BUILD Mini-ITX C226 Haswell build

[Richman]

In the event ECC RAM goes bad every system I've worked on either corrected it(with an error) or if it was uncorrectable it resulted in an immediate system halt.

I meant to say, 'ultimately a system halt' I was thinking it and forgot to type it. Something was nagging me that I forgot something.

 

[Dusan]

I was referring to ECC memory errors. I am just concerned that, in the case of a memory module going bad, will I know about it so I can replace it?

This depends on the BIOS. My Supermicro will log the error in the system event log and send an e-mail. You can test what happens by simulating a correctable ECC error by running "ipmitool event 3" (you may need to run "kldload ipmi" first). See this post for an example of the email my board sends: Supermicro X10 series
Please note that this does not test the ECC functionality, it only tests the error handling and reporting.

 

[Richman]

I was referring to ECC memory errors. I am just concerned that, in the case of a memory module going bad, will I know about it so I can replace it?

This depends on the BIOS. My Supermicro will log the error in the system event log and send an e-mail. You can test what happens by simulating a correctable ECC error by running "ipmitool event 3" (you may need to run "kldload ipmi" first). See this post for an example of the email my board sends: Supermicro X10 series
Please note that this does not test the ECC functionality, it only tests the error handling and reporting.

You miss quoted me as saying something that clicq said. Please add the correct HTML tags as shown below.

I was referring to ECC memory errors. I am just concerned that, in the case of a memory module going bad, will I know about it so I can replace it?

If you want to add two quotes from two people nested together, split them up like so.
Little HTML Tag primer. I didn't think you could do nested tags for the first couple days using this forum but must have had my tags wrong.

..... but sound like you talking ECC error since you asked that right after mentioning ECC. I am not sure ECC errors need to be reported in real time to say, an andim's email since ECC handles all errors with the exception of a rare type that it couldn't, it should halt the system. At least this is what I have read in various threads. I am pretty sure it does log them though so that you can review what has happened with them later.

I was referring to ECC memory errors. I am just concerned that, in the case of a memory module going bad, will I know about it so I can replace it?

 

[Dusan]

You miss quoted me as saying something that clicq said. Please add the correct HTML tags as shown below.



If you want to add two quotes from two people nested together, split them up like so.

Thank you, I know how to use the forum. I'm pretty sure I clicked reply on clicq's post as I was responding to his question and I did not quote two persons (you may notice that there is only clicq's message in my quote). I have no idea how the forum managed to insert your ID into the post, but I fixed it.
EDIT: there is also no post where you would quote that clicq's post, so I could not have misclicked on it.

 

[Richman]

TESTING

If I wanted to say something and then wanted to quoted someone else.

Then quote something that Dusan said ....... or put words in his mouth:D;) "I hate everyone and this forum blows"

And then wanted to add something else from my original. Oh this could be fun but then with the ID's, it is a safety where if someone puts words in your mouth it won't match the original post ID

LETS SEE IF THIS WORKS

 

[Dusan]

Hmm, but you never quoted that clicq's post,so I couldn't by mistake use your post containing that quote to construct my post...

 

[Richman]

Thank you, I know how to use the forum. I'm pretty sure I clicked reply on clicq's post as I was responding to his question and I did not quote two persons (you may notice that there is only clicq's message in my quote). I have no idea how the forum managed to insert your ID into the post, but I fixed it.
EDIT: there is also no post where you would quote that clicq's post, so I could not have mis-clicked on it.

I didn't figure that you mis-clicked or anything. I just thought that you were editing the 'Reply' HTML tags and/or were editing the reply by removing part of the quote or adding additional and made a mistake. This can easily happen and I think is the only way it can happen unless there is some internal software glitch that transposed 'Post ID's'

I have messed up posts merely by confusing the 'Edit' button with the 'Reply' button and thought I was doing one when I was doing the other.

 

[Richman]

Hmm, but you never quoted that clicq's post,so I couldn't by mistake use your post containing that quote to construct my post...

Actually, clicq quoted me in his post but you are right about one thing, there is no button to quote the posters 'Quotee'. Furthermore I notice that when you 'Reply' to a 'Post' where the 'Poster' quoted someone, the system does not by default put nest the Quotee's message under the poster's ID that your quoting. In other words if I reply to Dusan who quoted clicq, it does not add clicq post with Dusan nested underneath as the person who responded to and quoted clicq, in my quoted reply. I think that should be a system default but one thing you have to hand tag, cut-n-paste and edit yourself.

I also wish there was some sort of script where when someone quote you and then you go and edit the post that they quoted that they quoted from you, that it automatically adds the revision to anyone like that, that quoted your post. That would eliminate a lot of what turns out to be mis-quotes by default.

 

[Dusan]

You are right. Anyway my original post fixed, I'll pay more attention in the future (in case it was me doing something dumb :)). Maybe one of the admins can delete our posts so that they do not clutter the thread.

 

[clicq]

This depends on the BIOS. My Supermicro will log the error in the system event log and send an e-mail. You can test what happens by simulating a correctable ECC error by running "ipmitool event 3" (you may need to run "kldload ipmi" first). See this post for an example of the email my board sends: Supermicro X10 series
Please note that this does not test the ECC functionality, it only tests the error handling and reporting.

Thanks! The error does get logged in the system event log (and I guess if I setup email alerts I'd also get an email) -- perfect!

 

[PizzaRAID]

I'm building a system very similar to this, but I'm having a hard time figuring out if I need the C226 or if the C224 will meet my needs. I'm planning to have 4 drives in my raidz array, so the 224 should be ok, right?

 

[DJABE]

They are almost the same - the later have sata 2 and sata 3 ports... for only 4 drives 224 chipset is more than enough!

Thanks! The error does get logged in the system event log (and I guess if I setup email alerts I'd also get an email) -- perfect!

So, you can see ECC errors reporing in BIOS for these ASRock server boards?

 

[PizzaRAID]

They are almost the same - the later have sata 2 and sata 3 ports... for only 4 drives 224 chipset is more than enough!

If I wanted to use an SSD instead of a USB stick as a boot drive, would it be ok to hook that up to one of the sata 2 ports, or am I going to be sad I did that? I'm thinking for the boot drive it wouldn't really make a big difference, but I don't want to be kicking myself for not spending the extra $50 or so if it makes a difference.

Also, on Newegg it says the C226 supports "Xeon E3-1200 v3 series & Core i3/i5/i7, Pentium, Celeron" while it says the C224 supports "Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3 series & Haswell i3." Is it really true that the 224 supports fewer CPUs? I was planning on using an i3 anyway, but it would be nice to have broader support in case I wanted to upgrade later. (I'm a bit disappointed these only support 16GB of RAM for the same reason. I'm planning to start with 16GB anyway, but it would be great to at least have the capability to upgrade later if I need to.)

 

[djk29a]

Really no point in using an SSD for a boot driving using FreeNAS because it's normally meant to boot from the USB stick and to treat it as read-only with minimal use of the data on the boot volume overall. You would get better use of the SSD using the SSD as an L2ARC device in terms of performance. As for SATA2 v. SATA3, you can get anywhere from a small boost to significant but not perceptible boost if your SSD is fast enough. Last I checked, if your bleeding edge SSD is 128GB or greater in size you should get an occasional benefit to using SATA3.

C224 and C226 have no socket and BIOS / EFI differences when it comes to CPU feature support, it makes little sense to bother disabling these things from the manufacturer's perspective anyway.

I have a i3-4130 CPU on a C224 motherboard sporting 16GB of RAM with a Crucial SSD running an HBA for my drive controller and I'm doing perfectly fine as I see it for the next few years. If I need more space, I think it'd be better to just buy / build another unit instead of mucking around risking data trying to expand this out. The only weird quibble I have is that ASRock released a firmware update for the C226 that didn't apply for the C224 but I'm not touching it given things run sufficiently stable for me at present.

 

[PizzaRAID]

All good points. Thanks.

 

[clicq]

So, you can see ECC errors reporing in BIOS for these ASRock server boards?

When I send an ECC event using "ipmitool event 3", I see the following in the event log (viewable from the board's web interface):

5301/05/2014 00:24:34UnknownMemoryCorrectable ECC - Asserted

I would assume then that an actual ECC error would be reported the same way.

The only weird quibble I have is that ASRock released a firmware update for the C226 that didn't apply for the C224 but I'm not touching it given things run sufficiently stable for me at present.

It looks to me like the recent BIOS updates (1.80 for the C226 and 1.60 for the C224) are basically the same?

 

[cyberjock]

When I send an ECC event using "ipmitool event 3", I see the following in the event log (viewable from the board's web interface):

5301/05/2014 00:24:34UnknownMemoryCorrectable ECC - Asserted

I would assume then that an actual ECC error would be reported the same way.

That's the expectation.

 

[Richman]

You are right. Anyway my original post fixed, I'll pay more attention in the future (in case it was me doing something dumb :)). Maybe one of the admins can delete our posts so that they do not clutter the thread.

As a side note to this, I also noticed later that if you post to a thread and then say OOPS, and edit your own post 5 seconds later that people set up for email alerts don't get and email with your edited revision. At least I am pretty sure of this as I checked some weeks ago and this is what I recollect. I know the original email alerts don't get the edit as in ie: the email alert didn't actually have the thread post text in the email but had some kind of jquery or script that grabbed the post text from the forum db with the lasted edits at the time of opening the email. That would be sweet as people opening email alerts and reading them don't get the latest edits and is problematic in that they respond to misinformation that was already since then, been edited by the poster. Cyberjock does this frequently which tells me that he usually or frequently reads threads posts from his email alerts. This is why if I open an email alert of a post I have trained myself to go to the thread and read it from there with any edits contained therein.



Edit:
ie: Anyone reading this from their email alert will not see this edit.
Now I know why some put the word 'Edit' at the start of their edit as it alerts anyone who think they have already read a post form an email or from the day before and that would normally disregard it to the fact that there is additional info added. I may start doing this. Actually, a flash object may be able too be used to drag the latest text from the forum db containing all of the latest edits. But as I understand, the forum software was built by another company so i am sure none of the FreNAS developers are going to bother adding to it.

 

[Richman]

You are right. Anyway my original post fixed, I'll pay more attention in the future (in case it was me doing something dumb :)). Maybe one of the admins can delete our posts so that they do not clutter the thread.

Test:
I will post this test post but nobody reading this from their email alerts will see the edit, nor will they get an email alert that I in fact DID edit my post and called them out and/or called their mother a nasty name.

Edit:
Your mother is so fat that she makes the planet wobble on its axis.:)

 

[PizzaRAID]

A follow-up regarding i5 and i7 support on the C224 ASRock board: I got mine today, and in the instruction manual it says "Haswell i5/i7 processor support is an extended advantage provided by ASRock Rack. It is out of warranty, user's discretion is required." I'm not quite sure what they mean by that, and I'm using an i3 so it won't affect me anyway, but I wanted to put it out there in case it's helpful to anyone else.

Edit: Actually, reading it more closely, it specifically says the above for the C226 board. For the C224, it simply says "Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v3 product family and Haswell i3." So they definitely appear to be saying that i5 and i7 aren't supported on the C224, and that they're "out of warranty" on the C226. Though again I don't know what that really will mean in practice.