JBOD OS?

[Mirfster]

Currently, I have an ESXi 6.0 U2 Server that is running a FreeNAS 9.10 VM. I already have a Perc H200 (Flashed to IT Mode) and a LSI 9200-8E passed through. May do the same for an Intel 10 GB Dual Port NIC and the actual SATA Ports (for potential SLOG and L2ARC).

So, aside from that I also have some other Servers; one running ESXi 5.5 U2. It has 12 x 2TB Drives connected to a Perc H700 in Raid 6.

Contemplating a migration of ESXi 5.5 U3 VMs over to my FreeNAS 9.10 storage and then re-purposing those drives as a separate Pool in a JBOD (leveraging the LSI 9200-8E). This way I get the robustness of ZFS and all the perks that go with it...

*** Each "JBOD" may have its own Pool; so I can isolate Pools to actual systems and avoid drives from one vDev potentially go missing from a Pool. I am undecided right now on this part...

Now, my question is when/if I decide to do this; what OS would be suggested to run on the JBOD Server? This is mainly to eliminate the annoying "No Boot Device found" continuous messages.

I am thinking perhaps something like:

• FreeBSD, so that I could possibly have the FreeNAS VM or ESXi Host issue a "Power Off" command to the JBOD (via SSH or IPMI) when the FreeNAS VM is shutting down and then an IPMI "Power On" command (not formulated yet) when either the ESXi Host or FreeNAS VM is coming up...
• Maybe just FreeDOS/MS-DOS and forget things like SSH since I will have IPMI; but then there is the issue that the system is not secure in any way (no logon, etc.)...

Anyone else doing something similar or have some thoughts or am I just way off base on this?

Thanks in advance for any input.

P.S. I also have a MS Hyper-V Server that I may try as well, but from my understanding Hyper-V has issues with VMs on NFS Shares (if it works at all)...

 

[zambanini]

why do you need a os on a jbod?


a jbod consists of a sas or sata backplane, your external connectors and your psu.

 

[Mirfster]

Perhaps you're right, but to leverage IPMI; I would need the MB and when I power that on it would complain about no boot devices. I may be overthinking it, just wanted a way to be able to control the powering on and off of the JBOD and tie it into the entire process.

Then that lead me to perhaps not wanting an OS just sitting there wide open.

I should mull this over more eh?

 

[jgreco]

Okay, so the issue here is that you want to be able to command the JBOD to turn on and off?

Why not just use the IPMI on the JBOD controller?

http://www.supermicro.com/manuals/other/CSE-PTJBOD-CB3.pdf

 

[Mirfster]

Why not just use the IPMI on the JBOD controller?

Yeah thinking similarly, but not so far as to buy a SuperMicro MB. ;)

 

[jgreco]

Yeah thinking similarly, but not so far as to buy a SuperMicro MB. ;)

Yeah, us Supermicro owners are kind of an exclusive club. We don't appreciate the Dell riff-raff upgrading to real gear.