BUILD My next FreeNAS build: reliable, expandable and easily maintainable.

[xdma]

After many weeks of reading threads and posts, I've chosen the below parts for my next FreeNAS build. The usage scenario is home file server with max 3 users, with samba and AFP shares, automatic time machine backups form 3 computers, SFTP, a jail with plex server (with no transcoding as it will stream to a mac mini htpc) and probably another jail for automatic downloads. I won’t do any encryption, although I will do compression (default setting).
The focus is on reliability more than speed, although I’d like to max out what I can get from the drives. BTW I plan to add a second server on site for snapshots replication as well as an off-site backup.

So, here is the part list:

• Supermicro X10SL7-F retail (MBD-X10SL7-F-O)
• 4X Samsung DIMM 8GB, DDR3L-1600, CL11, ECC (M391B1G73QH0-YK0)
• Intel Pentium G3260, 2x 3.30GHz, boxed (BX80646G3260)
• Sea Sonic G-Series G-450 450W ATX 2.3 (SSR-450RM)
• Fractal Design Define Mini (FD-CA-DEF-MINI-BL)
• 6X Western Digital WD Red 3TB, 3.5", SATA 6Gb/s (WD30EFRX) in RAIDZ2
• 2X branded 16GB USB stick (or a SATA DOM if I find one)
• APC Smart-UPS 750VA LCD (SMT750I)

My concerns are about the CPU, I know that the Pentium is more than enough for a file server use, but will it still be enough when I will add another zpool with 6 drives in the future? And is a 450W PSU still adequate?
Anyway I though would be wiser to save money on the CPU and invest them in the memory.

A the beginning I also planned to add a pair of SSDs for the jails and to move the system data off the data pool, but then I thought I’d keep it simpler (and easier to maintain), and leave everything as designed (on the main pool). I’ll leave the drives always spinning anyway (APM=disabled, Standby=never), so I may as well leave system data and the jails on the drive and avoid the SDDs.

So, what do you think? Have I overlooked something?

 

[DrKK]

My concerns are about the CPU, I know that the Pentium is more than enough for a file server use, but will it still be enough when I will add another zpool with 6 drives in the future?

You could serve 50 zpools with a G3260 and hardly have it break a sweat. You're fine, unless you are doing some CPU intensive task (e.g., a couple streams of transcoding simultaneously).

 

[Jailer]

Yup, looks good and will serve it's intended purpose well.

 

[DifferentStrokes]

Someone has done thier homework...:D

 

[CaptainSensible]

All looks good.

Your CPU will be yawning.

I tested out my NAS with 5 PCs with a 48Gig BluRay movie. All were at different stages of the movie. My NAS CPU maxed out at 6%. Your CPU is similar.

Don’t use your freenas machine as a do it all.

Have a good main PC and build a good HTPC.

And a backup NAS.

4 Computers, thats it!

And an Amp and speakers and a huge TV screen.

 

[ChriZ]

A few points:
If you are planning to add another 6drive pool, then perhaps:

1. You should reconsider the case. It is a great case, but you will have to buy a bigger if you need to add more drives.
2. If you decide to add 6 more drives in the future, I am not sure that the 450w PSU can support 12 drives. Perhaps you should consider getting a bigger one? (e.g. a 550w ?).

My point is that getting a 12 drive capable case now and a bit bigger psu will save you future money.
Besides these, great build! ;)

 

[Ericloewe]

For 12 drives, the absolute minimum would be a G-550. Ideally, something around 650W would handle that comfortably. At 650W, you have a wider variety of good PSUs to choose from, including Seasonic X-650 and Platinum 650 and a number of SuperFlower units (mostly sold by EVGA).

 

[xdma]

Thank you all for the answers.

Someone has done thier homework...

I have indeed read a lot :)

Don’t use your freenas machine as a do it all.

I agree with that. I think that a file server should just... well... serve the files. The rest should be done by other dedicated systems.

Have a good main PC and build a good HTPC.
And a backup NAS.
4 Computers, thats it!
And an Amp and speakers and a huge TV screen.

Check, check, check and... check (7.1 and 51inch plasma, not huge, but big enough for us :D).

A few points:
If you are planning to add another 6drive pool, then perhaps:

1. You should reconsider the case. It is a great case, but you will have to buy a bigger if you need to add more drives.
2. If you decide to add 6 more drives in the future, I am not sure that the 450w PSU can support 12 drives. Perhaps you should consider getting a bigger one? (e.g. a 550w ?).

My point is that getting a 12 drive capable case now and a bit bigger psu will save you future money.
Besides these, great build! ;)

For 12 drives, the absolute minimum would be a G-550. Ideally, something around 650W would handle that comfortably. At 650W, you have a wider variety of good PSUs to choose from, including Seasonic X-650 and Platinum 650 and a number of SuperFlower units (mostly sold by EVGA).

Thank you for your advices. I should point out that I won't add the other 6 drives anytime soon, and I don’t like having a bigger PSU for nothing. The point is, finding in a couple of years a new LGA1150 CPU or compatible memory for this motherboard could be a pain (and expensive), that’s why I was more concerned about these components. Buying a bigger PSU and another case in the future won't be a problem and I can easily reuse these one.

Anyway I’ll do some math and check how much margin I have.

 

[xdma]

You could serve 50 zpools with a G3260 and hardly have it break a sweat.

Have you noticed that the new generation (e.g. Pentium G4400) has the AES Instructions and supports up to 64GB of ECC RAM?
With an even lower TDP...

 

[ChriZ]

Well, finding a 12 drive capable case now, is going to add significantly to the initial cost, but a 550w Psu will cost only about $10-15 more. IMHO it is worth it, even if it ends up reused in a different future build.

 

[PenalunWil]

Have you considered a rackcase with a good internal fan layout. Also that on board LSI 2308 gets quite hot so a good airflow is important.

Something like this not too expensive ...

https://www.servercase.co.uk/shop/s...ssis/4u-standard-chassis-15-x-35-hdd-sc-415h/

Also this intel cpu although a little more expensive than the G series would serve you very well...


http://www.scan.co.uk/products/inte...ghz-base-37ghz-turbo-8mb-cache-80w-cpu-retail


Wil.

 

[Jailer]

Well, finding a 12 drive capable case now, is going to add significantly to the initial cost

Antec 1200 if it's available where you live (you don't list your location). Add 2 more of the hard drive cages and you've got a 12 drive tower chassis with excellent airflow. I've got 6 drives in mine currently but will be adding 6 more in the not too distant future.

 

[xdma]

Have you considered a rackcase with a good internal fan layout.

I would love it, but right now I have no space for a rack in our apartment. But I will definitely take into consideration when we will move into a bigger house.

Also that on board LSI 2308 gets quite hot ...

That is something I didn't consider. Thanks for the heads up.

Also this intel cpu although a little more expensive than the G series would serve you very well...

A little more expensive.... the price difference is exactly how much I pay for the 32GB of RAM...

Antec 1200 if it's available where you live (you don't list your location). Add 2 more of the hard drive cages and you've got a 12 drive tower chassis with excellent airflow. I've got 6 drives in mine currently but will be adding 6 more in the not too distant future.

Sorry, I didn't configure my profile yet. That is the case I would buy for 12 drives. It is in my wishlist.

 

[ChriZ]

Antec 1200 if it's available where you live (you don't list your location). Add 2 more of the hard drive cages and you've got a 12 drive tower chassis with excellent airflow. I've got 6 drives in mine currently but will be adding 6 more in the not too distant future.

Well, when I wrote "is going to add significantly to the initial cost" I wasn't thinking of an expensive rack mount chassis, I was also thinking about something like the Antec, or the Define XL.

Still, if you think about it getting an Antec 1200, plus a drive cage will cost $190-220, depending on the cage.
The define mini costs about $70. So it is an additional cost of $120-150, whereas the bigger PSU is only $10-15.
The word "significantly" was meant to compare the additional cost of a bigger case ($120-$150) versus the additional cost of a bigger PSU ($10-$15)

 

[xdma]

Still, if you think about it getting an Antec 1200, plus a drive cage will cost $190-220, depending on the cage.

I'm thinking about getting one when I will expand, not now.

The define mini costs about $70. So it is an additional cost of $120-150, whereas the bigger PSU is only $10-15.
The word "significantly" was meant to compare the additional cost of a bigger case ($120-$150) versus the additional cost of a bigger PSU ($10-$15)

Yes yes, I got it right :). In fact I said that I'm considering a bigger PSU now (but I'd like to do some math first...).

 

[Harsesis]

I would love it, but right now I have no space for a rack in our apartment. But I will definitely take into consideration when we will move into a bigger house.

Just mount it vertically to a wall :D
http://www.startech.com/Server-Mana...-Wall-Mount-Equipment-Rack-Bracket~RK419WALLV

 

[xdma]

I have a question about the boot device.
I keep reading that mirroring USB stick is not so useful: a USB stick will eventually fail and mirroring them is just a way to compensate this intrinsic unreliability. A SATA DOM or a small SSD would much more reliable.
I've also understood that a mirrored boot device is meant for availability rather than reliability. I mean, if you have no problem having the server down for the time necessary to switch the boot device, then there is NO problem. Am I right?
I've found the Supermicro 16GB SATA DOM SSD-DM016-PHI, which I like, for 51€. On the other hand I can buy a Transcend SSD370S 32GB (or other equivalent SSD) for 35-40€. Which one is best?

Thanks.

 

[DrKK]

I have a question about the boot device.
I keep reading that mirroring USB stick is not so useful: a USB stick will eventually fail and mirroring them is just a way to compensate this intrinsic unreliability. A SATA DOM or a small SSD would much more reliable.
I've also understood that a mirrored boot device is meant for availability rather than reliability. I mean, if you have no problem having the server down for the time necessary to switch the boot device, then there is NO problem. Am I right?
I've found the Supermicro 16GB SATA DOM SSD-DM016-PHI, which I like, for 51€. On the other hand I can buy a Transcend SSD370S 32GB (or other equivalent SSD) for 35-40€. Which one is best?

Thanks.

Let me address most of these.

A pair of quality USB flash drives will actually do pretty well. There's not that much reading/writing that goes on, and my pair of Sandisk Cruzer Fits has been error free for over a year of 24/7 usage.

The main point is price. A pair of 16GB Sandisk Cruzer Fits (the community general recommendation) will be only approximately $10 *FOR THE PAIR*. This is vastly cheaper than other options (e.g., as you say, a DOM for 50 euro, is much more expensive). The reliability is certainly worse than a SATA DOM or SSD, of course, but I would not call it "unrealiable".

The trade off is the speed. It will take quite a while to perform updates (which are usually mercifully sporadic).

And in any case, your boot-device(s) in no way affects/harms your pool. Your data pool is a separate entity. Should you drop your boot pool, simply replacing it with a fresh boot device(s) is all you need, and you can re-import your existing data pool.

If price is important: definitely go with thumb drives.
If not wasting a SATA port is important: definitely go with thumb drives.
If performance is most important (at least for the times where you are booting or upgrading the boot pool), then you can get a SATA DOM or SSD.

Do I feel like I need a SATA DOM or SSD for mine? No. I'd rather have the SATA port open for expansion, and since I'm only so rarely booting/updating the boot pool, what the hell do I care? I use a boot pool consisting of two Sandisk Cruzer Fit 16GB drives. I have never had any error, CKSUM, or any other problem.

 

[Z300M]

Let me address most of these.

A pair of quality USB flash drives will actually do pretty well. There's not that much reading/writing that goes on, and my pair of Sandisk Cruzer Fits has been error free for over a year of 24/7 usage.

The main point is price. A pair of 16GB Sandisk Cruzer Fits (the community general recommendation) will be only approximately $10 *FOR THE PAIR*. This is vastly cheaper than other options (e.g., as you say, a DOM for 50 euro, is much more expensive). The reliability is certainly worse than a SATA DOM or SSD, of course, but I would not call it "unrealiable".

The trade off is the speed. It will take quite a while to perform updates (which are usually mercifully sporadic).

And in any case, your boot-device(s) in no way affects/harms your pool. Your data pool is a separate entity. Should you drop your boot pool, simply replacing it with a fresh boot device(s) is all you need, and you can re-import your existing data pool.

If price is important: definitely go with thumb drives.
If not wasting a SATA port is important: definitely go with thumb drives.
If performance is most important (at least for the times where you are booting or upgrading the boot pool), then you can get a SATA DOM or SSD.

Do I feel like I need a SATA DOM or SSD for mine? No. I'd rather have the SATA port open for expansion, and since I'm only so rarely booting/updating the boot pool, what the hell do I care? I use a boot pool consisting of two Sandisk Cruzer Fit 16GB drives. I have never had any error, CKSUM, or any other problem.

Let me endorse DrKK's opinion. I did try a pair of 8GB SanDisk Cruzer Fits and found that they were unreliable, but the 16GB Cruzer Fits have not given any trouble at all. I doubt that the size makes a difference; it's probably that the 16GB ones are a later design.

 

[Pheran]

I'm thirding DrKK. My pair of 32GB Sandisk Ultra Fits cost $23. I see no reason to spend more; it's not like I'm updating all the time.