SOLVED Have I accounted for everything I need for a 1st FreeNAS build?

[dakaratekid]

I’m a complete noob when it comes to FreeNAS, and only a bit better with linux Ubuntu distros. I have no prior BSD experience. This is my first build for a rackmount server, but not my first pc build. The questions I have are:

1) Do the hardware specs I have listed seem sufficient/work with FreeNas and my stated goals below?
2) Are there any better Supermicro alternatives to the Supermicro motherboard I have for my stated goals?
3) Am I missing anything, or spec’ing anything incorrectly?


Primary Goals:

Emby Server
Radarr
Sonnarr
NZBGet

Secondary Goals:

Apache Spark
Apache Hadoop


I already own the following:

· 4 x WD Red WD100EFAX 10TB 5400 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" NAS Hard Drive Bare Drive (I will be expanding with more drives as funds become available)
· 1 x IT Mode LSI 9211-8i SAS SATA 8-port PCI-E 6Gb/s Controller Card

I have spec’d out the following to buy:
· Intel Xeon E3-1270 Processors BX80677E31270V6
· Supermicro Micro ATX DDR4 LGA 1151 Motherboards X11SSM-F-O
· Supermicro SSD-DM032-SMCMVN1 32GB SATA DOM
· Supermicro 4U Rackmount Server Chassis - Black CSE-846BE16-R1K28B
· Supermicro Certified MEM-DR416L-CV01-EU24 Micron 16GB DDR4-2400 VLP ECC UDIMM
· Noctua L-Type Premium Quiet CPU Cooler_ Retail Cooling NH-L9x65

As far as the total amount of UDIMM RAM it will be 64GB

Thanks for any input.

 

[Ericloewe]

You should really include a list of the components in the post, instead of just an Amazon link. People might just skip your thread because they don't feel like opening the link...

2) Are there any better Supermicro alternatives to the Supermicro motherboard I have for my stated goals?

The X11SSA-F is an extremely weird model. You definitely do not need the five legacy PCI slots in a modern server. Get an X11SSL-F or X11SSM-F instead.

3) Can FreeNAS boot off of the SuperDOM

Yes.

if so is the DOM included with the MB or a separate purchase?

Separate and expensive. A low-end SSD from a reputable brand is a much better deal.

4) What type of rack frame do I need for this, and do I need to separately buy rails for my server?

Rackmount? Holy crap, you're starting off with Supermicro 4U? Isn't that a bit excessive?
You don't strictly need a rack, you can place it almost anywhere. As for what rack you might need, a standard 19" rack with enough depth to hold the chassis. Rails should be included with Supermicro chassis.

5) Am I missing anything, or spec’ing anything incorrectly?

The keyboard is useless. The mouse doubly so. That's what IPMI is for. Same goes for the monitor.

I'm not sure what backplane the chassis comes with, but you almost certainly want the single-expander backplane, which will also render your reverse breakout cable useless - you'd just need straight a SFF-8087 cable from the SAS controller to the backplane.

The CPU is a poor choice, since it has an iGPU. A cheaper model might be more adequate.

 

[BigDave]

Do the hardware specs I have listed seem sufficient/work with FreeNas and my stated goals below?

They will work, but IMHO are not optimal choices.

Are there any better Supermicro alternatives to the Supermicro motherboard I have for my stated goals?

In my opinion, some other supermicro boards would be a better choice. The X11SSM-F model for example.

Can FreeNas boot off of the SuperDOM, if so is the DOM included with the MB or a separate purchase?

The SATA DiskOnModule can boot FreeNAS, I use the exact same one;)
They must be purchased separately though...

Am I missing anything, or spec’ing anything incorrectly?

When choosing a CPU for use with FreeNAS, keep in mind that graphics capability on board the die is a total waste, as is, a monitor, keyboard and mouse. A file server runs headless and is accessed by client computers.
A true server also has IPMI capability which is embedded on the motherboard

 

[dakaratekid]

You should really include a list of the components in the post, instead of just an Amazon link. People might just skip your thread because they don't feel like opening the link...

Ah, ok. One of the sticky posts suggested I do links.

The X11SSA-F is an extremely weird model. You definitely do not need the five legacy PCI slots in a modern server. Get an X11SSL-F or X11SSM-F instead.

This is good feedback.

Rackmount? Holy crap, you're starting off with Supermicro 4U? Isn't that a bit excessive?

Yeah, probably for now, but I want to grow into it.

The keyboard is useless. The mouse doubly so. That's what IPMI is for. Same goes for the monitor.

I figured for initial setup, I would need it. Afterwards, yeah IPMI. Is this wrong?

you'd just need straight a SFF-8087 cable from the SAS controller to the backplane.

Thanks.

The CPU is a poor choice, since it has an iGPU. A cheaper model might be more adequate.

Noted.

 

[Ericloewe]

One of the sticky posts suggested I do links.

Links are useful, but not a good substitute for spelling things out.

I figured for initial setup, I would need it. Afterwards, yeah IPMI. Is this wrong?

You just have to find out the IP address it acquired via DHCP, which is trivially done from your DHCP server using the MAC printed on the sticker on the board.

 

[Evertb1]

I figured for initial setup, I would need it. Afterwards, yeah IPMI. Is this wrong?
Noted.

Yes that is wrong. You will be able to use IPMI as soon as things are properly connected with your network. You can install IPMIView on a client computer and use the function "discover IPMI devices" to find your IPMI device and connect with it. There is a webgui available as well, but to use that you need to find out the assigned IP adress (by your DHCP server). In the IPMI view app and in the web GUI you can start a KVM console and that is all you need to handle your server. You can even mount installation media from the client computer. By the way: The KVM console is a Java application an can be a bit fickle sometimes. A year a go this was all completely new to me and now I would not know what to do without it. The only times I handle my FreeNAS server physically is with maintenance activities like cleaning etc.

 

[dakaratekid]

Links are useful, but not a good substitute for spelling things out.


You just have to find out the IP address it acquired via DHCP, which is trivially done from your DHCP server using the MAC printed on the sticker on the board.

This is much better! Keyboard, mouse, and monitor gone.

 

[dakaratekid]

Yes that is wrong. You will be able to use IPMI as soon as things are properly connected with your network. You can install IPMIView on a client computer and use the function "discover IPMI devices" to find your IPMI device and connect with it. There is a webgui available as well, but to use that you need to find out the assigned IP adress (by your DHCP server). In the IPMI view app and in the web GUI you can start a KVM console and that is all you need to handle your server. You can even mount installation media from the client computer. By the way: The KVM console is a Java application an can be a bit fickle sometimes. A year a go this was all completely new to me and now I would not know what to do without it. The only times I handle my FreeNAS server physically is with maintenance activities like cleaning etc.

Excellent. That's extremely helpful

 

[danb35]

I figured for initial setup, I would need it. Afterwards, yeah IPMI. Is this wrong?

As others have pointed out, you can use IPMI at the outset. But even if not, there would be no use for a mouse at all, and surely you could borrow a keyboard and monitor from somewhere else for the 15 minutes (being generous) that you'd need them.

 

[CraigD]

I never connected the reset or power switches on my FreeNAS server...

IPMI for the win!

Have Fun