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Taking the plunge... (Building a NAS - Need Help)
- Thread starter JTT0
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I completely understand. I agree that the Sticky is to be an informative base. Thank you for the note to check back on it and re-read it. I am thinking that I will use that card for the expansion now. Thanks!
In addition, I have flashed my Linksys Router with DD-WRT, so I understand Firmware flashing, but how does it work for this Controller Card? Is there a step-by-step guide on here somewhere to use as a basis? What is "IT" mode?
This is true. The case selection is not set-in-stone. I found that online and I really like the Hot-Swap functionality and it's slick look without having to purchase Hot Swap trays, etc.. I know that I want 8 drives and prefer Hot Swapping not really for uptime, but for ease of access and Raid rebuilding when a drive fails. Since I work professional in the electronics industry as a Software/Electrical Engineer, I understand that the more you open the case, the higher the chance to fry something if your grounding is off. I have seen VERY expensive equipment fried.
After reading your other post, I am investigating Micro-ATX to see if I can build something similar.
Thanks for the replies!
There is another sticky for that here too! Maybe you should go check out our stickies collection before asking more questions? :D
I believe that I agree with you on that one. *Adjusting Eyes* Time to look for that sticky!
So, if I go with the IBM M1015, do I really need a MB with 6 slots? I should be able to get by with one that has 1 or 2 for an internal SSD?
What about throughput on PCIe?
My only worry with depending so much on an external Raid Card is what if it fails? Will I need to replace it with an exact replica? This is why I chose ZFS / Software Raid, to avoid a single point of failure.
I would be very happy if I could use ANY card as a replacement, if this card happened to fail and still retain data integrity, plus it would cheapen the MB for me, which would be fantastic!
What about throughput on PCIe?
My only worry with depending so much on an external Raid Card is what if it fails? Will I need to replace it with an exact replica? This is why I chose ZFS / Software Raid, to avoid a single point of failure.
I would be very happy if I could use ANY card as a replacement, if this card happened to fail and still retain data integrity, plus it would cheapen the MB for me, which would be fantastic!
You reflash it to IT mode.. aka... it has NO RAID mode at all. It's a dumb 8-port HBA you can use as you want. If it fails you buy another(which is the most likely outcome right now for price) or you buy anything else that works as a dumb HBA with FreeNAS with good support. The M1015 is the go-to because nobody here is about to do all the research for every card out there to come up with a comprehensive list. So you either buy whatever is recommended or you get the proverbial "good luck to you".
I think you just made my life that much easier regarding the decisions. Let me re-write what you stated to ensure that I understand you correctly.
If I use that controller in "IT" Mode (NO RAID) under ZFS/RaidZ3 in FreeNAS, then IF it ever fails, I can just rip it out and plug in ANY controller with 8-ports in a "NO RAID" flash down the road, whether that be the same controller or another brand/maker? There will be ZERO data loss?
If I understand you correctly, then I WILL buy this controller, since it is FreeNAS "Tried and True" as well as research a new Motherboard, which can probably save me $150 or more to cover this controller.
Precisely! I am the type of person to avoid purchasing "Wildcard" hardware, which is what made me really feel nervous when you were all mentioning you wanted to know how that MB works out, LOL. I am a risk taker in general, but not when it comes to my data integrity! My files are not really insanely important (Besides code projects and family videos/pictures), but I am a bit paranoid when it comes to losing data. This whole NAS build began when I got the feeling that one of my external HDD's was beginning to fail.
So, I will revamp my build tentatively to:
OS: FreeNAS
Case: $200 (U-NAS NSC-800 --> Considering Micro-ATX as well) - http://www.u-nas.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17617
Motherboard: $190 (ASRock E3C224D2I) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157467
CPU: $140 (Intel Core i3-4130T --> May change with MB selection) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116947
RAM: $205 (Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1333MHZ) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820139979
PSU: $70 (Athena Power Supply 400W 1U --> Maybe a 300W) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ....9f8d160f67f85d
SATA Port Extender / Raid Controller: $140 (IBM M1015) - http://www.serversupply.com/product...p?pid=134940&gclid=CMj40YH3zrsCFcFj7AodVh8A1w
HDD Set 1: $135 * 4 = $540 (Four 3TB WD Red)
HDD Set 2: $140 * 4 = $560 (Four 3TB Seagate NAS)
Hardware Total: $945 [GOAL: < $1,000]
HDD Total: $1,100
Build Total: $2,045
Potential Additions:
CPU Cooler: $44 (Noctua NH-L9i low-profile HSF) - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009VY1PMI/?tag=ozlp-20
The CPU was selected mainly for it's 35W TDP, which should help my electric bills?
I have read that the T models are only more efficient when the CPU is under load and is basically the same as the normal CPU it is based off of when idle which will be the typical use case for a FreeNAS box in a home setting. Check this out before you spend the cash on a higher price CPU; it might not actually gain you anything.
Thanks for the insight! I thought the TDP given was idle. I could easily half the price on the CPU if that is the case!
I could go for this, in that case:
$70 (Intel Pentium G3220) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116950
You might be right...
From the ARK:
"Max TDP:
Thermal Design Power (TDP) represents the near maximum power a product can draw for a thermally significant period while running commercially available software. For thermal solution requirements please consult the Datasheet, volume 1 (where available)."
After some additional research, the lower-end processor does not have the new AES instruction set. I guess I need to decide if it is worth the additional cost, since the performance hit from FreeNAS would probably be less than desirable...
TDP is theoretical maximum heat generation. In fact, it's overestimated by Intel on purpose for engineering calculations.
Since CPUs are binned and stuff each CPU has slightly different TDP. Intel just overexagerates them all to "worst case" and nobody will complain if it goes under. ;)
Since CPUs are binned and stuff each CPU has slightly different TDP. Intel just overexagerates them all to "worst case" and nobody will complain if it goes under. ;)
Hey KMR, I have been planning on using FreeNAS' hardware encryption as I value my data and would like to prevent any thieves from accessing the data. I am hoping to have FreeNAS Data Encryption at the HDD level and use software encryption on top of it for added security on personal files. With that being said, I am re-evaluating the need for AES encryption...
How does Truecrypt work? I have Mac's, Windows and Linux machines in my network.
Not sure about Mac's but I use truecrypt on my linux and windows boxes. You create an encrypted volume that is mounted like a hard drive via truecrypt and all of your files are stored within the encrypted volume. You can also move / copy the volume around as you like. Do you really need to encrypt an entire pool for a few MB of financial documents and email backups? Do you really care if your movie collection is encrypted?
No, I don't really need to have my media encrypted, but if I am paying this much to protect my data and a thief steals it from my house, the least I can do is pay just a little more to make the data useless to them :p
Seriously now, irregardless if I use the AES disc encryption or not, my personal files will be software encrypted as a volume, not sure what program to use yet as I really need a cross-platform solution here and it seems that none exists.
As for the AES encryption, I am debating whether or not it is worth the 70 bucks to me as that is the additional CPU cost.
I need to do some more additional research regarding the AES encryption usages in FreeNAS.
Thank you! That is awesome news!
Now, for a ridiculous level of security (I am a security nut :-D), is it possible to use Truecrypt on the entire volume, then have another Truecrypt encryption on a folder inside that volume? In other words, I can decrypt the volume for all computers on my network, but still keep that folder locked for access-only decryption?
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