TrueNAS SCALE build - need some suggestions

[stevenokuto]

Hi,

I'm planning to build a storage server for small enterprise running latest TrueNAS OS.

CPU : AMD Ryzen TR PRO 5965WX
MB : ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE
RAM : Kingston 32G (KSM32RS4/32MER) x8 = 256G ECC RAM
SSD : SN850X 1TB for cache
HDD : WD Ultrastar HC520 12TB x12, RaidZ3 with one hot spare drive
(LSI SAS 3008 HBA)

PSU, Case, Boot drive : I'll handle these.

Are these hardware suitable for a 24/7 storage server?
(running SMB / NFS shares, iSCSI over on board intel x550 10G interface)

Do I need a graphic card for setting up/debug the system since Threadripper has no integrated GPU?

I appreciate your help.

 

[diogen]

Are these hardware suitable for a 24/7 storage server?

I don't see anything wrong with the hardware but it certainly is far from "recommended".
The latter most of the time deals with a Supermicro Intel (Xeon for higher end) platform.

Just out of curiosity: why do you need a full ATX mobo with 7 PCIe slots?
Do you plan to run TrueNAS virtualized?

Do I need a graphic card

Yes, you'd need one to install TrueNAS. And better keep it in case you need to troubleshoot, e.g. webUI is unresponsive.

 

[stevenokuto]

why do you need a full ATX mobo with 7 PCIe slots?

It's easier and cheaper to buy a Threadripper compare to Xeon in my area.
That mobo is the only Threadripper compatible mobo I can get from retail store .

Threadripper should be as reliable as a server grade CPU, right?

We recently order another server with 2 Xeon silver 4208, 256G ECC RAM, 10 1.8T SAS, no GPU.
It costs us about 22000 USD. I don't think this is a good deal.

Yes, you'd need one to install TrueNAS.

I think so, too. Thank you.

 

[diogen]

Threadripper should be as reliable as a server grade CPU, right?

Right.... If you run ESXi, for example.

TrueNAS is an appliance. Even the SCALE version that's Linux (Debian) based.
Hence, "some hardware is more reliable than others" sort of thing.

What I'm trying to say, you might encounter no problems whatsoever.
But if you do, it will be hard to find people running similar hardware to share notes...

It costs us about 22000 USD. I don't think this is a good deal.

It is not. And if I were you, I'd roll the dice with this config.
But do realize it is a gamble...

As an example, have a look at this

Pool keeps degrading

Still no change. pool: storage-pool state: DEGRADED status: One or more devices are faulted in response to persistent errors. Sufficient replicas exist for the pool to continue functioning in a degraded state. action: Replace the faulted device, or use 'zpool clear' to mark...

www.truenas.com

 

[Etorix]

Do I need a graphic card for setting up/debug the system since Threadripper has no integrated GPU?

No you don't, since this motherboard has a BMC.
An EPYC motherboard and CPU would be the first choice for a server, but such a high-end workstation motherboard is certainly capable of server duties.

The list part looks all fine, if I trust that "cache" is L2ARC and not SLOG (which might be useful for iSCSI). There's just a small boot drive missing.
And iSCSI would do better with mirrors.

The path to success for block storage

It seems like I haven't written a sticky for awhile, but just in the last week I've had to cover this topic several times. ZFS does two different things very well. One is storage of large sequentially-written files, such as archives, logs, or data files, where the file does not have the middle...

www.truenas.com

It is not. And if I were you, I'd roll the dice with this config.
But do realize it is a gamble...

May I ask in which respect?

 

[diogen]

May I ask in which respect?

In using an AMD platform instead of Intel...

 

[stevenokuto]

iSCSI would do better with mirrors.

Thanks for the information.

 

[jgreco]

(running SMB / NFS shares, iSCSI over on board intel x550 10G interface)

Nuh uh. iSCSI isn't going to work well with RAIDZ3.

The path to success for block storage

It seems like I haven't written a sticky for awhile, but just in the last week I've had to cover this topic several times. ZFS does two different things very well. One is storage of large sequentially-written files, such as archives, logs, or data files, where the file does not have the middle...

www.truenas.com

Also the X550 is a poor choice, please feel free to visit the 10 Gig Networking Primer for a discussion of more usable interfaces.

10 Gig Networking Primer

This is a discussion of high speed networking for newcomers, with specific emphasis on practical small- to medium-scale deployments for home labs or small office users. It originated with a forum thread located here that has many pages of...

www.truenas.com

 

[ChrisRJ]

It is pretty unclear what your performance requirements are.

In general I would suggest to read at least the first 6 links from the "Recommended readings" in my signature. This will give you a much better overall understanding, and thus the ability to ask more precise questions.