1U build

[DaAwesomeP]

Hello!

I have found a used server with the following specs, and I have never actually used FreeNAS before, so I just want to be sure this will work out:

• Supermicro X9DRI-LN4F+ 1.10A
• 2x Intel Xeon E5-2609 (probably way more than I need but whatever)
• 16GB DDR3 (I don't know the speed)
  
• In a CSE-815TQ-563CB chassis
• BPN-SAS-815TQ backplane (this is where I am shaky on if this will work)
• 4x WD100EMAZ shucked drives
• Don't have a boot drive picked out yet, might use a USB key for the first week or so

This will mostly be a media server, maybe also store some backups and 1 or 2 non-critical security cameras (though I am worried about extended drive life with 24/7 writing for the cameras).

Thanks!

 

[HoneyBadger]

Welcome.

That'll definitely FreeNAS, and certain areas are indeed massive overkill as you suspect. This system looks like it was designed to provide more "compute" than "storage" and some parts of the config reflect this. But if it's very cheap or even free - no sense looking a gift horse in the mouth. Expect it to be loud though - a dual-socket 1U machine isn't usually known for being anything less than ear-piercing.

Supermicro X9DRI-LN4F+ 1.10A - A dual-socket quad-NIC motherboard tells me this was a compute node. Nothing against it, but it's overkill.

2x Intel Xeon E5-2609 (probably way more than I need but whatever) - Definitely more than you need. Consider removing one of them to save on power consumption, heat, and noise.

16GB DDR3 (I don't know the speed) - Speed isn't nearly as important as quantity, and this system uses cheap DDR3 RDIMMs. Feel free to load up on 8GB sticks on eBay.

In a CSE-815TQ-563CB chassis - Small and noisy, and only four bays. Not ideal since you'd be challenged to expand down the road.

BPN-SAS-815TQ backplane (this is where I am shaky on if this will work) - Direct-attach backplane, no expander chip - no reason at all this won't work beautifully.

4x WD100EMAZ shucked drives - No warranty once they're shucked, but they aren't SMR and they're a good size. With only four drives though you should probably be looking at mirrors (for 20T total)

 

[DaAwesomeP]

Wow thanks for the fast response!

Yeah I think this came out of a compute scenario. That's a fantastic idea to remove one of the CPUs! I think I will do that. And yeah this is all very cheap and I unfortunately have a 1U requirement, so 4 bays will have to do for how awesomely cheap I am getting this for.

Thanks!

 

[HoneyBadger]

No worries. Just check to ensure that you have any necessary baffles or air guides - 1U servers are very particular about their airflow, and pulling a CPU and heatsink might leave a big empty void where the air would try to go (path of least resistance) rather than being forced through your running CPU/RAM. Also remember to relocate your RAM to slots supported by CPU0 - if they're in slots run by the second processor, they won't do you much good without it there.