NFS configuration

[src]

Hello and Happy new year !

I am looking forward for a few advices about the configuration of disk you would use for best performance with the existing hardware :
The plan is to use this server as as nfs datastore for 3 hosts with vmware .

ProLiant DL380e Gen8:
Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2450L 0 @ 1.80GHz
64 DDR3 ECC - can add some more if needed, have 8Gb DIMMs available
Smart Array P420 Controller 1GB cache (14 bays) - (maybe switch to HBA mode?)
12x Seagate 2TB Enterprise Capacity HD SAS 6Gb/s 128MB Cache (ST2000NM0023)
1 x 500GB SAMSUNG EVO 860 SSD
4x10Gbe network ports (each vmware host conected directly[no switch])
Also have spare disk if needed :
2x 1TB SAMSUNG EVO 860 SSD
2x Seagate 2TB Enterprise Capacity HD SAS 6Gb/s 128MB Cache (ST2000NM0023)


Thanks

 

[KrisBee]

People who know more than me about server hardware/setups I'm sure will comment. But two obvious things are: (a) Can the HP smart array P420 operate as a pure HBA? and (b) what storage capacity do you need, because using anything but a pool of mirrors may not give you enough IOPS?

I suspect answer to (a) is no, and with zfs it's absolutely essentials to use a HBA or RAID card that works in IT mode.

 

[src]

Thanks for the reply.
a) ill change that if needed
b) 8-10TB , i need best performance with some redundancy/fail protection

 

[Etorix]

I'm no expert in tuning, but best performance would be a stripe of mirrors. More RAM cannot hurt, so if you have unoccupied slots and spare modules, put them in. Do change the HBA to IT mode rather than RAID mode if it is possible.
6*(2*2TB) gives 12 TB of storage, which is tight for 8-10 TB. You can either use the two spare drives as a seventh mirror for 14 TB of storage, or, if you want to keep (hot) spares, begin to look for larger drives and progressively replace those in the pool. You'll gain size each time you replace both members of a mirrored pair and need not replace all 12 drives.

NFS would benefit from a SLOG, for which the best candidate is an Optane drive, alternatively a SSD with Power-Loss Protection and high write endurance. The EVO SSD are not suitable for this and do not seem to be of any use other than as (oversized) boot drive.

 

[src]

Ye i will do a SLOG with a nvme ssd, dont need PowerLoss Protection , server will be connect to 2 different power lines with separate UPS and Diesel generator on each of them. No power loss in last 15years.

I also have a Optane but i dont understand how optane can help with just 145MB/s on write, or maybe is not the optane i am thinking of :

Intel® Optane™ Memory Series (16GB, M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0, 20nm, 3D Xpoint™) Product Specifications

Intel® Optane™ Memory Series (16GB, M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0, 20nm, 3D Xpoint™) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

 

[Etorix]

Optane helps synchronous writes with its low latency. Higher capacity drives also have higher write throughput, and "professional" Optane DC drives have a x4 PCIe interface, compared with the x2 interface of "enthousiast" Optane M10.

 

[src]

So in my case , in order to use "what i have" , its worth to use this optane or to use a normal nvme ssd of 250GB with 1100 MB/s write speed ?

 

[Etorix]

Maybe this article by ServeTheHome can help you decide, depending on your actual use case?

The Intel Optane Memory M.2 devices are beyond intriguing. They are handicapped by the PCIe x2 interface and limited media, but at smaller transfer sizes (under 16K) they are competitive with higher-end NVMe drives. As transfer sizes go up, enterprise NAND NVMe SSDs can handle the throughput.

 

[src]

OK, Thanks ill go with Optane for now.

 

[jgreco]

Hello and Happy new year !

I am looking forward for a few advices about the configuration of disk you would use for best performance with the existing hardware :
The plan is to use this server as as nfs datastore for 3 hosts with vmware .

ProLiant DL380e Gen8:
Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2450L 0 @ 1.80GHz
64 DDR3 ECC - can add some more if needed, have 8Gb DIMMs available
Smart Array P420 Controller 1GB cache (14 bays) - (maybe switch to HBA mode?)
12x Seagate 2TB Enterprise Capacity HD SAS 6Gb/s 128MB Cache (ST2000NM0023)
1 x 500GB SAMSUNG EVO 860 SSD
4x10Gbe network ports (each vmware host conected directly[no switch])
Also have spare disk if needed :
2x 1TB SAMSUNG EVO 860 SSD
2x Seagate 2TB Enterprise Capacity HD SAS 6Gb/s 128MB Cache (ST2000NM0023)


Thanks

You'll need to ditch the P420 controller.

See https://www.truenas.com/community/t...s-and-why-cant-i-use-a-raid-controller.81931/

 

[src]

Yes ive droped that for a h200.