Trouble installing FreeNAS 9.1

[Phillip Steege]

I downloaded the image and created a CD, however when I boot the PC I get a message about a problem with the video resolution and the CD never starts the installation.
Is FreeNAS only for a x64 CPU ?
My system specs are:

ASUS Mobo P4P800
CPU Intel Pentium 4 2.8Ghz
4 GB of RAM

 

[Phillip Steege]

Also the monitor is old too.
DELL 1907FP

 

[Spearfoot]

I downloaded the image and created a CD, however when I boot the PC I get a message about a problem with the video resolution and the CD never starts the installation.
Is FreeNAS only for a x64 CPU ?
My system specs are:

ASUS Mobo P4P800
CPU Intel Pentium 4 2.8Ghz
4 GB of RAM

Yes, FreeNAS is only supported on 64-bit CPUs. Also, your system doesn't meet the minimum RAM requirement of 8GB:

http://www.freenas.org/hardware-requirements/

Despite the claims of the many "Use your old PC to build a NAS" articles available on the internet, you really need to run FreeNAS on server-class hardware if you value your data. Fortunately, such hardware isn't prohibitively expensive these days.

 

[Phillip Steege]

Spearfoot - Thanks for that feedback. I guess I will be shopping on eBay / Amazon for a nice bare-bones system, with those minimum specs to get me started. If you have a recommendation for a source for a "budget" starter system, I will appreciate hearing about it.
I will check out the hardware-requirements link you sent me as a guide.

 

[danb35]

The standard recommendations for an inexpensive box suitable for a FreeNAS server have been the Lenovo ThinkServer TS140 and the Dell PowerEdge T20. Both have been available under US$300 for quite a while, though I'm not sure that's still the case. You would want to upgrade the RAM on either of them (base configuration is only 4 GB), but they're otherwise reasonably-suitable machines at a fairly-attractive price point.

 

[Spearfoot]

Quite a few of us here on the forum like Supermicro gear; I own 2 Supermicro systems. Our friend @Mirfster is a Dell fan and has cajoled a supplier into offering a turn-key FreeNAS-ready system for <$400: Ode to the Dell C2100/FS12-TY

Hard disks are where most of your budget will go... :)

I suggest you take your time and do some research before you spring for a system. Think long and hard about how you plan to use FreeNAS, and especially about how much storage capacity you'll need... then double your initial estimate! With planning and forethought, you can build a system that will serve you well for many years.

 

[danb35]

Ah, yes, the C2100 is also a good choice. It will be considerably more powerful than either of the two I mentioned, at the expense of some energy efficiency. Some recent posts suggest that the "turnkey" system is not quite as turnkey as intended, mainly with respect to firmware versions, but it nonetheless seems like a very good deal.

Used Supermicro gear can be a very good deal as well. For new gear, the two systems I mentioned will probably be the least expensive to get started. As long as you don't (and won't) need more than four hard disks, they'll likely serve you well.

 

[pschatz100]

Ah, yes, the C2100 is also a good choice. It will be considerably more powerful than either of the two I mentioned, at the expense of some energy efficiency. Some recent posts suggest that the "turnkey" system is not quite as turnkey as intended, mainly with respect to firmware versions, but it nonetheless seems like a very good deal.

Used Supermicro gear can be a very good deal as well. For new gear, the two systems I mentioned will probably be the least expensive to get started. As long as you don't (and won't) need more than four hard disks, they'll likely serve you well.

Older Supermicro gear can be a pretty good buy. X9 and X10 systems can be found for very good prices and they have good support here on the forums. I have a couple of X9 systems that run just fine (Ivy bridge Intel CPU's have almost the same performance as newer CPUs.) I would not go older than that.

 

[danb35]

Even X8 gear can be suitable, though you'd be taking a definite hit on the performance/watt scale. Anything older than that gets you an FSB, though, and you really don't want one of those.