First FreeNAS Build

[A Bull With Yogurts]

Hi all,

Have been aware of FreeNAS for a few years and keeping up with developments at a high level. Was going to undertake a build last year, but decided to hold off until v10 was released and stable. Obviously that didn't happen, but given that v11 is now out in the wild, I've decided to take the plunge.

Been trying to cram in as much research as time allows prior to the build and have purchased the following kit:

Case : Fractal Design Node 804
PSU : Seasonic SS-550RM 550W
MoBo : Supermicro X11SSL-F
CPU : Intel Core i3-6100
RAM : 16GB DDR4 PC4-19200 2400MHz 288-pin UDIMM ECC Unbuffered
HDD : 6x 3TB WD Red
BootDrive : SanDisk Ultra 16GB USB

It's going to be a home server with a fairly light load. I'm planning on a really simple installation. The 6 disks in a RAIDZ2 configuration with a single VDev and single ZPool.

My rational behind a couple of the choices:

1. I decided to go for 2400MHz RAM (which was only £2 more expensive than 2133Mhz) and underclock it to 2133MHz. IMHO well worth an extra £2 to get better binned RAM.

2. I initially looked at the Fractal Design Node 304 (when I was considering a mini-ITX mobo) but things looked awfully cramped in there from an airflow perspective. Decided instead to go for a big box with plenty of fans. This bigger case also gives me the option of adding more disks if I need more capacity in the future (would obviously need a new MoBo with more than 6 SATA ports though). If I was being lazy I could simply add another VDev to the ZPool, or if I was feeling adventurous I would just scrub the ZPool, slap in another 4 disks and start from scratch with a 10 disk RAIDZ3 config (obviously repopulating all the data from my backups).

Hopefully this build sanity checks so far, but if anyone can anyone spot any potential problems here I'd be grateful for a heads up.

Thanks!

 

[m0nkey_]

Welcome to the forums.

Your build looks sound. Check out the resources section on a few tips, tricks and how-to's to get you started.

 

[BigDave]

That is a nice choice and for you present needs, it should server you well.
As far as future expansion goes, you can do what I did and replace the drives
one at a time (turning on auto expansion) until all the drives are replaced with
ones of higher capacity. The pool will expand after the last remaining drive is
resilvered. For the cost of drives only, this is IMHO a great way to get more data space.

 

[Stux]

would obviously need a new MoBo with more than 6 SATA ports though

Actually, you'd just add an HBA PCIe card and connect another 8 drives. Or more with a SAS expander.

Also, if you're going to boot off USB then you should get a second one and mirror the first.

 

[A Bull With Yogurts]

Actually, you'd just add an HBA PCIe card and connect another 8 drives.

Is that possible? I thought I'd read somewhere in the forums that FreeNAS/FreeBSD doesn't play nicely with HBA cards?

If that's the case I'm tempted to get a PCIe3 card with 4 internal ports and 4 extra HDDs, and future proof this build from the outset. The PSU should be up to the job.

Could you recommend a suitable HBA card with FreeBSD drivers that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

Thanks.

Also, if you're going to boot off USB then you should get a second one and mirror the first.

Will do.

 

[danb35]

I thought I'd read somewhere in the forums that FreeNAS/FreeBSD doesn't play nicely with HBA cards?

I'd be curious about where you read that, as it's utterly incorrect.

Could you recommend a suitable HBA card with FreeBSD drivers that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

The hardware recommendations guide is your friend.

 

[Ericloewe]

The hardware recommendations guide is your friend.

It's in my signature!

 

[droeders]

MoBo : Supermicro X11SSL-F

I'd consider the X11SSM-F instead, since it gives you one more PCIe expansion slot.

 

[Ericloewe]

I'd consider the X11SSM-F instead, since it gives you one more PCIe expansion slot.

And two more SATA ports.

 

[religiouslyconfused]

And two more SATA ports.

That is the board I have and the cost is pretty minimal.

 

[A Bull With Yogurts]

I'd be curious about where you read that, as it's utterly incorrect.

Can't remember. It feels like I've read thousands of threads recently. May well have just been talking about a specific HBA card that wasn't compatible.

The hardware recommendations guide is your friend.

Yep, thanks. Found the relevant section.

 

[A Bull With Yogurts]

It's in my signature!

I don't see any sigs. Could be because I'm on a tablet though.

 

[danb35]

Could be because I'm on a tablet though.

If you're using Tapatalk, that would explain it--it doesn't show sigs.

 

[A Bull With Yogurts]

I'd consider the X11SSM-F instead, since it gives you one more PCIe expansion slot.

Yeah, I looked at the X11SSM-F, but found a really good deal on a X11SSL-F so went with that instead.

Think I'll just stick with the simple 6 HDD setup to start with and get an HBA card if I need more capacity.

 

[Wisdom]

I initially looked at the Fractal Design Node 304 (when I was considering a mini-ITX mobo) but things looked awfully cramped in there from an airflow perspective. Decided instead to go for a big box with plenty of fans. This bigger case also gives me the option of adding more disks if I need more capacity in the future (would obviously need a new MoBo with more than 6 SATA ports though). If I was being lazy I could simply add another VDev to the ZPool, or if I was feeling adventurous I would just scrub the ZPool, slap in another 4 disks and start from scratch with a 10 disk RAIDZ3 config (obviously repopulating all the data from my backups).

Well hello, fellow Fractal fan!

I've currently got both of those cases up and running in my network, and thought I'd share my two cents about them both:

My FreeNAS box is currently in the 304, with all six drive bays populated. You're right, it is a little cramped, but with some short run SATA cables it's actually quite respectable.

I'm only running a G4400 right now, but have it under a Hyper 212, just to keep the noise down. Even with the tower cooler taking up some space, my drive sit in the mid 30s all day long. The default case fans have been working great, and I keep them running on the medium setting that the included fan controller supports out of the box. It's very quiet, even sitting under my desk, and I'm extremely pleased with how well it performs as a standalone build (2 Plex transcodes, CP/Headphones/Sickrage, Transmission, OpenVPN, the works).

My 804 build is my normal rig, with much hotter, higher end (consumer grade) hardware. Although you'll be using the drive cages as intended, I picked it up for its form factor and 280mm rad support (not relevant here, but something that was critical to me).

My only real commentary on the case that applies to your build is to encourage you to start with eight drives, rather than six. because the drive cages hold four drives each, you'll have to manage all the cabling for all of them each time you want to pull out one cage, which can get a little old. Dealing with them all in one pass will save you some headache, so I would encourage you to handle it all the first time around. On the same note, make sure that you have cables that can make the runs, as looping through the front of the case (especially if you're coming off an HBA card) is close to two feet.

Feel free to let me know if you've got any other questions, I've got both the cases pretty accessible so I can clarify more if you'd like.

 

[A Bull With Yogurts]

Well hello, fellow Fractal fan!

I've currently got both of those cases up and running in my network, and thought I'd share my two cents about them both:

My FreeNAS box is currently in the 304, with all six drive bays populated. You're right, it is a little cramped, but with some short run SATA cables it's actually quite respectable.

I'm only running a G4400 right now, but have it under a Hyper 212, just to keep the noise down. Even with the tower cooler taking up some space, my drive sit in the mid 30s all day long. The default case fans have been working great, and I keep them running on the medium setting that the included fan controller supports out of the box. It's very quiet, even sitting under my desk, and I'm extremely pleased with how well it performs as a standalone build (2 Plex transcodes, CP/Headphones/Sickrage, Transmission, OpenVPN, the works).

My 804 build is my normal rig, with much hotter, higher end (consumer grade) hardware. Although you'll be using the drive cages as intended, I picked it up for its form factor and 280mm rad support (not relevant here, but something that was critical to me).

My only real commentary on the case that applies to your build is to encourage you to start with eight drives, rather than six. because the drive cages hold four drives each, you'll have to manage all the cabling for all of them each time you want to pull out one cage, which can get a little old. Dealing with them all in one pass will save you some headache, so I would encourage you to handle it all the first time around. On the same note, make sure that you have cables that can make the runs, as looping through the front of the case (especially if you're coming off an HBA card) is close to two feet.

Feel free to let me know if you've got any other questions, I've got both the cases pretty accessible so I can clarify more if you'd like.

Thanks for your comments. Genuinely appreciate it.

Yeah, I think 8 drives is the sweet spot for this chassis. It can take 10, but looking at where the 9th and 10th HDDs would be mounted, I'm not convinced. It'd be getting cramped in that compartment and the airflow would almost certainly suffer. The drive cage mounts are great, in that they position the drives perfectly in the airflow. If I keep this box dust free and running cool I'm expecting a service life of around 10 years out of this setup (with the exception of replacing components with moving parts e.g. fans, HDDs).

Also, I speced up the PSU for only 6 drives. It's got enough spare grunt to comfortably handle an HBA card and spinning up an additional 2 drives...but an extra 4 drives would be pushing my luck and probably shorten its lifespan.

So 8 drives in RAIDZ2 it is. You've convinced me. I'm thinking something cheap and cheerful here for the HBA...like a second hand LSI SAS9211-i4. If I flash it to IT mode then believe it should do the job?

 

[A Bull With Yogurts]

Found an LSI SAS9211-i4 on eBay for under 40 quid.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162560198006

I'll have that thanks very much.

 

[Ericloewe]

Cool find. Too bad it's not the 8-port version.

 

[A Bull With Yogurts]

Cool find. Too bad it's not the 8-port version.

Might be missing something here... but would there be any benefit to having the 8 port version if I only need to connect 2 drives?

 

[Ericloewe]

Might be missing something here... but would there be any benefit to having the 8 port version if I only need to connect 2 drives?

Someday, you could plug in six more. :p