Intel vs AMD (and form factor)

[pro lamer]

Disclaimer: just a sanity chime in...

one scrub away from major, unrecoverable data loss

Do you mean scrub of death (SoD)? I thought it is an already debunked myth!

Some in our forums run non-ECC rigs...

Having said that: @Octopuss I'll stick to the ECC.

There's no fsck for ZFS.

Good point. Instead one has to have a backup copy (or copies).

Is there any significant difference between C232 and C236

C236 also has some extra virtualization features but I don't know if they are needed or supported in bhyve.

MiniITX boards, which physically only have room for one PCIe slot

Sometimes they support bifurcation so one can have more slots...

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[Constantin]

Sometimes they support bifurcation so one can have more slots...

Alternatively, go X10SDV-2C-7TP4F (Flex ATX) and have two PCIe 3.0x8 slots without bifurcation, etc. Not the best processor for anyone seeking transcoding (D-1508 @ 2 Cores, 4 Threads and 2.2-2.6HGz clock) and the like but you can always go with a more powerful processor in that line if that's a must have.

However, for a small SoHo dedicated file server, I consider that board to be about perfect in terms of features. Between the LSI 16-Channel SAS controller, x4 m.2 port for Optane SLOG, two SATADOM connectors, on board dual SFP+ connectors, etc. this board is a deal at $500.

 

[Octopuss]

I might start looking into the virtualization stuff. Today I remembered I wanted to run a dedicated server for some multiplayer games on a few occasions in past, and doing so on my own PC is not the best approach.
But right now I don't even have the hardware set in stone yet :D
C236 it is though!

 

[Octopuss]

Oh btw, regarding supported network cards.
The Intel X550-T1 does have a driver for FreeBSD, but am I right in assuming that just because a standalone driver is available doesn't mean the card is usable with FreeNAS? It would have to be integrated in FreeBSD by default, right?

 

[Constantin]

Oh, looks like Vizio and other manufacturers continue to spy on customers' viewing habits unless they specifically opt-out. This Verge interview with with CTO at Vizio at CES 2019 is eye opening - Mr. Baxster admits that their smart TVs are designed to recognize the content being played and report that back to the mothership unless the consumer opts-out. Other manufacturers are allegedly lagging Vizio, which presumably only became a industry leader re: privacy after it got fined $17MM for violating user privacy.

Mr. Baxster also cites the need for additional post-sale income to cover the costs of keeping the TVs updated. Apparently, few people opt out, which is why this business model continues to function even as he and other manufacturers struggle with <10% profit margins. I expect this trend to only get worse over time and the protections afforded by "anonymization" of the data to become rather non-existent once multiple data sets are overlaid.

 

[Octopuss]

What does that have to do with the topic?

 

[Constantin]

What does that have to do with the topic?

it’s s a follow on to an earlier message in this thread where I discussed the benefits of isolating TVs and only using them as monitors. I thought the industry was done spying on people, that was a mistaken belief!

So if privacy is of concern, there definitely is a benefit to breaking out the components in your system and only using the TV as a dumb panel. Run Plex on a Rasberry pi or HTPC instead and keep the TV isolated from your internet connection.

I’d still turn on the privacy option, if available, just to spare the TV CPU from having to process one image a second and attempting to send the FFT or whatever back to the mothership. It likely will allow the TV to run cooler and use less power.

 

[Octopuss]

I guess I am glad I live in Europe where most of this stuff is most likely illegal.

 

[Constantin]

I guess I am glad I live in Europe where most of this stuff is most likely illegal.

I wouldn't count on it. GDPR and so on allows this sort of data collection as long as the user consents to it. It's easy enough to make said consent mandatory to use the appliance. The slashdot article that alerted me to the Verge article included an interesting response from an alleged SOC designer for Smart TVs noting that TV manufacturers are considering out-of-band approaches to transmitting viewing data back to the mothership.

All comes down to the presumed value of collecting said user data vs., the up-front price of the hardware. I'll start an off-topic thread on this in case others might be interested.

 

[pro lamer]

Intel X550-T1

Have you seen other threads in our forums on this chip helpful? Our forums search engine seems poor, instead use Google and site:FreeNAS.org

BTW

with ECC, single bit errors would be fixed, and multi-bit errors would just halt the system, saving your data

Single bit errors are fixed, double bit ones detected and cause halt, and multi bit ones may be or may not be detected, depending on exact error pattern.

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[Octopuss]

Have you seen other threads in our forums on this chip helpful? Our forums search engine seems poor, instead use Google and site:FreeNAS.org

I didn't find much (yes I did google search). If anything, people seem to be using T2 instead.

I don't seem to have much of a choice (when I feel like faster than 1Gbit), because those Chelsea cards are no exactly cheap, plus I'd have to pay the same extra amount for RJ-45 ports, the cards being optical by default.

 

[pro lamer]

Is the FreeBSD driver the same for T1 and T2... Don't know if it helps...

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[Octopuss]

Do you think this transceiver will work with those usual Chelsio cards? It looks suspiciously cheap compared to what I can find on Ebay - like $65 (edit: even half of that, actually).

 

[Octopuss]

Unexpectedly, I have to build the server right now.
It's going to be Supermicro X11SCH-F and Xeon E-2134.
I am unsure about memory - I presume I want unbuffered, right?
I guess I can buy whatever with these new chipsets, and it will likely work without problems?

 

[pro lamer]

unbuffered, right?

Yes

X11SCH-F.

Nice: 8 SATA ports. And hopefully capable of 128GB RAM in future...

E-2134

Pity that not 2146G ;)

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[Octopuss]

I am trying to figure out my CPU needs.
I intend to build a Vsphere box that will run pFsense and FreeNAS, possibly media server (not sure at all).
Is quadcore, like the E-2134, enough?

P.S. Why would I want Xeon G?

 

[Octopuss]

Oh and also, would 16GB RAM be enough for this build?

 

[pro lamer]

I guess I can buy whatever with these new chipsets, and it will likely work without problems?

Maybe someone else can chime in - I don't know. Although previous generation X11 boards are known in our forums to be RAM-picky.

P.S. Why would I want Xeon G?

Didn't mean the G in particular. I just found 2146G passmark score (~16000) but hadn't seen 2146 (nonG) version score.

I only mentioned the 2146G because in my area the 2146G is not much more expensive than 2134 but has 1.5x more passmark score...

Edit2: I've just checked and E-2136 is even cheaper (a bit) than 2146G but still has 15900 passmark points.

Is quadcore, like the E-2134, enough?

Oh and also, would 16GB RAM be enough for this build?

Maybe someone else can chime in.

Edit:
It may depend on your firewall load/traffic needs too, especially if you plan using ipsec or openvpn...

 

[Octopuss]

Definitely no VPNs. Just regular use...

 

[Stux]

does Plex simply require specific application inside a TV

Plex has smart tv apps for most major smart tv brands.

Or most of the STBs ( ie AppleTv, roku etc)

So if your tv has a Plex app then you don’t need a Plex ‘device’ other than your Plex server.

The problem with the Xeon D 2C is that it’s only 2 core. And you can’t upgrade it.

Here’s a link to my living room friendly 6 bay FreeNAS build:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...node-304-x10sdv-tln4f-esxi-freenas-aio.57116/