DS380B NAS Build

[kkpatel87]

Objective:
This is a NAS build showcasing the viability of FreeNAS as a SOHO server for my usage.

Background:
I have been using a Xeon W3690 rackmount with 12GB of RAM running Windows Home Server (since 2013) for long term storage and managing 8x1TB in RAID 6. I was at 75% usage and I started taking a hard look at what I should do next. I could have replaced the drives and continued using this machine but for the workload, the power consumption was not justifiable. I wanted something that was optimized for being a NAS and the cost of a pre-built unit was also not justifiable (unless i was in a critical situation and needed something, working, out of the box, now). I really liked the open source distributions and from my research, I felt that FreeNAS was the most mature in stability and user base.

Design Requirements:

1. Able to support 10 TB+ (up to 30-40 TB in the next few years) of usable storage in RAID-Z2 (I may transition to RAID-Z3 in the future). This concerns both drives and memory.
2. Must be able to be mmaintained quickly in addition to upgrades.
3. Internally connected with aerospace wiring and routing practices.
4. Contained within short tower or short depth rackmount.

Current Specifications:
I chose most of these components because its stuff I have lying around the house. I put the upgrade path in paranthesis next to the components.
CPU: Intel Atom C2550 2.4 GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard: Asrock C2550D4I
HBA: LSI 9211-8i, flashed with IT firmware
RAM: 32GB ECC 4x8GB (Phase 2 will go to 64 GB)
OS Drive: 64GB Samsung 830 Series SSD
Data Drives: 8x3TB in RAID-Z2 of mish-mash
Case: Silverstone D380B
PSU: Silverstone SFX ST45SF-G 450W Full Modular

 

Obligatory hardware shot:

[kkpatel87]

Storage:
The initial setup will have 8 3TB drives, which in RAID-Z2 (ZFS analogue to RAID6) results in 16.4TB of usable space with 24TB of total space. The upgrade path is to go up to 8 6TB drives which results in 32.4TB usable space with 48 TB in total space.

As for the storage controller, the motherboard comes with the following:

1. Intel C2550: 2xSATA3, 4xSATA2
2. Marvell SE9172: 2xSATA3
3. Marvel SE9230: 4xSATA3

This should be enough to run 8 drives in SATA3 but i have had some catastrophic experiences with Marvell controllers so I decided to make use of a LSI 9211-8i card to add 8xSATA3 ports to the system. I flashed this card with the IT only firmware so that it passes the drives right through to the OS rather than add a RAID layer. I can always move this setup to something bigger and get 15x drives in addition to an OS drive.

I also want the storage block to be completely modular.

In order to accomplish all of this, I needed to do mods:

1. Create standoff mount for LSI 9211-8i card
2. Create routing provisions on module for both SFF-8087 to SATA breakout cables.
3. Add shielded PCI-E extender from LSI 9211-8i card to motherboard
4. Create harness to power the storage drive backplane.

 

I also didnt like the clunky 2.5" drive cage adjacent to the PSU. I removed the clunky (and poorly manufactured) 2.5" cage and added it to the scrap metal pile. I took the mounting profile from the SFF spec and drilled and deburred four normal fit clearance holes (#30, .1285") for an M3 screw.

 

[kkpatel87]

Original:

 

 

Reterminated Headers:

 

 

Cut Side Vents:

 

[kkpatel87]

Installed components with routed custom cables:

 

 

Installed Filters:

 

 

Finished Install:

 

[kkpatel87]

Planning on doing the following in the next day or two:

1. Install Hard drives
2. Install OS
3. Build RAIDZ2 array
4. Transfer Data

[iHardware Shelden]

Sweet build, love that case.

[Anthony_95]

Looks pretty good so far, Followed !

[Blebekblebek]

I'd like to know how much power it use

btw, why are you using raid card if you going to use raid z?

[kkpatel87]

I'd like to know how much power it use

btw, why are you using raid card if you going to use raid z?

 

Here is my calculated power budget:

 

 

If you read above, I flashed the 9211-8i with IT (Initiator Target) firmware which makes it into an HBA (Host Bus Adapter), so it isn't a RAID card anymore. This adds tons of reliable ports instead of having to utilize the Marvell junk.

[kkpatel87]

Looks pretty good so far, Followed !

 

Thanks!

[kkpatel87]

Up and running:

 

 

 

[Monty007]

great build.  I'm just getting into Severs and NAS boxes myself.  I'm curious on your CPU selection.  Will that have enough grunt for your tasks?  I have seen others bump up to something like an i3 or celeron.  I currently have multiple uses for my QNAP NAS including on-the-fly transcoding of video, surveillance, print server, torrent manager, etc.  I'm finding that I'm using around 60-80% of total CPU (Celeron 2.41 GHz dual core) power.  I have upgraded the ram to 8GB (max for the board) but I'm concerned i'm outgrowing this box in terms of power.

 

I'm hoping to build a NAS myself but would love your input.

 

Thanks in advance.

[kkpatel87]

great build.  I'm just getting into Severs and NAS boxes myself.  I'm curious on your CPU selection.  Will that have enough grunt for your tasks?  I have seen others bump up to something like an i3 or celeron.  I currently have multiple uses for my QNAP NAS including on-the-fly transcoding of video, surveillance, print server, torrent manager, etc.  I'm finding that I'm using around 60-80% of total CPU (Celeron 2.41 GHz dual core) power.  I have upgraded the ram to 8GB (max for the board) but I'm concerned i'm outgrowing this box in terms of power.

 

I'm hoping to build a NAS myself but would love your input.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

For my tasks, yes. All this box has to do is provide reliable and fast storage to 1-2 clients with low power draw. What i have is probably overkill but i wanted to grow to 40 TB+ so having the ability to go to 64 GB of RAM is excellent because for FreeNAS, you need 8GB for the OS and 1 GB of RAM per 1 TB of storage space. 

 

For me, most tasks have their own box, so its not that big of a deal.

 

If you want to do other tasks, such as the ones you have listed, you can go to a octacore Atom (C2750) or a lower-end Xeon. 

 

Let me know if you need any help!