Reasonable off-the-shelf solutions?

[kavermeer]

I'm considering setting up a FreeNAS system (or actually two; one will act as a backup) with 5 SATA HDs (3 TB each, RAIDZ1). This does not need to be a very high performance system. There are only a few PCs connected (through Gigabit ethernet), and its for data storage/archival only - no programs are running from the NAS and there is no database activity etc. I'd like to be able to expand the system in the future. Given that adding disks to an existing vdev isn't possible, that means that I'd like to have some way of adding an additional 5-disk RAIDZ1. Ideally in the same enclosure, but I'd accept a solution that has the first 5 disks internally, and needs add-on hardware/enclosure for the future expansion.

While I'd like to setup a full custom system, I simply do not have the time to do so. Instead, I'm looking for an off-the-shelf solution where I just add some disks, and install FreeNAS. However, it seems hard to find something in between the Intel Atom things and expensive Xeon-systems that supports at least 5 3.5" HDs (see my comment about extending the number of HDs above). I guess a workstation is powerful enough, but they often take just 4 disks.

What do people generally use in such a case? Any recommendation?

 

[cyberjock]

AFAIK, aside form building it yourself, the options are very limited. IXSystems, the corporate sponsor of FreeNAS, does provide appliances that are COTS products.

If you are really concerned about price, nothing beats building it yourself.

 

[kavermeer]

I'm willing to pay a 'reasonable' price. I consider EUR 600/700 reasonable, but I'll consider anything up to about EUR 1000.

For example, I found the Lenovo TD230, which seems to take 5 HDs, or the TS430 which takes up to 8. For other systems, it's harder to find out how many HDs they take, so I was looking for other people's thoughts on that.

iXSystems seem to provide solutions that are either too low-end for me (4 bays) or too high-end (12 bays, 48 GB mem).

I am willing to add controllers and bays to a system. I just don't want to fully assemble it (that is, buy a case, mainboard, CPU, etc.). I do that for my systems at home, but my job description doesn't cover that kind of work...

I'll keep looking, but if anyone has suggestions, please let me know!

 

[LAYGO]

The Proliant MicroServer N40L kinda fits the bill. You can fit 6 full size HDDs in it with some minor modification. I love mine. They're really popular & have a ton of prosumer users & active community. The problem is, HP has stopped making them, hopefully to bring a better one to market, but you can occasionally find one on sale some place (Slickdeal alerts). I paid $250 for mine with only a 250gb HDD, it now has 4x2TB. Rock solid.

I'd pick up another if they came out with an updated version.

 

[tingo]

For me, assembling a new box (the hardware) from components take one hour, tops. I usually spend much more time on the software side of things (FreeNAS is an exception to that, I'm happy to report). So I can't see how spending a couple of hours extra can be outside your time budget. Just my 0.2 eurocents

 

[kavermeer]

For me, it takes a lot of time to figure out what things I need and what components will work fine together. Then, I'll most likely miss some screw or a simple cable, which I don't have lying around at work. It's just a hassle, which I'd like to avoid. I don't get paid for doing that, I just need the storage server for my real work.

I actually looked at the MicroServer but, as you mention, it seems to be out of production. It is at the low end of what I would like to consider, but I guess a newer model might be a good choice for me. Unfortunately, I've not seen any announcements.

 

[kavermeer]

I'm now considering the following: A simple server (e.g., HP Proliant ML110) with added memory (I think I'll get 8 GB). If I need 5 drives and the system only provides connections and bays for 4, I get an additional SATA controller (2 ports is enough) and put the 3.5" drive in a 5.25" bay. For future extension, I have the option of adding a controller that supports port multipliers, and a 5-bay external enclosure.

The initial setup would then cost about EUR 650-700 (excluding HDs). Adding the second set of 5 drives would cost about EUR 400. I consider that reasonable.

However, I'm still open to better (e.g., requiring less fiddling, about the same costs) solutions!

 

[kavermeer]

I have bought two HP ML110 G7 systems and installation was a real smooth ride. The systems have 4 3.5" internal bays and 2 5.25" bays. In the regular system, I installed 6 3.5" drives, while the backup system holds 5 drives. There is an internal USB connector for the FreeNAS system. All required cabling came with the systems (although I did not know that beforehand, so I now have various SATA cables in stock).

I'm not sure about warm fuzzy feelings and how that is related to a backup system. But the only trouble I ran into was a FreeNAS bug (that's listed in the tracker, but most people don't seem to be aware of it). Oh, and our local IT staff that seems to be unable to switch the network connection from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps (yes, there is a gigabit-switch with unused ports) for more than two months now...

 

[RobH]

I'm looking at the HP ML110 G7, too. My needs sound similar to yours. Did you stick with the 350W power supply? I'm not much of a hardware guy but I'm guessing 5-6 drives requires a beefier brick. How's the temperature?

 

[kavermeer]

I didn't change the power supply and haven't had any issues with it so far. Power consumption of my drives (Toshiba DT01ACA300) is 6.4 W (read/write). So even for six drives, that's less than 40 W. I haven't actually checked the temperature. What would you like to know, HD temps?