Help a newb with build?

[M3mphis19]

Hi, I'm hoping for some advice on a NAS build. In our office we use a NAS as a file server. We are now up to nine users, though not all of us are typically using the "server" at one time. Our NAS is getting really outdated, needs restarted often, and is also slow read/write. It is a iOmega Storcenter ix2, I believe it is called. Anyway, I'd like to upgrade to something more reliable and improve read/write times. This is only a file server for standard office type documents, but I want to improve response time as much as possible over our LAN for the sake of efficiency. Here is my proposed build:

MB: Supermicro X10SL7-F micro ATX
CPU: Pentium G3258 (I already have this, I hope it will be good.)
Memory: Supermicro MEM-DR380L-HL01-EU16 unbuffered ECC 2X8GB
PSU: SeaSonic 650W Gold + SS-650KM3
Case: Fractal Arc Midi R2 (plus additional fans I already have. This will be in a network closet with a plenty space. I don't see any reason to shell out the funds for a rack mountable case as there is an empty shelf available. Noise is not an issue, either. Main concerns here are cooling and expandability.)
Drives: 4x 1TB WD Black (I already have these. Plan to set up in RAID 10 for speed and redundancy.)
OS: FreeNAS

I'm open to any and all suggestions or criticisms. Thank you!

Matt

 

[M3mphis19]

I forgot to add that I have a small SSD for the OS.

 

[Bidule0hm]

RAID10 or striped mirrors? there is a big difference, see the terminology thread (link is in my sig) ;)

WD black are not ideal for a NAS (power hungry, run hot, noisy, ...) but technically there is no problem to use them.

You checked that the CPU socket is the same model as the MB socket?

Everything else seems to be ok.

 

[M3mphis19]

RAID10 or striped mirrors? there is a big difference, see the terminology thread (link is in my sig) ;)

WD black are not ideal for a NAS (power hungry, run hot, noisy, ...) but technically there is no problem to use them.

You checked that the CPU socket is the same model as the MB socket?

Everything else seems to be ok.

Okay, I read the terminology thread. Now I just feel in over my head. I guess the answer is, yes, I mean striped mirrors.
Yeah, the WD blacks were not the best choice. I didn't realize that until well after I had bought them. I'm thinking with the big ARC case that we ought to be able to keep cool. In the future, perhaps I'll switch them out for reds.
Both sockets are LGA1150.

Thank you for the reply!

 

[Fraoch]

Looks like you read the recommended hardware thread, so there are only minor concerns here - it should work well.

CPU: Pentium G3258 (I already have this, I hope it will be good.)

This would be fine for just file serving.

Case: Fractal Arc Midi R2 (plus additional fans I already have. This will be in a network closet with a plenty space. I don't see any reason to shell out the funds for a rack mountable case as there is an empty shelf available. Noise is not an issue, either. Main concerns here are cooling and expandability.)
Drives: 4x 1TB WD Black (I already have these. Plan to set up in RAID 10 for speed and redundancy.)

Those are 7200 RPM drives, and since you already have them you'll have to work around them I guess. They will be hotter than 5400 RPM WD Reds and will require more cooling. The case should help you out - it has 3 X 140 mm fans included. One is at the back, one is in front of the hard drives and one is at the top. To maximize hard drive cooling, simply move the one at the top to the front. If the fans are anything like the ones in my desktop Fractal Design Define R4, they're fairly decent. The case has an integrated 3-fan controller. If noise isn't an issue, set it on high. Monitor the hard drive temps as you test the server and when you perform a scrub. As long as you don't exceed 40 C on heavy load, you should be fine. If not, there are lots of decent fans out there - Noctua if they're available but I see a lot of Cougar fans used on the forum lately. The 3-pin fans will work in the fan controller - if they are connected to the motherboard, you probably won't be able to control the speed. 4-pin PWM fans would best be connected to the motherboard, though personally I find fans controlled through the motherboard fan settings very hard to slow down even by setting fan thresholds properly through IPMI.

 

[M3mphis19]

Looks like you read the recommended hardware thread, so there are only minor concerns here - it should work well.

This would be fine for just file serving.


Those are 7200 RPM drives, and since you already have them you'll have to work around them I guess. They will be hotter than 5400 RPM WD Reds and will require more cooling. The case should help you out - it has 3 X 140 mm fans included. One is at the back, one is in front of the hard drives and one is at the top. To maximize hard drive cooling, simply move the one at the top to the front. If the fans are anything like the ones in my desktop Fractal Design Define R4, they're fairly decent. The case has an integrated 3-fan controller. If noise isn't an issue, set it on high. Monitor the hard drive temps as you test the server and when you perform a scrub. As long as you don't exceed 40 C on heavy load, you should be fine. If not, there are lots of decent fans out there - Noctua if they're available but I see a lot of Cougar fans used on the forum lately. The 3-pin fans will work in the fan controller - if they are connected to the motherboard, you probably won't be able to control the speed. 4-pin PWM fans would best be connected to the motherboard, though personally I find fans controlled through the motherboard fan settings very hard to slow down even by setting fan thresholds properly through IPMI.

Thank you very much. Yeah, the case comes with 3-140mm fans. I believe I have 3 spare 140's and at least 2 spare 120's to fill all the available fan locations. Noise is really not an issue with this machine. It is quite tucked away in a closet with a loud exhaust fan anyway. I also have one of these fan controllers that I should be able to use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NPEBI8/?tag=ozlp-20 (I hope this link does not violate any forum rules!)

Thank you for the help, Fraoch and Bidule0hm. It sounds like I'm ready to place some orders!

 

[Fraoch]

Thank you very much. Yeah, the case comes with 3-140mm fans. I believe I have 3 spare 140's and at least 2 spare 120's to fill all the available fan locations. Noise is really not an issue with this machine. It is quite tucked away in a closet with a loud exhaust fan anyway. I also have one of these fan controllers that I should be able to use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NPEBI8/?tag=ozlp-20

Probably no need to add any more fans - it's the hard drives that will produce the most heat. Max out the front intake positions (by swapping the top fan into the bottom front) but there's probably no need for anything else. The CPU doesn't produce that much heat and it'll be idling most of the time anyway. If you set the case fan controller on high you will move a fair amount of air past the hard drives with those two 140 mm fans.

 

[M3mphis19]

Where in the hell is the .iso file in the 9.3 downloads.....????

 

[Bidule0hm]

Here for example: http://download.freenas.org/9.3/latest/x64/

 

[M3mphis19]

Yeah....I've been really trying to unzip the download. Dumb dumb dumb.

Thank you.

 

[Tywin]

Okay, I read the terminology thread. Now I just feel in over my head.

I advise that you proceed with caution. Make sure you understand what you are getting into before spending the money.

 

[M3mphis19]

I advise that you proceed with caution. Make sure you understand what you are getting into before spending the money.

Way too late now, my friend! And, yes, I'm in way over my head. I didn't anticipate the support information being so far flung and time consuming to digest. I'm currently trying to figure out how to match up the firmware version and the driver version.

 

[Tywin]

Way too late now, my friend! And, yes, I'm in way over my head.

Good luck! Keep swimming up, I promise you there is air up there! Keep good backups in case something goes sideways the first few times around :)

 

[M3mphis19]

Good luck! Keep swimming up, I promise you there is air up there! Keep good backups in case something goes sideways the first few times around :)

Thanks, I appreciate that.

 

[jgreco]

Way too late now, my friend! And, yes, I'm in way over my head.

Keep your head on straight and commit the time to it. We generally get everyone straightened out sooner or later, but taking advantage of the available resources (stickies, manual, etc) get you further more quickly. I typically get bored of writing the same response 50 times over so eventually I write a sticky for a topic, and I try to be thorough. There's lots of info out there!

 

[PenalunWil]

Your build is very similar to mine, and by the looks your a total noob like me so take your time and read read and read again until you understand what your doing. Any doubts then don't hesitate to ask. Most of the stuff you'll need to do and learn is straight foward just take your time. I just played with my NAS for months before I started using it as a proper NAS box. If you intend using it propery make sure you have back ups preferably off site.