Scampicfx
Contributor
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2016
- Messages
- 125
Dear folks,
after dealing with server problems and data recovery (which took weeks and months) i started looking for new, reliable storage systems. I read a dozen of webpages about btrfs and refs and I was always coming face to face with missing options, features and not to forget the stability issue of btrfs raid 5/6 arrays which can not rebuild successfully.
Therefore, I'm really happy that I discovered now FreeBSD / FreeNAS using zfs as the filesystem! Thanks a lot for all your efforts you're putting into this piece of awesome software!
I started reading the documentation, however I still have a couple of questions regarding hardware requirements / system specs:
1.) Is there a native support for Intel Turbo Boost technology?
Reason for the question: there are a couple of Xeons having their base clock rate at around 1,9-2,1 Ghz, however, their turbo increases the clock rate by nearly 1 GHz. That's pretty much! Since high clock rates are more important for CIFS shares, i would like to ask if FreeNAS benefits from turbo and increases the clock rate, providing that load and thermal conditions are suitable.
If not: there are also Xeons without any turbo running constantly beyond 3 ghz. However, typically they have a high TDP of 140 W.
Right now I'm looking at Xeon E5 2620v4.
2.) The published Hardware guide on the website recommends using 3ware /LSI / Avagotech HBAs. I would like to use 9300-8i HBA. However I can't find this device in the list of supported hardware. Is there any reason for it?
Furthermore, I noticed in some threads some warning about LSI, like this one:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/hardware-recommendations-read-this-first.23069/
in this thread i still read:
well... is this still up 2 date?
Is it still required to have firmeware patched at v16 as well as driver at v16?
3.) I would like to use single socket 2011 Supermicro Mainboard for Xeon E5v4. I also like the Xeon E3v5 1151 (especially 1260Lv5 due to low TDP), however, such a System is limited to 64 GByte RAM... That's too less when looking how hard disk capacity developed over the past ten years and how they probably will develop in future!
Is the thumb rule valid for storage arrays of any size? E.g. are 100 gbyte ram also recommended for 100 tbyte useable space? (My Environment: max 5 windows cifs user who access storage simultaneously, no database, lots of photo raw material, some raw video footage, 2-3 shares mounted as iscsi drive on client computers, these iscsi drives should have a quick reaction due to photo editing)
4.) I couldn't find the Intel NICs which are used by Supermicro mainboards in the FreeNAS supported Hardware list (intel i350 / i210). Is this correct?
What's the difference between i350 and i210 (do they support link aggregation?) and what NICs do you recommend for 10 Gbit/s ethernet?
5.) I remember one thread or guide in this forum describing that the maximum recommended drives per disk-pool are 12... Is this also valid for a mirrored drives-pool?
Well, that's a lot of questions. I appreciate any help! Thanks again!
Cheers!
after dealing with server problems and data recovery (which took weeks and months) i started looking for new, reliable storage systems. I read a dozen of webpages about btrfs and refs and I was always coming face to face with missing options, features and not to forget the stability issue of btrfs raid 5/6 arrays which can not rebuild successfully.
Therefore, I'm really happy that I discovered now FreeBSD / FreeNAS using zfs as the filesystem! Thanks a lot for all your efforts you're putting into this piece of awesome software!
I started reading the documentation, however I still have a couple of questions regarding hardware requirements / system specs:
1.) Is there a native support for Intel Turbo Boost technology?
Reason for the question: there are a couple of Xeons having their base clock rate at around 1,9-2,1 Ghz, however, their turbo increases the clock rate by nearly 1 GHz. That's pretty much! Since high clock rates are more important for CIFS shares, i would like to ask if FreeNAS benefits from turbo and increases the clock rate, providing that load and thermal conditions are suitable.
If not: there are also Xeons without any turbo running constantly beyond 3 ghz. However, typically they have a high TDP of 140 W.
Right now I'm looking at Xeon E5 2620v4.
2.) The published Hardware guide on the website recommends using 3ware /LSI / Avagotech HBAs. I would like to use 9300-8i HBA. However I can't find this device in the list of supported hardware. Is there any reason for it?
Furthermore, I noticed in some threads some warning about LSI, like this one:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/hardware-recommendations-read-this-first.23069/
in this thread i still read:
Avoid the LSI SAS/SATA 3Gbps HBA/RAID controllers. They have a 2TB size limit which is almost considered to be amateur-sized disks by today's standards.
The new LSI SAS 12Gb/sec cards are "supported". I put it in quotes because the driver is listed as "early alpha" and is basically unstable by everyone who has tried to use it. If you use this, you are a fool and deserve the hell's wrath you will get for using it. :p There is no ETA on when the driver will get better, but I wouldn't expect it to be "stable" before the end of 2015.
well... is this still up 2 date?
Is it still required to have firmeware patched at v16 as well as driver at v16?
3.) I would like to use single socket 2011 Supermicro Mainboard for Xeon E5v4. I also like the Xeon E3v5 1151 (especially 1260Lv5 due to low TDP), however, such a System is limited to 64 GByte RAM... That's too less when looking how hard disk capacity developed over the past ten years and how they probably will develop in future!
Is the thumb rule valid for storage arrays of any size? E.g. are 100 gbyte ram also recommended for 100 tbyte useable space? (My Environment: max 5 windows cifs user who access storage simultaneously, no database, lots of photo raw material, some raw video footage, 2-3 shares mounted as iscsi drive on client computers, these iscsi drives should have a quick reaction due to photo editing)
4.) I couldn't find the Intel NICs which are used by Supermicro mainboards in the FreeNAS supported Hardware list (intel i350 / i210). Is this correct?
What's the difference between i350 and i210 (do they support link aggregation?) and what NICs do you recommend for 10 Gbit/s ethernet?
5.) I remember one thread or guide in this forum describing that the maximum recommended drives per disk-pool are 12... Is this also valid for a mirrored drives-pool?
Well, that's a lot of questions. I appreciate any help! Thanks again!
Cheers!