BUILD Hi, please help check this build for problems?

[Stephen2]

First, to these two thread posters - you are LEGENDS!
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/hardware-recommendations-read-this-first.23069/
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...or-supermicro-x10-lga1150-motherboards.23291/

Thank you so much!


Case: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/331874344765 2U Supermicro 12 Bay Server JBOD / Barebones chassis SC826A 2x PSU

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/global/au/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182821 SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SL7-F-O Micro ATX Server Motherboard LGA 1150 Intel C222 DDR3 1600

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148770 Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ECC Unbuffered DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Server Memory Model CT2KIT102472BD160B (2 of these for 32GB)

CPU: http://www.centrecom.com.au/intel-core-i3-4170-processor-3m-cache-370-ghz-socket-lga1150-cpu Intel® Core™ i3-4170 Processor (3M Cache, 3.70 GHz) Socket LGA1150 CPU

HDD: WD Red NAS 3TB x6

Some kind of small SSD for boot drive.


Main question is that the Mobo has an extra "-O" at the end of the model code vs. the recommendations thread...


Thank you so much for your advice :)

 

[danb35]

Main question is that the Mobo has an extra "-O" at the end of the model code vs. the recommendations thread...

Nothing to worry about there.
I wonder about your choice of chassis, though. I presume it's straightforward enough to take out the small board that's in there now, and install a standard motherboard in its place. What I'm not sure about is the drive cabling. The -A backplane would have three mini-SAS connectors, each supporting four drives. The X10SL7 has an onboard SAS controller, and with the appropriate reverse breakout cables, you'd have connections to two of those. I don't know if you could use a reverse breakout cable from four of the motherboard SATA ports to the third mini-SAS connector on the backplane, or if you'd need a SAS HBA for that. Perhaps @jgreco could clarify. For your current six-disk configuration, it wouldn't be a problem, but when you want to fill the rest of the drive bays, it could be.

 

[jgreco]

Nothing to worry about there.
I wonder about your choice of chassis, though. I presume it's straightforward enough to take out the small board that's in there now, and install a standard motherboard in its place.

Correct.

What I'm not sure about is the drive cabling. The -A backplane would have three mini-SAS connectors, each supporting four drives. The X10SL7 has an onboard SAS controller, and with the appropriate reverse breakout cables, you'd have connections to two of those. I don't know if you could use a reverse breakout cable from four of the motherboard SATA ports to the third mini-SAS connector on the backplane, or if you'd need a SAS HBA for that. Perhaps @jgreco could clarify. For your current six-disk configuration, it wouldn't be a problem, but when you want to fill the rest of the drive bays, it could be.

For any of the Supermicro backplanes that do not involve an expander chip (A, TQ), you can certainly take a reverse breakout SAS cable, hook it to the backplane, and then connect it to SATA ports on the mainboard. The backplane is little more than a fancy bit of passive electrical wiring.

Connecting things in this manner has the side effect of rendering those slots in the chassis as SAS-incompatible/SATA-only, which I'd think would be obvious, but what's obvious to me isn't always to others.

Related/maybe interesting: If you order a prebuilt Supermicro chassis and you don't order a RAID controller as part of the package, Supermicro will happily wire the bays up to whatever ports are available on the mainboard. We ordered some 1018R-WC0R about six months ago and they came all neatly wired up with 2x reverse breakout cables to the mainboard SATA ports.

 

[Stephen2]

Thank you, seems I haven't made any major mistakes - all due to the awesome stickied threads, nice work to the community on those!

Thanks for the mention of the cables, that's awesome...

Can anyone confirm if these guys will do the trick?
http://cplonline.com.au/cables/sata-sas-cable/sff-8087-to-4-x-sata-down-angle-cable-1m.html


Thanks again

 

[Ericloewe]

Thank you, seems I haven't made any major mistakes - all due to the awesome stickied threads, nice work to the community on those!

Thanks for the mention of the cables, that's awesome...

Can anyone confirm if these guys will do the trick?
http://cplonline.com.au/cables/sata-sas-cable/sff-8087-to-4-x-sata-down-angle-cable-1m.html


Thanks again

Nope, that's a forward breakout cable. You need a reverse breakout cable to connect individual SATA-style ports to an SFF-8087 backplane.

 

[Stephen2]

Wow, these cables have me confused! Thanks for the confirmation.

I'm thinking this guy fits the bill then for sure:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816133033

Is there a particularly recommended type for the SuperMicro chassis, or will that one be fine? And is 0.5 metres long enough? Seems like it should be...

 

[jgreco]

That should do the trick. The Supermicro chassis are not picky as long as the cable works.

 

[Stephen2]

Alright!! Waiting for delivery time now, then I'll be back with any installation questions...

I know I've said it 30 times already, but thanks everyone... Makes a huge level of difference finding this forum and you good people on it.

 

[jgreco]

I know I've said it 30 times already, but thanks everyone...

Your message count is only 4.

Makes a huge level of difference finding this forum and you good people on it.

Stick around and you can learn a ton.

 

[Stephen2]

Hey, I think I might have learned something by making mistakes now :p

The chassis uses the BPN-SAS-826EL1 backplane, with SAS expander built in. The plan is to use 8 SATA disks, so figured 2 of these breakout cables mentioned above. See my misunderstanding was that seeing as these cables had 4 SATA at the end, and I needed 8 disks, 2 would cover me!

Hah... Rookie mistake, didn't know how stuff really worked, and there is only one 8087 port to use on the backplane.


To summarise, and please correct me if I'm wrong:
In order to connect my single SAS 8087 port from the expander, to 8 SATA ports on the motherboard there really isn't any way.

And I'll need to get one of the recommended HBA cards (M1015, H200, H310) and an 8087 to 8087 cable like this one


Would be happy to be wrong, though.

 

[Ericloewe]

To summarise, and please correct me if I'm wrong:
In order to connect my single SAS 8087 port from the expander, to 8 SATA ports on the motherboard there really isn't any way.

Of course there is, with a reverse breakout cable - assuming of course those ports are from an SAS controller, since SATA controllers do not support any sort of SAS devices.

 

[jgreco]

Hey, I think I might have learned something by making mistakes now :p

The chassis uses the BPN-SAS-826EL1 backplane, with SAS expander built in. The plan is to use 8 SATA disks, so figured 2 of these breakout cables mentioned above. See my misunderstanding was that seeing as these cables had 4 SATA at the end, and I needed 8 disks, 2 would cover me!

Hah... Rookie mistake, didn't know how stuff really worked, and there is only one 8087 port to use on the backplane.


To summarise, and please correct me if I'm wrong:
In order to connect my single SAS 8087 port from the expander, to 8 SATA ports on the motherboard there really isn't any way.

And I'll need to get one of the recommended HBA cards (M1015, H200, H310) and an 8087 to 8087 cable like this one


Would be happy to be wrong, though.

If your mainboard ports are SATA, this is correct.

 

[Stephen2]

Of course there is, with a reverse breakout cable - assuming of course those ports are from an SAS controller, since SATA controllers do not support any sort of SAS devices.

Thanks Eric, I'm still confused - I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to break it down further, if you could? Having a dumb moment.

Am using the X10SL7-F motherboard, has lots of SATA ports on there, from the SAS controller.

On the backplane is one "output" 8087 SAS connector port [wrong terminology?].

I've purchased 2 reverse breakout cables which each have 1 8087 connector, and 4 SATA ports on the other...

My brain is telling me I could only use 1 cable, and therefore only connect to 4 SATA ports, and I've stuffed up in that way and will need to get the HBA solution going.

 

[danb35]

...and if you bought the motherboard you said you were going to (the X10SL7), you do have SAS ports on it. As @Ericloewe said, a reverse breakout cable will do the job.

 

[danb35]

Am using the X10SL7-F motherboard, has lots of SATA ports on there, from the SAS controller.

The X10SL7 has six SATA ports, and eight SAS ports. Plug the reverse breakout cable into four of the SAS ports, and the other end into the backplane.

 

[Spearfoot]

@danb35, I think @Stephen2 is concerned that he'll only be connecting 4 of the X10SL7's 8 SAS ports to the backplane, using a single cable.

Which is kinda confusing, since the backplane supports more than 4 devices. But if I understand correctly, this should work... right?

 

[danb35]

But if I understand correctly, this should work... right?

It should. I don't have personal experience with the X10SL7, but it should work (my build has a single SAS cable running to a 24-bay expander backplane, and it's currently running 18 drives without problems).

 

[Ericloewe]

@danb35, I think @Stephen2 is concerned that he'll only be connecting 4 of the X10SL7's 8 SAS ports to the backplane, using a single cable.

Which is kinda confusing, since the backplane supports more than 4 devices. But if I understand correctly, this should work... right?

Clearly the backplane has an expander, if it only provides a single SFF-8087 port.

 

[Stephen2]

Ahhh... You guys have broken down my confusion! Thank you! So even though 4 ports are plugged in, it can address all 12 disks on the other end through the magic of SAS... Not intuitive to me, coming from consumer tech land.

That's pretty awesome, and I guess now I have a backup cable in case the other one dies!

 

[Spearfoot]

Clearly the backplane has an expander, if it only provides a single SFF-8087 port.

Yes, sir. But the question is: will it work when connected to 4 of the X10SL7's SAS ports?

It should. I don't have personal experience with the X10SL7, but it should work (my build has a single SAS cable running to a 24-bay expander backplane, and it's currently running 18 drives without problems).

Hmmm... @Stephen2, I suggest you contact Supermicro tech support and ask them whether or not this will work.

Even if it doesn't, you can always pick up an HBA and use that instead (as you pointed out). But it would be a shame to have purchased the X10SL7 for its SAS ports and then not be able to use them.