Hardware advice for file server

[oxhey]

Hello,

First time FreeNAS builder here :).

I work in a small agency that is undergoing big changes in its IT infrastructure. As part of these changes (that include some new pfSense firewalls) we are also replacing an ageing file server.
The file server is an old iMac Pro with a few 1 TB hard drives in it. Last time I checked it was filled with dust and on its way out.

The backup system we have is also extremely stupid. From what I have been told, we use Carbon Copy Cloner to take backups of files that have changed and put then on some extrnal hard drives connected to the mac. This happens every day when everyone has gone home. There must be a better way to backup files?

Being based in the UK, I have struggled to find parts that other forum members recommend (such as supermicro motherboards), but I hope the parts I have found will work.

How The Server Will Be Used?
The server will act only as a file server for our design studio. Normally it will have 4 computers accessing it at any time (Reading files from it, copying from it and sometimes ever just opening a file from it), but it should be able to cope with 1 or 2 extra users for short amounts of time.

It should also be visible to both Max & Windows pc's.

This is my hardware list so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For £0.00)
Motherboard: ASRock - E3C224D2I Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£181.80 @ SmartTeck.co.uk)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport XT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£130.79 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Corsair - Force LS 60GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£37.97 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital - Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£83.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital - Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£83.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case (£64.13 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£69.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £652.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-03-14 20:26 GMT+0000


I already have the i5 as it was salvaged from a pc that was being thrown out!

Maybe the SuperMicro X10SL7-F would be a better motherboard, but would the i5 work?

So my NOOB questions are as follows:

1. Is the hardware selection OK for a file server? I know the motherboard only supports 16GB of ram. If you have a better suggestion then please tell me.
2. Drives - I have chosen an SSD as the boot drive and 2 WD Red drives as storage. With the Red drives what would be the best configuration for them? RADI? if so which one. One drive will be big enought for all the files so the other drive would probably be used as a backup of the first.

Im sure I will have more questions as these two get answered.

 

[geekmaster64]

1: - Yeah, totally, but I would ask you how many users? NFS? CIFS? - How are they accessing this? More memory = more performance.
2. Those RED drives are perfect, and yes, RAID 1 and make sure you backup this server. RAID is not a replacement for backups.

 

[oxhey]

1: - Yeah, totally, but I would ask you how many users? NFS? CIFS? - How are they accessing this? More memory = more performance.
2. Those RED drives are perfect, and yes, RAID 1 and make sure you backup this server. RAID is not a replacement for backups.

Thanks

In total there will be 4 iMac's accessing the file server constantly and occasionally there will be a windows pc accessing it. Im not sure but I think it would be CIFS?

The Macs will be taking files off the server, making changes and putting back on the server as a new version. Occasionally they might work from the server.

RAID 1 and then another external backup of that. Would an external HDD work?

 

[geekmaster64]

Hey there,

Yes, CIFS would be great for this since they're unix based and that service will not require hardly any memory to run.

Regarding the external hard drive, I believe that it would work... do some research to make sure (or someone can answer that part).

Quick Question, what kind of files are they working with? Just documents and such or video/Photo media?

 

[oxhey]

Hey there,

Yes, CIFS would be great for this since they're unix based and that service will not require hardly any memory to run.

Regarding the external hard drive, I believe that it would work... do some research to make sure (or someone can answer that part).

Quick Question, what kind of files are they working with? Just documents and such or video/Photo media?

The files are mainly images/PSD, Adobe illustrator and Quark express. The images can be big (up to 1.5GB) sometimes.

 

[geekmaster64]

Rock on, if there are a lot of changes occurring frequently with the big files, I'd suggest getting a mobo that scales higher on the memory side in case you need more performance.

 

[oxhey]

Rock on, if there are a lot of changes occurring frequently with the big files, I'd suggest getting a mobo that scales higher on the memory side in case you need more performance.

So would the SuperMicro X10SL7-F be a good choice as a MB?

My concern with it is that It wont support the i5 and I will need to get either an dual core i3 or Xeon E3-1220 v3.

I suppose the Xeon is a server cpu anyway.

 

[geekmaster64]

Hey there, specifically what i5 model do you have?

 

[oxhey]

Hey there, specifically what i5 model do you have?

4460

 

[joeinaz]

Hello,

First time FreeNAS builder here :).

I work in a small agency that is undergoing big changes in its IT infrastructure. As part of these changes (that include some new pfSense firewalls) we are also replacing an ageing file server.
The file server is an old iMac Pro with a few 1 TB hard drives in it. Last time I checked it was filled with dust and on its way out.

The backup system we have is also extremely stupid. From what I have been told, we use Carbon Copy Cloner to take backups of files that have changed and put then on some extrnal hard drives connected to the mac. This happens every day when everyone has gone home. There must be a better way to backup files?

Being based in the UK, I have struggled to find parts that other forum members recommend (such as supermicro motherboards), but I hope the parts I have found will work.

How The Server Will Be Used?
The server will act only as a file server for our design studio. Normally it will have 4 computers accessing it at any time (Reading files from it, copying from it and sometimes ever just opening a file from it), but it should be able to cope with 1 or 2 extra users for short amounts of time.

It should also be visible to both Max & Windows pc's.

This is my hardware list so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For £0.00)
Motherboard: ASRock - E3C224D2I Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£181.80 @ SmartTeck.co.uk)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport XT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£130.79 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Corsair - Force LS 60GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£37.97 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital - Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£83.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital - Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£83.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case (£64.13 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£69.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £652.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-03-14 20:26 GMT+0000


I already have the i5 as it was salvaged from a pc that was being thrown out!

Maybe the SuperMicro X10SL7-F would be a better motherboard, but would the i5 work?

So my NOOB questions are as follows:

1. Is the hardware selection OK for a file server? I know the motherboard only supports 16GB of ram. If you have a better suggestion then please tell me.
2. Drives - I have chosen an SSD as the boot drive and 2 WD Red drives as storage. With the Red drives what would be the best configuration for them? RADI? if so which one. One drive will be big enought for all the files so the other drive would probably be used as a backup of the first.

Im sure I will have more questions as these two get answered.

If it were me, I would consider the Supermicro motherboard. The X10SL7-F supports ECC memory and your CPU. The other thing to consider is an X9 Supermicro motherboard because memory is the expensive component these days and registered memory DDR3 RDIMMs are less expensive than UDIMMs or DDR4. The good news is two 3TB disks in a RAID1 should not require lots of memory now but if you plan to grow, plan for that growth now...

 

[joeinaz]

Hello,

First time FreeNAS builder here :).

I work in a small agency that is undergoing big changes in its IT infrastructure. As part of these changes (that include some new pfSense firewalls) we are also replacing an ageing file server.
The file server is an old iMac Pro with a few 1 TB hard drives in it. Last time I checked it was filled with dust and on its way out.

The backup system we have is also extremely stupid. From what I have been told, we use Carbon Copy Cloner to take backups of files that have changed and put then on some extrnal hard drives connected to the mac. This happens every day when everyone has gone home. There must be a better way to backup files?

Being based in the UK, I have struggled to find parts that other forum members recommend (such as supermicro motherboards), but I hope the parts I have found will work.

How The Server Will Be Used?
The server will act only as a file server for our design studio. Normally it will have 4 computers accessing it at any time (Reading files from it, copying from it and sometimes ever just opening a file from it), but it should be able to cope with 1 or 2 extra users for short amounts of time.

It should also be visible to both Max & Windows pc's.

This is my hardware list so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For £0.00)
Motherboard: ASRock - E3C224D2I Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£181.80 @ SmartTeck.co.uk)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport XT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£130.79 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Corsair - Force LS 60GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£37.97 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital - Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£83.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital - Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£83.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case (£64.13 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£69.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £652.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-03-14 20:26 GMT+0000


I already have the i5 as it was salvaged from a pc that was being thrown out!

Maybe the SuperMicro X10SL7-F would be a better motherboard, but would the i5 work?

So my NOOB questions are as follows:

1. Is the hardware selection OK for a file server? I know the motherboard only supports 16GB of ram. If you have a better suggestion then please tell me.
2. Drives - I have chosen an SSD as the boot drive and 2 WD Red drives as storage. With the Red drives what would be the best configuration for them? RADI? if so which one. One drive will be big enought for all the files so the other drive would probably be used as a backup of the first.

Im sure I will have more questions as these two get answered.

If it were me, I would consider the Supermicro motherboard. The X10SL7-F supports ECC memory and your CPU. The other thing to consider is an X9 Supermicro motherboard because memory is the expensive component these days and registered memory DDR3 RDIMMs are less expensive than UDIMMs or DDR4. The good news is two 3TB disks in a RAID1 should not require lots of memory now but if you plan to grow, plan for that growth now...

 

[oxhey]

If it were me, I would consider the Supermicro motherboard. The X10SL7-F supports ECC memory and your CPU. The other thing to consider is an X9 Supermicro motherboard because memory is the expensive component these days and registered memory DDR3 RDIMMs are less expensive than UDIMMs or DDR4. The good news is two 3TB disks in a RAID1 should not require lots of memory now but if you plan to grow, plan for that growth now...

So, the SuperMicro does support the i5. Good news then.

I think 32GB is more than enough memory capacity for our needs and should be able to cope if we add in a couple more TB of storage.

I personaly dont see the 3TB ever being filled as we dont keep files older than 3 years on production machines.

Even now, the Mac server has 3 1TB drives that are nowhere near full.

 

[geekmaster64]

There ya go! That would work out really well for your needs.

 

[oxhey]

There ya go! That would work out really well for your needs.

Actually I dont think the i5 will work as it does not support ecc. So a Xeon it is then.

 

[oxhey]

There ya go! That would work out really well for your needs.

Actually I dont think the i5 will work as it does not support ecc. So a Xeon it is then.

So my final parts list would look like this (let me know if i'm missing anything):

I have put a Xeon cpu in the list, but it could end up being an i3-4170 as it supports ECC and is £75 cheaper, but it is only dual core.

That will be for the budget to decide :)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Xeon E3-1220 V3 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£175.98 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport XT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£130.79 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Corsair - Force LS 60GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£37.97 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital - Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£83.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital - Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£83.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design - Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£30.97 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£69.95 @ Amazon UK)
Other: SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SL7-F-O Micro ATX Server Motherboard LGA 1150 Intel C222 DDR3 1600 (£160.99)
Total: £774.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-03-14 22:25 GMT+0000

 

[oxhey]

If it were me, I would consider the Supermicro motherboard. The X10SL7-F supports ECC memory and your CPU. The other thing to consider is an X9 Supermicro motherboard because memory is the expensive component these days and registered memory DDR3 RDIMMs are less expensive than UDIMMs or DDR4. The good news is two 3TB disks in a RAID1 should not require lots of memory now but if you plan to grow, plan for that growth now...

Actually I dont think the i5-4460 will work as it does not support ECC. So a Xeon it is then.

 

[geekmaster64]

Actually I don't think the i5-4460 will work as it does not support ECC. So a Xeon it is then.

Oh yeah - forgot that you're going to go that route - great idea to make sure that the data integrity is maintained.

Have fun man!

 

[Chris Moore]

You might want to take a look at these resources before you build anything. Especially the hardware resources:

Slideshow explaining VDev, zpool, ZIL and L2ARC
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...ning-vdev-zpool-zil-and-l2arc-for-noobs.7775/

Terminology and Abbreviations Primer
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/terminology-and-abbreviations-primer.28174/

FreeNAS® Quick Hardware Guide
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?resources/freenas®-quick-hardware-guide.7/

Hardware Recommendations Guide Rev 1e) 2017-05-06
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?resources/hardware-recommendations-guide.12/

 

[Chris Moore]

The backup system we have is also extremely stupid. From what I have been told, we use Carbon Copy Cloner to take backups of files that have changed and put then on some extrnal hard drives connected to the mac. This happens every day when everyone has gone home. There must be a better way to backup files?

Ultimately, you will want to setup a second server. ZFS allows you to take snapshots of the file system that only consume the amount of space of the changes between snapshots. That means a lot of snapshots don't take much space. You can mount a snapshot in read-only mode if you need to go back to recover files that were mistakenly deleted or changed. These snapshots can also be replicated to another FreeNAS server as a backup. I would suggest doing something along these lines to keep a backup of all files that are stored.

Drives - I have chosen an SSD as the boot drive and 2 WD Red drives as storage. With the Red drives what would be the best configuration for them? RADI? if so which one. One drive will be big enought for all the files so the other drive would probably be used as a backup of the first.

personally, I would rather go with a RAIDz2 array of at least 4 drives to protect against drive failure with the backup server having another RAIDz2 array. With this number of drives, the cost will be around 4 times as much and the amount of storage available would be almost double, but the data should never be at risk and the users might find that they use the system even more than ever.

If you are using the system for nothing besides file storage, you should be fine with the i3 dual core CPU. There is not a huge amount of computational work involved in file storage. The reason many people choose quad core Xeon CPUs is to give the power to run things like Plex.

 

[oxhey]

On second thoughts, I have decided that a FreeNAS server may be over the top for my needs and I will just get a Synology unit.