Small scale 1U box

[c32767a]

I'm curious what folks are using for smaller scale 1U boxes.

I'm starting work on a project where I need to put a couple TBs in a 1u case.
4 2.5" 1TB drives in a RaidZ2 should be enough storage.

Reliability, low power and low noise are most important.

I've been looking at some of the Supermicro stuff, like the 5019S-TN4. https://www.supermicro.com/products/system/1U/5019/SYS-5019S-TN4.cfm

Has anyone worked with anything like that and have any experiences or things to stay away from?

 

[joeschmuck]

I have not heard of anyone here using this motherboard with FreeNAS. That doesn't mean it won't work, it only means no one has used it.

One thing is for sure, that has a hefty price tag.

So you never mentioned your use case which is very important in building a server. If this is just for storage then the parts will me much cheaper. If it's for fast access storage then that changes it some, but you did say 2.5" drives and that leaves out fast drives. Please provide how you plan to use this machine and we will be able to provide a better answer.

Also you stated

Reliability, low power and low noise are most important.

Well you can get that easily without spending so much money but the form factor will likely not be a U1. There is a Proliant ML10 server which costs $200, then you add 8GB ECC RAM and your hard drives (up to 6) and you have a good server.

Realize that four 1TB hard drives in a RAIDZ2 configuration will give you 1.4TB of real storage for a healthy system. Yes, doesn't look so good once you take away that 20%. So you might want 2TB drives or larger, and maybe just a 3 way mirror. Knowing how much you need to store is also crucial.

Well good luck, hope we can help.

 

[c32767a]

You're right, I didn't really elaborate on the use case.. :) It's a kind of data logging + aggregation in places with very very small internet pipes and limited power supplies.

They need to go into a small rack that has space, power and HVAC limitations, so low power, etc. is more important than performance.. So no desktop type cases.

Mostly I was hoping nobody would chime in with "that doesn't work" before I commit to building a prototype. I like that the board is skylake and relatively new.. I'm not hugely excited about the atom boards because of some of the issues they've had. I know Jgreco posted somewhere that he was using synology for his small servers.. that's an option too, but we have enough boxes running FreeNAS I'd prefer to stick with one common OS so I don't have to train our people on another OS platform.

Thanks for the insights

 

[joeschmuck]

Unfortunately a lot of people come here asking for small, low power consumption, quiet, and of course cheap. If you drop the price then you can get the other items of course.

It's good to hear that you have other FreeNAS systems, it means you are familiar with the requirements and what you can expect from the system.

Finding something as small as you want that has been previously tested to fit will not be easy. While most of us have high confidence in Supermicro you would still be taking a risk to proof it if you used the item you suggested.

 

[ChriZ]

I did not actually see "low price" in the OP, so if price is not a limiting factor then SSDs will certainly fit the low noise and low power requirements. :)

 

[joeschmuck]

I did not actually see "low price" in the OP, so if price is not a limiting factor then SSDs will certainly fit the low noise and low power requirements. :)

I agree with that one. And they will need to be the high end Intel SSDs so they last. Lets face it, a laptop hard drive won't last very long in this type of application.

 

[c32767a]

It's good to hear that you have other FreeNAS systems, it means you are familiar with the requirements and what you can expect from the system.

I think we have 9 or 10 PB now.. We're still using the design I posted about here: #31 Works pretty well. Starting to wonder when I won't be able to get X9-SRLs any more though. :\

I agree with that one. And they will need to be the high end Intel SSDs so they last. Lets face it, a laptop hard drive won't last very long in this type of application.

We actually looked at a X9-SRL-F with 6 NVMe PCI cards in it, but there's not enough space in the rack.. :p

I actually found a couple cheaper Supermicro boards that I'm going to play with and see if I can find something I like.

It turns out we can also probably meet our needs with something like the Dell R230 with the right storage controller. It's just a longer machine than I would prefer.

 

[joeschmuck]

I'm doing something very bad right now, I'm looking to purchase a new desktop computer that I don't really need. I can't even justify the spending of the money however I'm talking myself into it. My wife is going to kill me :(

We actually looked at a X9-SRL-F with 6 NVMe PCI cards in it, but there's not enough space in the rack.. :p

Why not just use six SSDs? They do not need to be mounted in a traditional rack, you could engineer a way to mount an additional two 2.5" drives into that small case you have listed above if that is what you really needed.

But good luck on your adventure.

 

[c32767a]

I'm doing something very bad right now, I'm looking to purchase a new desktop computer that I don't really need. I can't even justify the spending of the money however I'm talking myself into it. My wife is going to kill me :(

Yeah, I had to wean myself off of that habit.. With all the fun stuff at work I keep catching myself trying to build a matching home box and that's just not economical.. :)

Why not just use six SSDs? They do not need to be mounted in a traditional rack, you could engineer a way to mount an additional two 2.5" drives into that small case you have listed above if that is what you really needed.

But good luck on your adventure.

Thanks..:)

Yeah, If I put enough RAM in the box, SSDs aren't a necessity. The NVMe angle was more to avoid having to wire up a bunch of HDDs. and to go really fast.. :)

This application isn't hugely I/O intensive.. It's just that some sites only have about 400W in solar panels, so power is kinda at a premium.

When we pick a build I'll post it.

 

[tvsjr]

If you've only got 400W of solar (which I assume is peak), you have an entirely different problem set. You need to consider absolutely every watt. Seems like one of the new Avoton Atom processors would make a lot more sense. Fewer, bigger drives... unless you require the speed. Etc.

 

[c32767a]

If you've only got 400W of solar (which I assume is peak), you have an entirely different problem set. You need to consider absolutely every watt. Seems like one of the new Avoton Atom processors would make a lot more sense. Fewer, bigger drives... unless you require the speed. Etc.

Yeah.. I've been told we can sustain up to 400W continuous.. We're testing that too.. Breaking a lot of new trail here, but I only have to worry about the storage and networking. Luckily, we have a decent budget.

I should also point out that I was deliberately avoiding Avoton due to their "issues" with chip failures. Mostly because I didn't want to have to disect exactly which models were vulnerable now that Intel has renamed everything.