Will it FreeNAS? CPU + MoBo + RAM for simple Network Storage

_Alchemist_

Dabbler
Joined
Jan 10, 2019
Messages
23
Hello iX Community :^)

I found this example FreeNAS Build Guide and was wondering if it would be a good Idea to base my own FreeNAS Server on that.
They use a Fujitsu D3644-B and an Intel Pentium Gold G5400 and 8GiB Kingston DDR4 ECC Memory as the core components. (~240€)

My Requirements:

- RAID-Z2 for data integrity
- SMB Shares for 3-4 Users
- quiet Operation at Idle
- low power consumption

I want to use 6x 4TB Western Digital Red Drives in a RAID-Z2 Pool connected to the 6x SATA Ports from the PCH so I don't have to buy an LSI SAS Controller.
FreeNAS would be installed on a cheap 128GB M.2 PCIe SSD since all the SATA Ports on the Fujitsu D3644-B would be already used.
The Pentium G5400 should be fast enough for Gigabit Speeds and 8GB should (?) be enough since I don't need a lot of speed and no VMs / Jails / Docker / etc.

Already existing Hardware:

- Fractal Design Define R5 Black
- be quiet! Straight Power 10 500W
- Alpenföhn Brocken 2 (CPU Cooler)
- 3x Noctua NF-A14 PWM (Case Fans)
- ...

I have read that only Supermicro and ASRock Rack Motherboards are recommended for FreeNAS but for a non commercial installation this should be fine?
My Budget isn't very big (max 300-400€ for CPU + RAM + MoBo) and since the FreeNAS Server will only be used for Storage I don't want it to be too overkill :)

Do you think this Hardware would work for my Requirements or should I spent a little more / if yes for what?

thank you for reading :D

Edit

added 3x Noctua NF-A14 PWMs to the existing Hardware
 
Last edited:

John Doe

Guru
Joined
Aug 16, 2011
Messages
635
in case it is acceptable for you, go with 2nd hand hardware. e.g.:
2x Micron 4GB PC3-10600 DDR3-1333 ECC UDIMM ~38USD
Supermicro X10SLL-F for ~50USD
i3 4360 cpu "new" ~40USD

that is my backup freenas server and what I have spent on it. I think I am quite close to the minimum. In case you want to be sure, go with a better CPU and double the RAM

for super silent, search for sharkon vibe fixer and 180mm air penetrator from silverstone. my main server is in my livingroom and you cannot hear it.
 

_Alchemist_

Dabbler
Joined
Jan 10, 2019
Messages
23
in case it is acceptable for you, go with 2nd hand hardware. e.g.:
2x Micron 4GB PC3-10600 DDR3-1333 ECC UDIMM ~38USD
Supermicro X10SLL-F for ~50USD
i3 4360 cpu "new" ~40USD
Where did you find your X10SLL-F? :)
I can barely find a Supermicro X9 for that price

Edit

I already have three Noctua NF-A14 PWM Fans in the Fractal Design Define R5, so no need for the silverstone Fans, but the vibe fixer looks interesting
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 18, 2018
Messages
969
My Budget isn't very big (max 300-400€ for CPU + RAM + MoBo) and since the FreeNAS Server will only be used for Storage I don't want it to be too overkill :)
I second the opinion to go used. For your budget you can get a much better machine used than new parts.

Are you primarily doing sync writes? If so, I suspect you'll need a SLOG device in front of that pool. You can go with PCIe devices or use M.2 slots. SLOG devices are a better use of the M.2 device if you can get a board with more SATA ports or pick up a cheap HBA.
 

John Doe

Guru
Joined
Aug 16, 2011
Messages
635
Where did you find your X10SLL-F? :)
I can barely find a Supermicro X9 for that price

Edit

I already have three Noctua NF-A14 PWM Fans in the Fractal Design Define R5, so no need for the silverstone Fans, but the vibe fixer looks interesting

i got everything via ebay or some other Annunciation platforms.

you might want to safe the money for those expansive giant fans, but they are quite, I mean super quite and can still give sufficient airflow to keep HDDs below 35°C. I really love my server, it is the most quiet system I ever built.
 

_Alchemist_

Dabbler
Joined
Jan 10, 2019
Messages
23
I second the opinion to go used. For your budget you can get a much better machine used than new parts.

Are you primarily doing sync writes? If so, I suspect you'll need a SLOG device in front of that pool. You can go with PCIe devices or use M.2 slots. SLOG devices are a better use of the M.2 device if you can get a board with more SATA ports or pick up a cheap HBA.

I use OpenMediaVault (running off a USB Stick / on a Celeron 3150 and 4GB of RAM) right now, so no, I do not use sync writes.
There is a just infrequently accessed Data sitting on a single 4TB HDD (which I backup every week via FreeFileSync).
During larger Backups (for example when my Mother saved a lot of Pictures and Videos from her Smartphone) there is max 10-30 GB of Data at a time.
I really don't need performance, I just want more space and RAID-Z2 so I can have Snapshots and don't lose one Weeks worth of Data if a Drive fails :^)

you might want to safe the money for those expansive giant fans, but they are quite, I mean super quite and can still give sufficient airflow to keep HDDs below 35°C. I really love my server, it is the most quiet system I ever built.

:D I already bought three used 140mm Noctua Fans, they are quiet enough, trust me

Edit

I found someone who is selling following Hardware for 100€:

- Intel Xeon E3-1220 4x 3.10GHz
- Supermicro X9SCi-LN4F
- 4x 4GB Samsung DDR3 ECC

Additional I would buy a 30-40€ SAS2008 PCIe HBA + SAS to SATA Cables on eBay

Do you think this would work or do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance :)
 
Last edited:

pschatz100

Guru
Joined
Mar 30, 2014
Messages
1,184
I think your original proposed configuration would probably work OK, but the used Supermicro suggested above would be easier to support as there is more experience with it on the forums. As others have commented, I also buy in to the notion that used Supermicro gear is a good bet - the X9 series are very reliable.

Although 8Mb RAM is considered a minimum, 16Gb will be better with your suggested configuration. For your proposed use, I would not worry about a SLOG. I doubt you would see any performance difference - but if you really want it, you can configure one later once the system is up and stable.

Why do you want an HBA? If you plan to max the system at six drives, you don't really need the HBA. You can attach an SSD boot device via USB adapter. There are a couple of forum members that have done this.
 

John Doe

Guru
Joined
Aug 16, 2011
Messages
635
pro for an HBA:
I experienced a slightly faster system
ability to virtualize the system (e.g. ESXi)
sufficient SATA ports

Con:
power consumption around 10-20w
one additional part to purchase and which can fail

one more point to highlight, I cannot recommend to use an usb stick as a boot medium, it will fail, just a mater of time. go with an appropriate device like an SSD, can be via usb, or m.2 adapter or else, just don't use a conventional usb stick, it will create headache over time.
 

_Alchemist_

Dabbler
Joined
Jan 10, 2019
Messages
23
I think your original proposed configuration would probably work OK, but the used Supermicro suggested above would be easier to support as there is more experience with it on the forums. As others have commented, I also buy in to the notion that used Supermicro gear is a good bet - the X9 series are very reliable.
I went with the Supermicro X9SCi-LN4F, Xeon E3-1220, 16GB DDR3 ECC and a (free) Dell Perc H200 / LSI 9211-8i

Although 8Mb RAM is considered a minimum, 16Gb will be better with your suggested configuration. For your proposed use, I would not worry about a SLOG. I doubt you would see any performance difference - but if you really want it, you can configure one later once the system is up and stable.
I have looked into the SLOG / ZIL and L2ARC Stuff, but since I don't need performance I won't bother setting it up

Why do you want an HBA? If you plan to max the system at six drives, you don't really need the HBA. You can attach an SSD boot device via USB adapter. There are a couple of forum members that have done this.
I don't trust USB Sticks, thats why :) But if you can give me the source I would gladly use my Transcend SSD370S as the Boot drive on a USB Port
 

HoneyBadger

actually does care
Administrator
Moderator
iXsystems
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Messages
5,110
I don't trust USB Sticks, thats why :) But if you can give me the source I would gladly use my Transcend SSD370S as the Boot drive on a USB Port

The problem is less the protocol and more the device. USB "sticks" often don't have the best write endurance and are usually made to budget first and reliability second (or third, or never) - I've seen a couple users now doing the "SSD on USB adapter" route and they seem to be content.
 

_Alchemist_

Dabbler
Joined
Jan 10, 2019
Messages
23
The problem is less the protocol and more the device. USB "sticks" often don't have the best write endurance and are usually made to budget first and reliability second (or third, or never)
They also don't support TRIM, wear leveling and stuff like that ...
I've seen a couple users now doing the "SSD on USB adapter" route and they seem to be content.
What kind of Adapter exactly? I mean how can I know if these Adapters are compatible with FreeBSD / FreeNAS?
 

Ericloewe

Server Wrangler
Moderator
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
20,176
What kind of Adapter exactly? I mean how can I know if these Adapters are compatible with FreeBSD / FreeNAS?
Well, theoretically they all are. In practice, 50% or more are crap to varying degrees and some OSes cope better with that than others.

Your best bet for researching this is picking an adapter, figuring out which controller it uses and applying your google-fu to figure out how well they work with FreeBSD. Or buy one and throw work at it until it fails.
 

_Alchemist_

Dabbler
Joined
Jan 10, 2019
Messages
23
Well, theoretically they all are. In practice, 50% or more are crap to varying degrees and some OSes cope better with that than others.

Your best bet for researching this is picking an adapter, figuring out which controller it uses and applying your google-fu to figure out how well they work with FreeBSD. Or buy one and throw work at it until it fails.
I think I'll stick with the SAS HBA then, even if it uses more power...
I already got it for free and I rather have the few extra watts instead of a unreliable system ;)
 
Top