Need help with Dell r730xd + MD1200 or MD3200

[CheeryFlame]

Hey there,

I'm in the process of RMAing my Dell r730xd server and need to decide between the 12x 3.5" bay or the 24x 2.5" bay version.

Considering a future-proof storage solution, I'm leaning towards SSDs, anticipating a drop in prices. I currently have 12x HDDs in a 140tb vdev that I want to retain.

Scenario A: Opt for the r730xd 24x 2.5" bays and purchase a Dell MD1200 or MD3200 to accommodate my existing HDDs.

Scenario B: Choose the r730xd 12x 3.5" bays and invest in a Dell MD1220 or MD3220.

Being new to homelabbing, I have a few questions:

1. Is the MD1200/1220/3200/3220 compatible at all with TrueNAS?
2. Can I safely re-import my pool without data loss when transferring the 3.5" HDDs to the PowerVault?
3. What PCIE card is required to connect the PowerVault to the r730xd?
4. Which cables should I get to link the PowerVault to my server?

Thanks a bunch for your assistance!

 

[CheeryFlame]

Would this card work to connect any PowerVault to my r730xd?

LSI 9200-8e 6Gbps ext SAS HBA P20 IT Mode ZFS FreeNAS unRAID NoROM | eBay

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This is the cheapest cable I could find, it's 0.5 meters. Would this be long enough if the Powervault is right under my server?

26Pin SFF-8088 to SFF-8088 Dell External Mini SAS Data Server Cable 022VTY 50CM | eBay

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[ChrisRJ]

I am no expert on this particular aspect. But my gut feeling is that for an SSD-based NAS the main issue is to connect via NVMe. At scale, if I understand correctly, this will require a suitable back-plane with U.2 or U.3 connections and a sufficient number of PCIe lanes from the motherboard.

If you are happy with SATA-based SSDs the situation may be different. But neither in terms of performance nor price per TB this seems particularly future-proof to me.

 

[CheeryFlame]

I am no expert on this particular aspect. But my gut feeling is that for an SSD-based NAS the main issue is to connect via NVMe. At scale, if I understand correctly, this will require a suitable back-plane with U.2 or U.3 connections and a sufficient number of PCIe lanes from the motherboard.

If you are happy with SATA-based SSDs the situation may be different. But neither in terms of performance nor price per TB this seems particularly future-proof to me.

EDIT: I just checked and both the r730xd and r740xd supports PCI Gen 3.0 SSD drives which is good in my opinion.

 

[ChrisRJ]

I have no idea what exactly the r730xd you are looking at supports and probably should have been clearer on that. I was assuming (and that should have been mentioned explicitly, my bad) that this server has a SATA-based backplane. If that is not the case you can ignore my comment, or just read it as general statement but not specific to the machine in question.

 

[CheeryFlame]

I have no idea what exactly the r730xd you are looking at supports and probably should have been clearer on that. I was assuming (and that should have been mentioned explicitly, my bad) that this server has a SATA-based backplane. If that is not the case you can ignore my comment, or just read it as general statement but not specific to the machine in question.

Aight, ChatGPT says

The Dell PowerEdge R730xd 24x 2.5" is generally equipped with PCIe Gen 3.0 slots. As of my last update in January 2022

The Dell PowerEdge R740xd supports PCIe Gen 3.0, as of my last knowledge update in January 2022

 

[ChrisRJ]

Aight, ChatGPT says

This is the mistake. In addition to my general reservations about using ChatGPT for matters of the complexity we have here, the answers you mention talk about the PCIe slot on the motherboard. Those have nothing to do with the back-plane at all.

 

[Ericloewe]

Yeah, no. The R730XD has, at most, four U.2 slots, and I think it's just on the 24x2.5" backplane. For any serious NVMe SSD usage, I would highly recommend something newer. Gen 14 servers tend to have more U.2 slots, but it's just as likely that a specific unit will have none.

 

[CheeryFlame]

So it seems it would be a maximum of 4x U.2 nvme SSDs.

The R730xd is a Dual Intel Processor server with possibilities for

18x 1.8" + 8x 3.5" SAS/SATA + 2X 2.5" SAS/SATA in backplane

24x 2.5" SAS/SATA/NVMe (20x 2.5" SAS/SATA + 4x NVMe + 2x 2.5" SAS/SATA backplane) SSDs.

The Dell PowerEdge R730xd supports 3 types of SSDs: SATA, SAS, and NVMe U.2 SSDs, which can range from sizes 240 GB to 7.68 TB and speeds from 3GB/s, 6GB/s to 12GB/s depending on whether you, the consumer choose SAS, SATA or NVMe. Maximum capacity the R730xd can offer physically is 24x 7.68TB SSDs.

 

[Nixoid]

I have 730xd with U.2 connected.
24SFF backplane have option to add NVMe to last 4 slots.
I, personally, will choose LFF option.
12 on front, 4 on middle and (not sure if it possible in that configuration) 2x2.5 flex bay on back.
16x3.5 HDD - huge amount of data.
But it's depend on your user case.
For cashing you can occupy x8 slots and put 2x NVME Optane. Or 4, or 6.
In my case I use 2x8 slots for Optane and will try (waiting for card) install 4x U.2 2.5 SSD on 16x Card.
HDD still have more endurance than SSD.
18Tb HDD cost less (like x10) than 16Tb SSD.
But if you want more IOPS, SDD and SAS3 12G shelf your choice.

 

[Nixoid]

About NVMe in PCIe slots: Dell DPWC300 P/N:0NTRCY Works on r730 and r730XD (test both server).
And 10Gtek M.2 NGFF M-Key to PCIe x8 NVMe will work on r730/730xd, checked it today.