Possibly ideal mini-ITX NAS platform

[JimPhreak]

what are your temps now?

I haven't put my build together yet (waiting on my RAM and M1015 to arrive) so I don't have a point of reference yet. It's just that once I open the CPU I can't really return it (or at least it would be a hassle to). It's basically just a guessing game at this point I guess I'm just trying to take whatever precautions I can.

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/489/Intel_Core_i3_i3-4130_vs_Intel_Core_i3_i3-4130T.html

 

[Nomad]

With Embeded solutions like these coming out more and more I wonder if we can't make some kind of chart for people to go by.

IE I have a G3220 these are my dd, iperf, cifs speeds.
I know it's really dependent on quite a few things, ram, types of drives, nics, but it's a start.
Like a Sticky moderated so only X,Y,Z is posted and then a "discussion" part about builds.

 

[jgreco]

People used to do this, to varying degrees, all the time. I think the difficult part is that the platforms people select vary not only based on CPU, but many other factors, and those factors can not only affect, but actually dominate the results.

For example, I've got an E5 box here running ESXi, which allows me to trivially adjust the amount of RAM. Running on 32GB of RAM gives me substantially better (like by 3x) write speeds than 6GB. The ONLY difference being memory size. Likewise, the difference between RAIDZ2 and RAIDZ3 is about 20-30% penalty...

But please do not let that discourage anyone from posting information.

I agree that some more formalized methodology would serve the community well. There've been ideas tossed around such as a Wiki page as well.

 

[Nomad]

E5 isn't exactly an embedded solution :P

 

[jgreco]

The E5 thing was to make a point. I don't always have the exact hardware under discussion ;-). But it comes as a shock to newcomers who are not used to the ZFS design that something like memory size has such an effect. Hell, it bugs those of us who ARE used to it too. It does make more sense once somebody says "ZFS sets aside 1/8th main memory for write transaction groups" ... but it still makes apples to apples comparisons a bear.

 

[cyberjock]

E5 isn't exactly an embedded solution :p

You missed his point. :)

On top of the amount of RAM you have ZFS tweaks can have a profound affect. I could change one or two settings on your system that would make it perform sub 10MB/sec. You can also change the tweaks so that dd tests appear to provide amazing results while actual performance is trash.

In effect, benchmarks have very little value compared to you "right-sizing" your system and knowing your load. So there's relatively little value added except when you want to say "anything over 10MB/sec is fine" versus "I won't take less than 90MB/sec".

 

[John M. Długosz]

Yeah, the Marvell SATA chip could be a problem though...not sure if they are compatible with FreeBSD.

The spec sheet for that board claims FreeBSD support.

 

[John M. Długosz]

I think that case is cute. It needs a carry handle at the top, though, and a cleat to wrap the cord around.

Re single-threaded CIFS: What exactly does that mean? It only processes one request at a time. If only one user is on the share, that doesn't matter. If the purpose is to plug it in and back up stuff, that sounds just fine.

I like the Atom board because of the power/heat issue.

I wonder though: you could have a case that is small to stow, but when set up it opens up and gives a "chimney" or something for airflow. Or, have a radiator all along one side of the case, the fins being the outside of the case.

The board itself should limit the CPU speed if it starts to get too hot, and also display an indicator light when that happens. My Prescott (nicnamed PressHot) benchmarked faster when the chassis was open and a box fan placed next to it, because the system kept the heat just at the red line by slowing down.

—John

 

[Nomad]

Still, expect high chance of failure before 24 months.

Not With That Cooler. That Company Is Amazing.

Some Other quick comments, He might not likely have a storeage solution that has largest your cyber jock, so going with The I3 might not be a bad idea, you're the one always quoting Build to your needs :)

That New Atom Is Going To Shock Everyone. I Ordered One Today For 325 Can't Wait To Bench.

 

[cyberjock]

The spec sheet for that board claims FreeBSD support.

Don't confuse "support" with "compatible". It's a stupid comparison, but some companies use the difference to their advantage.

 

[jgreco]

Don't confuse "support" with "compatible". It's a stupid comparison, but some companies use the difference to their advantage.

I'd suggest putting it differently: Lots of shoddy PC hardware is "supported," but do remember that "USB-attached removable SATA drive bays" are just as "supported" as an IBM ServeRAID M1015 in a nice Supermicro chassis... but one is clearly the wrong way to go.

 

[Nomad]

I think you're talking about two extremes, not everyone needs A M 1015, On a Supermicro bored with 64 gigabytes ECC memory.

 

[jgreco]

Yes, that is correct, but understanding the tradeoffs is a bit of an art.