New FreeNAS setup with External Drives

[williamc]

Hi, sorry if this is a post already answered.
I want to create a NAS basic 4TB mirrored system and in general conversation someone said, why not buy yourself an ITX box (with USB 3.0) and use FreeNAS and a couple of external drives.

Searching on this forum seems to suggest all is not well with using external drives. However, most post begin with "I want to add an external drive".

I'm talking about starting from scratch...do the same pitfall apply.

If it was possible and one was to suggest a small fanless box and a couple of external drives, what would they go for?

 

[danb35]

I'm talking about starting from scratch...do the same pitfall apply.

Pretty much, yeah. The only really reliable way to add external drives that are going to be there full-time (as opposed to connected occasionally for backups) is via SAS.

 

[williamc]

Thanks for the quick response.

OK so the drives are going to be there full time. There seems to be articles saying external USB drives can be added. https://itstillworks.com/12464531/how-to-set-up-an-external-usb-drive-in-freenas

Is this article wrong or is it just a bit pot luck with USB drives.

Just to clarify the SAS route. This would be a SAS interface and a couple of SAS drives?

 

[SweetAndLow]

Thanks for the quick response.

OK so the drives are going to be there full time. There seems to be articles saying external USB drives can be added. https://itstillworks.com/12464531/how-to-set-up-an-external-usb-drive-in-freenas

Is this article wrong or is it just a bit pot luck with USB drives.

Just to clarify the SAS route. This would be a SAS interface and a couple of SAS drives?

Don't follow random guides on the internet they are almost all 100% wrong. USB devices do not work well with zfs. Reliability is poor and they do not give raw access to the disks. If you do this you might as well pipe your data to /dev/null.

 

[tvsjr]

Remember... just because you can, doesn't mean you should. There are many things you CAN do, which are horrible ideas. Much of what's out there about FreeNAS, but not in this forum (specifically, on Reddit) is full of horrible ideas. Don't fall into those traps.

 

[danb35]

Is this article wrong or is it just a bit pot luck with USB drives.

The article's correct that you can use USB disks, wrong to the extent that it suggests it's a good idea, and completely wrong with how it suggests it be done (just about every step is wrong). Despite the September 2017 update date at the top, its information is at least three years out of date, and probably much more than that.

Just to clarify the SAS route. This would be a SAS interface and a couple of SAS drives?

A SAS controller and a SAS drive shelf or JBOD. The disks themselves could be SAS or SATA. You can add dozens, or even hundreds, of disks this way.

 

[williamc]

Thanks for all the heads up. Looks like I've dodged a bullet with my ebay bid failing.

Sounds like I would be best in trying to find a mini PC with a couple of bays and using internal esata devices. Shame as ITX boxes are so cheap and unobtrusive.

 

[tvsjr]

You might consider the FreeNAS Mini or Mini XL. They're not the cheapest solution, but they're purpose-built solutions for exactly what you need.

 

[williamc]

You might consider the FreeNAS Mini or Mini XL. They're not the cheapest solution, but they're purpose-built solutions for exactly what you need.

They are far from the cheapest and for my very simple requirements a bit overkill. Also they don't appear readily available in UK. Plus I thought it would be more fun building my own.

 

[SweetAndLow]

T30, ts140, ml10 are the cheapest and great solutions.