Reece Johnson
Dabbler
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2015
- Messages
- 13
Hi Everyone!
I've been lurking around here for a while, and recently have decided to build my first FreeNAS box. I've tried to do my homework, but I figure extra eyes are always helpful in the event that I missed something. I also have a few specific questions which I'll throw in.
Today I have a "backup" server consisting of a FreeBSD box running a single 500GB hard drive. It has generally worked fine for data storage, but I am unable to back up my computers or larger data volumes to it, for obvious reasons. My twin brother built a FreeNAS box a couple years ago, and we began running nightly rsyncs between our boxes to have off-site copies of our really important data. But I have been very limited in the amount of data I could accept.
So, enter the need for a better storage solution. I like BSD in general, as I've been running the FreeBSD backup server for years now, and used to run FreeBSD as my home router and firewall (I now use an OpenBSD box for that purpose due to the newer PF implementation). So FreeNAS was at the top of my list!
With that, here's my hardware:
- Supermicro X10SL7-F
- Intel E3-1231 V3
- Crucial 2x8GB ECC Unbuffered DDR3 1600
- 8x3TB WD Red
- Supermicro SATA DOM 16GB
- Fractal Design Define R4
- EVGA SuperNOVA 550 G2 PSU
- Eaton 5S1000LCD UPS
I tried following the tried-and-true guidelines that have been posted (and used) numerous times. My caveats surrounded the RAM and PSU. For the RAM, these Crucial sticks are not on the Supermicro tested list. Originally I was going to go with some sticks off their list, but they were very expensive. In looking through other forum member's systems, the Crucial memory seemed popular so I decided to go with that. I may bump it up to 32GB in the near future, but want to see how it runs first.
The other was about the power supply. Seasonic is the most popular choice here it seems. My concern was all the units I was looking at had active PFCs, which for a UPS can be tricky. The EVGA seemed like a quality unit with an 80 Plus Gold rating without PFC, so I decided to go in that direction.
If there are any comments or concerns on the hardware, please let me know!
Now, for the build. Right now the server is running with FreeNAS 9.3.1 performing the drive burn-in process and testing. The IPMI was really awesome to have for this, as it made the initial install so much easier. My plan is for a single VDev running RAIDZ3. I know it may be overkill, but for me the additional redundancy is more valuable than a few extra TB of storage. Like I do today, my critical data will be replicated nightly to my brother's FreeNAS box for an off-site copy.
Overall it has been going well. Flashing the internal 2308 module to IT mode was a bit of learning curve, but I got it figured out. I'm running P20 firmware on it, per what I have read concerning the drivers in 9.3.1. I am considering running a VM jail for an Apache web server, although I'll address that after I get the box running!
Networking-wise, my home network supports LACP if I choose to go that route. I support 1.3Gbps 802.11AC throughout my home, but only have 1Gbps links to the APs so I can't fully hit that anyway. I also have a few wired boxes which will hit the FreeNAS box, so I'm considering a port-channel. I run 5 VLANs at home on a firewall-on-a-stick topology, so the firewall is also a bottleneck here. I'm a CCIE, so networking is my profession (and naturally a focus point of mine). NAS is definitely more of a learning curve!
So that's where I'm at right now. If anyone sees anything I missed or has suggestions, please let me know! I have tried flushing out as much as I could through the previous threads, but apologize if I missed something.
Thanks!
I've been lurking around here for a while, and recently have decided to build my first FreeNAS box. I've tried to do my homework, but I figure extra eyes are always helpful in the event that I missed something. I also have a few specific questions which I'll throw in.
Today I have a "backup" server consisting of a FreeBSD box running a single 500GB hard drive. It has generally worked fine for data storage, but I am unable to back up my computers or larger data volumes to it, for obvious reasons. My twin brother built a FreeNAS box a couple years ago, and we began running nightly rsyncs between our boxes to have off-site copies of our really important data. But I have been very limited in the amount of data I could accept.
So, enter the need for a better storage solution. I like BSD in general, as I've been running the FreeBSD backup server for years now, and used to run FreeBSD as my home router and firewall (I now use an OpenBSD box for that purpose due to the newer PF implementation). So FreeNAS was at the top of my list!
With that, here's my hardware:
- Supermicro X10SL7-F
- Intel E3-1231 V3
- Crucial 2x8GB ECC Unbuffered DDR3 1600
- 8x3TB WD Red
- Supermicro SATA DOM 16GB
- Fractal Design Define R4
- EVGA SuperNOVA 550 G2 PSU
- Eaton 5S1000LCD UPS
I tried following the tried-and-true guidelines that have been posted (and used) numerous times. My caveats surrounded the RAM and PSU. For the RAM, these Crucial sticks are not on the Supermicro tested list. Originally I was going to go with some sticks off their list, but they were very expensive. In looking through other forum member's systems, the Crucial memory seemed popular so I decided to go with that. I may bump it up to 32GB in the near future, but want to see how it runs first.
The other was about the power supply. Seasonic is the most popular choice here it seems. My concern was all the units I was looking at had active PFCs, which for a UPS can be tricky. The EVGA seemed like a quality unit with an 80 Plus Gold rating without PFC, so I decided to go in that direction.
If there are any comments or concerns on the hardware, please let me know!
Now, for the build. Right now the server is running with FreeNAS 9.3.1 performing the drive burn-in process and testing. The IPMI was really awesome to have for this, as it made the initial install so much easier. My plan is for a single VDev running RAIDZ3. I know it may be overkill, but for me the additional redundancy is more valuable than a few extra TB of storage. Like I do today, my critical data will be replicated nightly to my brother's FreeNAS box for an off-site copy.
Overall it has been going well. Flashing the internal 2308 module to IT mode was a bit of learning curve, but I got it figured out. I'm running P20 firmware on it, per what I have read concerning the drivers in 9.3.1. I am considering running a VM jail for an Apache web server, although I'll address that after I get the box running!
Networking-wise, my home network supports LACP if I choose to go that route. I support 1.3Gbps 802.11AC throughout my home, but only have 1Gbps links to the APs so I can't fully hit that anyway. I also have a few wired boxes which will hit the FreeNAS box, so I'm considering a port-channel. I run 5 VLANs at home on a firewall-on-a-stick topology, so the firewall is also a bottleneck here. I'm a CCIE, so networking is my profession (and naturally a focus point of mine). NAS is definitely more of a learning curve!
So that's where I'm at right now. If anyone sees anything I missed or has suggestions, please let me know! I have tried flushing out as much as I could through the previous threads, but apologize if I missed something.
Thanks!
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