Resources List including Detailed Hardware and System Build Notes (plus new user advice / help) v1.24

[WI_Hedgehog]

@WI_Hedgehog may I suggest TrueNAS-Report as an addition for the Ease of Use section.

Looking into TrueNAS-Report, it appears to be similar to yet provide more information than multi_report.sh.

However, I'm a bit confused. It it says both on the same page:​

​

a) SMART & ZPool Status Report for FreeNAS/TrueNAS​

b) ZPool, SMART, and UPS Status Report with TrueNAS Config Backup​

​

the screenshots show it without the UPS Status. So I'm not sure what I'd be getting into.​

​

Second, I'm not sure of the bc status as it relates to the script. It seems like, "Try it, it might work, might not."​

I get the impression at this point I'd need to hack in bc and possibly break something, which on a Datacenter NAS is not a recommended course of action. (see the next post)

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Looking into iXsystems intent, TrueNAS CORE & SCALE are built as reliable, dependable, datacenter-grade Network Atached Storage, with support for adding in necessary things. @samarium's comments are relatable, some things don't work perfectly smoothly, and there are some versions where certain aspects of the system can be unreliable. Additions add complexity and potential points of failure to an already imperfect system.

With that said, TrueNAS is currently "the" data storage powerhouse. If you want reliable mass storage, you look at iXsystems. There are alteratives, for example Synology is very capable for Small Office/Home Office environments, but I've not heard someone say they want to set up a Synology petabyte cluster. So I focus on what iXsystems brings to the table.

TrueNAS can be virtualized, though this adds layers of complexity; it has been done successfully by some very, very talented members, however the forums have multiple topics weekly on how virtualization went sideways. Plex is similar, though with bridged networking issues. There are reasons to do such things, mainly for personal use--and I'm completely fine with that. I don't see a datacenter doing that, but there are valid reasons.

Personally (which is not important), I came here wanting to run TrueNAS SCALE bare-metal for stability of the data-storage system, then run other software in containers...and after reading everything in this resources section and far more, and learning from members far smarter than myself, I plan on moving to CORE and running it vanilla (without add-ins). The goal of reliable data retention trumps convenience, and that's clearly the strength of iXsystems. For the rest I can run Ubuntu, Ubuntu Server, or Gentoo, scaled all the way down to little System-On-Board modules with task-oriented local storage (they can use the TrueNAS repository in the event something needed isn't local).

Is it a dis-service to the community to not have a section for alternative uses? Perhaps. For now my focus is on building extremely reliable storage systems. (iXsystems has pre-built units for sale, that also appears to be a good route for many admins.)

 

[HoneyBadger]

Is it a dis-service to the community to not have a section for alternative uses? Perhaps.

If that's a concern, feel free to point to the existing article on this:

Yes, You Can (Still) Virtualize TrueNAS

TrueNAS is a powerful storage virtualization software solution that helps businesses virtualize data. Get started today with TrueNAS.

www.truenas.com

I think there's sufficient Scary Red Text in there if you're concerned about having a pre-roll warning.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

If that's a concern, feel free to point to the existing article on this:

Yes, You Can (Still) Virtualize TrueNAS

TrueNAS is a powerful storage virtualization software solution that helps businesses virtualize data. Get started today with TrueNAS.

www.truenas.com

I think there's sufficient Scary Red Text in there if you're concerned about having a pre-roll warning.

Done. :D

I was going to add a link to a Plex guide (because this is a resources guide), but my search came up with pages of...problems. Now I know it can be done and a bunch of people want to do it (and have done it), so if there's a good guide I'll put it in.

 

[Redcoat]

so if there's a good guide I'll put it in.

What about https://www.truenas.com/community/resources/scripted-installation-of-nextcloud-25-in-iocage-jail.90/?

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

And...out of respect for you members willing to take more risk than I am, I added a disclaimer stating I'm soft, gelatinous ectoplasmic goo, and as risk-adverse as plain white store bread.

(though note I started that sentence with a conjunction--that's the rebel in me)
(which, as it turns out, is pretty weak)

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

WI_Hedgehog updated Resources List including Detailed Hardware and System Build Notes (plus new user advice / help) with a new update entry:

Major Overhaul

@Davvo's signature was rolled into Hedgehog's signature and expanded upon, when that grew too large this resource was created. Since then these updates were made:

+ Content additions: resources now cover most major topics.
+ Formatting corrections and updates for easier/faster viewing.
+ Topics are grouped into sections with similar topics located together.
+...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[dak180]

the screenshots show it without the UPS Status.

Mostly because I do not typically enable it; it is there though.

Second, I'm not sure of the bc status as it relates to the script. It seems like, "Try it, it might work, might not."

bc the basic calculator is in Core and the script will work there out of the box; Scale, however does not include bc in the base system (yet, this may change) but it can be added if you want to use the script there. At the moment I would mostly consider Scale not yet a datacenter levels of reliability; it still seems to be more in the move fast and break things phase.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

WI_Hedgehog updated Resources List including Detailed Hardware and System Build Notes (plus new user advice / help) with a new update entry:

v1.10 Addtions

Added:

• more Proxmox information
• Steam Games
• Fibre Channel
• more Power Supply information
• Hardware insights (Zebras All The Way Down)
• SFF-8644 cabling notes
• NPT (time)
• Useful Settings
• more Ease-of-Use tools
• more De-duplication information
• dRAID
• tiered storage information (we don't have it--yet)
• more Block Storage information
• Switches, Routers, Firewall
• UPS Tools
• more Somewhat Dangerous "stuff"

Minor link and text changes.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

WI_Hedgehog updated Resources List including Detailed Hardware and System Build Notes (plus new user advice / help) with a new update entry:

v1.20

Added:

• more TrueNAS CORE links
• more Raspberry Pi alternatives

Fundamentals​

Hardware​

• low-power system links
• CPU section
• Low Power Mainboard (section)

Building​

• Choosing a TrueNAS Version

Maintenance​

• Backups
• How Thermal Paste Works and How to Apply It

Advanced​

...​

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Show : v1.23 updates

v1.23 has the following updates:
Fundamentals

Hardware​

Low Power Mainboard​

• 'On the frugal'

Maintenance​

• Drive Life Expectency

• HDD Study
• SSD Study & Article
• WD Red

Changed:

• Phone-friendly formatting.
• PDF download now available.

I'm considering updating the format so it works better on portable devices such as phones. Doing so would introduce a few negatives: more vertical spacing, more horizontal resources needed. Your feedback is welcome.

Current Format:​

Required Hardware:
- Hardware Guide (READ THIS BEFORE BUYING ANYTHING!!!)
Storage:
- LSI HBA Card Insight (and 'how to frugal')

- Fake LSI Cards (eBay is full of them)​

- Westerm Digital Red / SMR Drive Incompatibility with ZFS (ZFS eats them for lunch)

- Non-Running Drive when Shucking Western Digital Hard Drives from USB Enclosures​

- Hard Disk Drive Price/Performance Analysis
- 5,400 RPM Drive Speed (a good thing)
- Serial Attatched SCSI (SAS) Informational Videos
- Fibre Channel (playin' with the big boys) QLogic QLE2564, QLogic QLE2694-SR.
Power:
- Power Supply Unit (PSU) Selection and Sizing (also important)

- Detailed Look Inside Power Supplies​

- How Power Supplies Work​

- Current Ripple and Life Calculation (triple your ripple and say goodbye to your power supply) (explained, filter considerations)​

- Measuring Ripple​

- [Official] CPU Heatsink Recommendations

Proposed Format:​

Required Hardware:

• Hardware Guide(READ THIS BEFORE BUYING ANYTHING!!!)

Storage:

• LSI HBA Card Insight (and 'how to frugal')
  • Fake LSI Cards (eBay is full of them)
• Westerm Digital Red / SMR Drive Incompatibility with ZFS(ZFS eats them for lunch)
  • Non-Running Drive when Shucking Western Digital Hard Drives from USB Enclosures
• Hard Disk Drive Price/Performance Analysis
• 5,400 RPM Drive Speed(a good thing)
• Serial Attatched SCSI (SAS) Informational Videos
• Fibre Channel(playin' with the big boys)QLogic QLE2564, QLogic QLE2694-SR.

Power:

• Power Supply Unit (PSU) Selection and Sizing (also important)
  • Detailed Look Inside Power Supplies
  • How Power Supplies Work
  • Current Ripple and Life Calculation (triple your ripple and say goodbye to your power supply)(explained, filter considerations)
  • Measuring Ripple
• [Official] CPU Heatsink Recommendations

aNOTHER oPTion:
Power:

• Power Supply Unit (PSU) Selection and Sizing (also important)

• Detailed Look Inside Power Supplies
• How Power Supplies Work
• Current Ripple and Life Calculation (triple your ripple and say goodbye to your power supply)(explained, filter considerations)
• Measuring Ripple

• [Official] CPU Heatsink Recommendations

 

[Davvo]

I'm considering updating the format so it works better on portable devices such as phones. Doing so would introduce a few negatives: more vertical spacing, more horizontal resources needed. Your feedback is welcome.

I don't think phone should be your platform of reference.
People doing a serious research will do it by computer with a bigger screen.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

There's a cheap new 8-port 2.5GbE switch with 10GbE uplink available. It is of course not perfect, but if you're looking at using the existing facility Ethernet wiring you're usually good up to about 2.5GbE. I'll include it here to highlight the addition to the resource list because a bunch of home users will be buying this switch.

I want to stress this switch is a based on a Realtek chipset, noting the brand is considered to have "not great chip designs" and "does not have great drivers." To build on that foundation and further plunge into murky waters, the design of the switch is stretching the two controller chips to the maximum of their abilities and beyond--I say "beyond" because the power filtering on this is also "not great" and the heatsinks are tiny to say the least, meaning you should probably add a temperature sensor and fan to the case if you're going to put the switch under any decent workload over more than a brief period of time. That will help the filter capacitors by not cooking them, but beyond that power filtering is...well, it's minimalist.

The really, really strong selling point for many home users is the negligible power draw, especially in standby. When under network load the power draw isn't that much of a benefit as it basically means the switch isn't capable of processing heavy workloads, but it will also be quiet for the same reason and therefore there is no fan noise as there are no fans. That's kind of like drinking "light beer"--your experience is watered-down.

FINALLY! CHEAP 10GbE and 2.5GbE Switches for the Homelab or Office

We take a look at four switch models and show why these are the best 2.5GbE and 10GbE switches for the homelab, home, and office. With pricing in the $95-130...

www.youtube.com

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Added a link for the
LattePanda Sigma - Hackable x86 Windows/Linux Single Board Computer Server

16GB RAM, 2 x 2.5GbE RJ45 (Intel® i225-V Gigabit Ethernet Controller), ...looks like it could power a fast home server.

 

[MrGuvernment]

There's a cheap new 8-port 2.5GbE switch with 10GbE uplink available. It is of course not perfect, but if you're looking at using the existing facility Ethernet wiring you're usually good up to about 2.5GbE. I'll include it here to highlight the addition to the resource list because a bunch of home users will be buying this switch.

I want to stress this switch is a based on a Realtek chipset, noting the brand is considered to have "not great chip designs" and "does not have great drivers." To build on that foundation and further plunge into murky waters, the design of the switch is stretching the two controller chips to the maximum of their abilities and beyond--I say "beyond" because the power filtering on this is also "not great" and the heatsinks are tiny to say the least, meaning you should probably add a temperature sensor and fan to the case if you're going to put the switch under any decent workload over more than a brief period of time. That will help the filter capacitors by not cooking them, but beyond that power filtering is...well, it's minimalist.

The really, really strong selling point for many home users is the negligible power draw, especially in standby. When under network load the power draw isn't that much of a benefit as it basically means the switch isn't capable of processing heavy workloads, but it will also be quiet for the same reason and therefore there is no fan noise as there are no fans. That's kind of like drinking "light beer"--your experience is watered-down.

FINALLY! CHEAP 10GbE and 2.5GbE Switches for the Homelab or Office

We take a look at four switch models and show why these are the best 2.5GbE and 10GbE switches for the homelab, home, and office. With pricing in the $95-130...

www.youtube.com

Used enterprise gear, some are not too power hungry either pending on model.

Brocade ICX Series (cheap & powerful 10gbE/40gbE switching)

NOTE #1: do not PM me with switch questions, they will be ignored - post them in this public thread, where hundreds of other members can also answer, and the answer will be public for future users NOTE #2 06-22-2023: Yes, this post is still up to date and nothing has changed: in fact judging by...

forums.servethehome.com

I have the Brocade ICX6450 24 port model myself and it has been perfect!

 

[Davvo]

I would like to share those videos from @LawrenceSystems which are in my opinion amongst the best out there and are a great help to new users (it surely helped a clueless me setting up my SMB share the right way a year ago).

TrueNAS Core: Configuring Shares, Permissions, Snapshots & Shadow Copies

https://lawrence.video/truenasZFS Is a Cowhttps://youtu.be/nlBXXdz0JKAOur TrueNAS Tutorialshttps://lawrence.technology/truenas-tutorials/Connecting With Us--...

youtu.be

TrueNAS Core 12 User and Group ACL Permissions and SMB Sharing

Connecting With Us--------------------------------------------------- + Hire Us For A Project: https://lawrencesystems.com/hire-us/+ Tom Twitter https://...

youtu.be

Explaining ZFS LOG and L2ARC Cache: Do You Need One and How Do They Work?

https://lawrence.video/truenasZFS is a COW videohttps://youtu.be/nlBXXdz0JKACULT OF ZFS Shirts https://lawrence-technology-services.creator-spring.com/listin...

youtu.be

How Much Memory Does ZFS Need and Does It Have To Be ECC?

https://lawrence.video/truenasZFS is a COWhttps://youtu.be/nlBXXdz0JKAExplaining ZFS LOG and L2ARC Cache: Do You Need One and How Do They Work?https://youtu....

youtu.be

Since this resource is a "all encompassing" one I tought it would be good to have them.

 

[Davvo]

Shameless plug. And poke to the hedgehog.

 

[joeschmuck]

Shameless plug. And poke to the hedgehog.

That author seems a bit shady

Seriously, while there was a lot of math involved, nice charts, the parts I liked the most were the percentages of failure vice URE numbers. While I follow, so many people do not and they just want a home NAS and want it without doing any real work to get it. That too is sad but comparing Mirrors to RAIDZ2 and providing percentages, that makes this a nice resource to point someone to. I know if we posted a simple listing of percentages without all the math, someone would stand up and tell you it is all wrong and try to tell you why it's all wrong, so showing the math is very important as well.

Thanks for the shameless plug.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Shameless plug. And poke to the hedgehog.

Instead of spending my somewhat-hard- earned-money on a gym membership (which i find utterly unproductive as i have no intention of ever going to a gym) I've purchased several power saws and entered chainsaw competitions (saw racing). This has consumed much more time than expected as I cannot work on my saws at my daytime source of employment and has resulted in the need to build a small shop to support working on the saws. You may have noticed I've inadvertently acquired three additional hobbies, those being:
a.) competing in sawyer competitions,
b.) working on saws, and
c.) building and stocking a shop enabling me to work on saws without others bothering me.

Although this has resulted in the desired outcome of maintaining my devilishly good looks (and in fact enhancing them while adding to my already well-established machismo), it has significantly impacted that portion of my free time at work not normally dedicated to sleeping--which previously was spent on this forum. I'm also managing to maintain an ongoing relationship with Elaine, requiring spending time communicating instead of being productive.

I'll see what I can do in the future to address this situation, as currently it's between Christmas and New Year holidays and I'm managing to burn the wood I've cut in the fireplace while consuming copious amounts of wine intermittently mixed with food and a house guest.

----
machismo /məˈCHizmō/ (noun): aggressive masculinity