BUILD Upgrading old Fileserver

[74m]

Hi folks,

I want to upgrade my old fileserver. Usually i've used to use linux fileserver with smb and afp-shares. Now, one hdd died and I thought it would be a good idea to switch to freenas. The main reason: data integrity / zfs.

I want to set up a raidz1 (maybe raidz2) and a backup to 1 or 2 big usb-hdds. I need the server just for 2 user, afp and maybe nfs and smb. The space will be used to save some pictures, videos, downloads...

My thoughts:

• Case: I think i want to use my old Case... much Space... - Lian Li PC-A71B
• PSU: I also want to use the old one - SeaSonic S12II-380Watt
• CPU: Intel Core i3-3220
• HDD: I want to use my 3 old Seagate (ST31500341AS) + 2 new 1,5 - 2GB HDDs
• RAM: Kingston KVR13E9K2/16 (2x8GB)
• MB: Supermicro X9SAE OR Asus P8C WS

It seems that there is a very small range of Mainboards which are capable for usb3 and ecc (c202, 204, 206, 216 chipset). So the two boards above are the only one so far as i know.

My Problem: I'm not sure if the X9SAE is a real choice, cause I found this

Single socket H2 (LGA 1155) supports
Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 v2 series,
Core i7/i5/i3 (non-ECC UDIMMs only),
Pentium® & Celeron® processors

here. Otherwise i couldnt find any differentiation in the manual. Afaik only the i3 third generation supports ECC, maybe the X9SAE supports only the latest gen?

I didnt choose a Xeon, cause i want to buy my nas as cheap as possible... further i think, i dont need the xeon-power afaik. So if the X9SAE supports no ECC support with a core i3 (third gen.), i must drop my usb3-wishes or i choose the Asus P8C WS!?

Does you guys have any ideas?

Aside from that, i would be thankful for every tip or suggestion about my planed server. Does my setup make sense?

Greetings
74m

 

[74m]

Hi guys,

sadly, that nobody has any suggestions for me...

But i've asked the Supermicro-Support about my X9SAE and ECC compatibility problem. The answer was:

Hi,
We have never validate i3 with ECC memory on X9SAE because the board targets DT application which is non-ECC application. Our current standard mother board line up does not have (C2xx + ECC + i3) combination that will meet your requirement, sorry...

I dont know what "DT application" means, BUT following there answer, a ECC compatibility with my planned setup should be possible. Although i have no guarantee that ECC is working.

So, my problem is still the same. I think i might just try...

Any suggestions or alternative setup ideas?

Greetings
74m

 

[Sir.Robin]

There is a similar thread here were someone pointed out a intel spec sheet confirming ecc support on i3...

 

[cyberjock]

74m,

Not to be too blunt, but if you read the sticky in the hardware section and my presentation in the sticky in the noob section, and follow those recommendations you'll be fine. Most of us senior guys have started tuning out the repetitive questions. More often than not people just want validation of their build that ignores our recommendations that already exist. So why would we turn around and repeat ourselves yet again. You don't fall into this category in my book, but I just get bored of the constant questions for build advice (sorry).

Just looking at your specs, you look fine to me with two exception(and they're personal choices really). Keep in mind USB3 doesn't work so well for many people because USB3 support for some USB3 chips is flaky or non-functional on FreeBSD. It also has to be manually enabled in FreeNAS if you intend to use it.

IPMI is so freaking handy, especially for a server that has no keyboard and monitor attached normally(many/most FreeNAS servers). If you go with the X9SCM-F-O it's got fewer slots(no PCI and all 4x or 8x slots PCIe slots which are more useful than your choice), IPMI support(woohoo!), and you won't need the VGA on the CPU.

I'd recommend a beefier CPU though. Nothing sucks more than figuring out you need more power later. Don't let those TDP fool you, those only tell you what the theoretical maximum thermal output of the CPU is. It provides no indication of idle power. My CPU(listed below) has a TDP of 69w, and my CPU is clearly more powerful than yours. I like going a little overboard with CPUs because you never know what you might want the jail for later(and wish you had a more powerful CPU). I also like to build it and never have to touch the hardware again for 5 years except to add RAM or replace hard drives. I'm fully expecting to be running Plex on my FreeNAS box before the end of the year, and I'll want that extra power for transcoding.

My setup:

X9SCM-F-O
e3-1230v2
32GB of ECC RAM(4x8GB sticks)

My system does 35w idle with no hard drives. Not many people can make an argument for a more powerful CPU at that low of a wattage. That's just amazing idle power with a lot of horsepower if ZFS or something else needs it. Even the e3-1220v2 is a very good choice with 4 cores and isn't that much more expensive than what you chose.

If you already own your PSU and plan to reuse it, that's a valid option. But if you ever need to replace it, go with a 80+ GOLD or PLATINUM. Platinum typically won't save you money in the long run, but some good sales can make them more cost effective than GOLD.

 

[74m]

At first, thank you both for your response.

I'm not very familiar with those server hardware. So i just searched a little bit for IPMI and i think i just felt in love with this feature... ;)
So after my resarches i would say IMPI > USB3... Thanks for the suggestions.

Either I not thought about the USB3 support on FreeBSD. Usually i just wanted USB3 for a fast backup solution. Maybe i should think about a small HP ProLiant as a backup server. But now my ideas getting more expensive... Anyway, it would be nice. What backup strategies prefer you guys? I know, this is a whole question at its own. Maybe just a few thoughts.

Sadly there is no board in this category which has only SATA3. But i think this might be another wrong reason for a decision. Primarily I wanted a board with as many SATA3 ports as possible. But now i realized, that SATA2 with 3GBit is as far more than enough for a spinning hdd, especially in a raidz combination.

I would appreciate any food for thought.

Thank you.

Greetings
74m

 

[cyberjock]

I use ZFS replication. I find it to be very fast and efficient for network transfers. The only downside is that it can saturate your Gb LAN, so if a ZFS replication tasks happens and you are streaming a movie it may stutter a little while the replication is in progress. Since its only the data that's changed and not a complete recopy of all of your data it can sometimes take just a few seconds. :P

 

[Sir.Robin]

Glad to be at help :)

I too use ZFS replication to my secondary NAS. Once a night. And replication starts 02:00 when i'm usually asleep :)
I also rsync once a week to a synology... but i'm not sure if will keep it.

IPMI/Remote KVM (aka iLO, iDRAC and so on) is sweet. That would be my next wish on the feature list :)