New NAS for home

[JamesBong]

Hi everyone.

I finally moved to my new house and looking to have a proper NAS for my backups. I've been using multiple NAS simultaneously across the years and I would now like to have all my stuff in a single NAS. House is big, but no space for a rack and this is where my questions start. While I don't lack space, there's no way I will be able to have a rack to host a server. This means that I'm left with my home office... So, what I'm looking for:

1. Reliable (will store my photos and documents along with a significant number of video files);
2. 8 disks - currently have over 50Tb of data that will likely continue to grow;
3. Silent - if it's on my home office I could definitely skip any major noise;
4. Since a rack is not an option, guess I'll need a more standard tower case...?

What would you propose to me under these circumstances?

Thank you.

 

[asap2go]

I have a Silverstone Grandia GD07.
Looks like a standard HTPC enclosure, supports ATX motherboards and PSUs and if you ever get a rack then it also is 19" compatible.

A fractal node 804 would also fulfill your requirements. It's cheaper but only handles mATX mobos.

For CPU etc. you could get a low powered ryzen 5600(G) or similar and also turn on eco mode in the UEFI to get it to run cool with minimal fan speed. (But be aware that the G models do not support ECC).
As for the PSU beQuiet usually lives up to their name.

 

[Whattteva]

I use Fractal Design Define 7 XL. It's a dead silent system with plenty of room to grow (I think 12 disks if my memory serves me) and can even support E-ATX motherboards, full-length GPU, it's very flexible. You can also find the rest of the specs of the system in my signature.
It's silent due to both its size and noise dampeners. Its size allows me to use 7x 140 mm fans and run them at very low RPM's. It is massive and heavy though, I don't really care cause it never moves, but something that you may or may not care about.

 

[JamesBong]

I use Fractal Design Define 7 XL. It's a dead silent system with plenty of room to grow (I think 12 disks if my memory serves me) and can even support E-ATX motherboards, full-length GPU, it's very flexible. You can also find the rest of the specs of the system in my signature.
It's silent due to both its size and noise dampeners. Its size allows me to use 7x 140 mm fans and run them at very low RPM's. It is massive and heavy though, I don't really care cause it never moves, but something that you may or may not care about.

I was looking at the components you've used in your NAS and without disks, build ends up well over 1000€. Can you detail what drove decision to go with that supermicro mobo?

 

[Whattteva]

I was looking at the components you've used in your NAS and without disks, build ends up well over 1000€. Can you detail what drove decision to go with that supermicro mobo?

I got everything but the case second-hand, but the price ended up around $1500 USD with disks for me.
My decision to go with that Supermicro mobo really boils down to the max RAM slots I can have (I wanted to be able to go to 500+ GB RAM at least) and the fact that it was the best deal I could find. The motherboard was sold bundled with the CPU + cooler + 8 GB RAM (which I don't use cause lol it's only 8 GB), all for $600 USD and I thought it was quite a steal.

 

[ChrisRJ]

8 drives and silent is a bit of a contradiction. Esp. if you take into account the fans. I have a Fractal Define 6, so the drives (also 8) need to be mounted next to one another. It is really loud, because I need high-pressure fans. Perhaps a 7 XL is better in that respect. But a silent NAS with 8 drives is far from a no-brainer.

 

[JamesBong]

8 drives and silent is a bit of a contradiction. Esp. if you take into account the fans. I have a Fractal Define 6, so the drives (also 8) need to be mounted next to one another. It is really loud, because I need high-pressure fans. Perhaps a 7 XL is better in that respect. But a silent NAS with 8 drives is far from a no-brainer.

Hi Chris.

I was hoping a large case could help with cooling along with some (more) silent fans similar to what Whatevva mentioned.

 

[ChrisRJ]

Your thought is certainly valid in general . The devil is in the detail (isn't it always?).

To rephrase things a little bit: For a system with many HDDs to be as quiet (not silent) as possible, it is necessary to have enough space around the drives that heat 1) can be moved away easily, and 2) doesn't build up too quickly. A small case (relative to the number of drives) makes that impossible. Unfortunately, the reverse is not automatically true. In other words: A large case may or may not be suitable for a quiet NAS with 8 HDDs. The critical factor is how the disks are mounted, so that sufficient airflow can be achieved.

The challenge today is that few cases even allow to mount 8 drives. And the Define models have the problem that the disks are mounted on sleds, which cover 75% of the surface, so that heat is difficult to remove. If you find a case that is large enough so that only every 2nd mount needs to be used, that will likely be fine. Otherwise (like with the Define R6) you will need high-pressure fans, that are really loud (basically like in a rackmount case) and also need a lot of power.

Hope that helps.

 

[Whattteva]

Hi Chris.

I was hoping a large case could help with cooling along with some (more) silent fans similar to what Whatevva mentioned.

I do have to say that I'm only running 4 HDD + 2 SSD currently, but a Define 7 XL has enough space but even with that configuration, I still have space for like 10 more drives in storage layout so I don't need a lot of cooling. You will have 4 more drives than my configuration, but honestly I don't think it will be a problem as I still have plenty of space in it (probably 8+ more drives)

I don't think people realize how MASSIVE this case is. It weighs 40 pounds empty!!! and is like 2-3 times larger than all the cases I've ever had.

I will note that this thing does NOT have removable drive bays if that matters to you. My use case is basically build once and forget and maybe touch it once every 3-5 years when I either need to upgrade or a drive fails. So I don't really care for removable bays.

 

[JamesBong]

So, case (Define 7 XL ) and PSU (Corsair RM750X 80+) acquired, time to move forward. Any advices on board, CPU and HBA without breaking the bank? While I'm looking for a solution focused on reliability (I want to ensure that if anything breaks the data can still be available if I replace the component), I will use the NAS primarily to host all my backup files (photos, games, music and movies), but I would also like to occasionally stream music and movies from it. Also, NAS will not be turned on 24x7, mostly whenever I need to copy files there or for streaming.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

 

[Whattteva]

Any advices on board, CPU and HBA without breaking the bank?

Might have to ask someone else for advice on motherboard + CPU combo as mine is a bit on the expensive side, but you can get cheap HBA's for like $30-$60 USD max on eBay. Look for LSI 2308 or 3008 chipsets (9200/9300 series). Actually, depending on your motherboard, you probably won't even need an extra HBA if it already has 6+ SATA ports on it... unless you plan on virtualizing and passing through the entire controller. Depending on the card and how old, you may need to flash it, which can get a bit hairy for some people. Alternatively, you can buy from "Art of Server" eBay vendor. His prices tend to be more expensive, but you're guaranteed to get a genuine (non-counterfeit), pre-flashed to correct firmware, and pre-tested to ensure it just works plug-and-play style. Again, depending on your motherboard choice, you may not even need an HBA card though.

While I'm looking for a solution focused on reliability (I want to ensure that if anything breaks the data can still be available if I replace the component),

ZFS should let you do this as long as you're not using some non-recommended setups (RAID controllers, SATA port multipliers, USB disks, VM disks, etc.)
Should just be as easy as plugging the drives to a new computer, reinstalling TrueNAS, restoring config, and voila, you're back in business.

 

[JamesBong]

Might have to ask someone else for advice on motherboard + CPU combo as mine is a bit on the expensive side, but you can get cheap HBA's for like $30-$60 USD max on eBay. Look for LSI 2308 or 3008 chipsets (9200/9300 series). Actually, depending on your motherboard, you probably won't even need an extra HBA if it already has 6+ SATA ports on it... unless you plan on virtualizing and passing through the entire controller. Depending on the card and how old, you may need to flash it, which can get a bit hairy for some people. Alternatively, you can buy from "Art of Server" eBay vendor. His prices tend to be more expensive, but you're guaranteed to get a genuine (non-counterfeit), pre-flashed to correct firmware, and pre-tested to ensure it just works plug-and-play style. Again, depending on your motherboard choice, you may not even need an HBA card though.


ZFS should let you do this as long as you're not using some non-recommended setups (RAID controllers, SATA port multipliers, USB disks, VM disks, etc.)
Should just be as easy as plugging the drives to a new computer, reinstalling TrueNAS, restoring config, and voila, you're back in business.

Just got myself an Intel RS3UC080 SATA / SAS HBA Controller IT Mode 12GB PCIe x8 LSI 9300-8i 9311. Now I just need a mbo, a CPU and some RAM :)

 

[duderuud]

But be aware that the G models do not support ECC

The Pro models do support ECC. I run a 5650GE Pro in my NAS with ECC memory. Check my sig

 

[JamesBong]

Would a Supermicro X9SRH-7TF ATX LGA2011,LSI 2308 SAS/SATA,2x 10GB RJ45 Motherboard be a good option? If yes, which CPU would be best?

 

[ChrisRJ]

Would a Supermicro X9SRH-7TF ATX LGA2011,LSI 2308 SAS/SATA,2x 10GB RJ45 Motherboard be a good option? If yes, which CPU would be best?

I have an X9SRi-F, which is similar, but has "only" 10 SATA ports and Gigabit Ethernet. The main reason for me was the really cheap RAM. Just 3 weeks ago I got a deal on eBay with 22 Euros for a 32 GB RDIMM ECC module.

 

[ChrisRJ]

The biggest downside of the X9 generation for me is the Java-based IPMI solution. Since I only it very rarely, I can live with that though.

 

[JamesBong]

The biggest downside of the X9 generation for me is the Java-based IPMI solution. Since I only it very rarely, I can live with that though.

Chris, since this is a new build, would you propose any other mbo+CPU configuration? It doesn't necessarily need to be based on a supermicro mobo...

 

[Whattteva]

The biggest downside of the X9 generation for me is the Java-based IPMI solution. Since I only it very rarely, I can live with that though.

I actually don't mind the Java-based IPMI cause I use the stand-alone IPMIView program. But even on X9, you could upgrade the firmware and get the HTML5 IPMI, so not really a hard-downgrade. My SuperServer 5018D-MF actually has an X10SLL-F on it.

 

[Redcoat]

But even on X9, you could upgrade the firmware and get the HTML5 IPMI, so not really a hard-downgrade.

I never heard that before... Do you have info on such an upgrade for a X9SCM-F?

 

[JamesBong]

Any other suggestions for mobo+CPU? If I got with the supermicro, what would be a good CPU to match it with?