From understanding my FreeNAS use-case to adding the Go-Faster stripes - reaching out for advice on my first FreeNAS journey

[Max Bialystock]

OK the story so far.

I've a used Supermicro Server rack current crossing a continent, which will form the bones of my First FreeNAS. For what I consider to be a decent price, it is providing a Supermicro X10SLL-F, Xeon E3 1270 v3, 16Gb ECC ram (I'll read off the part number when it arrives) and a Supermicro 350W gold PSU. I've got a 3 yo Samsung 120gb SSD which has led a modest service life in a PC used for light gaming. Finally an old desktop case with decent fans will be the unit's home (so I don't have to listen to server-rack fans). So, from my reading around the recommended hardware resources, I don't think I've yet committed a faux pas.

I'm acquiring a couple of Toshiba NAS 2TB HDDs (from a mate who is upgrading the capacity on their consumer unit NAS box - mostly used for video and photo backups) which I figure I'll use to get started with.

HOWEVER, I recognise that this is all the wrong-way around - putting the solution before the requirements...

So whilst I'm sure this pile of parts will get me started, I'm keen to seek the communities views to help me better think through my requirements, and especially when it comes to the storage options, help me come to a sensible conclusion on how much storage and redundancy is a good balance of price : performance.

Note I have a separate OpenMedia Vault PC which I consider to be my backup of important data.

I would like to have:

• a common file store for photographs that makes it easy to regularly add recently taken photos and make all photos available on all devices.
• I've seen FreeNas be used as a home adblocker (PI-Hole?) - this sounds appealing.
• I'd like to upload CDs and DVDs and run a media server.
• create a space and backup schedule for all of the home Desktops and Laptops to sync their local documents and save-game files to the FreeNAS.
• maybe in the future (and I'm writing these words but don't honestly fully understand them) create a Linux virtual machine for either myself or more likely my kids to mess about on if they should show any interest in such things.
• copy the contents of the operating system SSDs for the house PCs to enable quicker backup recovery in the event of failures

So my thoughts on usable storage capacity are influenced by:

• At the moment my OMV backs up about 400Gb of mostly photos and some other files.
• 200 CDs and 100 DvDs - call that 250Gb (ish)
• other save files and bits and bobs from the local network PCs - 100Gb tops.
• 4x OS recovery images (4 PCs) - 250Gb

So my rough order thinking says that 1Tb roughly meets my immediate needs - so 2 Tb useable storage doesn't seem unreasonable?

So on the face of it having 2 x 2Tb HDDs offers some redundancy (and don't forget that import stuff (photos) will be backed up on the separate OMV. Of course I see the FreeNAS as giving me some redundancy against my OMV going down and vice versa - with a copy of the OMV's contents being left with the in-laws (off-site) every 5-6 months.

However, there are other options (these are just a few that spring to mind):

• should I add a further 1, 2, or 3 2TB new HDDs to my machine to increase redundancy against 1 or 2 disks going down? (5 HDDs is the max, as the mobo runs 6 SATA connectors and the boot SSD will take one).
• Is mixing old / new HDDs considered bad form - or just a practical/ affordable way of managing an array?
• Would I be better served grabbing 5x 1TB or 2TB new HDDs, and dropping the 2x2TB as a mirrored pair in my OMV?
• for my fledgeling usecase, how do these different raid configurations add cost / benefit (I understand the purity of more dakka is always better - but this is not a money no object build - that said I'm not adverse to a little spending where it will add clear value.

So many thanks for having read this far! Any thoughts about my usecase or design considerations i have missed? Any comments about how I translate these into practical choices for my storage configuration?

Any comments gratefully appreciated :)

 

[Max Bialystock]

Oh, I forgot. What colour should the go faster stripes be? :p

 

[sretalla]

I'd like to upload CDs and DVDs and run a media server.

This will quickly fill your planned spare 1TB

should I add a further 1, 2, or 3 2TB new HDDs to my machine to increase redundancy against 1 or 2 disks going down?

All depends on your desired recovery time objective... if you can afford to be down for a while during a rebuild/restore, that's not a priority... but it will be paramount if downtime is not OK.

Is mixing old / new HDDs considered bad form - or just a practical/ affordable way of managing an array?

If you're doing your SMART monitoring properly and reacting in good time to failing disks when the warning signs appear, it's fine.

Would I be better served grabbing 5x 1TB or 2TB new HDDs, and dropping the 2x2TB as a mirrored pair in my OMV?

Using older disks in backup servers is an OK theory (downtime is the consideration here... how long are you happy to live without backup while you have failed drives in the backup server?... I guess longer than in the "primary")

 

[Max Bialystock]

thanks for the pointers!

there is no issue with downtime atm, as the only user is myself. This will change in the future I am sure as the kids get older and if they become greater computer users.

The ad-blocker is the only bit which would pain people if the nas was offline for any-period, so I might drop that into my open media vault pc instead/ or give in and buy a raspberry pi and run it from there (sounds like a fun project to do with my eldest).

So I think to get started i’m Going to start with the 2 discs in a mirror, and have a play for a while.

At a tangent...

I’ve just been offered an old Celeron G1820 pc for pennies. The CPU appears compatible with the Supermicro mobo and ECC ram. Out of curiosity and with my usecase in mind, would a dual core celeron meet my needs? I assume that idle power draw between the Xeon and celeron will be broadly comparable? If the celeron would broadly meet my needs today I could then repurpose the Xeon into another project.

Again any views welcome!

 

[sretalla]

I would not have expected Celeron to be paired with ECC.. double check that.

Dual core may do the job, but I wouldn't give up ECC if it were me.