Hardware quest

[BlazeStar]

Hi guys,

So I want to build a new system for a friend of mine who wants to use it in his new law firm, which is about 5 people... mainly for sharing file in CIFS on the LAN and from VPN.

Also a second system for replication purposes.

I want to have about 1 TB of available space so I was thing about 4 X 500 GB drives in ZFS stripped mirrors, or 2 X 1 TB drives in mirrors.

I was reading this excellent thread:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/hardware-recommendations-read-this-first.23069/

But also this:
http://www.ixsystems.com/storage/freenas/

The later is pricier than if I build my own, however it's made by IXsystems.

Personally I'd rather build my own (more custom and more cost effective), but I'd like to know your recommendations.

 

[marbus90]

If it's for a business, go for the FreeNAS Mini. iXsystems can help you with HDD selection as well. Note that you'll only get ~800GiB of storage out of a 1TB HDD due to overhead, the 90% soft rule to avoid switching from performance to slow space optimized mode && TB<>TiB conversion.

 

[DrKK]

Dumb question. Wouldn't 2x2TB in a mirror be cheaper, and better? And offer more space? You can get 2TB reds for $85-$90.

 

[BlazeStar]

Dumb question. Wouldn't 2x2TB in a mirror be cheaper, and better? And offer more space? You can get 2TB reds for $85-$90.

Well then I couldn't strip data, which would have some performance impact, no?

In the end I requested a quote from IXSystems... with shipping, I would have to pay a premium of roughly 40% compared to a DIY with almost identical hardware (except the case of course), and I could get my system much fast though... and being in Montreal, Canada, if I take into account the current exchange rate, I'm now at a nearly 60% premium to pay... not mentioning the delay to get the box, while my local tech supplier can deliver all the parts next day!

Of course I have to build the box, which itself has a symbolical cost... but also much fun, uh?

I still want to encourage the whole FreeNAS system... but 60% premium is a bit high for my enthusiasm.... especially since i want to buy 2 systems.
I was contemplating going with my build-your-own option and making a donation to the FreeNAS team because I just love FreeNAS so much, but I can't find where or how I can do that :S

 

[DrKK]

FreeNAS is under the umbrella of ixSystems, which makes money by selling commercial systems. I don't think we actually have any mechanism by which you can donate to the FreeNAS project. (I just checked with Jordan Hubbard, he confirms).

If you want to donate to FreeNAS, we suggest you direct your donation to the FreeBSD project.

 

[jkh]

Buying hardware directly from iXsystems certainly benefits the project the most, since iX pays the salaries of the developers of FreeNAS, but if you just want to throw a few bucks at open source we recommend donating to the FreeBSD Foundation. That also indirectly benefits FreeNAS and the Foundation, being a 501(c)3, can always use a more diverse group of donators since the IRS doesn't actually encourage non-profits to get most of their donations from a small number of donors.