LTT Storage Rankings

[alpenwasser]

Digital hoarding ftw :D

That's the word I was looking for! :D

[8521546]

Good question, there is not really a reason anymore, the old topic was very focused on servers, you also had to have RAID for example, but that criteria is gone now.

Anyway, the criteria are not set in stone, so everyone who thinks we should remove the server criteria, please like 8521546´s reply if you agree with him or reply with a post saying you agree with the criteria change.

but i don´t think there are a lot of 10TB+ game/workstations, seems a bit silly not to get a server at that point

If i forexample put x4 3TB hdds then will i appear on the list. (Not planning to do that, have 4TB in my gamer)

[8521546]

If you read the original post, you (well, I did at least) also get the idea that this thread is meant to give people getting into home servers and redundant storage solutions an idea of what is possible.

I did se that it was pointed aginst servers but was wondering if pcs with huge storage capasity where accepted :D

[eugenius]

Hello, I'm Eugen, new user here,

 

I just made myself a home server and I'm still debating what to run on it.

The config is this right now:

• Fractal Design Node 304 mini ITX case,
• Jetway NF9A-Q67 motherboard,
• Xeon E3 1260L CPU,
• Corsair 60GB SSD,
• 4x3TB Seagate ST3000DM001 drives,
• 2x2GB HyperX DDR3 memory,
• Antec 380W PSU.

I'm going to add another 3TB drive for 15TB (actually 13.7TB) raw disk space.

 

I got the 45W Xeon and the Jetway Q67 motherboard for Intel AMT and low power consumption, I don't want to have a keyboard and a monitor connected to the server. AMT works well so far.

 

The intended use for this server is: music server, plex, tv server (dual dvb-c tuner) and maybe router.

 

I'm trying to decide if I stay with Windows Server 2012 / Storage Spaces (parity is slow, I'm getting 30MB/sec write speed) or move to something else. Initially I was going to run virtualized ZFS inside ESXI but that needs a separate RAID adapter and I don't want that, the motherboard has 6 sata ports, the case has 6 hdd slots, it's a match.

 

I'm also trying to decide if I really want to use virtualization. I mean I have a Xeon and virtualization is cool but I don't really expect to move my virtual machines anywhere else. The way I see it virtualization is really worth it if you have a cluster of servers not just one. I might run a Vyatta router inside Hyper-V but even that's debatable, I have a Netgear WNDR3700 that does the job.

[RandomNOOB]

How do you manage to fill up more than 5TB of data?!?!?!?!

 

I only have 8TB left : /

[looney]

Hello, I'm Eugen, new user here,

 

I just made myself a home server and I'm still debating what to run on it.

The config is this right now:

• Fractal Design Node 304 mini ITX case,
• Jetway NF9A-Q67 motherboard,
• Xeon E3 1260L CPU,
• Corsair 60GB SSD,
• 4x3TB Seagate ST3000DM001 drives,
• 2x2GB HyperX DDR3 memory,
• Antec 380W PSU.

I'm going to add another 3TB drive for 15TB (actually 13.7TB) raw disk space.

 

I got the 45W Xeon and the Jetway Q67 motherboard for Intel AMT and low power consumption, I don't want to have a keyboard and a monitor connected to the server. AMT works well so far.

 

The intended use for this server is: music server, plex, tv server (dual dvb-c tuner) and maybe router.

 

I'm trying to decide if I stay with Windows Server 2012 / Storage Spaces (parity is slow, I'm getting 30MB/sec write speed) or move to something else. Initially I was going to run virtualized ZFS inside ESXI but that needs a separate RAID adapter and I don't want that, the motherboard has 6 sata ports, the case has 6 hdd slots, it's a match.

 

I'm also trying to decide if I really want to use virtualization. I mean I have a Xeon and virtualization is cool but I don't really expect to move my virtual machines anywhere else. The way I see it virtualization is really worth it if you have a cluster of servers not just one. I might run a Vyatta router inside Hyper-V but even that's debatable, I have a Netgear WNDR3700 that does the job.

looks good Eugen, could you edit the post so it looks like the rest of the posts (with the blue titles and stuff).

and also add some photo's so you can get on the list :)

[MG2R]

I just made myself a home server and I'm still debating what to run on it.

 

[...]

 

The intended use for this server is: music server, plex, tv server (dual dvb-c tuner) and maybe router.

 

I'm trying to decide if I stay with Windows Server 2012 / Storage Spaces (parity is slow, I'm getting 30MB/sec write speed) or move to something else. Initially I was going to run virtualized ZFS inside ESXI but that needs a separate RAID adapter and I don't want that, the motherboard has 6 sata ports, the case has 6 hdd slots, it's a match.

Might I suggest Linux? If you want to run ZFS, you'll need some sort of *NIX and CLI linux is very well suited for headless systems.

If you don't have any experience with Linux or don't feel comfortable running it, I'd suggest you take a look at the Linux Basics section of my Debian Home Server Howto. It'll show you that CLI isn't something difficult or something to be afraid of.

 

Keep us posted on your setup ;)

[Eric1024]

Might I suggest Linux? If you want to run ZFS, you'll need some sort of *NIX and CLI linux is very well suited for headless systems.

If you don't have any experience with Linux or don't feel comfortable running it, I'd suggest you take a look at the Linux Basics section of my Debian Home Server Howto. It'll show you that CLI isn't something difficult or something to be afraid of.

 

Keep us posted on your setup ;)

+1 to this suggestion. You can get much faster speeds out of ZFS than you can with storage spaces, and IMHO it's the safer option as well. And you can still run all those applications in linux.

 

Setup looks great though :)

[eugenius]

Thanks, i'll update the post with titles and pictures after I install my fifth hdd and tidy up some cables. :)

AFAIK you can't run virtualized ZFS without giving it the whole storage controller via VT-D. I only have one storage controller, the Intel one, so if I pass that to the ZFS VM, where do I store my virtual machines?

I upgraded from SLS Linux to Slackware in 1994 (the 28'th floppy disk had a bad sector), so I'm not afraid of Linux, I'll use it if it's better. I just think since most of my clients are windows, a windows server is better for automatic backup and overall integration. And on the music server / tv server side I have more options on Windows.

Right now I'm researching alternatives to Storage Spaces on Windows. Is there a parity storage solution with two parity drives that can saturate a dual gbit ethernet link during writing (or at least get 100+ MB/sec)? Both the server and my main computer have dual Intel gbit ethernet, I'd prefer to use that speed if I can.

PS: I just don't understand why Storage Spaces writes with 30MB/sec and the CPU usage stays around 5% on my Xeon. Maybe 2012 R2 (it's in the pipeline) will fix that.

[looney]

Thanks, i'll update the post with titles and pictures after I install my fifth hdd and tidy up some cables. :)

AFAIK you can't run virtualized ZFS without giving it the whole storage controller via VT-D. I only have one storage controller, the Intel one, so if I pass that to the ZFS VM, where do I store my virtual machines?

 

Depends on the hypervisor your using, I've set up a few HP mirco servers with ESXi, if the controller is supported by EXSi you can use Raw Device Mapping for every drive separately instead of RDM'ing the entire controller. 

 

More info on RDM: http://forza-it.co.uk/esxi-5-1-using-raw-device-mappings-rdm-on-an-hp-microserver/

[ha1o2surfer]

I don't have a dedicated server that comes close to 10TB, it's 4TB. I have a bunch of USB 3 drives attached to my work laptop via USB 3 that totals 12TB. Even though it's dedicated, my laptop is not as I take it off everynight and dock it at home :( 

[L.E.D]

I don't have a dedicated server that comes close to 10TB, it's 4TB. I have a bunch of USB 3 drives attached to my work laptop via USB 3 that totals 12TB. Even though it's dedicated, my laptop is not as I take it off everynight and dock it at home :(

 

Not to sound rude here but that has to be the oddest configuration for hard drives I have heard of, lol, oh well, everyone has there reasoning right ? 

[ha1o2surfer]

Not to sound rude here but that has to be the oddest configuration for hard drives I have heard of, lol, oh well, everyone has there reasoning right ?

not rude at all! haha yes, it's very strange. I use some separate as "scratch disks" for large test VM's or Backups I only need temporary. And some are used with storage spaces for my other external drives I keep in my bag and my laptops SSD. It's a cheap setup of WD blacks and it's actually super fast. I shuffle around multiple TB's a day

[L.E.D]

not rude at all! haha yes, it's very strange. I use some separate as "scratch disks" for large test VM's or Backups I only need temporary. And some are used with storage spaces for my other external drives I keep in my bag and my laptops SSD. It's a cheap setup of WD blacks and it's actually super fast. I shuffle around multiple TB's a day

 

Yeah USB 3 is quite snappy, too bad I don't have it lol, I have a 1TB file server only because I don't have anymore sata ports on my mother board and the I had the stuff to build it. I don't now if I could actually fill 12TB of space, I have 2TB of total storage and they are both about half  full ( Just cleaned all the crap off of one ).

[ha1o2surfer]

Yeah USB 3 is quite snappy, too bad I don't have it lol, I have a 1TB file server only because I don't have anymore sata ports on my mother board and the I had the stuff to build it. I don't now if I could actually fill 12TB of space, I have 2TB of total storage and they are both about half full ( Just cleaned all the crap off of one ).

I get 140MB/s Read from them (the WD Blacks are FAST) and around 100MB/s Write. Even if I am writing to multiple drives at once. I have those drives plus all my peripherals (mouse, keyboard, headphones, webcam, iDevice charging hub) all over 1 USB 3 cable. Filling it is easy, if you do a lot of work with virtual machines and constantly testing and building them, it goes fast!

If that space works for you then great! So you have 2 1TB drives? Must be an older motherboard to only have 2 SATA slots?

EDIT: I lied, I get 120MB/s write. sweet

[RandomNOOB]

I don't have a dedicated server that comes close to 10TB, it's 4TB. I have a bunch of USB 3 drives attached to my work laptop via USB 3 that totals 12TB. Even though it's dedicated, my laptop is not as I take it off everynight and dock it at home :(

This reminds me of my self :P 2 WD640GB and 2 WD1TB, but non of this fanzi USB3 jaz :D 10-30MB/s on a good day. Those were the days.....

[L.E.D]

I get 140MB/s Read from them (the WD Blacks are FAST) and around 100MB/s Write. Even if I am writing to multiple drives at once. I have those drives plus all my peripherals (mouse, keyboard, headphones, webcam, iDevice charging hub) all over 1 USB 3 cable. Filling it is easy, if you do a lot of work with virtual machines and constantly testing and building them, it goes fast!

If that space works for you then great! So you have 2 1TB drives? Must be an older motherboard to only have 2 SATA slots?

EDIT: I lied, I get 120MB/s write. sweet

 

Yes I have 2 1TB drives, 1 in my main PC with my 120GB SSD and the other in the file server because my motherboard is old ( Manufactured in 2005 ) and only has 2 Sata ports lol 

 

USB 3 Speeds are GREAT if you don't cheap out of components, Which I take it you did not lol

[PCBudgetSolutions]

The guy I am building a PC for John Blankenship Nascar Nationwide and Lucas Oil series driver has a mac server with 1.2 pentabytes of storage with 250tb full from Web hosting and movies

[looney]

The guy I am building a PC for John Blankenship Nascar Nationwide and Lucas Oil series driver has a mac server with 1.2 pentabytes of storage with 250tb full from Web hosting and movies

mac server.....

that's why company servers don't count, I don't want the list to be dominated by 1000PB Sl8500's :P

[PCBudgetSolutions]

mac server.....

that's why company servers don't count, I don't want the list to be dominated by 1000PB Sl8500's :P

It's not a company.  It's his own personal server he runs web hosting on he sells off to people.

[looney]

It's not a company.  It's his own personal server he runs web hosting on he sells off to people.

that explains the mac than.

Also, im guessing its not just one mac server :P

[PCBudgetSolutions]

that explains the mac than.

Also, im guessing its not just one mac server :P

I believe it has a quad Nelihum 6 core w/ hyperthreading with 64 or 128GB of ram.  He's anti PC tho.

[L.E.D]

I believe it has a quad Nelihum 6 core w/ hyperthreading with 64 or 128GB of ram.  He's anti PC tho.

 

You said you were building him a PC though ?

[PCBudgetSolutions]

You said you were building him a PC though ?

Yes, he wants to give me something to do and he needs a better PC for gaming.  He can build his own but is quite busy now days and wants to help me out.  2 SSD's one 512GB for windows boot and games, 256GB for linux and programming.

[looney]

I believe it has a quad Nelihum 6 core w/ hyperthreading with 64 or 128GB of ram.  He's anti PC tho.

That's already very old and very power inefficient for servers.

Mac stopped making servers a while back.