Pokemon kids NAS

[the pokemon kid]

When you stream do you just map your NAS under Windows explorer on your computer and select the files to play using Windows media player (not using Plex)?

That is exactly what I do. I have thought about using plex a few times as I might make myself a Rasberry Pi plex viewer for a TV in another room. Saves me having to make an expensiveish computer...

[Lord Sparklebottom]

Looks great! I'm a real sucker for cable managed Lian Li cases, and loving this. 

[the pokemon kid]

Looks great! I'm a real sucker for cable managed Lian Li cases, and loving this. 

I cant stand untidy cases! I spent ages cable managing my SATA Cables!

[Holford]

This is absolutely gorgeous! I've just spent an evening spec-ing up a potential 10TB Media Server, for much the same purpose, and your rig provides wonderful inspiration!

 

Once my current build is out the way, I'm definitely taking a crack at doing something similar.

 

Awesome work, man.

[the pokemon kid]

This is absolutely gorgeous! I've just spent an evening spec-ing up a potential 10TB Media Server, for much the same purpose, and your rig provides wonderful inspiration!

 

Once my current build is out the way, I'm definitely taking a crack at doing something similar.

 

Awesome work, man.

Cheers man,

The rig is going to be under going some changes soonish. My Dad is sorting out his own server and is going to be taking most the of Green drives off my hands. for me to upgrade them to WD Red drives. (Probably 8 of them and at 2tb capacity). I would go with Reds if I were you as there are some issues with using green drives in RAID arrays with ZFS.

I will also be changing the case too as this isnt silence optimized and I want something that is almost completely silent. Looking at NZXT's silent case and the Define R5.

The other big change is that I might be going for a hardware RAID card instead of running software RAID. Not sure which RAID card I am going to get but I will do some research before I get to that point...

[Holford]

Cheers man,

The rig is going to be under going some changes soonish. My Dad is sorting out his own server and is going to be taking most the of Green drives off my hands. for me to upgrade them to WD Red drives. (Probably 8 of them and at 2tb capacity). I would go with Reds if I were you as there are some issues with using green drives in RAID arrays with ZFS.

I will also be changing the case too as this isnt silence optimized and I want something that is almost completely silent. Looking at NZXT's silent case and the Define R5.

The other big change is that I might be going for a hardware RAID card instead of running software RAID. Not sure which RAID card I am going to get but I will do some research before I get to that point...

 

That sounds pretty awesome - I was looking at the Red 1.5TB drives this morning, and considering the Corsair Cabridge Air 240, as silence is much of an issue for me (it's going to be in either our understairs cupboard, or the Home Office and out the way.

 

What sort temps did it end up running at, after prolonged up time? It's my only major concern with the build I'm planning.

 

Cheers for the reply dude

[the pokemon kid]

That sounds pretty awesome - I was looking at the Red 1.5TB drives this morning, and considering the Corsair Cabridge Air 240, as silence is much of an issue for me (it's going to be in either our understairs cupboard, or the Home Office and out the way.

 

What sort temps did it end up running at, after prolonged up time? It's my only major concern with the build I'm planning.

 

Cheers for the reply dude

I didnt know that they did 1.5tb versions of the drives... I can only find 1tb and 2tb versions. For £70 for a 2tb drive they arent too bad...

The Air 240 is a nice case but just doesn't have the hard drive support I would want. It can only hold three 3.5" drives and then another two 2.5" drives. I am looking for something that can hold eight 3.5" drives.

The is a dual core and Freenas says the temp of each core. Core 1 = 35C, Core 2 = 33C.

 

Each drives temps are: HDD 1 = 31C, HDD 2 = 34C, HDD 3 = 32C, HDD 4 = 32C, HDD 5 = 30C, HDD 6 = 32C.

I wouldnt say that this is too bad for a system which has got three in-takes and 1 out-take with sound dampening material all over the case and drives!

[Robdiecus]

11/10

[Atomicnerd64]

Cheers man,

The rig is going to be under going some changes soonish. My Dad is sorting out his own server and is going to be taking most the of Green drives off my hands. for me to upgrade them to WD Red drives. (Probably 8 of them and at 2tb capacity). I would go with Reds if I were you as there are some issues with using green drives in RAID arrays with ZFS.

I will also be changing the case too as this isnt silence optimized and I want something that is almost completely silent. Looking at NZXT's silent case and the Define R5.

The other big change is that I might be going for a hardware RAID card instead of running software RAID. Not sure which RAID card I am going to get but I will do some research before I get to that point...

I would highly advise you do use something like RAIDZ2 or RAIDZ1 since you're running FreeNAS and spending money on ECC ram. it is a better investment imo than a raid card. it will provide better data integrity(no bit rot over time) and you don't have to spend 300 on a raid card

[the pokemon kid]

I would highly advise you do use something like RAIDZ2 or RAIDZ1 since you're running FreeNAS and spending money on ECC ram. it is a better investment imo than a raid card. it will provide better data integrity(no bit rot over time) and you don't have to spend 300 on a raid card

Well eventually I am going to move away from FreeNAS. I am intending on getting Windows Server at some point and a RAID card and some ECC RAM. This is all future stuff once my main build is complete... Going to pretty much rebuild the whole NAS.

[Atomicnerd64]

Well eventually I am going to move away from FreeNAS. I am intending on getting Windows Server at some point and a RAID card and some ECC RAM. This is all future stuff once my main build is complete... Going to pretty much rebuild the whole NAS.

I really like freenas for this kind of stuff. But if you want windows server the okay. But I really don't like raid cards, just me.

[the pokemon kid]

I really like freenas for this kind of stuff. But if you want windows server the okay. But I really don't like raid cards, just me.

Yeh, FreeNAS has got some really nice features however I need to a development enviroment where I can put MSSQL server.

Well I am going to get a RAID card as I will be upgrading and changing the MB/ CPU in the future. I am thinking of getting a super Micro dual board and two Xeons, as I need to match it up as much as possible with my works server...

[Atomicnerd64]

Yeh, FreeNAS has got some really nice features however I need to a development enviroment where I can put MSSQL server.

Well I am going to get a RAID card as I will be upgrading and changing the MB/ CPU in the future. I am thinking of getting a super Micro dual board and two Xeons, as I need to match it up as much as possible with my works server...

You can use the jails functionality and run the mysql server from there but you seem to have a plan in mind so okay

[the pokemon kid]

You can use the jails functionality and run the mysql server from there but you seem to have a plan in mind so okay

Yeh, I have used that sort of thing in the past and it ran fairly well but need an apples to apples test on my server and my works server so I can sort faults out.

[the pokemon kid]

Okay! Now we are back again!

Some big updates to the NAS! The new NAS has only got the dual NIC coming from it!

 

New parts:

Case: Fractal Design R5 in Black

CPU: Intel i3-4130t

CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper T4

Motherboard: ASRock E3C224-V+ Server board

Ram: 2x 8GB Kingston 1600mhz ECC RAM

Hard drives: 6x 2TB Western Digital RED drives

SSD: 120GB Kingston

Fans: 3x 140mm Noiseblocker E-Loops

PSU: XFX 460W Passive fully modular power supply

[the pokemon kid]

Well things for this upgrade have already started terribly! and I mean terribly!

 

Got my first version of the motherboard through a couple of days ago, put the CPU and RAM in and booted the system outside the case to get an idea if it was working or not. Well it turned on and I got an error code which even ASRock don't have... it was like error G6. It was super weird, so I re-seated the CPU and RAM, cleared the CMOS and went again. It then came back with error 00 which is the error for the CPU not being seated right... so again, I took the CPU up and put it back down and booted the system! STILL THE SAME ERROR! I am now panic'ing as I am worried that I have just killed the CPU!

 

I take the CPU out and put it into my Asus Sabertooth Z87 board and I get nothing, SWEET NOTHING! So I grab my spare Intel G3258 and swap that in and it works! Well SHIT, this isn't looking good! I grab my Asrock Z97 board from my previous NAS and put the I3-4130t (potentially bricked) into the mb. Nothing at all! The CPU seams to be dead...

 

At this point I am really pissed off! How has this board gotten through Quality control! I get in contact with amazon and they are pretty good about the situation in fairness. They gave me a return pickup, sent out a new one and even paid for the cost of the CPU so I would be able to get another one.

 

So the new motherboard gets to me next day and again I need to test this MB. I am super apprehensive about putting my G3258 into it, in case its something up with the batch of MB which were sent to amazon. I put it in after about 20 minutes of talking to myself trying to weigh up the options. Realistically, amazon would likely pay out for another dead CPU, plus the CPU has only been used for some light overclocking fun so far...

I put the CPU in and hey presto we aren't getting the same error code! However, we are still getting an error code... Its giving me the error code 4F and bleeping three times and repeating this. It then switches to error code 55 and stays like that. I found that error code 4F is the dr.debug utility on the motherboard and the other error code is that the memory cant be recognized. I am using some Kingston ECC memory which is fully supported, according to the ASRock website...

 

So I try numerous configurations with the RAM whilst resetting the CMOS on every attempt. I get nothing! Again at this point I am freaking out! I am hoping that the previous motherboard hadn't taken the RAM down as well! So I take the RAM and put it into my Asus sabertooth board to see if it recognizes it! and it does! SUCCESS! However looks like this new motherboard has got something up with the DIMM slots on the board... Well again, I am in contact with Amazon support. The MB is being collected tomorrow and I am getting another replacement. This time I am getting a slightly more expensive SuperMicro X10SAE from Scan.co.uk! Hopefully we don't have the same issues! The new processor will be here tomorrow too!

On a slight side note, the Noiseblocker E-Loop fans turned up! They look great and you can almost not hear them at all! The only issue I have had so far is that the front fan filter on the Define R5 doesn't fit when they are installed. I tried for a long while and just couldn't get it to snap into place. When I was holding it there, I tested the fans and they were pushing against the filter anyways. I have had this issue with the Phobia E-loops as well... the fan blade design sticks out ever so slightly from the housing because of some airflow reasons. However this does mean if you attach a filter directly to it, it will rub on it and make an unholy amount of noise!

 

So I went down to my local DIY store and bought some rubber O-rings, these in conjunction with the extra rubber dampeners you get with the fans give just enough space for it to work! I am using the 140mm silverstone magnetic fan filters! I bought these some time ago and now I can make use of them!

Lets see how things go on Saturday when the new SuperMicro motherboard turns up!

TPK Awwwwaaayyyyyy

[willemdoom1]

Wow, all of that sucks, regarding the fans its probably because of that hey are 29mm in height instead of the standard 25mm. 

[Tobleh]

Wow, what an absolute clusterf*ck of unfortunate events. Here's hoping the new motherboard and cpu decide to play nice together!

[the pokemon kid]

Okay guys, things have started to go a bit better! I got the New CPU through and the new motherboard on Friday/ Saturday! I immidiately tested the CPU out on my sabertooth board just to make sure it wasn't DOA. It wasn't! One of the first things that hasn't turned up dead in a while!

I then got the motherboard through and gave it a test out with the new CPU! It booted and worked flawlessly! I was able to check out some bits and pieces in the BIOS out before getting it ready to go into the case. Here are a few of the first shots of the CPU/MB and RAM:

 

 

A few close up shots of the CPU before I squished it with a CPU cooler!

My NAS server by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

My NAS server by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

Here is the 2x 8gb sticks of Kingston DDR3 ECC RAM. I might well upgrade this from 16gb to 32gb depending on how the system preforms!

My NAS server by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

One of the biggest reasons I bought this motherboard, aside from the CPU and RAM support! It has got eight SATA ports! Its mad that loads at this price point have got them with 6 ports!

My NAS server by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

The Hyper T4 is attached and cooling the CPU like a boss!
 

My NAS server by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

Here is a close up shot of the CPU cooler, just as a side note. The cables which are in there are from a previous build and wont be in this NAS build!

 

My NAS server by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

Thanks for checking out another update, there will likely be one more build update to come for the server itself. I will likely then show off some of the software side of things as FreeNAS is an amazing piece of software! 

TPK Awwwwaayyyyy

[the pokemon kid]

Another update guys!

I have waited for a week for the hard drives to turn up from a company on ebay. They still hadn't turned up so I have just canceled the order/ gotten my money back. I have just ordered four hard drives to turn up tomorrow from Amazon! This takes me to a total 8x 2tb Red drives! 16TB of RAID 0 storage if I was stupid enough to do that...

I also ordered a SATA controller card from Amazon as well to make sure that I can use my SSD for caching! The only other thing I need to order is another 16gb of RAM at some point as ZFS as a base uses 8gb of RAM and then uses around 1gb of RAM per terabyte of storage of the server. Apparently others have found that RAIDZ can become a little unstable otherwise when its trying to rebuild the ARRAY without enough RAM...

None the less, I will be able to create the disk array this weekend and start to get the ZFS pools created ready for file movement, from old NAS to this new NAS! I will then add the RAM at some other point!

Everything except for the four hard drives, SATA controller and RAM are in the case! Cannot wait to have this up and running! I can finally move my whole media library onto somewhere where the whole thing can be viewed!

 

Thanks for checking out another update! Stay tuned for the final updates!

TPK AWWWAAAAAAYYYYY

[bobbywave]

Hey Pokemon Kid,

 

Glad to hear things are back on track! Never any fun to get dead components. Liking this build, I just built a small NAS myself and I'm jealous of some of your hardware now

 

I'm glad you ditched the greens and went Reds, if your Dad is planning on running FreeNAS on the handy-down hardware, make sure he disables the full energy saving feature on the Greens or else they shall die a premature death. Google WD Greens in FreeNAS.

 

Cheers and good luck with the rest of the build!

 

Bobby Wave

 

 

 

 

[the pokemon kid]

Here are the final build images! Its been a long time since I actually finished this but I have been too lazy to upload the images, then we had some family troubles.

However here are the Images!

Bertha - Server Build by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

Open side panel!

Bertha - Server Build by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

The Hyper 212 and the RAM

Bertha - Server Build by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

All of the SATA cables!

Bertha - Server Build by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

The CPU and the RAM!

Bertha - Server Build by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

The backside of the case. Not seen very often but had to make it tidy!

Bertha - Server Build by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

Bit of cable management of the SATA cables. I couldnt just leave them all hanging out!

Bertha - Server Build by Mathew Teague, on Flickr

 

Cheers for checking out this final update to the build! Please drop me any messages if you need to know anything!

 

 

[robotprobot]

Looking very nice!

Love the cable management.

[the pokemon kid]

1 hour ago, robotprobot said:

Looking very nice!

Love the cable management.

Thanks dude! The cable management took the most amount of time as I just couldn't leave it looking a mess!