Issue with complicated NAS and Serial Console installation.

[leondante]

Hello and thank you in advance for your help.

I've been for so long days trying to make work this NAS with multiple NAS dedicated OS, but nothing works properly. I looked into a lot of forums and manuals and FAQs without success. The couple systems that worked were giving me some troubles not hardware related so after some time, I decided to fight the way to install FreeNAS on this thing, as I'm sure it will be really better than the others.

Is my first time dealing with BSD systems, so please have on mind that I'll need some knowledge-handicapped help (thank you again for your patience and any tips & hints you can give me).

The victim is a Western Digital DX4000 Sentinel, a headless server that even has the serial console hidden (you have to solder some cables inside to make the connection). I look everywhere but nothing I found works. I really need help to make this not-that-cheap-thing work. I tried to connect a graphic card to the only PCI X4 it has inside, but it didn't work.

It reach the bootloader, but don't go any further. I'm leaving here a picture of the last thing I see before it stop showing things (add the 'set console=vidconsole,comconsole' line there, I tried that a lot of times too).

I tried from CD with external CD reader and with a lot of USB sticks. Tried to edit the /boot/loader.conf file but I'm still trying to install FreeBSD to access it and edit it, still didn't that.

Thank you again, hope you can help me here...

My Hardware: Intel Atom (1,8 GHz), 4 Gb RAM (Is really mandatory to have 8?), only 2 USB plugs, a serial console plug and a dead PCI X4.

 

[blanchet]

Try the following steps. Go to the next step only if you succeed the previous one

• install a Linux distribution on this server (Debian 10, text install in expert mode).
• install a vanilla FreeBSD (actually FreeBSD 12.1)
• install FreeNAS 11.1u7 (the last version that supports GRUB)
• install FreeNAS 11.2u7 or later (with FreeBSD boot loader)

 

[leondante]

Try the following steps. Go to the next step only if you succeed the previous one

• install a Linux distribution on this server (Debian 10, text install in expert mode).
• install a vanilla FreeBSD (actually FreeBSD 12.1)
• install FreeNAS 11.1u7 (the last version that supports GRUB)
• install FreeNAS 11.2u7 or later (with FreeBSD boot loader)

0K, I'm on it. May I ask why should I do these steps? I'm curious. Thanks.

 

[blanchet]

You have to follow this steps to save time to understand where the issue is:

• Linux has the better compatibility. If it does not work with Linux, there is no chance that it works with FreeBSD
• vanilla FreeBSD support more hardware and options that FreeNAS (which use a modified version of FreeBSD). If it does not work with vanilla FreeBSD, there is no chance that it works with FreeNAS
• FreeNAS 11.1u7 uses the GRUB boot loader (that comes from Linux) and supports more devices that FreeBSD BTX
• Finally try FreeNAS 11.2u7 which boots with FreeBSD BTX but supports less hardware

 

[cobrakiller58]

The DX4000 appears to be based on the Intel Atom D525 which only support 4 gigs of ram this doesn't seem like a promising endeavor.

 

[leondante]

The DX4000 appears to be based on the Intel Atom D525 which only support 4 gigs of ram this doesn't seem like a promising endeavor.

That's a thing that I have on mind and I want to know more. This is for home use, not for office or other intensive using. Really 8 Gb are needed for get it working, having on mind that is for personal and kind of 'for backup' use?

 

[cobrakiller58]

The 8GB requirement came up I believe because people were losing their data, if the makers of the software say it needs 8GB trust them.

 

[leondante]

The 8GB requirement came up I believe because people were losing their data, if the makers of the software say it needs 8GB trust them.

I'm sure that is because of reasons that they put that requirement... But if it's about low speed or something, I can wait. If it's mandatory for not having serious problems, I'll have to deal with it and look for another solution.

 

[cobrakiller58]

have you seen this section of the manual?

1. Introduction — FreeNAS®11.2-U7 User Guide Table of Contents

www.ixsystems.com

 

[leondante]

have you seen this section of the manual?

1. Introduction — FreeNAS®11.2-U7 User Guide Table of Contents

www.ixsystems.com

Nope, didn't see that before. Thank you. Here's my wanted answer:

"Do not use FreeNAS® to store data without at least 8 GiB of RAM. Many users expect FreeNAS® to function with less memory, just at reduced performance. The bottom line is that these minimums are based on feedback from many users. Requests for help in the forums or IRC are sometimes ignored when the installed system does not have at least 8 GiB of RAM because of the abundance of information that FreeNAS® may not behave properly with less memory."

I've decided to sell this thing and build up a NAS with a nice ATX case I have here doing nothing. Buying only a MB, RAM and a power supply I'll have everything I need to make a monster of a NAS.

I have to say that this device was my main source of headaches of 2019. It's really a bad device, looks like they wanted to make people suffer with it. Is user friendly after you buy it, but technician killer when you have any problem.

Thank you for your help.

 

[cobrakiller58]

That sounds like the best bet to me, there are a number of build threads in here with A LOT of good recommendations for hardware make sure to read up before pulling the trigger on your purchase.

 

[jgreco]

Pretty sure the D525 unofficially supports 8GB RAM as I think we have one around here somewhere doing just that.

As the person who instituted the 8GB minimum requirement years ago, ... don't try with 4GB.