JBOD Recommendations

[mrjoli021]

Hello,

I currently have a super micro with12 slots running FreesNas Virtualized. I have had this setup for about two years and it is running perfectly fine. I acquired a 24 slot SuperMicro and I wanted to move my 12 slot to it, but then I realized that the CPU's on this box are older than what I currently have.

I would still like to take advantage of the 24 slots and would like to make a JBOD out of it. So it will be my primary FreeNAS box running 12 slots. FreeNAS is visualized and is presenting the Storage back to Vmware. I would like to extend my setup from 12 Slots to 36 Slots.

What would I need to accomplish this?

 

[PhiloEpisteme]

You'll need a way to connect the FreeNAS server to the JBOD chassis, this can be accomplished with an HBA with external ports such as this one. The one I linked is only an example; you should be sure to get one with the number of external ports and PCIe lanes to support the bandwidth you think you'll need.

You'll also need a board inside your JBOD chassis such as the CSE-PTJBOD-CB2 by supermicro. It allows for fan control and turning the power supplies on and off.

Whether you need an expander in your JBOD chassis or not depends on what chassis/backplane you have. If your backplane has an expander you can pick up a card that'll allow you to plug your HBA from your main server into the JBOD chassis, then within the JBOD chassis run the cables to your backplane.

What is the exact model of case and backplane you have that you plan to use for your JBOD?

 

[mrjoli021]

This is the first time I will build out a JBOD so not sure how much bandwidth I would need. The current box has LSI2008 which does not have an external port on it. The new box does have and ARC-1880-IX16 card on it. It does have an external port as well as two ethernet ports on it. My goal is to be able to use all disk as storage to Vmware where my FreeNas is on as well as ISCSI for another host.

What hardware would you recommend?

 

[PhiloEpisteme]

ARC-1880-IX16

This is a RAID controller I believe, which you'll want to avoid with FreeNAS.

Could you please provide the model number of the chassis itself and backplane?

It does have an external port as well as two ethernet ports on it.

What type of port? What is the model number of the chassis and backplane?

It is hard to give specific advice without know the specific hardware you have. Feel free to attach photos as well.

 

[joeinaz]

I too would like to see the model numbers of the chassis, CPU, memory and motherboards involved. Other questions:

1. What virtualization and rev. level are you using?
2. Do you know the chipset of the ARC-1880-IX16 card?
3. Can the ARC-1880-IX16 card be flashed to IT mode?
4. Can the ARC-1880-IX16 be used in a passthrough mode through your virtualization software?

My first thought was to look at the HP 24 port expander. It is inexpensive has an external port and is well document in this forum.

 

[CraigD]

I have to ask, why don't you just move your current build into the larger case?

A JBOD can be simple, or extremely complex, I'm guessing under USD$150 if you already have a case

An internal 8087 port can easily converted to external 8088 port by using a pass thru adapter

Have Fun