New Build Advice Please

[Link Up]

Hello, New to FreeNAS but many years in the biz. This is a whole new thing for me, unrelated to what I have done previously (Novell/3Ware/and even older) systems.

I have a old I7-950 3Ghz on a GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R mobo and 6GB that was a desktop. I also have a AMCC 9650SE-12ML controller from a Windoze build.

In Windoze I had a pair of 300GB drives mirrored for boot, and the other ten drives in their own raid. off of the one controller.

Different things I have read here talk about using a SSD for boot, but still say to have two non-RAID drives?

I don't have an extra SSD to plug in, but I could buy one. My CPU and controller both seem to be adequate per the specs I found, but getting the combination of things working with what drive configuration is the main question?

I have a 2U SuperMicro 12-bay server, but the redundant PS's fans could power a 757. Just not house friendly. It is what I was using as a Windows server, or I should say, was going to. That is why I am trying to determine if the old tower PC could be used, and with what drive configuration.

Thanks!

 

[m0nkey_]

You may want to start by looking at the hardware recommendations guide: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?resources/hardware-recommendations-guide.12/

 

[Link Up]

You may want to start by looking at the hardware recommendations guide: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?resources/hardware-recommendations-guide.12/

Thanks, read the guide and it gave a suggested controller, but I still thought I read I could use the controller I have?

If possible, I would like to use what I have, either the PC, but with less drives, or the server with 12 drives.

It the controller I have is either incompatible or too much of a hassle, I did see the 8-port suggestion. If I use the PC, I will likely only need an 8-port solution and I saw the suggestions there. If I want to use the server, can I use the same 8-port solution and use four of the MOBO ports to get to 12?

Think I read somewhere about the cheapest way to get the 8-port was a Dell model? I found a LSI00194 which seems to be the compatible model and they are $93 on Amazing...is that the right model if I can't or shouldn't use my existing model?

Thanks again!

 

[Stux]

Yes. Mobo ports are good and can be mixed with controller ports. The main thing is you want to be able to give ports to FreeNAS without raid functionality getting in the way

If you don't have spare ports for a boot disk you can use USB flash drives instead, but they can be less reliable, so is a good idea to use a pair of them

 

[danb35]

The i7 series don't support ECC and therefore aren't recommended. You also don't have enough RAM, though that would be easy enough to fix. RAID controllers also aren't recommended unless they can act as a dumb HBA. No, presenting each disk as its own RAID 0 array isn't the same as acting as an HBA. It's my understanding that the 3Ware cards don't have this capability, but I'm far from an expert with them.

If I want to use the server, can I use the same 8-port solution and use four of the MOBO ports to get to 12?

Yes (probably), though depending on exactly which model of SuperMicro 2U 12-bay chassis you have, you may not need to.

 

[Link Up]

Yes. Mobo ports are good and can be mixed with controller ports. The main thing is you want to be able to give ports to FreeNAS without raid functionality getting in the way

If you don't have spare ports for a boot disk you can use USB flash drives instead, but they can be less reliable, so is a good idea to use a pair of them

Thanks for letting me know I could for instance mix mobo ports with a controller, like the LSI SAS9211-8I.

 

[Link Up]

The i7 series don't support ECC and therefore aren't recommended. You also don't have enough RAM, though that would be easy enough to fix. RAID controllers also aren't recommended unless they can act as a dumb HBA. No, presenting each disk as its own RAID 0 array isn't the same as acting as an HBA. It's my understanding that the 3Ware cards don't have this capability, but I'm far from an expert with them.

Yes (probably), though depending on exactly which model of SuperMicro 2U 12-bay chassis you have, you may not need to.

OK, lets do a reset :) If I could find a way to tolerate the SuperMicro's server noise, it seems I should try and use it. What I have is a 2U Supermicro X7DBU 2x Intel Quad Core L5420 2.5Ghz 16GB 12bays SATA. It came with a 9550SX controller which I sold and bought the 9650SE-12ML when I was going to use it as a Windows server.

I can sell that controller and buy an LSI if that is suggested. Given the SM box has monster redundant power supplies and top end redundant cooling fans, it just seems like the right box for a server. I don't know how the dual L5420s compare to more modern CPUs other than their Passmark for a single processor is greater than Plex needs and this has a pair. This SM has been sitting here for more than 4 years gathering dust since I put aside the previous build project.

What was the "may not need to" part? The mobo has six ESB2 SATA 3 ports. Since they are SATA3, I would be OK using one for a SSD (vs. USB drive) for boot, but I think the LSI would be better to put the drives on.

Thanks for the comment about the I7 not supporting ECC. It seems the memory in the SM is ECC if I read this right:

• Eight 240-pin DIMM sockets
• Supports up to 32 GB 667 / 533MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory

I pulled the RAM which I had never looked at before... Hynix - Korea. This has major heat shields bonded to the PCB. I heard IBM uses it.

If I can wear ear muffs in the room it is in, it just seems it is a lot of hardware to go to waste given it is meant to be a commercial grade server, not unlike the Compaq and Tricord servers I used to support.

Thanks to all!

 

[Link Up]

 

[Stux]

If it were me, I'd probably junk the X7 mobo and replace it with an X11 with built in LSI HBA (14 ports) and pop in a pentium or i3 and call it job done.

The power savings alone would probably pay for the upgrade.

 

[Link Up]

Hello Stux, To be sure I didn't confuse the issue...the I7 mobo is in a tower with a much smaller number of bays. The system in the picture is the former server that would not accommodate such a board as the PS route through a mobo attachment. Given I was considering a QNAP 451+, the dual Xeon has to be much more CPU power plus RAM then that option.

Going with any consumer product leaves me vulnerable. I have a Netgear ReadyNAS Pro Biz Edition that was over $1000 and it sits dead due to a lack of a PS for it. Had a power outage, when the power came on, it took the PS out. And yes, it was connected to a UPS. I am hoping the damage ends there, ie. it didn't take the mobo or data with it. Netgear no longer has the PS for the system so I bought another PS I will be trying to adapt. This has been a long process and for all this time, I have been without my data, and am not sure I will get it back. I have about 12TB that I have lost access to.

You can see then that having a commercial quality server with PS and cooling redundancy can have a lot of value.

I am not a wizard when it comes to energy use, but it seems the drives, mobo, etc. would take the same power no matter what the box is. I am guessing the PS's will only draw what current is needed so will there be any significant consumption there? What makes the system loud is each PS has it's own redundant fans plus the three cooling fans that are pretty powerful and are the cause of the system noise and some power draw.

I guess I could get a meter that would let me check current draw of the server with one drive compared to the PC with one drive and see what the actual difference is in consumption.

Seems if you compare lost data to electrical cost, I think saving your data would have higher priority. That has been hammered home by my dead ReadyNAS.

Thanks again!