Small Business Backup Server for VMs ...

[PRyan]

I've been working on a build for backing up our VMs (on 3 physical servers) and files from about a dozen locations. Our current ReadyNAS boxes are a bit older and take to long to process/write our backups. So basically this server should pull with rsync to backup files and then be the location where our VMs are backed up nightly. This box will then be synced to another smaller FreeNas box I have already built.

So basically I am looking to have high write speeds for larger files (vhdx files) and enough power that rsync can process a directory of 10k plus files without being overloaded or taking too long.

Supermicro X11SSL-CF-O (MBD-X11SSL-CF-O) https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...permicro_X11SSL-CF-_-2W2-0014-00023-_-Product
- RAM from the Supermicro approved list
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v5 SkyLake 3.4 GHz (BX80662E31230V5) https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...&cm_re=BX80662E31230V5-_-19-117-613-_-Product
Fractal Design Define R5 Black Silent ATX Midtower (FD-CA-DEF-R5-BK) https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...&cm_re=FD-CA-DEF-R5-BK-_-11-352-048-_-Product
SeaSonic G-750 SSR-750RM 750W (SSR-750RM) https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...311225&cm_re=SSR-750RM-_-17-151-132-_-Product
SUPERMICRO SSD-DM032-PHI SATA DOM (SSD-DM032-PHI) https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...m_re=SSD-DM032-PHI-_-9SIAD245CA5700-_-Product
Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5'' HDD 2TB 7200 RPM (ST2000NM0125) https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...cm_re=ST2000NM0125-_-1Z4-002P-00143-_-Product
SAMSUNG 850 PRO 2.5" 256GB SATA III (MZ-7KE256BW) https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...re=samsung_pro_850-_-9SIAADF5JK4065-_-Product

I will buy everything new except the HDDs (I have 8 moderately used ones laying around)

My main questions are:
- anything that won't work or cause problems for someone that has only built one FreeNas box up to now?
- should I max the ram right away or just start with 32GB?
- are the SSDs really helpful as ZILs for my workload (will be attached to an UPS)
- anything I've overlooked for my workload

This is a fairly large investment for our small business so I'd like to avoid mistakes.

Thanks in advance for all input.

Patrick

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

should I max the ram right away or just start with 32GB?

Start with 32GB, but choose large DIMMs so you don't have to discard them if you find you need more RAM.

are the SSDs really helpful as ZILs for my workload

Probably not. Dedicated SLOG is indicated for a workload where sync writes are required and performance is inadequate with the ZIL on the pool (the default). This doesn't seem to match a backup-only workload. In any case, you should test with a realistic workload first, then add it if necessary.

 

[PRyan]

Thanks Robert!

I've only done the one small FreeNAS box so far and was particularly unsure of my understanding of how the write cache works (even got the names wrong SLOG vs. ZIL) and if it is necessary for my workload.

Will start with your suggestions.

 

[PRyan]

Just as a followup in case it's useful to someone. Here is my final build:

Fractal Design Define R5 Black Silent ATX Midtower (FD-CA-DEF-R5-BK)
Fractal Design Dynamic GP-14 schwarz, 140mm (FD-FAN-GP-14 BL)
SeaSonic G-750 SSR-750RM 750W (SSR-750RM)
Supermicro X11SSL-CF-O (MBD-X11SSL-CF-O)
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v5 SkyLake 3.4 GHz (BX80662E31230V5)
2 x 16GB Kingston ValueRAM KVR21E15D8 DDR4-2133 DIMM CL15 Single SUPERMICRO SSD-DM032-PHI SATA DOM (SSD-DM032-PHI)
- RAM from the SuperMicro list was a lot more expensive here in Germany
2 x Supermicro MiniSAS HD to 4x SATA 50/50cm Cable (CBL-SAST-0616)
Chelsio Dualport PCIe 10GBit Network Card (T520-LL-CR)
+ 8 x Hard drives of course, ended up having to mix some ones I had with some newer drives to save some money.

Had some troubles with the board not booting with the Chelsio card installed. After some truly great support from Chelsio we got it to work. It ended up being a bios issue from the SuperMicro board. Updating to the most recent version fixed the problem.