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LTT Storage Rankings Topic Welcome to the LTT Storage Rankings! The purpose of this topic is to show off cool storage builds, to inspire with what you show and be inspired by what you see. And of course, also talk about those builds, ask their owners questions and all that good stuff. Criteria System capacity of 10 TB or more 5 storage drives or more: We don't count OS drives, we also do not count cache drives, nor external USB drives. External SAS enclosures connected via SFF-8088 count, however. Drobos, Thunderbolt enclosures etc.: If they have a management interface which makes them somewhat autonomous, they count. It does not matter whether your storage drives is an SSD or an HDD, as long as it is used for storage. Don't forget to indicate vendor and drive size for all your drives for our statistics (see also below). For cases not covered here, we reserve the right to adjust the rules as needed to protect the spirit of the thread. It has to be a single system (everything running off of a single motherboard). Do not post your company server (except the ones from Linus Media Group ;)), this is for private systems. Pictures of the hardware required. That's the primary point of this thread, after all. Use looney's post as a template. Write a nice post about your system, give us some details on the nitty gritty inner workings of your beast. Make sure to give all the needed info for the statistics (Operating system, storage system, HDD vendors and sizes etc.) Ranking System The rankings are based on ranking points, which are calculated as follows: ranking_points = system_capacity ⨯ ln(system_drive_count) with ln(system_drive_count) being the natural logarithm of the number of drives in the system. Rationales Minimum Requirements Having both the 10 TB and the 5 drive minimum rules allows us to prevent being spammed by systems with a single or two huge HDDs (10 terabyte HDDs are a reality now, after all), while still allowing systems which were put together with smaller drives (or SSDs) to get into the list. Ranking Points Basically, this thread is about awesome storage systems, and we think that capacity isn't the only thing which determines how cool a storage machine is. Chances are that a system with a bit less capacity but quite a few more drives might be more interesting to look at. Therefore, the number of drives also counts. However, we don't want somebody buying a ton of small cheap drives to outrank somebody who's bought a hugely expensive system with fewer big drives, which is why towards the upper end of the scale, the number of drives starts to no longer matter as much (see examples below). Example for Large Systems System 1: 100 TB capacity, 50 ⨯ 2 TB drives: 391.2 ranking points System 2: 150 TB capacity, 30 ⨯ 5 TB drives: 510.2 ranking points Amount of drives required for system 1 to surpass system 2, assuming capacities for both systems and drive count for system 2 stay the same: 165 drives, resulting in 510.6 ranking points. Capacity weighs much heavier than drive count as it grows, the influence of the number of drives on the ranking points falls prey to the law of diminishing returns. Example for Smaller Systems System 3: 14 TB capacity, 7 ⨯ 2 TB drives: 27.2 ranking points System 4: 15 TB capacity, 5 ⨯ 3 TB drives: 24.1 ranking points Drive count has a higher weight for such systems, system 3 ranks ahead of system 4 despite having less total capacity. Identical Ranking Points For systems with identical ranking points, post date is the ranking factor (more specifically: post number). Since no posts can have the same number, this is sufficient for unambiguous ranking. Script The rankings and plots are generated by a Python script, which can be found on alpenwasser's github here. Capacity Calculation We count raw storage as advertised on the drives. So, if you have 10 ⨯ 1 TB drives, that counts as 10 TB of storage. Smaller Systems Not everybody needs a big server, and even smaller systems can be cool and interesting (or noteworthy, as we put it below). For such systems we have a secondary list, so feel free to post your machine even if it doesn't quite meet the ranking criteria outlined above. Please still use the template post for your system, and stick to the rest of the criteria as applicable to your machine. External Sites This thread is inspired by the one on the [H]ard Forum, where you can find many huge systems as well. The Dutch thread on Gathering of Tweakers is also worth a look, although it is in Dutch, obviously. Serve the Home is also a great place for all things storage. Support/Bugs At the moment, @alpenwasser is the primary maintainer of the script and stats, so contact him about that kind of thing.

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I wish to establish a test system/protocol for NAS software (FlexRAID, Freenas, OpenMediaVault, etc) I have a old NAS system that is no longer in use that I want to use as a test system for making tutorials and running benchmarks. So I will just install a package and make a tutorial on how to install said package. When the installation and tutorial is done I can run benchmarks and tests. The tutorial part should not be a problem, here is one of my earlier tutorials: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/33510-how-to-install-and-setup-flexraid-on-your-windows-storage-system/ The benchmarking however is new to me and I wish to establish a very complete protocol for doing this. The server has a 2 port 10gbit NIC just like all my other servers. I can run a RAM disk on one of my other servers to copy data to and from. I just need suggestions on what tests to run. Here is what I have so far as far as the protocol goes: Here is some info on the test setup: The NAS system: CASE: Norcotek RPC4220 PSU: Corsair HX850 MB: Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 CPU: AMD Phenom II 965 HS: Stock AMD heatsink RAM: 16GB DDR3 1333 RAID CARD: IBM M1015, Flashed with "IT" firmware HDD: 6x 2TB Seagete ST2000DM001 NIC: Supermicro AOC-STGN-I2S 10Gbit NIC (I will only use 6 drives as more then this will not properly support ZFS which recommends 1GB of ram per 1TB of HDD space.) (may upgrade to a i7 920 that I have laying around with I think 24GB of ram) Second test server: OS: Windows server 2012 R2 MB: Supermicro X9DRT-HF CPU: 2x Intel Xeon E5-2609V2 RAM: 4x Kingston 8GB 1866MHz DDR3 ECC Reg CL13 DIMM SSD: 2x Samsung 850 Pro 512GB (RAID 1) NIC: Supermicro AOC-STGN-I2S 10Gbit NIC The NICs are connected to a 24 port Arista DCS-7124SX-DF SFP+ 10Gbit switch via SFP+ DAC's. So if you have any ideas / notes on the test I should run, please speak I mostly need a way to log the real world tests which are all time based.

I thought some of you might be interested in the planning of my new storage server. My current server is no longer cutting it for me as it's fallen down to the 10th place on the 10TB + topic so its time for a new server that is "a bit large". I also want to shrink my amount of chassis to just two chassis for all my servers. This is why my new server will be using a Supermicro Twin Server. A Supermicro Twin series system has 2 motherboards in one chassis so I can uses one for virtualization and one for storage.. I'm currently looking at this one: SYS-6028TR-DTR SuperServer 6028TR-DTR It has 2 dual socket 2011 v3 motherboards. Motherboard/system 1 (Hypervisor machine) will have the following installed on it / connected to it: 2x Intel Xeon E5-2650 v3 (10 core @2,3Ghz) 96GB DDR4 2133MHz ECC Kingston RAM (probably buying 3 "KVR21R15D4K4/64" kits in total for both systems so 96GB in sys1 and 32 in sys2) 4x 480GB Intel Solid State Drive 730 (RAID 10) (Might add a 400GB or 800GB intel PCI-e 3.0 Solid-State Drive DC P3700 as I would like to try one out.) Remaining PCI slots are to be filled with NIC's Motherboard/system 2 (storage machine) will have the following installed on it / connected to it: 1x Intel Xeon E5-2630 v3 32GB DDR4 2133MHz ECC Kingston RAM (see system 1) 2x 240GB Intel Solid State Drive 730 (RAID 1) Now, If you have studied algebra you may have noticed that I'm at least 97TB short of the promised 100TB..... And that is where this baby kicks in: CSE-847E16-RJBOD1 SuperChassis 847E16-RJBOD1 24 Drives in the front. And 21 in the rear... This 45 bay system comes with redundant PSU SAS expander so all it needs is a HBA or RAID card to control it and some harddrives. I will most likely use 30 4TB Seagate Barracuda drives (ST4000DM000) I have yet to decide which HBA I'm going to use (probably LSI) This HBA will of course be installed in system 2 and will connect the 2 chassis together using 2 SFF-8088 cables (the most sexy computer cable ever) That's all I have so far. ETA for purchase of components is January / February 2015

The time has come for me to upgrade, my i7 920 just doesn't cut it anymore I use my main system for gaming and virtualization. I already made a part list but I just wanted to double check it http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/3f6mG <People where not happy about the fans http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/3fc73 From my old system I will use 2x 830 128GB SSD in RAID 0 as my OS drive and I will re-use my first gen HX850 PSU. The 630 is there to power my 2 secondary monitors. There is no need for any other storage besides the 3 SSD's as I will use my server for the rest of the storage Everything will be bought in Dutch stores so there is no need to link to different hardware because its on sale somewhere Strawpoll time! Noiseblocker Black Silent Pro - VS - BitFenix Spectre Pro http://strawpoll.me/1373642 EDIT: Parts have been ordered, I ended up going for the BitFenix fans.

How to: format USB flash drive not showing up on computer A member had a problem with one of his USB flash drives. Something went wrong when he formatted it with a format program to turn the flash drive into a linux live drive. As a result of this his USB flash drive no longer showed up in the "computer" folder. The USB flash drive did show up on the windows 7 Disk Management but it was grayed out and he could not format it via the Disk Management. This tutorial will fix the problem by formatting it using diskpart. WARNING: You will lose all data on the USB flash drive! Step 1: type "diskpart" in the windows search bar and open the program, preferably by right-clicking and selecting "Run as administrator". Step 2: Once you opened diskpart you will need to type in the following command: "list disk" This will list all the Hard drives and USB flash drives connected to the computer. Step 3: Locate you USB flash drive by looking at the size of the drive in the list, make sure you remember the Disk number. In my case it's a 32GB flash drive, so mine is the 29GB drive listed as "Disk 8" WARNING: Don't continue to step 4 unless you are 100% sure that you have the right drive or you will clean the wrong drive! Step 4: Select the troubled USB flash drive by typing the command: "select disk (insert the drive number here without brackets)" In my example it is Disk 8. Step 5: Now you must clean the drive by giving the "clean" command. Step 6: Next thing you need to do is create a partition with the command "create partition primary" Step 7: Now you need to select the partition you just created by giving the following command: "select partition 1" Step 8: Last step, you need to format the flash drive with the following command: "format fs=ntfs label=USB quick" Victory: You can close diskpart. The drive will now show up on your computer listed as USB formatted with the NTFS file system. Please like this post if it was helpful. looney

This is just a rumor, we will have to wait till June the third to know for sure, but it looks like we will soon have a Firefox mobile device. Source: Focus Taiwan

Proof that Apple products are overpriced :P The Apple 1: Source: Slashdot, Bits

News is a few days old but i didn't hear a lot about it and i thought is was cool: So this is what they bought: Rather than use fixed turbines to generate power, Makani has been experimenting with “flying wings” adorned with several smaller turbines that act as propellers as the craft takes off. The current prototype is 30KW, and they hope to go up to 600KW in the future. Maybe they need electricity for their WIFI blimp? (LINK TO NEWS ARTICLE) Source: Slashdot, sUAS News

I don't really have any personal input apart from quoting one of my tags: "what's google up to now?" Just shows how awesome Google really is! Source: Wired

Since the early 90's Advance Micro Devices (AMD) has always been the number 2 supplier of microprocessors (based on revenue). But because of the huge interest in mobile devices this is no longer the case as AMD has been passed by both Qualcom (now second place) and Samsung (now third place) The most noticeable jump is that of Samsung, it's marked share increased by 78% (now has a marked share of 8,2%) This is of course due to the great great successes of both Samsung's and Apple's mobile products (both use Samsung microprocessors) Here are the new numbers: Source(s) / Full article: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4414756/Qualcomm--Samsung-pass-AMD-in-microprocessor-sales

HGST (used the be Hitachi, part of Western Digital) just released a 1.5TB notebook hard drive. You might think "Hey WD already makes 1.5 and 2 TB laptop drives" and you would be right, but those drives are 15mm thick, these are to thick for newer laptops which use 9.5mm drives. Up until now the larger laptop drives had to be 15mm thick in order to fit the 3 platters that are needed for more then 1TB. So in addition to shrinking the electronics, HGST also had to tweak the mechanical components to provide extra room for the three platters in a 9.5mm package. Travelstar 5K1500 Data sheet Source: http://techreport.com/news/24839/hgst-packs-1-5tb-into-9-5-mm-three-platter-travelstar-5k1500-notebook-drive

A couple days ago i made this news topic: AMD loses it's second place in microprocessor marked sales. Members where already quick to conclude that AMD will fight back by expanding their marked share in converged hybrid devices (consoles and tablets) And this has now been confirmed by AMD: New codename "Temash" A4 and A6 processors. AMD also announced their codename "Kabini" processors. These are meant to go up against intel's ivy bridge i3 processors, AMD hopes that they will be used in "performance tablets". So they are should be in between the atom and the i3 at a compelling price. This is of course also a response to the rapid increase of ARM processors. And finally there is the Richland series. These are not full systems-on-chips, but rather what AMD calls "APUs;" accelerated processing units. These are meant to go up against the i3's and i5's. For more details just go to the source article: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/05/amd-aims-to-win-the-converged-device-era-with-new-xbox-one-like-chips/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arstechnica%2Findex+(Ars+Technica+-+All+content) EDIT I just noticed that someone already made a post about the new SKU's http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/19016-amd-launches-new-processors/ it wasn't there when i decided to make this post :P, anyway this one also has the specs and some more info.

GIGABYTE just officially launched the "Brix" mini pc. The Brix is meant to go up against intel's "NUC" (Next Unit of Computing) It measures in at 29.9 x 107.6 x 114.4 mm. There will be 4 models available where the only difference is the CPU ranging from a intel celeron dual-core all the way up to an i7 dual-core. The Brix has a strong aluminium frame with stylish glass surface on top. I/O and chip-set is the same on all 4 models: intel H77 chip-set, 2x USB3.0 ports, HDMI output, mini DP output and gigabit LAN. The unit has no build in power supply so it will come with a external power brick (19V DC, 3.42A) It also ships with a build in half-sized mini-PCIe slot WiFi module (wireless n) As mentioned before, it's a bare-bone pc, so the user will need to add his own RAM (up to 16GB with 2 SO-DIMM slots) and his own mSATA-SSD. GIGABYE also bundles the Brix with a VESA mount bracket that allows you to attach it to the back of most TV's and monitors. (VESA 75x75 and 100x100) UPDATE: I just got a first price hit: 320euro for the i3 model, 430euro for the i5 model and 590 euro for the i7 model. These pricing's including 21% tax, and they come from a dutch web-store that's usually a bit overpriced, so you can probably take of 40euro, which will bring the i3 model down to 280euro (the dutch site in dutch) note: Intel's NUC comes in at 250euro incl tax, that is also a i3 with roughly the same specs. Source: http://www.gigabyte.com/press-center/news-page.aspx?nid=1208

20,066,192 That is the total amount of URL's the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has requested to be removed from google's search results since the 26th of may 2011 when Google started taking down URL's The median amount of URL's per week is currently listed as 90,196. But if you take a quick look at the graph below you will see that this number does not even come close the the amount of links that have being reported in the 21 weeks of 2013 we have had so far. Funny side note, whilst the RIAA is putting in a lot of effort into remove all the links to music sharing sites, Google is kind enough to tell everyone where to go by listing the domains that have the most take down requests. But don't go there guys, piracy is bad m'kay ;) Source: http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/reporters/1594/Recording-Industry-Association-of-America-Inc/?hl=en_GB Disclaimer: I've read the LTT CoC and i think this post is oke, but mods please correct me if im wrong.