Ode to the Dell C2100/FS12-TY

[Mirfster]

Did you mean 'trouble free'?

Lol he had me concerned there for a moment. Was about to go into full support mode.

Sorry. Yes i did. Very happy with it.

Glad you are happy with it. Always good to see others enjoying the system.

 

[freenasllama]

Thanks everyone! I got mine ordered!

And thanks for the great write-up Mirfster. It was really helpful and exactly the information I've been looking for. Props to you.

 

[Spearfoot]

Hey, @Mirfster! I've found an HDD extension cabinet on eBay that you can add to the system you show in your avatar, and it's only $216 plus $100 shipping from St. Petersburg, Russia! It seems legit....



You'll have to supply your own power supply and hard drives though... :)

 

[Mirfster]

Lol, wonder if those are copper pipes and they are trying to tie in some type of cooling? ;)

Even funnier is that there are 4 people "watching" the listing on eBay...

 

[Spearfoot]

Lol, wonder if those are copper pipes and they are trying to tie in some type of cooling? ;)

Even funnier is that there are 4 people "watching" the listing on eBay...

Could be... but what impresses me is the scotch tape HDD stabilization scheme.

This is some high tech stuff!

 

[Ericloewe]

but what impresses me is the scotch tape HDD stabilization scheme.

The drives are, quite literally, flapping around in the breeze.

 

[gpsguy]

I thought they might be there to support a row of drives. Besides putting some on the bottom, how would someone fill it with 21 drives? Maybe there's a row of USB 2.0 slots, where one could plug in 14+ external drives.

Lol, wonder if those are copper pipes and they are trying to tie in some type of cooling?

 

[Spearfoot]

I thought they might be there to support a row of drives. Besides putting some on the bottom, how would someone fill it with 21 drives? Maybe there's a row of USB 2.0 slots, where one could plug in 14+ external drives.

I think you're right! Two rows of 7 disks each on the bottom, one row of 7 disks on the top! Voila! 21 'bays'!

 

[maglin]

For that money I would just get a proper enclosure. I'm currently in need of a 25 bay enclosure. Just seem to not have enough bays.


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[Mirfster]

For that money I would just get a proper enclosure. I'm currently in need of a 25 bay enclosure. Just seem to not have enough bays.

Aww c'mon you know you want to buy that and bathe in the utter sweetness of the uniqueness... :P

 

[Jason Evans]

@Mirfster What would I need to do, if anything to get this Dell running winserver 2012? Would I need to flash everything back? I have a box coming in for FreeNas, so I want to make this my plex machine, and use my FreeNas box coming in for the important stuff.

Thanks!

 

[Mirfster]

@Mirfster What would I need to do, if anything to get this Dell running winserver 2012? Would I need to flash everything back?

Should be fine the way it is. If you wanted to run Hardware Raid for the drives, then you could flash the H200 (if that is the card you have) to IR. But, you can also leave it just as is and use Windows to create the Software Raid.

Would be a heck or a box for Windows 2012 and Plex.

I have a box coming in for FreeNas, so I want to make this my plex machine, and use my FreeNas box coming in for the important stuff.

Dagger!... ya hurt me Jason, ya cut me deep... :p

 

[Jason Evans]

Should be fine the way it is. If you wanted to run Hardware Raid for the drives, then you could flash the H200 (if that is the card you have) to IR. But, you can also leave it just as is and use Windows to create the Software Raid.

Would be a heck or a box for Windows 2012 and Plex.

Dagger!... ya hurt me Jason, ya cut me deep... :p

Well don't get my wrong, this thing is running great. Just older hardware, and wanted to get something newer. :D I will still be using the Dell though. So no worries there. Should I do a bare metal install or run a VM on it?

 

[Mirfster]

Should I do a bare metal install or run a VM on it?

My Hyper-V Server (Server 2012 R2 DataCenter) is installed on bare metal. If you own Server 2012, it should be fine. While I am not a Plex user, I guess you can run whichever OS (pretty much) you wanted as a VM and do Plex in that.

Another option would be to install ESXi (vSphere 6.0 U2) and run your VMs there.

Either way, if you do plan on using it for Virtualization and are NOT going to have it connect to FreeNAS to store the VMs (NFS or iSCSI), then I would recommend using a Hardware Raid with a BBU. Perc H200 is nice, but a Perc H700 or LSI 9260-8i is better since it has BBU.

In all honesty, if I did not own DataCenter (which allows me to run unlimited Server 2012 R2 versions with additional licenses), I would just stick with ESXi which is a true hypervisor.

 

[Jason Evans]

My Hyper-V Server (Server 2012 R2 DataCenter) is installed on bare metal. If you own Server 2012, it should be fine. While I am not a Plex user, I guess you can run whichever OS (pretty much) you wanted as a VM and do Plex in that.

Another option would be to install ESXi (vSphere 6.0 U2) and run your VMs there.

Either way, if you do plan on using it for Virtualization and are NOT going to have it connect to FreeNAS to store the VMs (NFS or iSCSI), then I would recommend using a Hardware Raid with a BBU. Perc H200 is nice, but a Perc H700 or LSI 9260-8i is better since it has BBU.

In all honesty, if I did not own DataCenter (which allows me to run unlimited Server 2012 R2 versions with additional licenses), I would just stick with ESXi which is a true hypervisor.

Hmm, lots to think about. It has the perc H200 on it now. The only thing I would be running is a single winserver install, so baremetal might be the best way? Seems like I need to do some research on what I want now lol

 

[Jeff Secules]

So I actually live here in Dallas, not that far from this shop in Garland. I've been looking to build a system that was around the $500 -$600 mark based off what I've read here and Brian Moses' blog. I have a bunch of 2TB drives already from something else and plan to use them since I can't justify money for larger drives at the moment.

All I really want to do on mine is backup/shares for 5 home users, plex for 3 users, perhaps torrent/usenet on the off peak hours and upgrade to Freenas 10 when it's in production then use the same stuff on it- I don't plan to do any virtualization or have a ton of people on all at once.

Would this box work for me for what I've stated above and be sufficiently powered for the short term future? (Maybe 5 years or less) Has anyone done a full review of the system to outline how it compares? I've read thru this string but I'm still trying to make sure this is a general public thing and not some fork for a specific plan. I'm still new to the community and been agonizing over replacing the crappy laptop computer and single USB hard drive I've been using - (Don't worry, it's data I could get again if I had to, but would rather not spend the time) I originally just started out testing it and that was.... about 2 years ago. I'm ready to jump if I can afford it and this looks like it would do that for me.

thanks for any thoughts on this. I'm wondering if I could trade them for a Dell 2900 I picked up a while back.
J

 

[Mirfster]

I'm still trying to make sure this is a general public thing and not some fork for a specific plan.

Just to clarify I have purchased my systems from multiple sellers, so the "Turn-Key" one I mentioned is just an option for those who want something ready to go. Majority of the systems I have were bought in different stages from bare-bones to loaded. If you have the patience to wait for certain auctions or parts and are willing to do some assembling/flashing; you can get an even more powerful system configured for the $500-$600.

Has anyone done a full review of the system to outline how it compares?

You mean to newer systems or from the same time frame?

Would this box work for me for what I've stated above and be sufficiently powered for the short term future? (Maybe 5 years or less)

I would think so, I am still using all mine. :)

I'm wondering if I could trade them for a Dell 2900 I picked up a while back.

Can't hurt to try, but doubtful. ;)

 

[Jeff Secules]

Just to clarify I have purchased my systems from multiple sellers, so the "Turn-Key" one I mentioned is just an option for those who want something ready to go. Majority of the systems I have were bought in different stages from bare-bones to loaded. If you have the patience to wait for certain auctions or parts and are willing to do some assembling/flashing; you can get an even more powerful system configured for the $500-$600./QUOTE]

Fair enough. I've been waiting quite a while to get something. I'm not super into the "IT" side of waiting and mixing and matching parts though. I've built a couple desktops back in the Windows 95 range or maybe it was XP but that's about it.

You mean to newer systems or from the same time frame?/QUOTE]
Well, just in general. To shows what it can and can't handle as far as ZFP and the jails or the upcoming docker.

I would think so, I am still using all mine. :)/QUOTE]
I guess I was meaning will it work well with the new FreeNAS 10 and not be under powered. If it will work for the things I mentioned, then it's probably a good enough deal for me to bite on.

Can't hurt to try, but doubtful. ;)

lol. Oh well. Back to the bottom of the lake it goes then. Thanks for the response, I'll keep reading on the forums and try to make better choices in the future ;)

 

[danb35]

@Jeff Secules, I don't see any reason why that server shouldn't work fine with FN10. I'm running a different, but similar generation, Dell server as my FN10 test box (one blade of a C6100, 2 x X5650s, 48 GB RAM, 2 x 6 TB drives), and it's got more than enough power for everything. Check the CPUs on ark.intel.com to make sure they support VT-x (I think all Xeons of that generation do), but as long as that's there, you should be fine.

 

[Kevin Horton]

Power usage? I'm looking at options for a second FreeNAS server, to start off with 6 drives, and eventually expand to 12 drives. The C2100 is certainly a tempting option, but I wonder how much extra power I'd use for a system that will spend most of its time idling.

Can anyone with a C2100 system tell me how much the power draw is at idle? Please mention the details on the installed drives and the CPUs, so I can put the power info in context.

How loud are these things at idle?