OVH dedicated server Advance STOR-2 with ASRock and UEFI installation issue

[g3ek]

Hello, I am renting a server from OVH. Template name is Advance STOR-2.

Here are the server specs:

• ASRock Rack X470D4U2-2T
• AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 3700 - 8c/16t - 3.6 GHz/4.4 GHz
• 32 GB ECC 2933 MHz
• 8 × 14 TB HDD SAS
  2 × 480 GB SSD SATA
• Soft Raid for the 2 x 480GB SSD SATA and Hard RAID on 8 × 14 TB HDD SAS
• 2 x 10Gbits Intel X550

I am trying to install TrueNAS 13.0-u3.1 (also tried version 12.0-U8.1) since yesterday without success (using PXE). It seems I am having a problem with the UEFI Boot partition. I also tried to you Legacy and even with that it is not working.

After the installation, I made sure to boot on the disk and it doesn't want (broken boot partition) and send me back on the PXE for installing again the OS.

It seems to be similar to this issue: https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/solved-uefi-boot-on-q1900-itx.96831/

I tried to do the same kind of manipulation without success from the shell after the fresh installation:

Code:

# mount -t tmpfs tmpfs /mnt/
# mkdir /mnt/efi
# mkdir /mnt/root
# mount -t msdos /dev/ada0p1 /mnt/efi/
# mount -t zfs boot-pool/ROOT/default /mnt/root/
# /mnt/root/usr/sbin/efibootmgr -c -l /mnt/efi/efi/boot/bootx64.efi -L TrueNAS

I don't have any other way that PXE to install the OS as it is a server from OVH.

Anyone know how I can fix this so I can use TrueNAS with my OVH server?

 

[GBillR]

Anyone know how I can fix this so I can use TrueNAS with my OVH server?

TrueNAS is really not intended to be run on this type of server. Advised hosted servers

BSD is not listed as a compatible OS for that OVH server either... but not sure that is why you are having issues or not.

You will run into many issues if you even manage to pull this off... one of which will be that RAID configuration for the storage.

I am by no means an expert here, so I am sure others will chime in soon. IF you want to try this... and I wouldn't... I think you are going to need a server with no RAID (not sure that is an option from OVH), and I would suggest virtualization and running a hypervisor instead of running TN on the bare metal server... TrueNAS has no firewall of any type to protect you....

 

[g3ek]

This server will only be connected to our vrack without public IP. All our server that will use this TrueNAS are already on OVH. We also have our own firewall.

 

[GBillR]

That RAID controller is going to cause you problems with TrueNAS. Might want to look for another NAS solution for your data if you are going to host it on OVH.

 

[g3ek]

I manage to install TrueNAS Scale.

I figured out how to configure my raid controller to see all 8 drives.

I went into UEFI BIOS, then went into Advanced>AVAGO MegaRAID>Configure>Clear Configuration
Then I created manually 8 virtual drive with raid 0 (basically it will use the disk as they are without really using the raid capability) of the MegaRAID.

So far everything working with TrueNAS Scale. Still would prefer to install Core version if someone want to help.

 

[g3ek]

Picture of what it looks like from the UEFI BIOS

 

[jgreco]

I went into UEFI BIOS, then went into Advanced>AVAGO MegaRAID>Configure>Clear Configuration
Then I created manually 8 virtual drive with raid 0 (basically it will use the disk as they are without really using the raid capability) of the MegaRAID.

Whether or not you think it is "really using the RAID capability", this is not compatible with TrueNAS and may cause data corruption or pool loss. Do not use this system to store any data that you would like kept.

What's all the noise about HBAs, and why can't I use a RAID controller?

1) An HBA is a Host Bus Adapter. This is a controller that allows SAS and SATA devices to be attached to, and communicate directly with, a server. RAID controllers typically aggregate several disks into a Virtual Disk abstraction of some sort...

www.truenas.com

 

[g3ek]

Hello,

Thanks for letting me know about this.

We might look into another storage solution then.