Seeking TrueNAS Scale Community Advice: Expanding Storage Capacity for My Dell PowerEdge 730XD

[atom5ive]

Hey there, TrueNAS Scale enthusiasts!

I'm facing a bit of a storage dilemma with my trusty Dell PowerEdge 730XD server. My drive bays are currently chock-full with large drives, and I'm in dire need of more storage space. Rather than starting from scratch, I thought it would be a great idea to seek help from the TrueNAS Scale community for advice and guidance on how to expand my storage capacity in a cost-effective way.

I've been eyeing a Supermicro 4U 36 Bay Storage Server as a potential solution to my storage woes. However, I'm not entirely sure about the compatibility and the steps required to seamlessly integrate it with my Dell PowerEdge 730XD.

Here's where I could use your collective wisdom:

1. Compatibility: Are there any compatibility issues I should be aware of when connecting the Supermicro server with my Dell PowerEdge, especially considering the different drive types and sizes I currently have?
2. Hardware Requirements: What specific hardware do I need, such as SAS cables and RAID controller cards, to make this integration work smoothly?
3. Integration Steps: What are the step-by-step procedures I should follow to ensure a hassle-free integration? How do I handle RAID configuration, operating system compatibility, data migration, and rigorous testing?

Your experience and insights would be incredibly valuable to me, as they could help me avoid any potential pitfalls and make this storage expansion project a success. So, if you've been down a similar path or have any advice to offer, please share your knowledge in the comments below.

I greatly appreciate your assistance and look forward to learning from the expertise of the TrueNAS Scale community!

TL;DR: Seeking guidance from the TrueNAS Scale community on how to expand storage capacity for my Dell PowerEdge 730XD, which is currently filled with large drives. Considering the integration of a Supermicro 4U 36 Bay Storage Server and need advice on compatibility, required hardware, and integration steps. Any insights or experiences shared would be highly appreciated.

 

[Davvo]

You have to NOT use RAID cards, you need HBAs instead; see the following resource.

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

Please do not use terms of hardware RAID, use proper ZFS terminology please; see the following resources.

Terminology and Abbreviations Primer

We realize that new users have a lot to learn when they come to FreeNAS. There's a certain amount of confusion added to discussions when users pick random/approximate terms to describe things. I've spent a lot of time quietly trying to...

www.truenas.com

Introduction to ZFS

This is a short introduction to ZFS. It is really only intended to convey the bare minimum knowledge needed to start diving into ZFS and is in no way meant to cut Michael W. Lucas' and Allan Jude's book income. It is a bit of a spiritual...

www.truenas.com

What are you tring to achieve? What are your requirements? What is your configuration? How did you setup your pools? There are tons of Supermicro models, which one in particolar are you reffering to?

 

[atom5ive]

You have to NOT use RAID cards, you need HBAs instead; see the following resource.

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

Please do not use terms of hardware RAID, use proper ZFS terminology please; see the following resources.

Terminology and Abbreviations Primer

We realize that new users have a lot to learn when they come to FreeNAS. There's a certain amount of confusion added to discussions when users pick random/approximate terms to describe things. I've spent a lot of time quietly trying to...

www.truenas.com

Introduction to ZFS

This is a short introduction to ZFS. It is really only intended to convey the bare minimum knowledge needed to start diving into ZFS and is in no way meant to cut Michael W. Lucas' and Allan Jude's book income. It is a bit of a spiritual...

www.truenas.com

What are you tring to achieve? What are your requirements? What is your configuration? How did you setup your pools? There are tons of Supermicro models, which one in particolar are you reffering to?

Thanks for the advice on using HBAs instead of RAID cards for the Supermicro integration. I'll definitely check out the resource you provided on TrueNAS about HBAs.

Regarding proper ZFS terminology, I appreciate the guidance, and I'll make sure to use the correct terminology going forward.

As for my goals, I'm looking to expand the storage capacity of my Dell PowerEdge 730XD, which is currently running out of space due to its drive bays being filled with large drives. The idea is to integrate a Supermicro 4U 36 Bay Storage Server to address this issue. However, I want to ensure that the integration is done correctly and that I'm using the best practices for ZFS.

I'll take a look at the resources you mentioned for more information on ZFS terminology and best practices. In terms of Supermicro models, I'm considering the Supermicro 4U 36 Bay Storage Server, but I'll provide more specific details about the model once I've done some more research. If you have one in mind you know works I'm very open at the moment, or if you could provide a example of something that works.

In the meantime, any additional advice or insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NugentS]

You need (simplistically):
1 * HBA with external ports in the TrueNAS
1 * JBOD Disk Shelf - which is basically a PSU, a set of SAS disk bays and a port to connect the external cables from the HBA. These are often quite cheap on Ebay.

There are some complexities with SAS Expander backplanes which I have never gone into and getting the connecting cables can be a bit fraught but its very doable

 

[jgreco]

1 * JBOD Disk Shelf - which is basically a PSU, a set of SAS disk bays and a port to connect the external cables from the HBA. These are often quite cheap on Ebay.

And to expand upon that, a 36-bay chassis from Supermicro can be transformed into a JBOD shelf through the addition of a power management module and a SAS expander. With 36 disks, however, you may want to make sure that you have sufficient capacity between the JBOD and server HBA to handle 36 disks.