Proposed Build: E3-1230v5 / X11 - FreeNAS 10 - VMs/Docker

[ExcellentMong]

Hi guys, first post on the forums after being a reader for a while. I've used FreeNAS 9.2 and 9.10 for the past year in a pretty basic microserver setup, but it's time to upgrade to enable some more versatile options.

Hoping that you could have a look over this proposed build and help me answer a few specific questions. Some details below...


Current setup:

HP N40L Microserver

8GB ECC DDR3 1600mhz RAM

3 x 4TB WD Red


Future setup:

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230v5

Motherboard: Supermicro X11SSH-LN4F

RAM: 1x16GB Samsung M391A2K43BB1-CPB (DDR4 2133Mhz ECC unbuffered)

Boot: 2x8GB Sandisk Cruzer USB2.0 flash drive (mirrored)

Storage: 4 x 4TB WD Red (mirrored stripe)

VMs/Docker: 1 x 256GB Samsung 850 Pro SSD (repurposed)

PSU: Corsair 750w (repurposed)

Case: Fractal Design R4


Desired Usage:

File server – 2-5 users (Windows & Linux)

Docker / VMs:

Plex – 2 simultaneous streams (1080p)

SABnzbd / Sonarr / Radarr / Headphones

Ubiquiti Unifi Controller


Some questions for the experts:

1) Does this generally sound reasonable for what I want to do with it? I'd like to make sure it can comfortably achieve this now, and have enough overhead for 1-2 additional VMs in the future. I'm also considered just running a single Ubuntu VM and consolidating all my download / media server stuff. I assume I will comfortably have enough grunt for this with the E3-1230?

2) I currently have 4x4TB WD Red drives. I'm thinking that a mirrored stripe vdev is the best way to go, given that I can't afford to buy more drives and 7-8TB will be enough storage for at least 2 years. I considered RAID-Z2, but I think the mirrored stripe will be faster which may be useful for VMs in the future. Am I right about this?

3) I'm thinking that I'll repurpose a Samsung 850 Pro SSD from my main PC to use for VMs/Docker containers. This is hopefully a short-term solution which can be shifted to an M.2 NVMe SSD in the future when funds permit (the mobo has an M2 slot). I have a 4k TV, and have hopes to achieve 4k streaming via Plex eventually. Would an M2 SSD benefit Plex transcoding at all? This upgrade makes sense in my head (because surely faster read/write speeds are better for VMs/Docker containers) - but maybe it will make no practical difference for what I want to use it for. Any advice on this?

4) I have no space for rackmounted gear, so I'll be using a desktop case for this build. I think that the Fractal R4 will do the trick nicely and provide room for future growth. With regard to the front case fans, should I be looking for high static pressure fans to cool the hard drives?

5) I will shortly be replacing my current network gear with a Ubiquiti router and switch. I chose the LN4F version of this motherboard partly due to the 4GbE ports in the hopes of using link aggregation. This should have some benefits during heavy usage from my main PC and wired laptop, especially if someone is watching a movie or something at the same time. I'm struggling to find much documentation on whether the I210-IT controller supports link aggregation. Can anyone provide guidance? (Yes, I know that link aggregation won't increase the total throughput - just enable it for more clients. That's the goal - maybe not possible with onboard controller.)


Thanks for any help that can be provided. Congrats to the devs for a great FreeNAS Corral launch too.

 

[BigDave]

2-5 users (Windows & Linux)

Docker / VMs:

Plex – 2 simultaneous streams (1080p)

SABnzbd / Sonarr / Radarr / Headphones

Ubiquiti Unifi Controller

I would give serious consideration for another 16GB of RAM
CPU will be fine.

With regard to the front case fans, should I be looking for high static pressure fans to cool the hard drives?

For now just double up in the stock front fan, the case IIRC comes with one stock fan in front, you will need two for sure.
If you already have these fans, sure why not. If not, then once you add to the original 4 - 4TB you could upgrade the fans later.

 

[ExcellentMong]

I would give serious consideration for another 16GB of RAM
CPU will be fine.

Is this a heavier load than I thought? Most of the time, the media stuff (SABnzbd / Sonarr / Radarr / Headphones) won't be doing much. Plex use will also be mostly in the evenings, while file server use will be during the day. Hopefully, these different uses will be sufficiently spread throughout the day that they're never taxing the system particularly hard for resources.

I do intend to add another 16GB of RAM at the next upgrade though, along with a HBA. Depending on my experience with Docker and VMs on FreeNAS Corral, I might investigate virtualising FreeNAS on ESXi as a pure file server and running a separate VM as an "all-in-one" media solution to do the other stuff.

For now just double up in the stock front fan, the case IIRC comes with one stock fan in front, you will need two for sure.
If you already have these fans, sure why not. If not, then once you add to the original 4 - 4TB you could upgrade the fans later.

I'm about to replace the fans on my main PC, which shares a stock fan with the R4. I'll try the two of them as you suggest and see how temps go.

Thanks for the advice BigDave.

CPU / motherboard / RAM has been ordered and should arrive on Monday to begin testing.