the forum. If you really intend to use 10 HDDs, you might consider using a different board with enough SATA/SAS ports. Otherwise you will have to purchase an HBA to attach all of the drives. I use the X10SL7-F board (see 'my systems below), which has a total of 14 ports, and is also compatible with the less expensive Pentium CPUs.

 

[Zremos]

Yeah, maybe a single pool will work better, that Supermicro x10 cost the double of the x9 better buy an hba, which one is good and pretty cheap?

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[Spearfoot]

Yeah, maybe a single pool will work better, that Supermicro x10 cost the double of the x9 better buy an hba, which one is good and pretty cheap?

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The LSI/Avago 9211 HBA or its OEM equivalents (IBM M1015, Dell H200) can be purchased used on eBay here in the USA for $40-$150.

newegg.com sells the X9SCL-F for $150, the X10SL7-F for $240.

So you might save a little by using an X9SCL with an HBA. But you might end up spending more, depending on how much you end up paying for an HBA.

I realize you're in Italy, and may not have access to the vendors (or eBay) that we have here in the US.

 

[Ericloewe]

Such pricing is hard to find on HBAs around here. ~100 bucks for one that's not likely to be a Super China Happy Real Quality Imitation Sun LSA/Avoga/Bodcom SAS 9211 "compatible" (or alternatives).

 

[Spearfoot]

Such pricing is hard to find on HBAs around here. ~100 bucks for one that's not likely to be a Super China Happy Real Quality Imitation Sun LSA/Avoga/Bodcom SAS 9211 "compatible" (or alternatives).

Indeed! :)

If it costs $100 for a genuine HBA, it ends up being less expensive to use the X10SL7-F (based on the mobo prices from NewEgg).

 

[Zremos]

I checked prices here in Italy, for an x9scm I'll spend like 100 euros, for the cheapest x10 like 300 euros :(, with the hba I'll go over the 400 euros, and still have to buy some hdd, I should buy a less expensive motherboard +cpu?

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