Researching a build

[kirkdickinson]

I have never set up a FreeNAS system. Years ago I did set it up in VMWare to play with and get a feel for it, I ended up going a different route. I have an aging XP Server that could die anyday and doesn't have nearly enough storage. I am trying to figure out the best route to go and FreeNAS looks like the ticket. I mostly need a file server in a Windows/Mac office environment. I will also be backing up data from workstations and maybe even storing some disk images.

I have a wishlist on Newegg
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=20397949
(there are two Motherboards in there because I haven't decided.)

Here is the list that I have right now:

iStarUSA D-406-B6SA-RED-ND Red Steel 4U Rackmount Server Case
Model #:D-406-B6SA-RED-ND
Item #:N82E16811165089

SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SLL-F-O uATX Server Motherboard LGA 1150 DDR3 1600
Model #:MBD-X10SLL-F-O
Item #:N82E16813182819

CORSAIR RM Series RM850 850W ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Model #:RM850
Item #:N82E16817139056

Intel Xeon E3-1231V3 Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 80W BX80646E31231V3 Server Processor
Model #:BX80646E31231V3
Item #:N82E16819117316

2 - Axiom 16GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model MC730G/A-AX
Model #:MC730G/A-AX
Item #:N82E16820613571

6 - Seagate NAS HDD ST4000VN000 4TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive
Model #:ST4000VN000
Item #:N82E16822178393

MyDigitalSSD Super Boot Drive 50mm SATA III (6G) mSATA SSD (16GB)
Model #:728028335828
Item #:9SIA53D1SC4529​

Questions:
What is the difference between SATA and SAS? Are those differences important in a build like this?
Can SATA drives be run on SAS controller? Is that bad?
Is SATA 6.0 going to make a difference on a system like this over SATA 3.0?

In my old RAID 6 configuration I think I have about 66% usable vs total drive capacity. (5 750 gig drives gives me about 2.4 Gig) What is the usable capacity vs total drive space in a ZFS environment?

I picked a small SSD boot drive instead of a thumbdrive because it is way faster and not much more expensive. The specs say that 8Gig is enough, I picked a 16, is that really enough?

Thank You,

Kirk

 

[SweetAndLow]

Memory isn't a good chose. You should pick up some crucial ECC memory, read the hardware guide. Your power supply is way overkill, you should look at a seasonic 450.

 

[kirkdickinson]

Memory isn't a good chose. You should pick up some crucial ECC memory, read the hardware guide. Your power supply is way overkill, you should look at a seasonic 450.

Thanks for the reply. That memory is ECC memory. Am not familar with the Axiom brand. Newegg is out of stock on the Crucial ECC memory. I don't have to order everything from them, but it is handy to use their wishlist.

What about Kingston

Kingston 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ECC Registered DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Server Memory Model KVR16LR11D8K4/32

• DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
• ECC Registered
• Cas Latency 11

Should the ECC be registered, buffered, or unbuffered?

Noted on the power supply. Thanks,

Kirk

 

[SweetAndLow]

It's not compatible, it is registered memory and you need non-registered memory. This goes for both your Axiom brand and the Kingston you just updated your post with. Are you in the US because the crucial looks in stock to me:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148770

 

[kirkdickinson]

Yes, USA. On Newegg, I select memory ECC=Yes and Crucial, here is my return page:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007611 50001455 600006161
It shows 2 items both out of stock.

If I go to Memory > Server Memory, I get more stuff, but most of the Crucial says "Registered". I don't see any that says "Non-Registered". Is "Unbuffered" what I need?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148677

 

[Ericloewe]

Check my X10 RAM guide for specific model numbers.

Regarding Crucial, consider buying directly from them. My experiences have been positive.

Is "Unbuffered" what I need?

Yes.

 

[kirkdickinson]

Thanks,

Kirk

 

[JDCynical]

Something to consider on that chassis is the hot swap bays.

It appears that iStar is taking their stand alone cages, the BPU-230 in this situation it seems, and stuffing them into a generic chassis.

The cage, per their specs, uses a 70mm fan (might be a bit louder that one cares for) and from closeup pictures I can find, it doesn't appear to have any provisioning for replacing the fan outside of removing the cage and taking the back cover off.

Also, looking at the wish list, that MyDigital SSD is listed as having an mSATA connection, which the SM boards don't have.

 

[kirkdickinson]

Something to consider on that chassis is the hot swap bays.

It appears that iStar is taking their stand alone cages, the BPU-230 in this situation it seems, and stuffing them into a generic chassis.

The cage, per their specs, uses a 70mm fan (might be a bit louder that one cares for) and from closeup pictures I can find, it doesn't appear to have any provisioning for replacing the fan outside of removing the cage and taking the back cover off.

This server will be in a back storage room. I don't care if the fan is a little loud. But would there be a better rack mount/hot swap case? I have some iStar hot swap cages in other computers and like them ok. The latches don't always catch the first time, but other than that, all is good.

Also, looking at the wish list, that MyDigital SSD is listed as having an mSATA connection, which the SM boards don't have.

Didn't notice the "m". I don't even know what that is. Have to find a different solution. I figured the full sata drive would be better than a thumbdrive since the speed is lots faster. Does it really matter?

Thanks,

Kirk

 

[JDCynical]

This server will be in a back storage room. I don't care if the fan is a little loud. But would there be a better rack mount/hot swap case? I have some iStar hot swap cages in other computers and like them ok. The latches don't always catch the first time, but other than that, all is good.

What I did for my current build was a generic case (I ended up picking up a rosewill chassis on sale and adding a SM 5 in 3 cage (http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=CA-M35TQB). Somewhat more expensive, but it's a solid unit with an easy to replace fan that doesn't require that I take apart the back of the unit to do so.

Didn't notice the "m". I don't even know what that is. Have to find a different solution. I figured the full sata drive would be better than a thumbdrive since the speed is lots faster. Does it really matter?

mSATA is a smaller form factor for SATA. The connectors are physically smaller and is aimed at small portable devices that have a dedicated port built onto the mainboard.

 

[gpsguy]

For a new build, consider using a SATA DOM instead. I'd get a 32GB model.

I figured the full sata drive would be better than a thumbdrive since the speed is lots faster. Does it really matter?

 

[Ericloewe]

Slow USB devices can be a pain. My not-quite-the-slowest-model-you-can-buy Toshibas take a considerable amount of time to do stuff like updates or boot environment manipulations.
Word is that the ultra-slow stuff (usually the ultra-tiny stuff) like the SanDisk Cruzer Fits sometimes even cause some tasks to time out, which is a pain in FreeNAS 9.3.

Edited to correct fscking autocorrect.

 

[kirkdickinson]

For a new build, consider using a SATA DOM instead. I'd get a 32GB model.

Thanks, I saw that listed in someone else's build, but I didn't know what it was. Looks like the way to go. :)

Kirk