[NOOB] Proposed first FreeNAS build

[NZ_JJ]

HI everyone,

Complete NOOB here, been browsing the forums and doing research, almost ready to go ahead.

Currently I have a Plex Server running off i7 laptop with 2x 4TB & 2x 2TB external USB3 drives (don’t laugh) streaming to 2-4 tablets (via WiFi), 2 desktops & 1 TV (via 1Gb LAN). Running out of space and would also like to be able to backup local files from the desktops to an external source.

Proposal: FreeNAS system built for the file store. Plex Server still run from laptop.
BTW: I live in New Zealand so some parts are harder to source and/or get good prices for.

CPU: Pentium G4560
Motherboard: Supermicro X11SSL-CF (on-board SAS big bonus)
RAM: 1x Crucial DDR4 16GB Unbuffered ECC
Case: X-Case RM424 Pro EX (4u chassis 24 hot-swap bays, inbuilt SAS expander backplane) https://www.xcase.co.uk/collections/4u-rackmount-cases/products/424-ex-pro
OS drive: Sandisk 120Gb SSD (boot) or would USB thumb drives be ok?
Storage Drives: 4TB WD Reds (initial number to be determined based on cash and final configuration)

Current cash is limited, so looking to start with a minimal outlay and over the next year max the RAM (hence the 1x16 not 2x8) and fill all the drive bays.
Questions I have:
1) Will the Pentium be enough to handle all 24 drives on the final system, or should I go for an i3 / Xenon initially?
2) In the final system (24 drives) what’s the best vdev layout? 3x 8 drive Raidz-2 or 2x 12 disk Raidz-3 or 2x 11 disk raidz-3 + 2 hot-spares?
3) What PSU should i go for? redundant or ATX and would 600W be enough?
4) Any other thoughts/suggestions

Thanks in advance

 

[danb35]

X-Case RM424 Pro EX (4u chassis 24 hot-swap bays, inbuilt SAS expander backplane)

Not familiar with that one, but it looks like it should do the business. Cooling's always going to be an issue with dense rack-mount chassis; you want to keep the disks under 40 C.

Sandisk 120Gb SSD (boot) or would USB thumb drives be ok?

Anything larger than about 30 GB is really overkill, though smaller SSDs can be hard to find. The 120 GB you're mentioning will work fine, but it'll be 90% empty. USB drives work fine but fail a lot. OTOH, they're cheap, and replacing them is pretty much a non-event as long as you've downloaded a copy if your config.

Will the Pentium be enough to handle all 24 drives on the final system, or should I go for an i3 / Xenon initially?

The Pentium should be fine for that, but consider if you want to run Plex on the server instead. If so, you'd want something a bit more powerful.

In the final system (24 drives) what’s the best vdev layout?

I'd vote for 6- or 8-disk RAIDZ2 vdevs.

What PSU should i go for? redundant or ATX and would 600W be enough?

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/proper-power-supply-sizing-guidance.38811/

 

[Stux]

I'd suggest 8-way z2, especially since you're building a media server.

Since you're building a plex backing store, you should consider a beefier CPU and running plex on the server...

 

[NZ_JJ]

Thanks for the replies,

Not familiar with that one, but it looks like it should do the business. Cooling's always going to be an issue with dense rack-mount chassis; you want to keep the disks under 40 C.

Good to know, I'll get a couple of temp probes and monitor during burn-in, should be the most intensive disk-use time.

Anything larger than about 30 GB is really overkill, though smaller SSDs can be hard to find. The 120 GB you're mentioning will work fine, but it'll be 90% empty. USB drives work fine but fail a lot. OTOH, they're cheap, and replacing them is pretty much a non-event as long as you've downloaded a copy if your config.

So a pair of 32Gb flash drives, mirrored, with a backup config file on the pool? can you 3-way mirror the boot device?

The Pentium should be fine for that, but consider if you want to run Plex on the server instead. If so, you'd want something a bit more powerful.

Since you're building a plex backing store, you should consider a beefier CPU and running plex on the server...

That comes down to cost, over here the G4560 is under $90, an i3-6100 is $190 and a Xenon-E3-1220v5 is $350+

The laptop would be scrap if it wasn't going to be used for this (keyboard shot, screen cracked, not worth selling)
If/when it completely fails I'll bite the bullet and get new CPU, what model would you suggest?

Also, not familiar with jails etc, would like to experiment first before implementing.

I'd vote for 6- or 8-disk RAIDZ2 vdevs.

I'd suggest 8-way z2, especially since you're building a media server.

8-disk Z2 it is

 

[danb35]

Good to know, I'll get a couple of temp probes and monitor during burn-in, should be the most intensive disk-use time.

No need for probes; the disks will report their own temperatures with the SMART results.

 

[Constantin]

FWIW, Chris Moore recently pointed us to this 24-bay supermicro server on ebay for ~$1000 plus shipping. You get two E5-2650 v2 2.6ghz CPU's, a fully-qualified system with 128GB of RAM, oodles of horsepower from a respected vendor in the industry. All you need to do is add disks! It's pretty a pretty amazing deal considering that a 4-bay Mini retails for about the same amount of money. Granted., the SuperMicro rig won't come with a warranty, but it's still a compelling deal. If you like it, don't forget to thank him for the suggestion.