First time poster, but I've been lurking for a while. Hopefully I know most of the hot-button items, so I won't get flamed too bad! :D
Purpose: Providing NFS datastores to 3-4 ESXi hosts (30-50 running VMs), plus providing a larger datastore via CIFS for media storage (Plex), etc.
This will be going in the dedicated server room in my new home. Dedicated HVAC, power, the works. So, noise isn't a major consideration. I'm currently providing this with a single Synology DS1512+ 5-drive NAS, but performance is atrocious (and I'm not running all of the VMs all the time, otherwise the poor box would melt). I'm also fortunate to have access to some spare parts, so I want to leverage those where I can (don't worry, I'm not planning to use my old desktop for this!)
So, down to the nuts and bolts:
Memory: I'll have ~18.7TB usable, so this exceeds the 1GB/TB rule. The board requires registered memory to get beyond 48GB - allow for future expansion.
Network: I have a physically isolated storage network. So, the 2 on-board ports bonded via LACP to the "internal" network... and an extra Intel dual-port server NIC bonded via LACP to the storage net.
Boot drives: I will probably snag 2 cheap, small SSDs (Intel) and mirror them for the boot drives. Or would two USB drives be sufficient? The MB has two USB connectors onboard.
ZIL/L2ARC: I'm struggling here. For heavy NFS loads, a ZIL seems to be recommended. Add 2 SSDs for the ZIL? Recommendations on size and model (I always stick with Intel SSDs)? As for the L2ARC, should I just pile on more RAM instead?
Backup: The Synology box will get repopulated with larger drives and used as a backup target. Ultimately, it will go off-site to a location connected via an AirFiber wireless shot.
I hope I've covered all the salient points. Any critiques or recommendations would be appreciated.
Purpose: Providing NFS datastores to 3-4 ESXi hosts (30-50 running VMs), plus providing a larger datastore via CIFS for media storage (Plex), etc.
This will be going in the dedicated server room in my new home. Dedicated HVAC, power, the works. So, noise isn't a major consideration. I'm currently providing this with a single Synology DS1512+ 5-drive NAS, but performance is atrocious (and I'm not running all of the VMs all the time, otherwise the poor box would melt). I'm also fortunate to have access to some spare parts, so I want to leverage those where I can (don't worry, I'm not planning to use my old desktop for this!)
So, down to the nuts and bolts:
- Case : Supermicro SC814E16-R1200B (4U, 24 bay) with BPN-SAS2-846EL1 SAS2 expander backplane
- Motherboard : Supermicro X8DTE-F
- CPU : Undecided. See below.
- Memory : 32GB Crucial ECC Registered RAM (4x8GB, 8 slots free)
- Power Supply/UPS/PDU : Included dual/redundant 1200-watt PS, dual APC 5KVA SmartUPS, dual PDUs
- Volume 1 : 12x Seagate 15K 450GB SAS, configured as mirrored pairs (2.7TB usable, VMware datastore)
- Volume 2 : 6x WD Red 4TB, RAIDZ2 (16TB usable, media storage)
- Controller : Cross-flashed M1015 or 9211-8i
Memory: I'll have ~18.7TB usable, so this exceeds the 1GB/TB rule. The board requires registered memory to get beyond 48GB - allow for future expansion.
Network: I have a physically isolated storage network. So, the 2 on-board ports bonded via LACP to the "internal" network... and an extra Intel dual-port server NIC bonded via LACP to the storage net.
Boot drives: I will probably snag 2 cheap, small SSDs (Intel) and mirror them for the boot drives. Or would two USB drives be sufficient? The MB has two USB connectors onboard.
ZIL/L2ARC: I'm struggling here. For heavy NFS loads, a ZIL seems to be recommended. Add 2 SSDs for the ZIL? Recommendations on size and model (I always stick with Intel SSDs)? As for the L2ARC, should I just pile on more RAM instead?
Backup: The Synology box will get repopulated with larger drives and used as a backup target. Ultimately, it will go off-site to a location connected via an AirFiber wireless shot.
I hope I've covered all the salient points. Any critiques or recommendations would be appreciated.