Dell Precision T7400 build

[HammerJ]

I'm trying to repurpose a Dell Precision T7400 w/ a Xeon E5405 and 64g of ECC ram.

Here's my list of stuff to get so far:

1x LSI HBA
1x SFP NIC
2x Breakout Cables
4x WD Red 10TB

Probably boot from a thumbdrive and use a Samsung 250mb ssd or two laying around for the log/slog


Am I missing anything? The SFP NIC is to take advantage of a free SFP port on my switch, and I may use the onboard eth0 to connect to a different switch, but maybe not.

 

[Chris Moore]

Do not get the Star Tech card.
You will be much better off with a used card from eBay.

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[HammerJ]

Do not get the Star Tech card.
You will be much better off with a used card from eBay.

I assume you're saying that card is bad *because* it is a Star Tech card (or sold by them)? If so, what brand/model do you suggest?

I'm going to eBay for most of this stuff, I just used Amazon links for clarity.

 

[Chris Moore]

I'm trying to repurpose a Dell Precision T7400

That model system is quite old and it will burn a lot more power than a newer system. Why is it you still want to use something so old?

 

[Chris Moore]

1x SFP NIC

What are you connecting to with this? Should it be a SFP+ NIC?
Something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MNPA19-XTR...8-10Gbe-SFP-NETWORK-CARD-W-CABLE/282378633999

 

[JustinClift]

Looking at that Star Tech card... it's not clear there are drivers for that which will work with FreeNAS (or even FreeBSD).

Reading through some of the info on the page, in the question and answer section someone says:

Is this supported by freebsd, any other *bsd, or more specifically pfsense?
This is a Tehuti 40xx chipset card. From Tehuti's site, this is what's supported:
- Linux kernels 2.6.26 â€" 3.x 32/64 bit
- Windows 7 32/64 bit
- Windows 8.1 32/64 bit
- Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview 64 bit
- Windows 2008R2 64 bit
- Windows 2012/2012R2 64 bit
- VMware ®ESXi 5.1/5.5, VMware ® ESXi 6.0
- Mac OS X 10.10.3 or later
A link to the Tehuti chipset FAQ's:
http://www.tehutinetworks.net/?t=faq&L1=5&L2=17&L3=34
I've run this card on both Windows 7/10 and Linux 2.6.32 kernel with no issues.
I'm going to guess it is not supported on FreeBSD but maybe the chipset info will help you find drivers.

Going to the mentioned page on the Tehuti website, it has this:

Do you support FreeBSD / Solaris?
Additional drivers can be developed if business justifies it.

Probably not worth the risk.

 

[Chris Moore]

The Star Tech card not being supported is the reason I said to not use it.
Chelsio, Intel and the one I pointed out on eBay... compatibility is the first concern.

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[HammerJ]

Why is it you still want to use something so old?

It's what I have, heh. I've been trying to find a SuperMicro mobo/chassis combo that'll work, but they're either prohibitively expensive or I can't tell whether they're recommended. I figure trying it out on an old t7400 that I already own (I have dozens of them) isn't a bad idea.

The Star Tech card not being supported is the reason I said to not use it.
Chelsio, Intel and the one I pointed out on eBay... compatibility is the first concern.

Good idea. It's going to one of my Microtik switches that has a spare SFP- port.

 

[HammerJ]

Something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MNPA19-XTR...8-10Gbe-SFP-NETWORK-CARD-W-CABLE/282378633999

But is that card compatible with the t7400?

 

[Chris Moore]

But is that card compatible with the t7400?

Is the T7400 something you already have? I asked why you are trying to use something so old.
Edit: Sorry, I see where you answered that now.
I could see using a T7500 but the one you are asking about is just too old. I wouldn't use it, but if you are stuck with it, and don't have a choice, it might work but if it doesn't it would be a problem with how old the system is.

 

[rvassar]

But is that card compatible with the t7400?

The T7400 appears to have two PCIe-x16 slots, and another PCIe-x4 or x8 slot. I have a Dell SC1430 of similar vintage, and can run a SAS HBA a generation newer, which bodes well for that combination, but doesn't guaranty anything.

I'm sitting on the fence trying to decide if I can trust my SC1430 for another year... Your use case is the deciding factor. I use FreeNAS at home, so the answer in my case is likely yes, but... YMMV. That system is old enough that parts are starting to become a problem. Is that mitigated by your "dozens"... Only you can answer that.

 

[Chris Moore]

I've been trying to find a SuperMicro mobo/chassis combo that'll work, but they're either prohibitively expensive or I can't tell whether they're recommended.

If you are looking for something a little newer than what you have but older than what is in the hardware guide, this system might be a start for you:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro...0-V2-3-4ghz-Quad-Core-8GB-No-HDD/232721169583
It is fully compatible, but I don't like the 2U chassis. It might give you some idea of what to look for.

 

[Chris Moore]

I may be making too many assumptions. Have you reviewed the guides?

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/

There are lots of links to useful information under the button in my signature.

 

[HammerJ]

... than what is in the hardware guide

My problem is that there are no *systems* in the guides, which yes, I have read over and over. They list mobos, but then you have to go find a case that fits that mobo and has all the other specs needed and then it becomes prohibitively expensive.

If there were actual *systems* listed (e.g., "Dell Precision t7400" or "SuperMicro SuperServer 7048gr-tr"), then I could look on eBay for deals.

 

[Chris Moore]

If there were actual *systems* listed (e.g., "Dell Precision t7400" or "SuperMicro SuperServer 7048gr-tr"), then I could look on eBay for deals.

You are not understanding the nature of the system design process. You choose the features you need and search for a system with those features. You don't walk into a car dealer and tell them to give you a car with no consideration for the features you need. One person might need a compact 2 door for high efficiency, where the next person needs a minivan to haul their kids around, and the person after that needs a 4x4 truck to go exploring the wilderness.
Your needs are your own and it is not a, 'one size fits all,' situation.
The guide is to tell you what components are compatible so you can choose the things that will work with FreeNAS.
If you need help because you don't understand what you need or because you don't understand the hardware, please ask. There are many experienced users here that will be happy to give you suggestions. You just need to try and explain what it is you want to do. Is your main concern that you want it to be cheap or physically small or very fast for serving files or able to transcode video for Plex.
You tell us what you want, and someone here will point you at a good option.

 

[HammerJ]

Sure, but I can walk into a car dealer and ask him to SHOW me *actual* cars that have x, y, and maybe z, and the ability to add a, b, and c myself. The guide just shows me the components without helping find a system that actually contains or even is capable of containing those components. I'm not asking for a completed turn-key solution - if I was, I'd just go to Ix Systems - but a motherboard/chassis combo doesn't seem like too much to ask.

You tell us what you want, and someone here will point you at a good option.

I have a HIPAA data processing center that needs a secure place on the network to dump extremely large .txt files and some VM images, then retrieve them as needed. It doesn't have to be particularly fast in terms of network latency, so 1 or 2gig is fine (shooting for less than a few minutes to transfer a ~200mb file). UrBackup is probably the only plugin I'd use, that I know of, and I may even build a UrBackup server to go along with the FreeNAS machine. I need roughly 30TB of usable capacity, and growth is not a concern as I'd add a 2nd, separate, NAS when that becomes necessary.

 

[Chris Moore]

I can work with this.
I guess you're wanting to encrypt the drives?

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[HammerJ]

I guess you're wanting to encrypt the drives?

Yes.

But, before we go off into fantasy land, is the idea of using my existing t7400 with it's $zero price tag and scads of RAM and no having to buy mobo/cpu/fans/ps/chassis/cables separately and assemble them all just a complete no-go, or what?

 

[Chris Moore]

Yes.

But, before we go off into fantasy land, is the idea of using my existing t7400 with it's $zero price tag and scads of RAM and no having to buy mobo/cpu/fans/ps/chassis/cables separately and assemble them all just a complete no-go, or what?

I need to look at the CPU model to see if it is new enough to have integrated encryption. If it doesn't, and I don't recall off the top of my head, you will need to get a newer CPU / mother board / RAM so that the CPU can handle the encryption on the fly.
You can put a testbed together with the T7400, but it might not be able to do the encryption.

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[HammerJ]

I need to look at the CPU model to see if it is new enough to have integrated encryption.

The data would be encrypted before it ever got to the Freenas box, and stay encrypted long after it left the Freenas box, to and from many switches and routers, heh.

...so actually, the answer to your previous question is "No, the data does not need to be encrypted", because it already will be, long before and long after it has anything to do with the Freenas box.