My Home Build

[Nindustries]

Hi there,

I will be getting my own place shortly.. so i'm planning my uber NAS setup! :D
So I would like to get some comments from you guys.

What will it do?
NAS will contain computer backups, user files&folders (all computers only contain SSD for OS&programs), movies, music and pictures. Data integrity is important, as throughput.

Requirements?
Needs to be able to put some load, exporting shares with correct user permissions and last but not least: data MUST remain consistent.

The List: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AocgA8O26ORNdEQwd2VRbWJoWk1EQ0k5Z0xsSS1kMVE&usp=sharing

 

[KMR]

NAS:
Case: look into a Norco 4224 unit. They are quite a bit more expensive but will give you more options down the road.
MB: Check
Controller: You have 6 drives so you will only need an extra HBA when you add more drives.
OS: Are you in the right forum?
OS Drive: USB key.
RAM: Check (although you could get away with 16GB until you add more drives)
PSU: Many people recommend Seasonic (I run them as well). Make sure it is 80+ Gold. Wattage seems a little high but should be fine.
CPU: A good choice. I use a G2020 which supports ECC and works well, but if you have the cash to spend then go for the 1220.
Cabinet: Check out a Startech unit. I got my 12U unit for half the price you have listed there.
Switch: I have a SG3216 unit but I am using vlans, LACP, etc. If you need those features make sure the switch you buy supports it. If you don't then go for something cheaper.
Ah. I notice you say that you will have 12 drives. In this case the M1015 is a wonderful choice. Make sure to flash it to IT firmware.

So you haven't provided much information on the rest of your environment. Are you using ESXi or some other type of servers? If not, why would you bother with a full rack setup? This could be a quiet little box in a corner somewhere rather than a space hogging rack. More info equals more feedback.

Edit: I just noticed your planned storage configuration. Please read around the forum before committing to this setup. RAIDZ2 is HIGHLY recommended and with 12 drives a pair of striped RAIDZ2 vdevs would be very nice.
Edit2: BUY A UPS. Don't consider if you need it or not, consider which unit to buy. If you are dropping that much money on this setup please protect it.

 

[Nindustries]

NAS:
Case: look into a Norco 4224 unit. They are quite a bit more expensive but will give you more options down the road.
MB: Check
Controller: You have 6 drives so you will only need an extra HBA when you add more drives.
OS: Are you in the right forum?
OS Drive: USB key.
RAM: Check (although you could get away with 16GB until you add more drives)
PSU: Many people recommend Seasonic (I run them as well). Make sure it is 80+ Gold. Wattage seems a little high but should be fine.
CPU: A good choice. I use a G2020 which supports ECC and works well, but if you have the cash to spend then go for the 1220.
Cabinet: Check out a Startech unit. I got my 12U unit for half the price you have listed there.
Switch: I have a SG3216 unit but I am using vlans, LACP, etc. If you need those features make sure the switch you buy supports it. If you don't then go for something cheaper.
Ah. I notice you say that you will have 12 drives. In this case the M1015 is a wonderful choice. Make sure to flash it to IT firmware.

So you haven't provided much information on the rest of your environment. Are you using ESXi or some other type of servers? If not, why would you bother with a full rack setup? This could be a quiet little box in a corner somewhere rather than a space hogging rack. More info equals more feedback.

Edit: I just noticed your planned storage configuration. Please read around the forum before committing to this setup. RAIDZ2 is HIGHLY recommended and with 12 drives a pair of striped RAIDZ2 vdevs would be very nice.
Edit2: BUY A UPS. Don't consider if you need it or not, consider which unit to buy. If you are dropping that much money on this setup please protect it.

Thanks for commenting on my setup! I really appreciate feedback. :D
In regards to the OS, this was just a little typo i'm afraid. Firstly, I wanted to use Nas4Free. But then I read some things about FreeNAS 9 and I was sold immediately.

I tought about the Norco 4224, but 24 drives is a a bit out of my league. Even 12 drives gives me a huge expandability, and i'm not even sure I will ever use all of it, but I just want to make sure I'm safe.

OS Drive; Was this a check? Because I'm going to use one.
PSU: I replaced the one with a Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 450W, it's gold certified now! It's also cheap, and i'm very fond of beQuiet.
Cabinet: I'm looking at that now. I could, until now, only find open cabinets from StarTech but i'll check again.
Switch: I will use link aggregation and tinker around with the settings. Besides, 200eu for a smart switch is pretty cheap I guess.

So you might wonder why a rack setup? Just to keep everything tidy in the same place. I just like the looks of it. :D
I did look for UPS', but it's kinda hard choosing the right one that will work with FreeNAS. Most UPS' are way too overpowered/overpriced for me..

Thanks again for your response dude!

 

[KMR]

Case: All I have is my personal experience to offer here, but I thought I would never need more than 10 drives and now I wish I had just bought a 4224 case. I have found that when you sink this much money into one of these systems part of the fun is continuing to find new ways to use it. My initial configuration was 6 3TB drives in RAIDZ2. I thought I could never use that much space but here I am trying to figure out when I will need another RAIDZ2 vdev to stripe with my current one. I have also added 4 1TB drives in a RAID10 configuration as a ESXi datastore. It is up to you. All I'm saying is you don't know what the future holds.
OS Drive: no, that wasn't a check. From what I have read (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) a USB key is the recommended method for FreeNAS. It is also easier and more flexible.
PSU: I would seriously consider a Seasonic. I have heard nothing but good about them but again, this is up to you.
Rack: I have a rack setup too and I love it.. just make sure you know what you're getting into.
UPS: Buy a UPS! If you are spending $2500 on this system a UPS is CHEAP insurance and crazy not to do (if this is pounds / euros it is even crazier). My UPS cost less than $200 USD and powers two servers and a switch. We are talking about your components health and your data integrity here, how important are these things to you?

 

[Nindustries]

I have also added 4 1TB drives in a RAID10 configuration as a ESXi datastore. It is up to you. All I'm saying is you don't know what the future holds.

Question: why do people put their server(s) in ESXi/virtualization?

And the OS drive is actually a thumb drive :D Sorry, should have mentioned it better.
Something rackmount to the wall is just so.. beautiful and neat!

In regards to the UPs and the build.. 1500 euro (75%) is the drives!
Is a rackmount UPS something common? And care to share your UPS?
EDIT: Just noticed your sig, and saw that your UPS is around the 400-600$ price range.
My UPS is only required to let my freenas box shutdown correctly to not corrupt anything, nothing else.

Thanks

 

[KMR]

If you are mounting this unit to the wall please consider the weight. Those drives are heavy and if you are considering a rack mount UPS they are very heavy as well. Check out this unit: APC BR1000G. It retails for $143 in Canada and is more than enough for what you need. Yes, 75% of the cost is your drives. Don't you want to protect them and the data on them?

 

[Nindustries]

If you are mounting this unit to the wall please consider the weight. Those drives are heavy and if you are considering a rack mount UPS they are very heavy as well. Check out this unit: APC BR1000G. It retails for $143 in Canada and is more than enough for what you need. Yes, 75% of the cost is your drives. Don't you want to protect them and the data on them?

I checked the cabinet's max weight: 70kg, so should be fine.
The UPS you suggested looks great! NUT says it's supported by reverse engineering, yay!

 

[jgreco]

Question: why do people put their server(s) in ESXi/virtualization?

Easier to manage?

Less power consumed?

More resources available when pooled?

It varies, and there isn't a single answer, and that isn't all the possible answers, not by far.

But. Management. So you have a bunch of machines. Each is on a slightly different hardware platform (AMD, Intel, etc) with different ethernet controllers and disk controllers and stuff. Virtualization allows you to flatten the playing field. Everything goes on protected storage, backed up automatically. No more confusing plethora of various RAID cards for critical servers, depending on which works best with a given OS, and then some boxes without RAID because it isn't cost-effective. No more mishmash of awkward craptacular backup systems. Centralized reporting of resource utilization and alarms when things are going wrong. No more loading CD's into machines ... everything virtualized off a datastore.

Even a low power server typically takes 20-50 watts. Fun to take 20 of those and crush them onto a modern platform that consumes 70-90 watts.

Right-sizing of servers often meant that nonessential servers would be sized smaller than maybe you'd like. It isn't cost effective to put a $2000 CPU in each physical server just on the outside chance it might hit heavy CPU usage once a week. But you can put a big CPU in a host that shares it 20 ways and it is still economical ... at least from the right point of view.

For FreeNAS, specifically, a fileserver often sits around twiddling its thumbs. I've always liked the Xeon E3-1230 as an affordable option. Can build one of those that consumes maybe 40-50 watts if done right. It has plenty of firepower to move stuff around under load. But all the rest of the time? It is basically burning watts just sitting there, looking pretty. So, what if it could also be running your pfsense and other servers too?

That's why people *want* to virtualize servers. Doesn't always make it a good idea, and FreeNAS isn't necessarily the best target for a beginner to virtualize.

 

[Nindustries]

..... That's why people *want* to virtualize servers. Doesn't always make it a good idea, and FreeNAS isn't necessarily the best target for a beginner to virtualize.

Anyway, virtualization is way over my head, i'm glad i don't need to research in that. :D