Running Out of Space Options

[ss4johnny]

I'm starting to get a notification that I've used up 80% of the space on my FreeNas machine. I have 6 3TB drives, with no additional room for more.

I was thinking about creating a new machine, maybe in a month or two, and wanted to think through some options.

I think it would be cheapest to conserve as much of what I'm currently using. That means that I wouldn't want to do something like replace the 3TB drives with 4TB drives. It makes more sense to buy a new machine with some additional drives to offload some of the current capacity. I'm curious about the best practices on running two FreeNas machines. Do people just run two CIFS shares (or whatever for Apple users) or is there some way to combine them into one pool?

The alternative would be to buy a bigger case with more spots for drives. It looks like there are some monster cases with 12 hard drive spots. It looks like there are more options if you have a server rack, but I don't. I feel the server rack thing comes back to whether to the question of how does it work to use multiple computers (i.e. you could buy 3 smaller rack servers instead of one big one).

I guess the question is build two machines or one bigger one.

 

[anodos]

You can't build a FreeNAS cluster. You can have multiple FreeNAS servers on the same network. User account management can get annoying, and it is not very cost-effective.
If you anticipate increasing storage needs, you may be best served with a 12-bay 2U server. Rackmount cases are usually very space efficient. I prefer supermicro cases.
Sometimes people will have a setup that looks like multiple rackmount servers connected together, but it is really a single computer acting as a 'head node' with a bunch of expansion shelves connected to them (this is way overkill for a home user).

 

[ss4johnny]

Thanks for the reply. I suppose one issue is that the rackmount would need to be in my office. I've heard that they tend to be louder than towers. I might be able to stick it in a closet, but I'll have to do some measuring. Either that or I could buy a new desk, but I would have to make some changes.

 

[anodos]

Thanks for the reply. I suppose one issue is that the rackmount would need to be in my office. I've heard that they tend to be louder than towers. I might be able to stick it in a closet, but I'll have to do some measuring. Either that or I could buy a new desk, but I would have to make some changes.

Rackmount servers typically exhaust out the back of the case, and they can be quite long (take measurements and shop around). The noise level depends on the fans in the case and the PSU. Some are louder than others. Reviews on newegg usually indicate when the server chassis is loud. I've been looking at this case for my next budget server build, but other people here probably have other suggestions that may be better (I haven't done much research at this point). I'll probably swap out the stock fans.
Closets usually don't have very good airflow for cooling. I keep servers in the guest room at the other end of my house (sound isn't really an issue), which has the added benefit of discouraging people from overstaying. :)

 

[Lordadmiral Drake]

Well, I have a single machine in an SC836 case (5 80mm fans) and its really damn loud. Even though I put it in the basement I can still hear it in the hall

 

[ss4johnny]

@Lordadmiral Drake Thanks for the info. That looks like a beast of a case, 72 lbs. I'm curious how you store it.

 

[anodos]

Well, I have a single machine in an SC836 case (5 80mm fans) and its really damn loud. Even though I put it in the basement I can still hear it in the hall

I have a CS825TQ. The noise isn't too bad unless the 80mm fans start running at 100%. On quite a few SM servers the noise is related to the PSUs rather than the case fans. I believe some of the newer SM platinum PSUs are quieter. I do have a different SM server case that howls like a banshee. Additionally, you can change the fan settings through IPMI to make the system less noisy (or turn them up to make people want to leave the room - I played that joke once on an unwitting IT staff member. :)).

 

[ss4johnny]

I was looking at the SC827, though it looks like they have a bunch of different options for each one and I'm not really sure on the differences.

It looks like all these rack-mounted cases are rather pricey (the one above I saw between $800 and $1000). Significantly more than buying a tower and just running two FreeNAS machines.

 

[danb35]

Yes, the rack chassis are expensive, if you buy them new. They can often be had used on eBay for a considerable discount. That's what I did on mine (an 826-R800), and ended up saving about 60% off the new price.

 

[ss4johnny]

^Good advice, might look into that.

 

[Lordadmiral Drake]

@Lordadmiral Drake Thanks for the info. That looks like a beast of a case, 72 lbs. I'm curious how you store it.

It's just lying around in a closet, since I don't have the money to buy a rack, even used.

I have a CS825TQ. The noise isn't too bad unless the 80mm fans start running at 100%. On quite a few SM servers the noise is related to the PSUs rather than the case fans. I believe some of the newer SM platinum PSUs are quieter. I do have a different SM server case that howls like a banshee. Additionally, you can change the fan settings through IPMI to make the system less noisy (or turn them up to make people want to leave the room - I played that joke once on an unwitting IT staff member. :)).

In case of my case, PSU fans (4 * 40mm) are much quieter than the actual case fans. I already set the fan settings to 4-Pin Workstation in the BIOS which made them a bit quieter, but they still run at about 4500 to 5000 rpm