Advice on new NAS build

[spjthe]

Hi all,

My current NAS motherboard (Asrock C2750D4I) recently stopped working, and as such, I've decided to design a new build. My initial build was put together clumsily and as such didn't quite follow the recommended procedures for FreeNAS. For this new build I've tried to the take time to find parts that compliment each other and FreeNAS - based on the guides on the forum, etc. I'm hoping that someone could review my proposed parts list and let me know if I've missed anything obvious.

My old NAS's previous workload was primarily a PLEX server (via the plugin), storage server and datastore for an ESXI host. I appreciate that the components I've picked are more than adequate for the workload described, however, I'm looking to experiment more with my homelab and will likely use the extra compute capacity. I'm still slightly undecided on how this new build will be set up i.e. FreeNAS on baremetal vs virtualised FreeNAS in ESXI (I know that additional hardware would be required e.g. a HBA) - any opinions on this would also be welcome, although I believe the parts I've picked to be compatible with both scenarios.

Parts list (* indicates parts that I already own):
Motherboard SuperMicro X11SSL-CF
CPU Intel Xeon E3 – 1230 V6
RAM 32Gb 2 x 16Gb - DDR4 PC4-17000 2133MHz 288-pin UDIMM ECC Unbuffered (As sold here: https://www.mrmemory.co.uk/memory-ram-upgrades/supermicro/motherboard/x11ssl-cf?search=X11SSL-CF)
Case Fractal Design Node 804
HDDs* 8 x 3Tb Western Digital Reds
Boot Drive* SanDisk SSD PLUS 120 GB
PSU Seasonic Focus Plus+ 650 (I have a spreadsheet with some calculations, this is more than adequate for my current requirements but leaves me some expansion space)
Fans 2 x ENERMAX T.B. Silence UCTB12P Case Fan
3 x Noctua NF-P14s redux-1200 Case Fan

Thanks for taking the time to look this over
Simon

 

[BigDave]

(I know that additional hardware would be required e.g. a HBA)

With the board you listed, the RAID controller is built in, all though you will have to flash it to IT mode
and use the proper version of the firmware for that controller.

Your over all hardware choices looks ok, assuming the RAM is compatible with the board & CPU.
If the vendor is standing behind compatibility, this will not be a concern.

 

[Chris Moore]

Thanks for taking the time to look this over
Simon

You will need a pair of SAS to SATA breakout cable (similar to this) to allow your data drives to be connected to the system board.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Int...out-Cable-Used-for-Raid-Card/32819445763.html

 

[spjthe]

With the board you listed, the RAID controller is built in, all though you will have to flash it to IT mode
and use the proper version of the firmware for that controller.

Ah yes, good point

You will need a pair of SAS to SATA breakout cable (similar to this) to allow your data drives to be connected to the system board.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Int...out-Cable-Used-for-Raid-Card/32819445763.html

Thanks I had forgotten that.

Thanks both for your help :)

 

[Stux]

Nice selection of parts there :)

Enjoy ;)

Be sure to check out my ESXi build guide if you haven’t already.

You should be able to pass the onboard LSI controller straight in, and have your FreeNAS vmdk on that ssd, and boot ESXi off that ssd too.

 

[Chris Moore]

This is the build that Stux was talking about:
Build Report: Node 304 + X10SDV-TLN4F [ESXi/FreeNAS AIO]
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...node-304-x10sdv-tln4f-esxi-freenas-aio.57116/
It is a little different than what you were planning, but it might give you some ideas.