Installing FreeNAS on HP Microserver Gen10 - braindead simple instructions required please!

[MikeH]

Hello,

I have just bought an HP Microserver Gen10 to run FreeNAS on to replace my failing Netgear ReadyNAS Duo and probably once I have it working to replace my Qnap NAS as well. Before I bought the HP I read about the installation problems with the Gen10 here on this forum (https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...r-a-few-seconds-on-a-microserver-gen10.56809/) and saw there was a work around (https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=221350) so felt confident it would be all okay, more fool me it turns out.

Is there any chance some kind soul could walk me though in baby steps how to implement that fix please? The problem is, I have zero BSD knowledge or experience and limited Linux knowledge and experience. I have a Windows 7 desktop and an Ubuntu laptop to work with but neither will read the install USB flash drive I wrote using Rufus. I tried to alter the /boot/loader.con file in the ISO image but I couldn't write it back into the image (and I may not have added the line of code properly any way). I'm pretty much stuck right now.

I have also read about people installing FreeNAS on another machine and then swapping the drive into the Gen10. I have a spare machine (Phenom II based - I don't really want to pull apart my main work machine, i5 based, right now if I don't have to but if that was the only option then I would) that I could put the SSD I want to install to into and use that but would that work since the hardware is completely different? I'd have thought that BSD would install all the necessary drivers for my spare/test machine and so wouldn't work when the drive was put into the Gen10, or will BSD cope with that?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Mike...

 

[Ericloewe]

I could put the SSD I want to install to into and use that but would that work since the hardware is completely different?

Yes.

I'd have thought that BSD would install all the necessary drivers for my spare/test machine and so wouldn't work when the drive was put into the Gen10, or will BSD cope with that?

No, all drivers are always included.

 

[MikeH]

Thank you, I didn't know that. That's what I'll do, will report back and let you know how it went.

Cheers, Mike...

 

[MikeH]

Thank you again, that worked like a charm. I'm now running FreeNAS on my Gen10 headless. I'm more of a hardware person than software so that solution was probably better for me any way, than editing config files and so on.

Cheers, Mike...

 

[Fidric]

Hi Mike,

I am planning to buy the same HP Microserver Gen10, How many HDDs did you use? I need to install 4x6TB in ZFS1 but I read somewhere that the MAX capacity according to manual is 16TB...

 

[MikeH]

Hi Fidric,

I used 2 x 2TB and 2 x 500GB hard discs. You can certainly use 4 discs with FNAS but I don't know about total capacity. I'd be very, very surprised if ZFS was limited to 16TB. There should be info on max. HD capacity in the docs, I'd download the latest versions and have a look if I were you.

I had other issues in the end which made me try Open Media Vault on the Gen10 and it mostly works really well, I still have one issue that I also had with FNAS in that it stops working if any of the HDs become completely full. My OS drive has heaps of space on it but even if a data drive (or mirror in my case) becomes full both of them start having majour problems.

Hope this helps, Mike...

 

[Redcoat]

I still have one issue that I also had with FNAS in that it stops working if any of the HDs become completely full. My OS drive has heaps of space on it but even if a data drive (or mirror in my case) becomes full both of them start having majour problems.

And this is a surprise?

 

[Fidric]

Hi Fidric,

I used 2 x 2TB and 2 x 500GB hard discs. You can certainly use 4 discs with FNAS but I don't know about total capacity. I'd be very, very surprised if ZFS was limited to 16TB. There should be info on max. HD capacity in the docs, I'd download the latest versions and have a look if I were you.

I had other issues in the end which made me try Open Media Vault on the Gen10 and it mostly works really well, I still have one issue that I also had with FNAS in that it stops working if any of the HDs become completely full. My OS drive has heaps of space on it but even if a data drive (or mirror in my case) becomes full both of them start having majour problems.

Hope this helps, Mike...

Thank you Mike I was meaning according to the -server- manual... I will give a look at that Open Media Vault as well so

 

[danb35]

I'd be very, very surprised if ZFS was limited to 16TB.

It most definitely isn't; the limit is 256 trillion YiB, or 2^128 bytes.

one issue that I also had with FNAS in that it stops working if any of the HDs become completely full.

...which is why the system warns you when any volume reaches 80% capacity.

 

[Fidric]

Hi Fidric,

I used 2 x 2TB and 2 x 500GB hard discs. You can certainly use 4 discs with FNAS but I don't know about total capacity. I'd be very, very surprised if ZFS was limited to 16TB. There should be info on max. HD capacity in the docs, I'd download the latest versions and have a look if I were you.

I had other issues in the end which made me try Open Media Vault on the Gen10 and it mostly works really well, I still have one issue that I also had with FNAS in that it stops working if any of the HDs become completely full. My OS drive has heaps of space on it but even if a data drive (or mirror in my case) becomes full both of them start having majour problems.

Hope this helps, Mike...

I found this:

https://community.hpe.com/t5/ProLia...k-size-on-a-N54L-Proliant-server/td-p/6592128

Limit applies to HD RAID obviously...

 

[Fidric]

Hi everybody,

finally I will try the installation on the Gen10 but I have a last minute doubt: what should I do regarding the integrated Marvell SATA controller I would like to do RAID-Z -software- of course...
Should I disable the integrated Marvell? I gave a look at the BIOS but I am a bit lost :-/

thank you