Will a HP StorageWorks X1600 G2 Support FreeNAS?

[wraith]

Hi All,

Hope all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy NYE!

I've recently had a 42U rack installed at home. I have little to no experience with using rack-mounted chassis' and see this as an opportunity to try my hand. However, being new to all this, I want to start off with an inexpensive non-production system [currently considering a backup system]. I've been doing some technical and sales research and reaching out to the community for feedback as to whether my plan is feasible/practicable and any tips to ease the learning curve and ensure I'm on the right track.

I've found a second hand HP Storageworks X1600 G2 that someone is selling for around AUS$350 [~US$275]. I've been doing some research and this appears to have potential. The spec's for this are:

• CPU: Xeon E5520. Passmark ~4400. Supports upto 144Gb ECC RAM;
• M/B: HP custom. Can support upto two Xeon chips.
• CONTROLLER: HP Smart ArrayP212/512MB Controller with BBWC (LFF front drive slots)
• BAY'S: 12 x 3.5" at front; 2 x 2.5" at rear. The 2.5" at rear are, I understand, intended to act in mirror for the OS;
• NIC: HP NC362i Integrated Dual Port Gigabit Server Adapter;
• RAM: 12 bays. Being sold with 16Gb DDR ECC RAM. Size and quantity of modules unknown
• EXPANSION: 1 x x16 PCI-Express [half length/half height]; 1 x x8 PCI-Express [full length/full height - used by the P212
• POWER: 750W with Redundant
• MORE: https://h10057.www1.hp.com/ecomcat/hpcatalog/specs/provisioner/99/BV862A.htm

I've compared the above to the FreeBSD hardware compatibility page for FreeBSD11.1 and the only potential issue appears to be the NIC, as it's not listed.

Notes I've made:

• The E5520 is LGA1366. I've been able to find LGA1366 boards on ebay should the one with the unit fail. The only potential issue is whether it will fit, the existing being a custom board;
• I've seen it mentioned around the forum that some controller's have a 2Tb limit. Not sure if the P212 has this limitation [refer below];
• I may need to setup the controller to allow FreeNAS to control the disks directly;
• Availability and pricing of SuperMicro parts in Western Australia leaves something to be desired

I would appreciate any feedback/advice on:

• Firstly, is this even a good idea or feasible? Has anyone tried to install FreeNAS on this, or similiar, server?
• Anything in particular I should take note of when inspecting or testing a second hand chassis. There are some items I consider obvious such as checking the bays work, physical size. Looking at advice on any small details that may trip me up should the above proceed
• I'm a little confused by the specifications for the SA P212 controller. The spec's stat 24Tb maximum [for the entire server ie 2Tb per drive] but it's not clear to me if this is due to HDD sizes back at the decade's beginning or a limit on the card itself. I've seen some reference to 3Tb drives against this controller. However, mention is also made about support for drives in excess of 2Tb via logical drive. Is anyone familiar with this device to assist in interpreting the spec's? I'm assuming that if it's the card, this can be replaced with a suitable, current controller. Spec's for the P212 here.

If this unit ends up being much better than my existing, I may consider making it my primary NAS!

Please let me know if there is anymore information I need to track down and provide to assist.

Thanks in advance for your assistance and time

 

[BigDave]

I've found a second hand HP Storageworks X1600 G2 that someone is selling for around AUS$350 [~US$275].

I would not bother with a Generation 2 ANYTHING for $275.
Try and find a 3U or 4U chassis for your rack that will fit your
current hardware configuration, with a budget of $275 I'm willing
to bet you come out way ahead in terms of future satisfaction.

 

[Chris Moore]

CONTROLLER: HP Smart ArrayP212/512MB Controller with BBWC (LFF front drive slots)

This is a hardware RAID controller and it completely unsuitable for FreeNAS. That means it won't work right, don't even try.

I know that this is much more expensive, and it isn't in Australia, but this is the kind of hardware you need to use.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro...-2-6ghz-8-Core-128gb-24-Bay-JBOD/232604715524

You should take a hard look at the guides as they will give you a lot of good information about the generalities of what works:
FreeNAS® Quick Hardware Guide
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?resources/freenas®-quick-hardware-guide.7/

Hardware Recommendations Guide Rev 1e) 2017-05-06
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?resources/hardware-recommendations-guide.12/

 

[Ericloewe]

I would not bother with a Generation 2 ANYTHING for $275.

Why? It's noisier and more power-hungry, but it works as expected, I'd expect.

That said, HP is particularly bad with all sorts of weird oddities, so it's a bit of a gamble.

 

[BigDave]

so it's a bit of a gamble.

• The NC362i (on-board) NIC is missing from the comp hardware list.

This fact alone (with that motherboard) would be enough to scare me off.

 

[wraith]

Hi @Chris Moore ,

Thanks for the link to the Quick Resource Guide. I somehow missed that resource. And I have seen your 2nd hand SM chassis recommendation in a few posts... Although that particular seller won't even ship to Australia. And some that I have found [from the US] that will, postage is often in the order of US$1,000. Mind blowing!

I found the PDF created by Ericloewe and had already perused that. It reaffirmed my suspicions - SuperMicro is considered the only real contender. However, as mentioned, SM chassis' are very hard to come by [in Australia] and it may be a case of selecting the best of a bad bunch. I found Stux's build and he's used as Norco RPC-4224. I note that this is also a recommended chassis. There are other brands I've found - TGC, Chenbro - but I'm assuming these aren't even on par with the Norco's. Maybe once I've got myself proficient over the next couple years I'll consider a SM chassis! :)

Mentioning/considering the HP raid controller is a learning curve on nomenclature and the components of a server. I thought one would need a controller AND the back-plane. Or does FreeNAS control the HDD's directly through the back-plane? I've still got some reading to do, it seems!

Hi @Ericloewe ,
Following from the above, would there be value in adding a "not recommended" hardware list? If I see a product missing from the list it could be interpreted that it's not compatible but another interpretation could be it's never been tested. It could summarise why particular brands or models aren't recommended.

Hi @BigDave ,
Thanks for your input. I think I may give the HP SW 1600 G2 a miss and keep looking. Unless I can weezle the price right down to make the gamble worth it...

Thanks, again, guys for your feedback.

 

[Chris Moore]

Hi @Chris Moore ,

Thanks for the link to the Quick Resource Guide. I somehow missed that resource. And I have seen your 2nd hand SM chassis recommendation in a few posts... Although that particular seller won't even ship to Australia. And some that I have found [from the US] that will, postage is often in the order of US$1,000. Mind blowing!

I found the PDF created by Ericloewe and had already perused that. It reaffirmed my suspicions - SuperMicro is considered the only real contender. However, as mentioned, SM chassis' are very hard to come by [in Australia] and it may be a case of selecting the best of a bad bunch. I found Stux's build and he's used as Norco RPC-4224. I note that this is also a recommended chassis. There are other brands I've found - TGC, Chenbro - but I'm assuming these aren't even on par with the Norco's. Maybe once I've got myself proficient over the next couple years I'll consider a SM chassis! :)

Mentioning/considering the HP raid controller is a learning curve on nomenclature and the components of a server. I thought one would need a controller AND the back-plane. Or does FreeNAS control the HDD's directly through the back-plane? I've still got some reading to do, it seems!

Hi @Ericloewe ,
Following from the above, would there be value in adding a "not recommended" hardware list? If I see a product missing from the list it could be interpreted that it's not compatible but another interpretation could be it's never been tested. It could summarise why particular brands or models aren't recommended.

Hi @BigDave ,
Thanks for your input. I think I may give the HP SW 1600 G2 a miss and keep looking. Unless I can weezle the price right down to make the gamble worth it...

Thanks, again, guys for your feedback.

Generally, if a disk controller is listed as a RAID controller and they provide the amount of RAM the controller has, it is effectively a separate computer on a card that handles all I/O to the drives and only presents a volume to the OS. That's what was the standard for performance and workload offload at one time.
It's not what FreeNAS wants.
FreeNAS is looking to directly access each drive to do health monitoring and ZFS will handle distribution of data among the drives.
FreeNAS just needs SATA or what is called a SAS HBA. The controller does nothing but moving data from drive to system and back.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[wraith]

Generally, if a disk controller is listed as a RAID controller and they provide the amount of RAM the controller has, it is effectively a separate computer on a card that handles all I/O to the drives and only presents a volume to the OS. That's what was the standard for performance and workload offload at one time.
It's not what FreeNAS wants.
FreeNAS is looking to directly access each drive to do health monitoring and ZFS will handle distribution of data among the drives.
FreeNAS just needs SATA or what is called a SAS HBA. The controller does nothing but moving data from drive to system and back.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the clarification!

Sent from my SM-A720F using Tapatalk