Raj's Prototype Designs [Discussion Thread]


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 527
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

Hi, I was planning on purchasing the "JetWay JMA3-880GTV2-LF AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard" from Newegg a few days ago, but me being lazy delayed for a few days. Now it seems like it's deactivated. Do you know of any good alternatives to that board?

Link to comment

 

I'm in the process of building a 5 Drive Budget Box as spec'd and I have a dum dum question about installing the Norco SS-500...

 

Is it necessary to supply power to both power inputs?  Do they power different drives in the array?  When I expand with one or two more of these drive bays, but I've run out of power connecters from the Corsair CX430, can I daisy chain them with some sort of expansion power cable?

Link to comment

 

I'm in the process of building a 5 Drive Budget Box as spec'd and I have a dum dum question about installing the Norco SS-500...

 

Is it necessary to supply power to both power inputs?  Do they power different drives in the array?  When I expand with one or two more of these drive bays, but I've run out of power connecters from the Corsair CX430, can I daisy chain them with some sort of expansion power cable?

 

they both need  power, you can use a standard molex power spliter or "y"-cable

Link to comment

Nope, not yet.  I just finished getting that board tested and it was deactivated a few days later.  I'll start searching for another one soon, but I don't have any recommendations at the moment.

 

I'm in the same boat.  Was just about to start when the rug was pulled out from under me.  Eager to hear your next recommendation!  I'll be waiting.

Link to comment

Hi

 

I just use one connector on the Norco SS-500 no problems here.

From my understanding it's for the use of redundant power supply and if you measure it there just connected together.

 

Rob

 

Huh, you are right...according to Norco they are redundant.  That is not the case with all hot swap enclosures, but it does appear to be the case with these particular ones.  Thanks for pointing this out!

Link to comment

Hi

 

I just use one connector on the Norco SS-500 no problems here.

From my understanding it's for the use of redundant power supply and if you measure it there just connected together.

 

Rob

 

Huh, you are right...according to Norco they are redundant.  That is not the case with all hot swap enclosures, but it does appear to be the case with these particular ones.  Thanks for pointing this out!

 

News to me also.

Then again, I have yet to get hands on one of those units. I tend to stick to the SM ones to keep standardised.

Link to comment

I actually recommend against all socket 1155 CPUs at the moment because there are no unRAID-friendly 1155 motherboards (that I know of) that use a NIC other than the known incompatible Realtek 8111E.  I recommend sticking with the socket 1156 CPUs until this changes.

 

If anyone has any recommendations on good 1155 motherboards, I'm all ears.

Link to comment

I actually recommend against all socket 1155 CPUs at the moment because there are no unRAID-friendly 1155 motherboards (that I know of) that use a NIC other than the known incompatible Realtek 8111E.  I recommend sticking with the socket 1156 CPUs until this changes.

 

If anyone has any recommendations on good 1155 motherboards, I'm all ears.

Look at this one.  Expensive but has IPMI which I will not do without any more.

 

Edit. Actually since it uses the Intel 82579LM chip it isn't really an option currently.

Edit2.  Although the 2nd nic (Intel 82574L) is - I think anyway.

 

Link to comment

I actually recommend against all socket 1155 CPUs at the moment because there are no unRAID-friendly 1155 motherboards (that I know of) that use a NIC other than the known incompatible Realtek 8111E.  I recommend sticking with the socket 1156 CPUs until this changes.

 

If anyone has any recommendations on good 1155 motherboards, I'm all ears.

 

at this time, all Supermicro C202 and C204 based motherboards.

At least 2 are level 1 certified. Mine should be level 2 certified but I never kept it on for a month.

They have dual Intel NICs. 1 Intel 82574L and 1 Intel 82574LM NIC on them.

The Intel 82574L is rock solid in unRAID and ESXi.

The Intel 82574LM Does not work in unraid or ESXi (no drivers, it does not even load up at this time [5beta9])

You can get them with 3-4 PCIe slots or a combo of PCIe and PCI slots depending on the model

They all have 6 Sata (6x sata 300 or 4x sata300 & 2x Sata600)

You can also get them with or without IPMI.

they definitely work with 3TB drives.

 

If I am not mistaken there is also a Tyan board with the same config.

Link to comment

I actually recommend against all socket 1155 CPUs at the moment because there are no unRAID-friendly 1155 motherboards (that I know of) that use a NIC other than the known incompatible Realtek 8111E.  I recommend sticking with the socket 1156 CPUs until this changes.

 

If anyone has any recommendations on good 1155 motherboards, I'm all ears.

 

at this time, all Supermicro C202 and C204 based motherboards.

At least 2 are level 1 certified. Mine should be level 2 certified but I never kept it on for a month.

They have dual Intel NICs. 1 Intel 82574L and 1 Intel 82574LM NIC on them.

The Intel 82574L is rock solid in unRAID and ESXi.

The Intel 82574LM Does not work in unraid or ESXi (no drivers, it does not even load up at this time [5beta9])

You can get them with 3-4 PCIe slots or a combo of PCIe and PCI slots depending on the model

They all have 6 Sata (6x sata 300 or 4x sata300 & 2x Sata600)

You can also get them with or without IPMI.

they definitely work with 3TB drives.

 

If I am not mistaken there is also a Tyan board with the same config.

 

Thanks for the info!  I will still refrain from recommending these boards because of the extra work required to disable the primary NIC that doesn't work with unRAID.  A pretty minor BIOS change, I know, but I would still prefer the boards to be as plug-n-play as possible.  Once the Intel 82574LM NIC is supported in unRAID, then these boards will make great candidates for my recommended/prototype builds.

 

Edit: Also, Newegg only claims compatibility with Xeon CPUs.  They do work with i3s, correct?  Also the massive number of PCIe slots on the SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCM-F-O gives it the potential to be the base of a 38 drive server!  Good lord!  I wear sunglasses when viewing the forums, because unRAID's future is so bright. 8)

Link to comment

There is no need to even disable it in the bios.

 

Works fine "active". just plug the Ethernet into NIC #3 (assuming NIC 1 is the IPMI one).

Unraid never see's the other nic to try and load a driver it looks like.

 

I have 2 SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCM-F-O's one is unraid and one is ESXi.

 

For the ESXi one, I am considering expanding it to 2 norco cases with 2 HPA's and 2 Raid controllers

 

I have not had a better more solid board in a long time.

I am recommending these in sumpermicro cases for servers are work.

Link to comment

There is no need to even disable it in the bios.

 

Works fine "active". just plug the Ethernet into NIC #3 (assuming NIC 1 is the IPMI one).

Unraid never see's the other nic to try and load a driver it looks like.

 

Hmm, that does change things...thanks for the info.

Link to comment

I just updated the following builds:

 

5 Drive Budget Box

10 Drive Budget Box

12 Drive Budget Box

12 Drive Budget Box (alternate)

 

As the JetWay JMA3-880GTV2-LF is now discontinued and difficult to find, I've substituted the Biostar A880G+ for many of my builds that used to call for the JetWay board.  The Biostar A880G+ is a solid board, I've tested it personally.  It seems that I forgot to post my test results, but rest assured that it is at least Level 1 tested.  The only issue with this board is the limited expandability.  With only 4 onboard SATA ports and a single PCIe x16 slot, the board effectively maxes out at 12 drives (without resorting to the slower PCI bus).

 

The upside of this is that all of these builds are now cheaper by $20 - $50.  The downside is that expansion from any of these builds to a 15 Drive Server now requires replacing the motherboard as well as other components.

 

As for the builds that still list the JetWay JMA3-880GTV2-LF, I am actively looking for a replacement, but testing takes time.  If you want a board flexible enough to support the 5 - 10 - 15 Drive Budget Box upgrade path, then I recommend you way for my next recommended Budget Board.  I can't give you an exact time-frame, but I hope to have a new board chosen within a month or so.  If you wish to speed the process along, consider donating to the GreenLeaf Hardware Blog.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.