Jump to content

Would this Server work as a NAS?

Bearded_Ed
 Share
Posted

Howdy!

 

I am desperately wanting to build myself a standalone storage NAS.  It's honestly completely not needed and overkill for my needs - really it's just for plex media and bulk storage of my own video footage.  In reality there would likely be only myself needing to access it to add media to Plex and obviously stream from it inside the same house.

 

I've just seen this chunky looking beast on ebay....   It appears to have a Xeon E5620 AND 24GB of RAM.... 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xyratex-HS-1235T-Storage-Server-Intel-Xeon-Quad-Core-E5620-2-40GHz-24GB-RAM/352361671426?hash=item520a646b02:g:3BwAAOSwqGlazMf~

 

Am I right in thinking I'd only need to add storage and an OS plus configuring it etc... but that's all I'd need right?

 

Anyone got thoughts? (I KNOW it's farking massive and overkill but the price...)

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

a bit very loud but not bad at all i think. if a celeron can do nas duties, this can for shure.

the 24gb ram for that price seems a very good deal to me

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

why not? You might need some SAS to SATA adapters though

CPU: i7-2600K 4751MHz 1.44V (software) --> 1.47V at the back of the socket Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme4 (BCLK: 103.3MHz) CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 RAM: Adata XPG 2x8GB DDR3 (XMP: 2133MHz 10-11-11-30 CR2, custom: 2203MHz 10-11-10-26 CR1 tRFC:230 tREFI:14000) GPU: Asus GTX 1070 Dual (Super Jetstream vbios, +70(2025-2088MHz)/+400(8.8Gbps)) SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB (main boot drive), Transcend SSD370 128GB PSU: Seasonic X-660 80+ Gold Case: Antec P110 Silent, 5 intakes 1 exhaust Monitor: AOC G2460PF 1080p 144Hz (150Hz max w/ DP, 121Hz max w/ HDMI) TN panel Keyboard: Logitech G610 Orion (Cherry MX Blue) with SteelSeries Apex M260 keycaps Mouse: BenQ Zowie FK1

 

Model: HP Omen 17 17-an110ca CPU: i7-8750H (0.125V core & cache, 50mV SA undervolt) GPU: GTX 1060 6GB Mobile (+80/+450, 1650MHz~1750MHz 0.78V~0.85V) RAM: 8+8GB DDR4-2400 18-17-17-39 2T Storage: HP EX920 1TB PCIe x4 M.2 SSD + Crucial MX500 1TB 2.5" SATA SSD, 128GB Toshiba PCIe x2 M.2 SSD (KBG30ZMV128G) gone cooking externally, 1TB Seagate 7200RPM 2.5" HDD (ST1000LM049-2GH172) left outside Monitor: 1080p 126Hz IPS G-sync

 

Desktop benching:

Cinebench R15 Single thread:168 Multi-thread: 833 

SuperPi (v1.5 from Techpowerup, PI value output) 16K: 0.100s 1M: 8.255s 32M: 7m 45.93s

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
1 minute ago, karsnoordhuis said:

a bit very loud but not bad at all i think. if a celeron can do nas duties, this can for shure.

the 24gb ram for that price seems a very good deal to me

Aye that's absolutely my thoughts too.  Like even if this ends up being a royal pain in the ass I think I would still love to do it as a project!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
1 minute ago, Jurrunio said:

why not? You might need some SAS to SATA adapters though

Yeah I think that I probably will... This is the only thing I can't figure out.  What the storage config is!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, Bearded_Ed said:

Yeah I think that I probably will... This is the only thing I can't figure out.  What the storage config is!

as in drives to put in? or the connectors on the drives?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
1 minute ago, karsnoordhuis said:

as in drives to put in? or the connectors on the drives?

Yeah I know it doesn't come with drives... But I don't know what interface it has.  Is there a raid card, SAS or SATA interface etc. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 hour ago, Bearded_Ed said:

Yeah I know it doesn't come with drives... But I don't know what interface it has.  Is there a raid card, SAS or SATA interface etc. 

This is an IBM brand, it comes with a SAS/sATA backplane. So will work with SAS and SATA drives.

However you might need to get a RAID controller.. Seems as this is quite minimume..

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
38 minutes ago, AbsoluteFool said:

This is an IBM brand, it comes with a SAS/sATA backplane. So will work with SAS and SATA drives.

However you might need to get a RAID controller.. Seems as this is quite minimume..

Would I still need the controller for something like FreeNAS?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

So I just purchased it! Total of £40 including delivery!

 

I've got a couple of drives I can play with to get it set up and my aim is to use FreeNas.   I really hope this works!!!

 

Theoretically if it's all a load of shit, I've got 24GB of DDR3 RAM I can offload, which MIGHT be ECC. So there's always that.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
5 hours ago, Bearded_Ed said:

Would I still need the controller for something like FreeNAS?

Controller with IT mode or HBA card. I'd say it's a quite decent server for that price 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
2 hours ago, AbsoluteFool said:

Controller with IT mode or HBA card. I'd say it's a quite decent server for that price 

 

Honestly I am super new to this whole server thing. I am not really sure what the difference is between everything. I can spec out and build any kind of desktop you like but this is new for me.

 

I've found an eBay listing that appears to be from Israel with a very similar looking, if not identical server with more pics.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xyratex-HS-1235T-2U-Storage-Server-Xeon-Quad-Core-NO-HDD-/263066655101?autorefresh=true

 

Whilst I know it's entirely possible mine will be different. Anyone able to tell me what I am looking at in these pics? Specifically related to HDD mounting. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
47 minutes ago, Bearded_Ed said:

 

Honestly I am super new to this whole server thing. I am not really sure what the difference is between everything. I can spec out and build any kind of desktop you like but this is new for me.

 

I've found an eBay listing that appears to be from Israel with a very similar looking, if not identical server with more pics.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xyratex-HS-1235T-2U-Storage-Server-Xeon-Quad-Core-NO-HDD-/263066655101?autorefresh=true

 

Whilst I know it's entirely possible mine will be different. Anyone able to tell me what I am looking at in these pics? Specifically related to HDD mounting. 

HDD mounting (Backplane / caddies) 

Backplane is a PCB board attached behind the drives. which then is connected to a ,controller card.

Caddies are "slides" (That i like to call them) that you put harddrives inside to slide them in and out of the system.

 

If you know what you are looking for you can probably look for something spesific on images. However since we're all diffrent (Thank god for that, can you imagine a whole forum with lot's of me?) I would personally look for:

  1. System state (Is it broke/working condition?
  2. What is included? (e.g, HHD caddies, Raid controller or HBA?
  3. 1 or 2 PSUs
  4. CPU/RAM And what do i need for the things i'm gona use it for?
  5. How is it to get spare parts? Possibly check servermonkey / ebay or Google.
  6. How can i modify it if i suddently can't get spare parts?

It's really hard to tell what you want to look after. If just controller HBA you'll probably want to look after: Mini SAS SFF-8087 wires, or SATA /SAS, LSI, Antec or HighPoint controllers. Of course there are other brands aswell, but none that pops into my mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
On 5/25/2018 at 11:20 PM, AbsoluteFool said:

HDD mounting (Backplane / caddies) 

Backplane is a PCB board attached behind the drives. which then is connected to a ,controller card.

Caddies are "slides" (That i like to call them) that you put harddrives inside to slide them in and out of the system.

 

If you know what you are looking for you can probably look for something spesific on images. However since we're all diffrent (Thank god for that, can you imagine a whole forum with lot's of me?) I would personally look for:

  1. System state (Is it broke/working condition?
  2. What is included? (e.g, HHD caddies, Raid controller or HBA?
  3. 1 or 2 PSUs
  4. CPU/RAM And what do i need for the things i'm gona use it for?
  5. How is it to get spare parts? Possibly check servermonkey / ebay or Google.
  6. How can i modify it if i suddently can't get spare parts?

It's really hard to tell what you want to look after. If just controller HBA you'll probably want to look after: Mini SAS SFF-8087 wires, or SATA /SAS, LSI, Antec or HighPoint controllers. Of course there are other brands aswell, but none that pops into my mind.

Amazing, thank you for all of this.  I'm sure I will be back with more questions once I actually have it in my hands!.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

I have one of those things.

 

This thing is loud. Mine seems to always be in a panic with fans at 9000%. Thisis with or without drives. Its a good server besides that. 

 

I plan to test different controllers for larger drives, then attach it to a xenserver cluster to test functionality  (also 10g ethernet if i can quiet this thing)

 

You can hear it all throughout the house  in a 24u cabinet, in the basement, with all doors closed and so on.

 

 

So far I have a bit of management software for suse and server 2000..

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
13 hours ago, the_imperfectionest said:

I have one of those things.

 

This thing is loud. Mine seems to always be in a panic with fans at 9000%. Thisis with or without drives. Its a good server besides that. 

 

I plan to test different controllers for larger drives, then attach it to a xenserver cluster to test functionality  (also 10g ethernet if i can quiet this thing)

 

You can hear it all throughout the house  in a 24u cabinet, in the basement, with all doors closed and so on.

 

 

So far I have a bit of management software for suse and server 2000..

It really is bloody loud isn't it!  I'm just moving the RAM and CPU into a HPz400.  I can still get enough drives in it and it's super quiet! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

I'm a month late! But found some stuff! (and plan to test tonight as I finally found the missing jumper... It's important to select a bios bank!)  

 

For the Intel S5000PSL Mobo:

https://communities.intel.com/thread/63262 This is a basic "RTFM" thing but talks about the order of operations 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSHB1A0FiuU And this from a youtube page, because seriously, the video is just the machine with no instructions/walkthrough...  

 

Intel S5000 xxx Server Board *How to Fix Fans stuck on High Speed* The FRU/SDR firmware is at fault. A newer (but old) firmware revision is the cure for the fans being run at max speed. However, you'll want to update the BIOS, BMC, and FRU/SDR. This method is for DOS (will not work in Windows CMD Prompt). *Before starting, note the number of system fans and the chassis model for the FRU/SDR update. Example; SR2500, SR1500, Non-Intel chassis, etc. Requirements: USB flash drive, DOS firmware pack, Bootable FreeDOS (Rufus).

 

1. Via the Intel Download Center (https://downloadcenter.intel.com), locate and download the appropriate "Firmware Update Packages for DOS" for your model of server board (Example; S5000/PAL/PSL/XVS, ETC).

2. Using a Windows PC, download "Rufus" to format and create a bootable FreeDOS USB flash drive. Link: https://www.rufus.akeo.ie 3. Once FreeDOS contents are on the USB flash drive, extract the contents of the Intel firmware update package to the ROOT of the USB flash drive. *Note the names of the

3 .bat firmware update files to make this easier.*

4. By default, after a restart with the USB drive plugged in, the S5000 series boards should boot to USB. If not, you'll need to enter the BIOS using the F2 key at boot to configure the USB drive as the first boot device. You may have to continually tap the F2 key at the boot screen until "Entering Setup" is finally displayed.

5. After successfully landing at the "C:/" DOS screen, you'll need to update each firmware. Type "dir" for a list of files. To execute a firmware update in DOS, enter the file name followed by the extension and hit the enter key. You will need to update each firmware individually. Intel lists the firmware updates as being in this order: (There should be three .bat files with relative file names) A. bios B. bmc C. fru/sdr Important: The FRU/SDR update will ask for the chassis model and number of system fans, which you'll need to have handy. As shown in this video, I have 6 system fans. If you have an Intel chassis, the model number label should be on the top towards the front.

6. After updating all 3 firmwares successfully, power off the system. 7

. Power On the System. Enter the BIOS at boot (F2).

8. Once in the BIOS menu, press F9 to set the BIOS to default.

9. Locate the fan settings. The fan options should now list a feature to control the fan speed based on temperature.

10. Set the appropriate BIOS settings/boot settings/etc. Save and Exit.

11. The fans will be on high speed during boot but will finally quiet down when entering the operating system. IF the fans are not quiet enough, you are able to manually edit the .sdr files with notepad to adjust the fan settings - which may be time consuming. *Note: I intentionally wrote this firmware update info for DOS due to some Windows compatibility issues with the Intel software that I was having.

 

Edit: Just read the Community Standards. I hope the youtube link isn't too much of a violation as I kept to the link and gave the good stuff out of it.
(insert Puss N' Boots eye's while holding hat image here)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
On 5/25/2018 at 4:37 AM, Bearded_Ed said:

Howdy!

 

I am desperately wanting to build myself a standalone storage NAS.  It's honestly completely not needed and overkill for my needs - really it's just for plex media and bulk storage of my own video footage.  In reality there would likely be only myself needing to access it to add media to Plex and obviously stream from it inside the same house.

 

I've just seen this chunky looking beast on ebay....   It appears to have a Xeon E5620 AND 24GB of RAM.... 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xyratex-HS-1235T-Storage-Server-Intel-Xeon-Quad-Core-E5620-2-40GHz-24GB-RAM/352361671426?hash=item520a646b02:g:3BwAAOSwqGlazMf~

 

Am I right in thinking I'd only need to add storage and an OS plus configuring it etc... but that's all I'd need right?

 

Anyone got thoughts? (I KNOW it's farking massive and overkill but the price...)

 

 

I have the same server, the backplane is SATA compatable, but it cannot use drives larger than 2tb as that is the limit of SAS 1, but it works great as a NAS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
10 minutes ago, UNKNOWN_DEFAULT said:

I have the same server, the backplane is SATA compatable, but it cannot use drives larger than 2tb as that is the limit of SAS 1, but it works great as a NAS.

If I can get the server to quiet down, I'm going to shove a p400i controller in it and see if the additional card can separately support my 3tb drives.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, the_imperfectionest said:

If I can get the server to quiet down, I'm going to shove a p400i controller in it and see if the additional card can separately support my 3tb drives.

I'm fairly certain you'd also have to replace the backplane as I have changed the raid cards in my servers to ones that are SAS 2 but still cannot detect more than 2tb drives.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, UNKNOWN_DEFAULT said:

I'm fairly certain you'd also have to replace the backplane as I have changed the raid cards in my servers to ones that are SAS 2 but still cannot detect more than 2tb drives.

Thanks for the info! 
I gotta make the thing quiet though. It's soooooooooooooooooo loud xD

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, the_imperfectionest said:

Thanks for the info! 
I gotta make the thing quiet though. It's soooooooooooooooooo loud xD

I have two of these servers and there is NO fan curve, you'd actually have to adjust them by building your own pwm with variable resistors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Servers, NAS, and Home Lab

×