Basil Hendroff
Wizard
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2014
- Messages
- 1,644
I'm a big fan of the HP microserver series. The small form factor makes it a great single-box server solution for home and small businesses. There are some constraints though, the key one being only four standard SATA 3.5" drive bays. The big appeal for FreeNAS users is that the OS can be run from a USB stick installed internally within the server. Additional USB ports on the front and rear of the unit make it easy to mirror the OS on a second stick.
I've successfully used good quality USB sticks with FN and TN CORE to date. Thinking about the oldest unit I have, a Gen7 N40L, I've replaced the USB sticks once over a 7.5-year period and that wasn't due to stick failure. If I recall correctly, I think the recommended minimum space requirement for the boot device was increased from 8GB to 16GB at some point.
Now TN SCALE is a different beast. No matter what I try, I haven't been able to get it to run from a USB stick. I thought I could get away with a really high-end stick like the Sandisk Extreme Pro @AUD$89, but that was an abysmal failure. It looks like I have no choice, but to use an SSD as the boot device. I'm aware I can install an SSD within the microserver, but my preference is to use the internal USB slot. @Patrick M. Hausen recommended a 'deluxe' USB drive in this post. I ordered a pair. This unit works brilliantly as a boot device for SCALE. Unfortunately, there's no option as yet within the SCALE 21.06 GUI to mirror the boot device, but I expect that will be implemented at some stage.
What impressed me with this unit was the breathtaking speed at which the OS booted. I've ordered another pair and intend to replace the USB sticks on a primary TN CORE server. Compared to a $15 pair of USB sticks though, they're not cheap @AUD$161.40 a pair. Although I order them through Amazon Australia, a second issue is that the units are sourced through Amazon US so there's typically a two to three week delay before I receive the goods.
My question is this... 'Have any Aussies been able to source a cheaper or more quickly sourced SSD/USB combo locally that they know will work as a boot device for TN?'
I've successfully used good quality USB sticks with FN and TN CORE to date. Thinking about the oldest unit I have, a Gen7 N40L, I've replaced the USB sticks once over a 7.5-year period and that wasn't due to stick failure. If I recall correctly, I think the recommended minimum space requirement for the boot device was increased from 8GB to 16GB at some point.
Now TN SCALE is a different beast. No matter what I try, I haven't been able to get it to run from a USB stick. I thought I could get away with a really high-end stick like the Sandisk Extreme Pro @AUD$89, but that was an abysmal failure. It looks like I have no choice, but to use an SSD as the boot device. I'm aware I can install an SSD within the microserver, but my preference is to use the internal USB slot. @Patrick M. Hausen recommended a 'deluxe' USB drive in this post. I ordered a pair. This unit works brilliantly as a boot device for SCALE. Unfortunately, there's no option as yet within the SCALE 21.06 GUI to mirror the boot device, but I expect that will be implemented at some stage.
What impressed me with this unit was the breathtaking speed at which the OS booted. I've ordered another pair and intend to replace the USB sticks on a primary TN CORE server. Compared to a $15 pair of USB sticks though, they're not cheap @AUD$161.40 a pair. Although I order them through Amazon Australia, a second issue is that the units are sourced through Amazon US so there's typically a two to three week delay before I receive the goods.
My question is this... 'Have any Aussies been able to source a cheaper or more quickly sourced SSD/USB combo locally that they know will work as a boot device for TN?'
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