Just bought this beast

[danb35]

All the bays in my 12-bay server are full, and expanding the pool disk-by-disk seems so wasteful, what with throwing out good disks. This led to some browsing on eBay, which found this server. Overkill probably doesn't even begin to describe it (and I might need to be talked out of buying a pair of E5-2670s to drop in there), but it certainly ought to have enough drive bays, RAM, and CPU to meet my needs for the foreseeable future.

The server comes with a SuperMicro "AOC-S2208L-H8iR w/ L3-25419-05" RAID controller, which looks like it uses a LSI 2208 chip. From what I've been able to find so far, (1) this card/chip won't do IT mode, and (2) even if it did, I'd be better off selling it and replacing it with a 9211-8i. It appears this is a legacy product, as I don't see a current product page on supermicro.com for it, so I'm not really sure what the L3-25419-05 is--I'd guess either the BBU or supercap that are mentioned here.

I'm wondering about the motherboard. It's a X9DRD-7LN4F-JBOD, which has two SFF-8087 SAS ports on board, driven by a SAS2308 controller. With those there, do I even need to put in the 9211? Seems I should be able to just run one SAS cable to the front backplane, and a second one to the back.

 

[Dice]

Are these the older backplane which is 'capped' at 2tb per drive?

 

[danb35]

The listing says it's a SAS2 backplane, which wouldn't have that limitation.
Edit: The server looks like the SuperStorage Server 6047R-E1R36L, which according to SuperMicro's spec page does have the SAS2 backplane. Shouldn't be any concern about drive sizes.

SuperMicro also indicates there's a bracket available to mount a couple of SSDs internally. Might be a nice solution for a L2ARC or perhaps a boot device (though I'd likely use a SATA DOM for the latter, since I already have them).

 

[Dice]

It is virtually unreal how much hardware you got for that buck. From eyes on ebay/w customs+freight to Sweden, this is beyond unreal. Even the case empty - I've seen for similar sums second hand.

Unreal.

 

[jgreco]

All the bays in my 12-bay server are full, and expanding the pool disk-by-disk seems so wasteful, what with throwing out good disks. This led to some browsing on eBay, which found this server. Overkill probably doesn't even begin to describe it (and I might need to be talked out of buying a pair of E5-2670s to drop in there), but it certainly ought to have enough drive bays, RAM, and CPU to meet my needs for the foreseeable future.

The server comes with a SuperMicro "AOC-S2208L-H8iR w/ L3-25419-05" RAID controller, which looks like it uses a LSI 2208 chip. From what I've been able to find so far, (1) this card/chip won't do IT mode, and (2) even if it did, I'd be better off selling it and replacing it with a 9211-8i. It appears this is a legacy product, as I don't see a current product page on supermicro.com for it, so I'm not really sure what the L3-25419-05 is--I'd guess either the BBU or supercap that are mentioned here.

I'm wondering about the motherboard. It's a X9DRD-7LN4F-JBOD, which has two SFF-8087 SAS ports on board, driven by a SAS2308 controller. With those there, do I even need to put in the 9211? Seems I should be able to just run one SAS cable to the front backplane, and a second one to the back.

The onboard SAS with the 2308 is probably dandy for your use. It's the same controller that's on the X10SL7.

The 2208 is a high end LSI RAID controller, very nice, works well with things like ESXi.

No, it won't do IT mode, and you'd be better off selling it if you've got no other application for it. I'd offer you $175 for the 2208 and whatever the L3-whatever is because I'm looking for something along those lines for an older X9 box, but I can't justify the cost of a new generation LSI 3108 (~$800 fully decked) just to drive two SSD's. I have to tell you that's probably not the greatest offer you could get, you could maybe get $250-$300 for it.

 

[danb35]

The onboard SAS with the 2308 is probably dandy for your use.

That's what I was thinking--flash it to P20, plug the SAS cables into the motherboard, and I should be set, right?

I'll get back to you on the 2208 once the box gets here.

 

[jgreco]

That's what I was thinking--flash it to P20, plug the SAS cables into the motherboard, and I should be set, right?

Yes, I'd guess that the X10SL7 resources are a suitable starting point too. The absolute worst case scenario is it doesn't pan out and then you're back to a 9211-8i/M1015/wotevr.

I'll get back to you on the 2208 once the box gets here.

Oh, a few words of advice? Check carefully for damage. If it comes in a Supermicro box, you might want to find a way to keep it, just in case you ever sell the unit (and with SSD prices in free-fall, the 3.5" form factor might be off the table in five years). And for heaven's sake, bear in mind that this thing is probably ~75 lbs EMPTY, and more like 150 lbs loaded with drives. It is big and awkward. It is absolutely a back-wrecker, so find a few pals to help you when you're moving it, racking it, etc. If you absolutely must move it yourself, pull the drives out first.

 

[danb35]

The machine arrived yesterday, and I'm sure my UPS guy hates me now. It appears to be in good condition. There's a little bit of sheet metal damage on the back panel, but all the moving parts seem to move properly, and nothing that isn't supposed to move seems to be moving. I removed the RAID card and rerouted the SAS cables to the motherboard ports (which was more work than it should have been--I hadn't read the manual closely enough to realize that the motherboard tray simply slides out).

I've got memtest86+ banging away for now; once the pair of E5-2670s come in (I couldn't resist) I'll load it up with prime95 or something.

 

[Dice]

What memtest version are you running?
Just discovered the v4 free version does not list ECC checks according to this url http://www.memtest86.com/features.htm#fn4

 

[danb35]

Memtest86+ 5.01, the latest on the Ultimate Boot CD. Even Memtest86 (a different product) doesn't say it supports ECC testing on the Xeon E5 series. While it'd be nice to validate that ECC is doing its thing, this should at least show that there aren't major errors in the memory.

 

[Dice]

What the.. Didnt even realize they were separated products. hmpf.

 

[anodos]

Supermicro shipping from San Jose? Wonder if it once had ixsystems branding? :D
(because San Jose is a small town and all servers coming from there have to be related to ixsystems)

 

[jgreco]

Supermicro shipping from San Jose? Wonder if it once had ixsystems branding? :D
(because San Jose is a small town and all servers coming from there have to be related to ixsystems)

Heh, funny. San Jose is headquarters to lots of places, including the large Supermicro Headquarters campus, silicon slingers like Broadcom, wholesalers like Ma*Labs, retailers like Fry's Electronics, and tucked away in a little industrial park is a little shop front:



They're definitely in the armpit of Silicon Valley, and I have to say that I've seen an impressive amount of their gear deployed over the years, considering their modest size.

 

[jgreco]

once the pair of E5-2670s come in (I couldn't resist) I'll load it up with prime95 or something.

Hahahaha, sounds fun. At least it didn't arrive with things rattling around inside.

 

[danb35]

At least it didn't arrive with things rattling around inside.

I don't think so, anyway. It's not like I could very well pick it up and give it a shake...

 

[anodos]

I don't think so, anyway. It's not like I could very well pick it up and give it a shake...

Yeah, hernias and back injuries aren't fun.

 

[jgreco]

Yeah, hernias and back injuries aren't fun.

Bear in mind that this thing is probably ~75 lbs EMPTY, and more like 150 lbs loaded with drives. It is big and awkward. It is absolutely a back-wrecker, so find a few pals to help you when you're moving it, racking it, etc. If you absolutely must move it yourself, pull the drives out first.

 

[danb35]

Are these the older backplane which is 'capped' at 2tb per drive?

Forgot to directly answer this once I got the machine. No, the backplane (at least the front one; I haven't checked the back) isn't capped at 2TB per drive--3TB, 4TB, and 6TB drives all work fine and have full capacity available.

 

[Mirfster]

All I can say is welcome to Hardware Addicts Anonymous. FreeNas, eBay, Amazon, NewEgg, MicroCenter, etc. are going to be life long escorts from here out. There is no hiding now, calls to peruse and purchase hardware will haunt your every waking moment and thoughts of "what if I were to get this?" will parade your mind in your slumber. ;)

 

[jgreco]

All I can say is welcome to Hardware Addicts Anonymous. FreeNas, eBay, Amazon, NewEgg, MicroCenter, etc. are going to be life long escorts from here out. There is no hiding now, calls to peruse and purchase hardware will haunt your every waking moment and thoughts of "what if I were to get this?" will parade your mind in your slumber. ;)

Just be real careful ... tech vendors are as bad as meth dealers. Just be real careful when one starts offering you a free hit ... errr, UPS ... err, whatever....