Hypopheralcus
Cadet
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
- Messages
- 7
Hi There!
I've been running a FreeNAS-Server vor several years now in a giant Lian Li PC-D8000 case and a Supermicro Mainboard X10SL7-F with a bunch of WD Red SATA-Drives in it
First of all: That "old" system will be kept on a different site and can therefore not be "reused" in total or in parts
So what I'm planning is a "professional" TrueNAS-Server in my new home where I'll be moving this summer.
Use case: Mainly data storage (Media, Backup, etc.) and some jails, small VMs, Databases, etc. (all for home appliance, so we talk of "home sensors", "home automatisation", home surveillance, etc. - so no "enterprise" 24/7 heavy-work-load topics. Databases are mainly for e.g. Kodi/HTPC)
So "big Storage" is most important - speed is actually not SO important, although I want to have some reserves for future applications and I also want to use the server for up to 10 years+ at the best (my current server has been running for 8 years now and apart from some drives there was no need to replace or upgrade anything)
I read a lot of guides and postings but I still fall short on some topics.
CASE: What i more or less decided is, that I want to use the Supermicro Case 846BE2C-R1K23B which I'll fill with 50 % at first, so 12x 14TB WD Ultrastar DC HC530 and have additional space for a 3rd 6-drive-array and maybe even a 4th. I defenitely want the option of 4x6-drive-vdevs plus redundant Boot drives (maybe m.2)
BOARD/CPU: Where I'm still completely lost though is Mainboard + CPU - the Supermicro Mainboards come in dozens of different variants and I just don't get what's best for my appliance.
I read a lot about sockets, chipsets, etc. but honestly, I was more confused afterwards...
There seems to be a new X12-series with Supermicro, but only for workstation PCs, so no "server-grade" Xeons there, as I understood
So should i still stick to X11-boards (I'm always hesitant when choosing already "out-of-date" products) and are there latest-gen CPUs for those boards?
Maybe a board with 1 or even 2 m.2-ports would be fine for the boot drive?
As it's a home appliance I dont need a XEON GOLD, but as I said, i want to have some reserves and I dont want to buy already-out-of-date Hardware
So do you have any specific recommendations about BOARD/CPU for a sophisticated home appliance with a 10 year lifetime?
MEMORY: I found the Kingston Server Premier DIMM 32GB, DDR4-2666, CL19-19-19, ECC where I would use 4x32 GB (i think that's the most, the non-server-xeons can handle?)
Backplane/SAS:
So, where I'm even more lost is the storage controller. In my current server I have an SAS controller with a "breakout" cable that connects every single backplane-port with a SATA-Cable. That was the only solution I found back then
Now I leanred that the integrated supermicro-Backplane features a "SAS-Expander", so I would only need 2 "SAS-Cables" from the storage controller to the backplane - right?
But if I do so - do I have to use SAS Hard Drives? The exact same drives (WD Ultrastar DC HC530 with 14 TB) cost 200 Euros more (!) with SAS than with SATA. So is there any way to use SATA drives instead - and if possible - do I have to change the backplane for that? And if so, is it "whise" to opt for cheaper SATA-drives in a home environment or do I have significant benefits with SAS-drives?
About budget is not SO important - I planned up to 5.000 Euros (or USD) for the system without drive - but if I get it for a better price of course I take the bargain!
And also, if there is any way to reduce idle-wattage to save on the electricity bill I wouldn't be mad about it, as the server will be in idle mode about 90 % of the time.
Sorry for the long text and sorry if there are any errors in it (english is not my native language)
Thanks in advance for your help
Kind regards
Hypo
I've been running a FreeNAS-Server vor several years now in a giant Lian Li PC-D8000 case and a Supermicro Mainboard X10SL7-F with a bunch of WD Red SATA-Drives in it
First of all: That "old" system will be kept on a different site and can therefore not be "reused" in total or in parts
So what I'm planning is a "professional" TrueNAS-Server in my new home where I'll be moving this summer.
Use case: Mainly data storage (Media, Backup, etc.) and some jails, small VMs, Databases, etc. (all for home appliance, so we talk of "home sensors", "home automatisation", home surveillance, etc. - so no "enterprise" 24/7 heavy-work-load topics. Databases are mainly for e.g. Kodi/HTPC)
So "big Storage" is most important - speed is actually not SO important, although I want to have some reserves for future applications and I also want to use the server for up to 10 years+ at the best (my current server has been running for 8 years now and apart from some drives there was no need to replace or upgrade anything)
I read a lot of guides and postings but I still fall short on some topics.
CASE: What i more or less decided is, that I want to use the Supermicro Case 846BE2C-R1K23B which I'll fill with 50 % at first, so 12x 14TB WD Ultrastar DC HC530 and have additional space for a 3rd 6-drive-array and maybe even a 4th. I defenitely want the option of 4x6-drive-vdevs plus redundant Boot drives (maybe m.2)
BOARD/CPU: Where I'm still completely lost though is Mainboard + CPU - the Supermicro Mainboards come in dozens of different variants and I just don't get what's best for my appliance.
I read a lot about sockets, chipsets, etc. but honestly, I was more confused afterwards...
There seems to be a new X12-series with Supermicro, but only for workstation PCs, so no "server-grade" Xeons there, as I understood
So should i still stick to X11-boards (I'm always hesitant when choosing already "out-of-date" products) and are there latest-gen CPUs for those boards?
Maybe a board with 1 or even 2 m.2-ports would be fine for the boot drive?
As it's a home appliance I dont need a XEON GOLD, but as I said, i want to have some reserves and I dont want to buy already-out-of-date Hardware
So do you have any specific recommendations about BOARD/CPU for a sophisticated home appliance with a 10 year lifetime?
MEMORY: I found the Kingston Server Premier DIMM 32GB, DDR4-2666, CL19-19-19, ECC where I would use 4x32 GB (i think that's the most, the non-server-xeons can handle?)
Backplane/SAS:
So, where I'm even more lost is the storage controller. In my current server I have an SAS controller with a "breakout" cable that connects every single backplane-port with a SATA-Cable. That was the only solution I found back then
Now I leanred that the integrated supermicro-Backplane features a "SAS-Expander", so I would only need 2 "SAS-Cables" from the storage controller to the backplane - right?
But if I do so - do I have to use SAS Hard Drives? The exact same drives (WD Ultrastar DC HC530 with 14 TB) cost 200 Euros more (!) with SAS than with SATA. So is there any way to use SATA drives instead - and if possible - do I have to change the backplane for that? And if so, is it "whise" to opt for cheaper SATA-drives in a home environment or do I have significant benefits with SAS-drives?
About budget is not SO important - I planned up to 5.000 Euros (or USD) for the system without drive - but if I get it for a better price of course I take the bargain!
And also, if there is any way to reduce idle-wattage to save on the electricity bill I wouldn't be mad about it, as the server will be in idle mode about 90 % of the time.
Sorry for the long text and sorry if there are any errors in it (english is not my native language)
Thanks in advance for your help
Kind regards
Hypo
