Hello FreeNAS Community

[Alex Kohler]

I run a small computer business specializing in network securities and hardware/software repair. I store customer image backups for up to 3 weeks to make sure everyone is happy:) Before working on any computers I do full disk images to make sure I don't miss anything, that way if customers tell me something isn't there i can verify against images. I store 10-12 desktops images in place at any given time. So I decided to build a FreeNas Serer.

• Fractal node 804

• 16GB 8x2GB Corsair CT2KIT102472BD160B

• 4 x 3TB WD RED

• Supermicro X9SCM-IIF-O

• Intel Xeon E3-1230 v2

• Corsair Hydro H80i

• CORSAIR CX500M 500W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Power Supply

Main plans for the build are to serve as a place to store customer data, and my personal business data. I will run a Raidz/Raid 10 for a total of 9tb of storage.

I would like to use the BTsync plugin to sync files across all my business devices and move away from consumer based cloud services for myself not for customer use.

I will be running Sabnzbd on the server as well as Plex for all my media needs. Streaming to Samsung TV and multiple mobile devices as well as the occasional laptop for my nieces. I currently have 4.5tb of media so this will help alot with managing space and ensuring that I don't lose all my media.

What are your thoughts on the build?

Is water cooling a waste of money on this build? I was on the fence but opted for liquid.

 

[Ericloewe]

Comments:

• That RAM is Crucial, not Corsair. Second person today, curiously enough.
• Is there any reason why you're going with last-gen hardware instead of Haswell? You'd be looking at an X10SLL+-F and a Xeon E3 1230 v3 as the equivalent setup.
• Water cooling is a major waste of time and money here. The stock cooler is more than adequate and, if you're buying the bulk version of the CPU, something like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 is also plenty good. Not to mention the always nasty risk of water damage (I trust my H100i on my desktop, but I wouldn't want one in my server, since my important data is there - not that I've ever seen one of these fail so catastrophically).
• Now that you you just saved 70 bucks, invest some of them into a better PSU: The Seasonic G-Series is very good (significantly better than Corsair CX). The G-450 is more than enough and is good for up to some 13 HDDs (I got the G-500 because the G-450 wasn't available).
• Use a bit more of the remaining cash you saved to setup mirrored boot devices, for added reliability. ZFS FTW.
• 4.5TB of media doesn't leave much room for data with only four 3TB drives in RAIDZ2/RAID10. You have to consider that they aren't real TB to start with, then the pool shouldn't be more than 80% full in normal use. This means you're over the limit with the 4.5TB alone. Two more 3TB drives neatly double the available storage (in RAIDZ2), giving you a wider margin.

 

[Alex Kohler]

Comments:

• That RAM is Crucial, not Corsair. Second person today, curiously enough.
• Is there any reason why you're going with last-gen hardware instead of Haswell? You'd be looking at an X10SLL+-F and a Xeon E3 1230 v3 as the equivalent setup.
• Water cooling is a major waste of time and money here. The stock cooler is more than adequate and, if you're buying the bulk version of the CPU, something like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 is also plenty good. Not to mention the always nasty risk of water damage (I trust my H100i on my desktop, but I wouldn't want one in my server, since my important data is there - not that I've ever seen one of these fail so catastrophically).
• Now that you you just saved 70 bucks, invest some of them into a better PSU: The Seasonic G-Series is very good (significantly better than Corsair CX). The G-450 is more than enough and is good for up to some 13 HDDs (I got the G-500 because the G-450 wasn't available).
• Use a bit more of the remaining cash you saved to setup mirrored boot devices, for added reliability. ZFS FTW.
• 4.5TB of media doesn't leave much room for data with only four 3TB drives in RAIDZ2/RAID10. You have to consider that they aren't real TB to start with, then the pool shouldn't be more than 80% full in normal use. This means you're over the limit with the 4.5TB alone. Two more 3TB drives neatly double the available storage (in RAIDZ2), giving you a wider margin.

I knew it is crucial just typing fast.

I chose the 1155 socket and e1230v2 due to lower power consumption, less heat according to reviews and the cost was about $50 lower. I couldn't find anywhere that said the haswell was that much better so I went for it

I am going with raidz should get an effective 9tb of storage, right? Also I have 2x2tb WD greens that I may or may not add as well

I will add disks as money allows but that's what I have right now.

I think I will opt to return the h80i. Not because I think it will leak but because I think you're correct it is not necessary. I am gonna use this power supply for now alsonas I have found corsair power supplies to be very reliable, this is just my experience. I may change to the seasonic and keep the corsair around ad a spare .

 

[gpsguy]

RAIDz1 would give you ~8TB of space. But, RAIDz1 isn't recommended for 2TB+ disks, since there's an increased possibility that another drive might fail, while you're resilvering your pool (after replacing a failed drive). As Ericlowe said, with 4x3TB disks in RAIDz2, you'd only have ~5TB of space.

You can't easily "add disks as money allows" with FreeNAS. Once a vdev (like the 4x3TB disks) is created, you can't add additional drives to that vdev. You can add additional vdevs and stripe them together into the pool. So, next time you want to add disks, you'd want to add another set of 4 in RAIDz2.

Another possibility would be to create a RAIDz2 pool consisting of 6 drives (4x3 + 2x2), which would yield ~7TB of space. Once you had the money, you could replace the 2TB drives (one at a time) and your pool would automatically expand to ~10.5TB of usable space.

See the link to "Cyberjock's guide" in Ericlowe's signature for more information.

 

[Ericloewe]

A Xeon E3 1230 v2 is going to use more power than a Xeon E3 1230 v3 in the vast majority of realistic scenarios, don't know what you've been reading.

 

[Alex Kohler]

A Xeon E3 1230 v2 is going to use more power than a Xeon E3 1230 v3 in the vast majority of realistic scenarios, don't know what you've been reading.

I appreciate your response but as I have already ordered the parts that is what I have.

 

[jgreco]

A Xeon E3 1230 v2 is going to use more power than a Xeon E3 1230 v3 in the vast majority of realistic scenarios, don't know what you've been reading.

In the same way that a newer generation LED bulb is moderately more efficient than an older one, yes. Who the hell actually cares, though? Everything since Sandy Bridge has been insanely efficient. The stuff you don't want is the stuff that came before Sandy Bridge. X9 and X10 are both great choices.

 

[Alex Kohler]

In the same way that a newer generation LED bulb is moderately more efficient than an older one, yes. Who the hell actually cares, though? Everything since Sandy Bridge has been insanely efficient. The stuff you don't want is the stuff that came before Sandy Bridge. X9 and X10 are both great choices.

Thank you for this. I am literally racking my brain here deciding whether to try and return the x9. I cant find anything that leads me to believe it would be worth the hassle and time.

 

[Ericloewe]

Thank you for this. I am literally racking my brain here deciding whether to try and return the x9. I cant find anything that leads me to believe it would be worth the hassle and time.

If you've bought, there's no point in returning it, the difference is minimal, a jgreco said.

 

[Alex Kohler]

If you've bought, there's no point in returning it, the difference is minimal, a jgreco said.

This was my original understanding. I appreciate your help but I feel your approach could have been softer. I am gonna start the build today I will update as things move along. I also believe I will go with the 4x3tb + 2x2tb and grow my array to 10.5tb with the addition of 2 more 3tb drives in the future.

 

[jgreco]

The light bulb analogy is very apt by the way. Most old CPU's are incandescent, the intermediates are halogen, new stuff are CF or LED... there are absoutely incremental advantages within each class as well, but it isn't a big difference.

 

[Alex Kohler]

The more research I do I see that haswell does generate more heat. Heat is the enemy especially with 6 hdd and more to come. so I am happy with my choice. Thank you again for your input.

 

[jgreco]

No, Haswell has a higher TDP but is slightly more efficient when it comes to work-per-watt. In cases like NAS where the workload is not consuming 100% CPU, the Haswell has a slight edge in that it does the work needed for slightly less power. Most of the time, for home user NAS, we worry about idle watts more than workload watts. I'm happy to burn watts, even slightly costlier watts, for useful work done. It's almost meaningless in this case.