Fluffy Bunny: My 20ish Disk EXSI/UnRaid build

[phwaa]

Hi All,

 

Introduction

 

I have been stalking this and other forums for the past few months trying to decide what sort of build i would go with for my new home media server/nzb dl box/tinkerer. I did a LOT of research and went back and forth for a long time, first looking at a small store bought NAS, then small custom NAS, then a large capacity custom NAS. As my “requirements” grew i started looking into software raid using programs like OI, FreeNAS, Solaris, WHS,Windows Server 2008. I could go on. Finally I stumbled upon unraid and my minor interest became a full blown obsession and i was spending every waking moment, and more, pouring over builds, hardware and guides trying to decide on configurations, capacity cost etc etc etc. In the end i was overcome with techno lust and decided to bite the bullet and go with a full blown EXSi/Unraid build.

 

 

Reasons

 

 

As I mentioned this will mostly be used for my home media needs, which will serve decent size (8-12gb) movies (MKV mostly) out over my home network. I upgraded the network a couple of months ago and have had no issues whatsoever streaming these size files via wireless n, which i is how i will keep it for now. Although i plan to connect the server straight up to the gigabit Ethernet on my router to help things along.  This box will  also run sab/sb/cp for all my downloading needs and maybe become a DC or mailserver at some point.

Also I work as a service desk admin and thought a build using ESXi would be great experience and the cost isn't really much more than i would be spending anyway, so I thought what the hell!

I have a decent amount of knowledge when it comes to system building and have learnt a lot from the information here and elsewhere on the web, But I am new to exsi and unraid and any ideas/pointers would be most welcome!

 

BIGUPS

 

A big thanks Johnm, BetaQuasi, Deepspace and all the other propellerheads who contribute to these forums for making this process a lot easier by posting detailed guides and build configs ect!

 

The Build

 

My build is fairly similar to what Johnm and others on this forum have been having success with. The main difference being that it is built on the X9SCM-IIF-O and the v2 chip in place of the X9SCM-F-O and the v1. 

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230V2 - $255.00 @ Scorptec

http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/45939-bx80637e31230v2

 

Motherboard: Supermicro X9SCM-IIF-O - $199.99 @ Superbiiz

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-X9SMII

 

 

Storage Adapters: 1 x M1015 - $135.00 @ ebay (ordered) + 1 x Intel RES2SV240 SAS Expander (eventually)

Im a bit short on cash after all this, so I will probably wait until I have a bit more cash flow before ordering the expander.

 

RAM:  2 x Kingston 8GB KVR13E9/8i (1333MHz) DDR3, ECC CL9 - $105.00 ea @ Scorptec

http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/46245-kvr13e9/8i

 

Case:  Lian Li D8000- $329.00 @ solsonic

http://www.solsonicav.com.au/pc-cases-towers/lian-li-black-pc-d8000-full-tower-chassis-for-hptx-motherboards-usb3

 

I decided on this lian li after a lot of deliberation, but what it came down to in the end was practicality. I live in an apartment and move a lot so I’m never sure exactly what sort of setup will be living in. I figure a big box with wheels is better than a big long box with no wheels. Plus I can put 3in5’s in it eventually and the cooling seems substantial, so I don’t think I will run into issues there.

 

EDIT:I would love to hear what people think of this case, the more i read about temps the more i'm starting to wonder..anyone know of other build with the D8000?

 

EDIT: Totally forgot that unraid tops out at 20 data drives!

 

HDD:  5 x (so far) Western Digital Red 3TB  EFRX- $198.00 ea @ CPL

http://www.cplonline.com.au/wd-3tb-wd30efrx-red-sata3-64mb-for-nas.html

 

I was torn between these and the WD greens but after hearing the horror stories of 5 drives dying within as many months i thought id bite the bullet and go with the reds, hopefully by the time i get more they won’t be as pricey!

 

Exsi Datastore: Crucial M4 SSD 128GB - $125.00 @ CPL

http://www.cplonline.com.au/crucial-m4-128gb-ssd.html

 

Couldn’t find the Performance Pro over here in aus, but these have the same Marvell controller, haven’t heard much about them on here so let me know if they’re no good!

 

Cache Drive/HotSpare:  Western Digital Red 3TB  EFRX

 

Using one of my reds for now. See cash shortage.

 

PSU:  Seasonic X-760 80plus Gold 760W Power Supply $225.00 @ CPL

http://www.cplonline.com.au/seasonic-x-760-80plus-gold-760w-power-supply.html

 

Fan's: 3 x Arctic Cooling F PWM CO Cooling Fan - 120x120x25mm $18.00 ea @ techbuy

http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/195146/COOLING_FANS_120MM/Arctic_Cooling/AFACO-120PC-GBA01.asp

 

Only 3 for now as im not running a huge amount of drives to begin with. The lian Li has 3 120mm fan ports on each side of the front drive bays, so i figure i will assign these to the side with the drives

 

USB's:  Suggestions?

 

Cable's:  3Ware 1M mini-SAS(SFF 8087) to 4 x SATA, Discrete Cable (forward breakout)

http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/76805/CABLES_DRIVE_SAS/3Ware/CAB-8087OCF-10M.asp

 

Now i need some info here, im not running the norco 4220 as i have mentioned, so can anyone tell me which cable i will need from the array to the M1015/Expander EDIT: I found out that the forward breakout is the cable i need for this, still would love to hear of any good options though as i have no idea if these are any good.

 

I understand i will need 1 SFF 8087 -8087 for the link between the two cards.

 

 

 

Comments:

 

You will probably notice that i am buying a lot of the parts for this build over here in aus in place of ordering from superbiiz and the like. The main reason for this is damage and returns. I don’t really like the idea of my hardware being damaged on the way here and i guess the idea of returning anything that is either DOA or breaks under warranty does not really appeal to me that much.

 

But i am willing to hear experiences people have had with importing, Or if you know a cheaper option here in aus!

 

Anyway thanks in advance for any info or for pointing out any blatantly obvious missing parts or implications of the build I may have overlooked!

 

Cheers

 

JamesG

[Johnm]

Looking forward to seeing this come alive...

 

I am not a big fan of that case for some reason.. I think it is the lack of air intakes in the front.

I like the other lian-li with bays down the front. The Lian Li PC-343B I believe. this one would need some sort of drive bays though.

I guess I'll have to look at it again when I'm awake

 

[kegler]

Hi phwaa,

 

I've been doing the same as you over the last month - lurking and doing a lot of reading - as well as seeking out other sources of information.

 

My goal is to replace an existing WHSv1 box (Asus P5LD2 Deluxe mb with a Pentium-D processor) which hosts a SageTV server, file serving, my mailserver (hMailServer) and provides access to my video library that resides on an external port multiplier box (JBOD - not added as WHS storage).  This system has worked well for me over the past four years, but is dated and it is time to move on. Ultimately I only want to have one box here running 7 x 24, so the new build will be adding new services and capabilities well beyond that of the old system.

 

I am currently using a spare Asus P5Q mb with a Core2 Duo E8500 processor as a test bed and just to get some hands on experience with ESXi, even though this setup is not ideal (no passthrough).  I have ESXi 5.0U1 Patch 04(needed for Win8) with VMs for WHS2011, Win8Pro-64(RTM), Win7Pro-64 and unRaid v5.0-rc8a (free) running on it.  I am memory limited on it (10GB) but it does work.  I even managed to install a driver for a Sil 3132 PCIe board (Addonics ADSA3GPX1-2E), that so far appears to be working okay.  But without passthrough it cannot be fully tested.  I want to pass this controller to a windows VM so I can connect my current external box to it for the eventual upload of my video library to unRAID as well as other purposes.  So far I am pleased with the results.

 

I have ordered and received so far:

 

- Supermicro X9SCM-iiF-O mb

- Intel Xeon E3-1230V2 processor

- 16GB of Kingston KVR16E11/8 memory (will add more if needed)

- Seasonic X-750 power supply

 

Also an M1015 board from Ebay is in the pipeline. 

 

For storage I have on hand a number of drives from my spare parts bin and will supplement these with additional drives as needed (when I can get them at attractive prices).  I did snap up 3 of the $90 Seagate 3TB drives on Wed when they were offered. 

 

As far as SSDs are concerned,  I will work them into the mix when I have a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.  They are still on the pricey side compared to spinners.  And I feel that the pricing will continue to drop. While they would be nice to have, they are not essential to this build at this time. 

 

I decided to go with the Ivy Bridge processor since there was so little price difference from Sandy Bridge and it runs a little faster and consumes a little less power.  I am aware of the problems BobPhoenix has had with it not recognizing his Duet tuner.  I feel this problem will eventually be identified and fixed.  At present I do not have a Duet tuner. 

 

I have not decided on server chassis yet.  While a NORCO 4224 would be nice, it is a lot bigger than what I think I will need - at least into the foreseeable future.  So I will be using a spare box I have laying around (and a little creativity) until I can decide on what I really need (or want).

 

As I will be dependent on this system for a number of purposes, I will also be acquiring the necessary spare parts to back it all up, should something fail.  Those spare parts will become a test bed for me to do further testing and development in support of my build.

 

I thought I could utilize an existing CPU cooler but found it would not fit.  So I am now awaiting delivery of a new one early next week.  Then assembly and testing of the new build can begin.

 

So it appears we are both headed down a similar path.

 

I too would also like to thank Johnm as well as the numerous other posters on his thread for their contributions to the collective knowledge.  The tutorials are priceless.  Without your thread I would not have gotten as far as I have so quickly.  Hopefully I can return the favor.

[Br0d0]

Hey all,

 

I too am a long time lurker first time poster sooo... hi.

 

Thank you phwaa. This is pretty much the same system I'm speccing. The only difference I have at the moment is that I'll be using a recycled Antec 1200 as the case.

 

Any updates on how this in going phwaa?

 

Cheers

[Joe L.]

Actually, the most current 5.0rc9a release increased the max number of drives to 24.

 

Changes from 5.0-rc8 to 5.0-rc8a

----------------------------------------------------------

- driver: increase maximum number of array disks from 21 to 24

[phwaa]

Hi Guys,

 

Thanks for all your reply's, especially Joe. I was totally unaware that the new release enabled 24 drives! this is good to know.

 

So ive made a couple of changes since my last post and thought i would give an update for anyone that's interested.

So most of my parts have now arrived and im currently going through the pre-clear process for a couple of my drives. I have three more to go out of my initial five and with the amount of time the first 2 have taken part of me is kicking myself for not just jumping in with all five, although I did have my reasons.

I will post up my result and add to the preclear user benchmark tables tonight hopefully. But when I did check the drive that had completed this morning it had passed without any reallocated sectors. Fingers crossed about the others..

My M1015 which i received early on has been partially flashed to IT using the script provided here on the forums (http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=12767.0) I was doing the flashing on my htpc and received the dreaded pal error so i will have to source another board to finish it up on. Big kudos to madburg for creating the scripts, made the process easy and clean!

The build I posted has had a couple of slight changes made as well since the time of posting. As you can see above I was planning on using the Lian Li 8000 case as i was worried about high db fans and had a slight space concern when it came to the norco 4224. After reading about heat issues in some cases and finding posts regarding the strategy's poeple have used to lower noise in the Norco (120mm fan wall), i decided to play it safe and  the Lian Li has now been replaced by the tried and tested Norco 4224 with the added and also cheap might i add 120 mm fan wall. I also changed the fans and sourced the cables i need for the Norco backplanes.

 

 

Hardware changes

Lian Li 8000

Norco RPC 4224

 

3 x Arctic Cooling F PWM CO Cooling Fan - 120x120x25mm (unavailable from CPL at the time)

3 x Noctua NF P12 120mm $25ea @ CPL

 

Additions

 

2 x Noctua NF R8 80mm sound optimised rear exhaust fans - $18ea @ CPL

 

2 x SFF 8087 to SFF 8087 SAS cables for the M1015 – on ebay, can’t seem to find the link right now.

 

Final Steps

1. Receive delivery of my motherboard  (tomorrow hopefully!), which is my final piece of hardware

2. Finish Preclearing remaining 3 WD drives

3. Successfully flash the M1015

4. Install hardware/components (this will begin on Saturday if the motherboard arrives)

5. Install and configure exsi and unraid

 

This is a very simplified list as i am quite tired right now. I have probably forgotten a couple of things, but will try to update this properly tomorrow or possibly after the weekends adventures wish me luck!

 

Phwaa