Keevil Posted January 7, 2012 Posted January 7, 2012 Hello All, I am hoping that you will be able to shed some light on an issue that has been bothering me since wanting to build my own unRAID server. I am looking to build a 12 bay hot swappable machine. The big question is around the motherboard. From reading many different threads i have come to a conclusion that the processer that would best this server would be an i3; to ensure it has some punch behind it. However i would like some aid in picking the motherboard that would best suit; as the page provided by lime-tech is a bit out of date and most motherboards are discontinued. Therefore any help would be great. The spec that i am looking to fit is; Case: Cooler Master Centurion 590 Drive Cages: IcyDock x 3 (12 bays total) Processor: Intel i3 - http://goo.gl/AH3uu Ram: 8GB - http://goo.gl/Ko8Vb Disk Controllers: 4 Port SATA Controller http://goo.gl/NKgcZ Motherboard: ? The server will be host to a number of different addition features such as sab, sickbeard, and couchpotato. If you feel that something else would be better than in the list above, that would be great and i would like to hear all about it. Many Thanks Sorry if this seems like this topic is over discussed.
Keevil Posted January 8, 2012 Author Posted January 8, 2012 I have just found found this thread related to a motherboard that i was looking at: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=15792.msg146945#msg146945 And the motherboard has 2 PCI extension slots along with 16gb of ram total, which is more than necessary. http://goo.gl/bWvZv Can anyone see any issues with this proposed set up? Many Thanks
S80_UK Posted January 8, 2012 Posted January 8, 2012 That 4-port SATA disk controller card is PCI which will be OK but will be very slow when accessing multiple drives as when parity checking or generating. You'd be better of with either a 4-port PCI-Express card in the x16 PCI-e slot, or two 2-port PCI-Express cards in each of the x1 PCIe slots. The standard PCI slot is of limited usefulness due to its relatively slow speed (a x1 PCI-e slot is up to 5 times faster). I recently upgraded on of my servers from a PCI SATA card like that to a 4-port PIC-e card and my parity check speed went from around 25Mbytes/second up to over 80Mbytes/second.
Keevil Posted January 9, 2012 Author Posted January 9, 2012 You'd be better of with either a 4-port PCI-Express card in the x16 PCI-e slot, or two 2-port PCI-Express cards in each of the x1 PCIe slots. The standard PCI slot is of limited usefulness due to its relatively slow speed (a x1 PCI-e slot is up to 5 times faster). With that in mind what card would you card would you say would be best to ensure that the server supports 15 drives max? As i understand the motherboard in question already has 4 sata ports so to get the extra 11 ports how would you go around buying the rest of the card?
dgaschk Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 Most people have used this: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 This card works well in version 4.7 but has been problematic in the 5.0 beta. I expect 5.0 to support these before it goes final.
Keevil Posted January 10, 2012 Author Posted January 10, 2012 Most people have used this: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 This card works well in version 4.7 but has been problematic in the 5.0 beta. I expect 5.0 to support these before it goes final. Thank you very much for your help. I have gone with your recommendation of the Supermicro PCI card, and it will come in handy with its 8 ports.
Johnm Posted January 11, 2012 Posted January 11, 2012 Most people have used this: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 This card works well in version 4.7 but has been problematic in the 5.0 beta. I expect 5.0 to support these before it goes final. I just wanted to point out That Ihave had no issues with this card in any beta except 12/12a where the driver got all wonky. This is still my go-to card from my backup server. While i have M1015's in my main server, I still recommend the SASLP-MV8. especially for people starting out in unraid.
Keevil Posted January 11, 2012 Author Posted January 11, 2012 I just wanted to point out That Ihave had no issues with this card in any beta except 12/12a where the driver got all wonky. Was this issue ironed out in the beta 14? Or Johnm have you not updated it to beta 14? I have another question, in your opinion would it be better to start with the stable version (4.7) and then start to migrate towards the latest beta version (currently beta14) or would it be possible to jump straight to beta 14?
PeteAron Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 Check out my server in my sig. I had the same problem; I wanted to use a G620 and found the C7P67. It is excellent. Especially with the 5.0 release so near, I highly recommend this board. With one SASLP card and the onboard sata ports, the server can hold 16 drives, with room for expansion to 24. http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=17744.msg159753#msg159753
Keevil Posted January 13, 2012 Author Posted January 13, 2012 Check out my server in my sig. I had the same problem; I wanted to use a G620 and found the C7P67. It is excellent. Especially with the 5.0 release so near, I highly recommend this board. With one SASLP card and the onboard sata ports, the server can hold 16 drives, with room for expansion to 24. http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=17744.msg159753#msg159753 Hmmm...very interesting, i will defiantly look into this. I know a group of people who are wanting to build unRAID servers however I am the first to make the leap. This will be a great expansion once i get conformable and knowledgeable with unRIAD. Thank you for the update. Also does anyone know of anywhere where i can find an UP TO DATE (aka not discontinued) list of motherboards that are certified with level 1, 2 and 3 clearance. I know there is this: http://lime-technology.com/wiki/index.php?title=Hardware_Compatibility#Motherboard However it is sooo out of date, all the motherboards i looked at were from around 2009 or earlier.
Keevil Posted January 13, 2012 Author Posted January 13, 2012 So after weeks of decisions and trying to find the equipment that would make up my first build i have gone with this.... Case: Lian Li A77FB - http://goo.gl/2Y9Ss Drive Caddy: IcyDock (x3) - http://goo.gl/D5jQR Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M LE - http://goo.gl/kHa3E Prcessor: Intel Core i3 2100 3.10GHz - http://goo.gl/L4lsA RAM: Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 - http://goo.gl/Ko8Vb SATA Controller: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 - http://goo.gl/9YtJI PSU: Coolermaster GX 750W PSU - http://goo.gl/O1lwq From all understanding it would be a decent set up for a mid powered server, all thanks to the i3 which should pack a decent punch, and the 8GB's RAM.
daniel.boone Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 What kind of drives are you planning on? Green drives use about 2a so with 12 drives the power supply selection is a bit big. If your looking to future proof the purchase that's another matter. Look at the supply sticky in the hardware section for more details.
Keevil Posted January 13, 2012 Author Posted January 13, 2012 Im hoping to upgrade the server after about 6months to a year to a 20 drive machine and ill swap the PSU over, i am reusing the PSU so that is something that i havent had to purchase that part! Which was nice. If i wanted something to power a 12 drive as i will have to buy a replacement, what would you suggest?
daniel.boone Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 Im hoping to upgrade the server after about 6months to a year to a 20 drive machine and ill swap the PSU over, i am reusing the PSU so that is something that i havent had to purchase that part! Which was nice. If i wanted something to power a 12 drive as i will have to buy a replacement, what would you suggest? Depends on the drives, green drives use about 24 watts per drive while 7200 rpm drives use about 36 watts per. Just factor in the rest to get a ball park figure and single 12v rail is the rule. The 750 you have picked out can do more than 12 drives. How much more depends on the drives selected.
Keevil Posted January 14, 2012 Author Posted January 14, 2012 Depends on the drives, green drives use about 24 watts per drive while 7200 rpm drives use about 36 watts per. Just factor in the rest to get a ball park figure and single 12v rail is the rule. The 750 you have picked out can do more than 12 drives. How much more depends on the drives selected. Thank you for the update, im not entirely sure about the drives that will be going in yet, however i will defiantly keep this in mind when choosing my next PSU, thanks.
Johnm Posted January 15, 2012 Posted January 15, 2012 I just wanted to point out That Ihave had no issues with this card in any beta except 12/12a where the driver got all wonky. Was this issue ironed out in the beta 14? Or Johnm have you not updated it to beta 14? I have another question, in your opinion would it be better to start with the stable version (4.7) and then start to migrate towards the latest beta version (currently beta14) or would it be possible to jump straight to beta 14? sorry for the late answer, i never saw this. i have beta14 on my second box (Goliath in sig) . I seems ok but it only gets minimal use (off for 2 weeks then pounded with a TB or 2 then back off). it would be best to check the beta 14 thread as far as to start off with what version really depends on your comfort and hardware. 4.7 is getting pretty old and a lot of hardware runs better on the betas. I honestly came very recently to the unraid game. I tried 4.7 for a few days then tried 5beta6a before i ever put any data on my server. I went with the beta, but I always had 2 copies of my data for a long time before I trusted the beta. as long as you read the info in each beta thread before you jump in and endanger (harsh word and not really true) your data. in general the betas have been pretty stable with a few driver and AFP errors. It is my understanding that we are getting close to a release candidate. that should give you some comfort. just make sure you test, test and then test again before you put into production.
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