FreeNAS 11 build with Supermicro X11SSM + 1230 v5

[melbow]

Hi everyone,

I'm putting together a machine and am hoping for it to work out of the box! Use-case is mostly as a backup server (MacBook + web servers), as well as making heavy use of the docker features once they arrive in FreeNAS 11.1.

Here goes:
Amazon list: https://www.amazon.de/gp/registry/ref=cm_reg_rd-upd?ie=UTF8&id=LD2AU3GUN93Z&type=wishlist

Summary of Amazon list as of today:
Supermicro X11SSM-F motherboard
Intel Xeon E3 1230 v5 processor
1x Crucial 16GB DDR4-2133 ECC Unbuffered (CT16G4WFD8213) - maybe to be expanded in future with same sticks
3x WD Red 2TB WD20EFRX - in RaidZ, won't be storing movie collections so don't need a huge amount of space but may expand with a couple more 2tb drives later
1x DREVO X1 SSD 60GB - boot drive

I already have a 4U case, PSU and CPU cooler that should be suitable. Looking good?
Thanks for any advice.

 

[Stux]

3x WD Red 2TB WD20EFRX - in RaidZ, won't be storing movie collections so don't need a huge amount of space but may expand with a couple more 2tb drives later

Looks good. Be aware that 'expanding' might not be as simple as you think.

Personally, I think 2TB drives are too small to bother with these days, and would suggest perhaps just a pair of 4TB drives. Good thing is you *can* expand by adding a couple of drives a couple of times then :)

 

[melbow]

Thanks for the heads-up, this sticky guide helped me clarify further what you meant about expanding:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...ining-vdev-zpool-zil-and-l2arc-for-noobs.7775

I agree, I'll go with the mirrored solution.

One other question - the PSU that I thought was suitable (https://archive.benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=71) isn't EPS 12V compliant, it has 20+4 pin and an additional 4-pin power connector and I've seen this 4-pin to 8-pin adapter recommended as a solution: http://www.google.com/shopping/product/2104744841207420326?hl=en#p

Is this advisable? Doesn't mention it in the Supermicro manual. CPU TDP is 80W

 

[melbow]

Thanks for the heads-up, this sticky guide helped me clarify further what you meant about expanding:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...ining-vdev-zpool-zil-and-l2arc-for-noobs.7775

I agree, I'll go with the mirrored solution.

One other question - the PSU that I thought was suitable (https://archive.benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=71) isn't EPS 12V compliant, it has 20+4 pin and an additional 4-pin power connector and I've seen this 4-pin to 8-pin adapter recommended as a solution: http://www.google.com/shopping/product/2104744841207420326?hl=en#p

Is this advisable? Doesn't mention it in the Supermicro manual. CPU TDP is 80W

Just for closure, I went with the adapter and after stress testing the CPU for a few hours I'd say it's fine. Still not sure if it's recommended but it works.