Questions about Supermicro 1U server

[Inxsible]

I recently got my hands on the following Supermicro server with 4 bays.

• Board: Supermicro X9SCL-F
• Chipset: Intel C202
• CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1240 - 8M cache, 3.3GHz, 4 cores/8 threads
• PSU: Supermicro 350W 80 PLUS Gold
• RAM: 4x4GB ECC Unbuffered RAM
• RAID: LSI MegaRAID 9260-4i 4 port SAS RAID controller with a breakout cable and add-on battery backup
• HDD: 4x500GB Seagate Constellation
• Case: Supermicro CSE-813MTQ-350CB. This case features a SAS815TQ backplane with 4 bays

I have a few questions which I haven't been able to find out using my google-fu:

1. In the specs for the case, it mentions

   SAS or enterprise SATA HDD only recommended

   Why would that be? I plan to use this as a FreeNAS box and convert my existing FreeNAS box into a pfSense router. Would WD Reds or Seagate Ironwolfs be ok to put in? I am still not clear why a chassis would care about what type of HDDs are installed.
2. How would I find out if the backplane supports SAS1 or SAS2?
3. About the LSI RAID card. I have read about 5 pages of the https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/confused-about-that-lsi-card-join-the-crowd.11901/ thread (more to read) and it seems that I might have to flash the card to use it as a HBA or simply do away with the RAID card and use the SATA2 ports on the motherboard for the drives. Which option would be beneficial to me? SATA2 ports on the motherboard support 3Gbps, but the RAID card supports 6Gbps. If I use the card as a HBA, will I still get 6Gbps? If not, what other advantage would there be, other than less cables-- as 1 breakout cable seems to handle the 4 drives instead of 4 separate SATA cables?

 

[Inxsible]

Yikes! How do I edit the above post to make the images as thumbnails instead of full size? The More Options button takes me where Chrome tells me that "The page isn't working"

 

[Ericloewe]

Why would that be?

To upsell you.

How would I find out if the backplane supports SAS1 or SAS2?

SAS2 models have SAS2 in the model number.

About the LSI RAID card

Sell it on ebay, buy a proper HBA, pocket the difference. It's RAID only.

Yikes! How do I edit the above post to make the images as thumbnails instead of full size? The More Options button takes me where Chrome tells me that "The page isn't working"

When dragging and dropping, you're given the option to insert the full image or a thumbnail. The full images seem fine to me, right now.

 

[Inxsible]

To upsell you.

Perfect answer.

SAS2 models have SAS2 in the model number.

Hmmm. I tried searching for the backplane model numbers, but didn't find any product info page other than Supermicro chassis pages in which the backplanes were included. Thank you though.

Sell it on ebay, buy a proper HBA, pocket the difference. It's RAID only.

So this card cannot be flashed into a HBA only thingamajig? If not, then would you recommend me just using the SATA2 ports on the board? I have 6 ports and only 4 drive bays, so it's not like I'd need more ports or anything. In other words, what would a proper HBA bring me?

 

[Ericloewe]

Hmmm. I tried searching for the backplane model numbers, but didn't find any product info page other than Supermicro chassis pages in which the backplanes were included. Thank you though.

Well, look at the backplane proper, it should be printed there.
I forgot to mention that it's irrelevant if it's not an expander backplane, since they're just wired straight through.

So this card cannot be flashed into a HBA only thingamajig?

Nope, it simply does not operate in a supported HBA mode.

If not, then would you recommend me just using the SATA2 ports on the board?

Well, they'll only work if the backplane doesn't have an expander, otherwise, you need an SAS HBA.

I have 6 ports and only 4 drive bays

Wha? Only 4 drive bays? Then you certainly don't have an expander in there. Right, proceed with the SATA ports.

 

[Inxsible]

Wha? Only 4 drive bays? Then you certainly don't have an expander in there. Right, proceed with the SATA ports.

It's a 1U server man. What did you expect? a 36 bay chassis? ;)

 

[Ericloewe]

It's a 1U server man. What did you expect? a 36 bay chassis? ;)

Well, with upwards of 20 tabs of posts to go through, titles tend to blend together, unless they catch the eye. The picture was also cut just right so that it wasn't immediately identified as a 1U, despite the obvious 40mm infernal noise machines fans and weird-ass backplane.

 

[Inxsible]

Thanks for your help Eric. I have never used hardware RAID before which is why I wanted to clarify a few things.

For now the 1U noise machine (the fans do screech a lot on boot), but then quiet down. Plus this is going to be in a server closet, so I don't care about the noise too much. I have 6TB Ironwolfs that I will put in 2 bays as mirror 0 and 2x500 Seagate Constellation as mirror 1, so that will give me about 6.5TB space which will suffice me for quite some time. When I do upgrade, I will buy a 12 or 24 bay chassis and a "proper HBA" as you say :)

Having said that, would it make sense to install FreeNAS fresh on this system or can I simply move my FreeNAS boot USB key into this box along with my drives and everything would just work like magic ?

 

[Ericloewe]

Having said that, would it make sense to install FreeNAS fresh on this system or can I simply move my FreeNAS boot USB key into this box along with my drives and everything would just work like magic

Either option is fine.

 

[Chris Moore]

How would I find out if the backplane supports SAS1 or SAS2?

This chassis has 'pass through' connectors on the hot-swap backplane. Since there is no SAS Expander or chipset of any kind in the backplane, it doesn't really have a SAS classification. It is basically just a wiring harness and can connect to any format drive.

 

[Chris Moore]

For now the 1U noise machine (the fans do screech a lot on boot), but then quiet down. Plus this is going to be in a server closet, so I don't care about the noise too much. I have 6TB Ironwolfs that I will put in 2 bays as mirror 0 and 2x500 Seagate Constellation as mirror 1, so that will give me about 6.5TB space which will suffice me for quite some time. When I do upgrade, I will buy a 12 or 24 bay chassis and a "proper HBA" as you say

This is the same system board that I use in a 24 bay Supermicro chassis. As long as the CPU has enough horsepower, you can keep using this board, just transplant it to a bigger chassis.

 

[Inxsible]

This is the same system board that I use in a 24 bay Supermicro chassis. As long as the CPU has enough horsepower, you can keep using this board, just transplant it to a bigger chassis.

Thanks. If I find myself short on space after filling up 12TB(replacing the 500GBs with 6TBs eventually), then I guess I will transplant it in a bigger box.

 

[Stux]

Perfect candidate to transplant into a larger case oneday, just add a suitable HBA ;)

It might come in handy the 4i RAID card you have if you ever decide to use ESXi and want a mirrored boot drive.

As to why the bays are hooked up to a SAS card instead of the motherboard ports. They wouldn't be 6gbps SAS drive bays if they weren't.

And no, the motherboard doesn't care if you buy expensive HDs or cheap HDs. Supermicro will just recommend you buy expensive ones ;)

An alternative to a transplant would be to add a drive shelf and use an external SAS connector from the HBA. But in all seriousness, a transplant would allow you to get rid of the noise machines.

 

[Inxsible]

Perfect candidate to transplant into a larger case oneday, just add a suitable HBA ;)

It might come in handy the 4i RAID card you have if you ever decide to use ESXi and want a mirrored boot drive.

I have never played with ESXi, so I am not sure how i would go about it. Would have to do a lot of research for that. Maybe, I will put the RAID card in safekeeping until I want to use it again. Or maybe, I will sell it off to offset some costs and worry about RAID cards, when I actually want to use them.

As to why the bays are hooked up to a SAS card instead of the motherboard ports. They wouldn't be 6gbps SAS drive bays if they weren't.

Would you please elaborate on this statement? Are you saying by using the RAID card, I would get 6gbps instead of 3gbps that I would get with the SATA2 ports on the motherboard?

And no, the motherboard doesn't care if you buy expensive HDs or cheap HDs. Supermicro will just recommend you buy expensive ones ;)

Got it.

An alternative to a transplant would be to add a drive shelf and use an external SAS connector from the HBA. But in all seriousness, a transplant would allow you to get rid of the noise machines.

Hmmm. Are you talking about an external JBOD being handled by a separate server? Transplant is what I was thinking of...eventually when 4 drives stop being enough for me.

 

[Stux]

I have never played with ESXi, so I am not sure how i would go about it. Would have to do a lot of research for that. Maybe, I will put the RAID card in safekeeping until I want to use it again. Or maybe, I will sell it off to offset some costs and worry about RAID cards, when I actually want to use them.

Seems like a sensible plan

Would you please elaborate on this statement? Are you saying by using the RAID card, I would get 6gbps instead of 3gbps that I would get with the SATA2 ports on the motherboard?

Yes.

Got it.
Hmmm. Are you talking about an external JBOD being handled by a separate server? Transplant is what I was thinking of...eventually when 4 drives stop being enough for me.

You can add a MiniSAS port to the 1U server using either an HBA with an external connector, or with a connector which externalizes the internal MiniSAS connector.

Then you can build a separate box with nothing in it other than a SAS expander and PSU, the drive bays, and a small circuit board.

That box is then connected to this 1U box, and effectively become one.

Its probably better to skip all of that, and if you want the extra bays, just transfer the motherboard into a new case.

 

[Inxsible]

Yes.

OK. I am confused now.

Eric, a few posts back, said it would be better to go with using the SATA2 ports on the board instead of using this RAID card. Also hardware RAID has issues with FreeNAS as the FreeNAS Dos and Don'ts mentions. Eric also mentioned that the RAID card, that I have (LSI MegaRAID 9260-4i), cannot be flashed to be a HBA only.

So it seems that Eric and you are at odds.

Can I continue using the HW RAID card and still use the server as FreeNAS? From where I stand, the only advantage I would gain (if this all works without a hitch), is that cable management would be simpler as, I won't have to purchase 4 SATA2 cables and also not worry about attaching them around the noise machine fans.

the forward breakout cable is already installed and ready to go, so all I'd have to do is stick my FreeNAS install USB on the on-board Type A usb port and put my 6TB pool drives into the HDD caddies.

Can you please clarify if this would work along with the RAID card which has currently set up the 4 drives as RAID6?

 

[Stux]

So it seems that Eric and you are at odds.

Not really. Eric is right that you should use the motherboard ports. And I am right that the raid card ports would run at 6gbps.

You should not use that raid card with FreeNAS

 

[Inxsible]

Not really. Eric is right that you should use the motherboard ports. And I am right that the raid card ports would run at 6gbps.

You should not use that raid card with FreeNAS

Ok. I got confused when you said that RAID card might come in handy if I use ESXi and mirrored boot drives.

Ok... in that case it makes more sense to sell the RAID card now, and then when I transplant the board into a bigger chassis, I get a quality SAS3/SATA HBA and use it with an appropriate backplane.

Thank you all for your help in clearing this up for me.