FreeNAS mini dead, new replacement advise

[saurav]

So my FreeNAS Mini from Sep 2004 (in my sig) is dead, and I need some advice on replacement.

My main requirement is reliability, i.e. not to have to deal with h/w issues. The NAS is for home use, for storing important documents, home videos, pictures, etc. I don't have much need for transcoding, but I will run plex to be able to stream my videos/music/pics over dlna. No 4K content, though.

1. Is there any point in trying to re-use the FreeNAS mini's case + PSU? Or should I just junk all of it? I think C2750D4I is the world's only ECC board using desktop-sized ECC DDR3 DIMMs, so that only leaves the case + PSU for reuse. I have to get new RAM along with the new board, unless I buy the C2750D4I again.

2. If I were to re-use the case, will a SuperMicro C3000 m-itx board fit on the mini's motherboard tray? That is, will the board holes align with the tray, in theory?

3. Is there any DISadvantage in getting a new mini-itx board over a micro-atx one? I know that micro-atx has a lot more possibilities, but like I said, my needs are modest, that can be easily met by one of the newer C3000 boards. However, I am flexible if there are any practical advantages in getting a micro-atx.

Thanks,
Saurav.

 

[Redcoat]

So my FreeNAS Mini from Sep 2004 (in my sig) is dead, and I need some advice on replacement.

My main requirement is reliability, i.e. not to have to deal with h/w issues. The NAS is for home use, for storing important documents, home videos, pictures, etc. I don't have much need for transcoding, but I will run plex to be able to stream my videos/music/pics over dlna. No 4K content, though.

1. Is there any point in trying to re-use the FreeNAS mini's case + PSU? Or should I just junk all of it? I think C2750D4I is the world's only ECC board using desktop-sized ECC DDR3 DIMMs, so that only leaves the case + PSU for reuse. I have to get new RAM along with the new board, unless I buy the C2750D4I again.

2. If I were to re-use the case, will a SuperMicro C3000 m-itx board fit on the mini's motherboard tray? That is, will the board holes align with the tray, in theory?

3. Is there any DISadvantage in getting a new mini-itx board over a micro-atx one? I know that micro-atx has a lot more possibilities, but like I said, my needs are modest, that can be easily met by one of the newer C3000 boards. However, I am flexible if there are any practical advantages in getting a micro-atx.

Thanks,
Saurav.

I assume that the mobo died? I know that you have seen this thread https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...asrock-c2550d4i-or-c2750d4i-last.45445/page-9 because you posted to it "early on". It records the progress that many of us had with free replacements of our C2750D4I boards by Asrock or iXSystems (as applicable). Have you approached iXSystems about a replacement?

 

[saurav]

Have you approached iXSystems about a replacement?

Yes, the mobo died. I approached iX, but since I purchased mine in Sep 2014, the extended warranty (3 years) doesn't apply to me.

Yes, I was aware of the watchdog timer issue. I checked multiple times. Don't think mine died of that cause.

iXSystems offered a replacement for $395 + shipping, but I think I'll pass. Not willing to spend money on the same board again.

 

[Redcoat]

Thanks for the update. That's an unfortunate outcome that I'm sorry to hear about.

Were I in your shoes I'd be thinking hard about the restrictions of the existing case - particularly the cooling aspect - as I made any decisions. I have already mod'd my case to put two additional fans in the front behind the front bezel to get more "directed air" over to the CPU heatsink (to which I also attached a fan).

Good luck with your project - keep us informed, please.

 

[Chris Moore]

If you are satisfied with the form factor of the FreeNAS Mini, the easiest thing to do is simply to replace the board.
You already said that you don't want to consider the same board that you have now, even though the new ones don't suffer from the fault that the original board did.
That tends to indicate that the way to get going is the 3000 series board. Mini ITX is an officially defined standard, so a new one should fit as well as the first.
I would go for it. If I were constraining my decision by your stipulated requirements.
It will cause you to need new memory.

 

[saurav]

even though the new ones don't suffer from the fault that the original board did.

Because they have firmware fixes for the watchdog timer issue? Mine didn't die of that. I don't want to speculate, but there's probably more wrong with this board than is known definitively. There are too many stories of this board failing, and not just in this forum.

That tends to indicate that the way to get going is the 3000 series board.

Yes, I looked at those. However, they seem to be pricier than the Xeon-D boards! I need to research more, and think more about putting a Xeon in a mini-ITX case that has limited airflow, especially since most of them come with passive cooling only. I know they are low powered, but they are still > 2X of 3000 (65W vs 25W?).

Buying new memory is a given. I will have 32GB of DDR3 1600 ECC RAM lying somewhere idle in a cardboard box.

 

[Chris Moore]

Buying new memory is a given. I will have 32GB of DDR3 1600 ECC RAM lying somewhere idle in a cardboard box.

I guarantee that you can sell that memory on eBay. Memory is in demand, even the older memory like that.

 

[Constantin]

There are low power boards that use the D-1508, which should work just fine in a good case.

I liberated my board from the Mini Xl case because I remain unconvinced that the XL case is suitable for hot drives.

With some modifications enabled by a bigger case (shroud, fan), my CPU is now ~20*C cooler than it was inside the XL (23*C in a 21*C environment) and the hard drives are no longer setting off the 50*C temperature alarm during multi-hour scrubs because they always run at less than 35*C.

 

[saurav]

I am replacing the C2750D4I with A2SDi-8C-HLN4F (without the CPU fan), and 2x16GB DDR4 ECC RAM from Nemix.

I have found out the hard way that on this board, for unregistered/unbuffered RAM, you must use the slots A1 + A2 or B1 + B2, if you have only two DIMMs. Any combination of A & B will make it unbootable with POST stuck at "PEI--Intel MRC Execution 63".

I later found out that the manual advises the same for unregistered RAM. That's what happens for not RTFM carefully.