PCIE SSD Support?

[Erik The Angry]

Hi folks, first post. I've read through the hardware recommendations, and I've built out what I believe to be a good balance for our organization between storage and performance. The below mentioned SSD is meant for read cache... which I'm not 100% sure I need, as this is meant to simply be a backup target. At assorted intervals, backups will be written in from production, and read out to a tape drive for long term retention. Since the files it will be handling are all quite large, a regular SATA SSD would likely provide similar benefit.

Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time identifying whether one of the components will be supported. Specifically, I'm interested in putting in an Intel DC P3500 400GB PCIE SSD. Model is SSDPEDMX400G401.

In following the recommendations (I'm mostly just putting this here to show that I DID read them... TLDR this part if you want):

1. Mobo is a SuperMicro board. I didn't go with the specifically recommended models as I wanted more drives and the raid cards were not recommended due to ZFS not liking it when other things plays with its data. I could probably use a SATA card, but if it's all on the mobo that's one less component to fail.
   
2. Memory is Crucial, 32GB of ECC.
   
3. Hard drives are 10x 4TB (and the SSD that this topic is about).
4. CPU is an Intel i5-6500, as I've read that AMD does poorly.

Does anyone have a fairly definitive idea of whether the SSD will be supported by FreeBSD and FreeNAS?

 

[Ericloewe]

Yes, of course. Why wouldn't it be? It's a bog-standard NVMe drive.

 

[Erik The Angry]

Yes, of course. Why wouldn't it be? It's a bog-standard NVMe drive.

I have no reason for why it would not be, but also little to no knowledge outside of crawling google and finding either unofficial assertions that it works (such as those from vendor websites) or a complete lack of information (such as Intel ARC).

Thank you for your answer. I appreciate it.

 

[Ericloewe]

For future reference, NVMe support was backported to 9.3 about halfway in its life or something of the sort.

FreeNAS 9.10 definitely supports NVMe.

For older versions (not that they're recommended), AHCI PCI-e SSDs should work.

 

[Erik The Angry]

That is interesting to know, thanks for the reference. Could be handy if I end up having problems and someone says it isn't supported.

 

[cyberjock]

I have worked on a system that uses NVMe and is using a January or February build of FreeNAS 9.3.1, and it works as of then.

 

[jgreco]

I have worked on a system that uses NVMe and is using a January or February build of FreeNAS 9.3.1, and it works as of then.

It's worked for a lot longer than that.

 

[BigDave]

I'm SHOCKED!
All three of the responding members missed the listed i5 processor!
Phone the neighbors and wake the kids...

 

[Ericloewe]

I'm SHOCKED!
All three of the responding members missed the listed i5 processor!
Phone the neighbors and wake the kids...

To be fair, it's rather buried.

 

[jgreco]

I'm SHOCKED!
All three of the responding members missed the listed i5 processor!
Phone the neighbors and wake the kids...

Your homework is to read all 283,000++ messages on this forum.

Get to work.

 

[cyberjock]

I figured that since I've told people not to use i5s about 1000 times that I didn't need to say it again, and that he's using for some reason despite my recommendations. :P

Your homework @BigDave is to find out how many places I've said to not use an i5 CPU. ;)

 

[Ericloewe]

Your homework is to read all 283,000++ messages on this forum.

Get to work.

When you can honestly tell people "XenForo lost count of my post count", a few odd CPU choices are bound to slip by...

So, OP, be advised that your choice of processor does not support ECC RAM.

I figured that since I've told people not to use i5s about 1000 times that I didn't need to say it again, and that he's using for some reason despite my recommendations. :p

I think I recall that sort of thought crossing my mind, too.

 

[BigDave]

Your homework is to read all 283,000++ messages on this forum.

Get to work.

With all due respect Sensei, THAT... ain't happenin'!

I figured that since I've told people not to use i5s about 1000 times that I didn't need to say it again, and that he's using for some reason despite my recommendations. :p

Your homework @BigDave is to find out how many places I've said to not use an i5 CPU. ;)

zenForo search feature is listing ZERO posts containing >i5< sorry CJ...

 

[jgreco]

When you can honestly tell people "XenForo lost count of my post count",

I thought that was "Cyberjock zeroed my {your} post count".

 

[Ericloewe]

I thought that was "Cyberjock zeroed my {your} post count".

I didn't say it was spontaneous. :D

 

[jgreco]

I didn't say it was spontaneous. :D

In my experience, if you instruct a computer to lose something, with sufficient privilege, it will do so.

 

[Ericloewe]

In my experience, if you instruct a computer to lose something, with sufficient privilege, it will do so.

"It was artificially cut to 51" has nowhere near the same aura as "XenForo lost count". :p

 

[jgreco]

"It was artificially cut to 51" has nowhere near the same aura as "XenForo lost count". :p

If truth and reality aren't issues to be concerned with, I suppppppooose.