Mixing SSDs and HDDs?

[Greg555]

Would it be ok to use 2x8TB WD reds and 4x Samsung 500 ssd?

Thanks
Greg

 

[Chris Moore]

Would it be ok to use 2x4TB WD reds and 4x Samsung 500 ssd?

Thanks
Greg

I don't think you would want them in the same pool.
Can you give a bit more information about what you have in mind?

 

[Greg555]

I dont know what i have in mind. These are the drives i have and need to build a NAS

Came here for guidance

 

[Jailer]

Mirrored pairs would be your best bet with that combination of drives but I wouldn't put them all in the same pool.

 

[Greg555]

Should I just sell the SSDs and get more of the 8TB reds?

 

[Ericloewe]

First you need to figure out what you want to accomplish. A NAS server isn't an end, it's a means to an end.

 

[danb35]

Can you use more than one sentence in your posts? It would help us understand what you want to do. Right now, we can't say what you should or shouldn't do, other than (as @Jailer says) you usually wouldn't want to put both HDDs and SSDs in the same pool. What are you trying to accomplish?

 

[Greg555]

First you need to figure out what you want to accomplish. A NAS server isn't an end, it's a means to an end.

Between myself and wife we have 6-8Tb of data we want to keep safe.

We had an older WD NAS but it was painfully slow. We moved this data to Amazon but we just received a notice that their unlimited storage will be no more so I thought of building a FreeNAS box.

I have a pretty decent desktop with i7 and 16 gigs of ram and got 2 x 8TB drives from the WD external backups. (they are WD red 8TB and are cheaper than the drives themselves)

I realize 2 drives are not optimal and that's why I'm asking if adding SSDs would help or would it be a bad idea. I can sell the SSDs and get more WD reds but I'm asking for help since I'm new to this.

Thanks
Greg

 

[Chris Moore]

I realize 2 drives are not optimal and thats why im asking if adding ssds would help or would it be a bad idea. I can sell the ssds and get more WD reds but im asking for help since Im new to this.

This is much more informative. Thank you.

If you want to maximize the storage potential of the system, and you need the cash, selling the SSDs might be a good idea.
I think that 6 drives is a good place to be and configure them as a RAID-z2 pool, but there are many ways to get the solution you seek. The thing you generally want is to have all the drives in a vdev be the same size.

On another note, you have a lot to learn about FreeNAS. I would suggest taking a look at this document:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?resources/hardware-recommendations-guide.12/

 

[Chris Moore]

I have a pretty decent desktop with i7 and 16 gigs of ram

PS. FreeNAS can't run alongside another operating system if that is what you had in mind and on first glance, I would say that it might be better to build a separate system for your NAS instead of re-purposing the desktop.
For example, the system linked below, with a small memory upgrade, would be an excellent server and all you have to do is add drives. If you are able to wait a little while, there may be even better deals after the markups associated with 'black friday' are over.
http://www.tigerdirect.com//applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5173247&utm_source=eml&utm_medium=trigger&utm_campaign=3WWEBEML928&utm_content=AB_ProdCU1&SRCCODE=3WWEBEML928&obem=JbqDA3u4Tvb9bf_2rqb_-OkAOqilNX0b_H0G0kaZq3I=

 

[Ericloewe]

You can use just the two HDDs in a mirror if the storage and reliability is enough for your needs. If you want more, selling the SSDs and buying HDDs might be the way to go.

 

[Greg555]

PS. FreeNAS can't run alongside another operating system if that is what you had in mind and on first glance, I would say that it might be better to build a separate system for your NAS instead of re-purposing the desktop.

This was not my intention.

its a "spare" system