New to unRaid - request advice on getting new server

[chola-gringa]

Hello all,

 

We're looking into getting a server for the purposes of backing up our data and also serving as a media and possibly gaming server. When we started researching our base requirements were: 10-25 hot-swap bays, SATA3 connectors, low noise levels, 16GB RAM, easy set-up, no bottle-necks in backplane (or elsewhere). We're in the Netherlands.

 

We'll start with a couple of 8TB drives and some older, smaller drives left over from previous upgrades.

 

I'm looking at getting a rack-mount server from XCase in the UK. It would give us 16 hot-swap bays which should be plenty of room to expand into. We currently have about 15TB of data and that will just go up.

https://www.xcase.co.uk/custom-build-server-uk/custom-build-rackmount-storage-server-16-hotswap-caddy-xeon-e3-449-00-x-case.html

 

Looking at the Supermicro X10SLH-F motherboard

with Xeon-E3v3 CPU

AVAGO SAS 9300 backplane

 

http://www.supermicro.nl/products/motherboard/Xeon/C220/X10SLH-F.cfm

http://ark.intel.com/products/series/75143/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1200-v3-Product-Family#@All

http://www.avagotech.com/products/server-storage/host-bus-adapters/sas-9300-16i

 

Questions: Does the GHZ of the chip make much of difference for our scenario?

 

This is a rack-mount server, but we don't actually have a rack. Can we set this (on it's side preferably) in a closet and have it be stable? (We have a Dutch house and space is at a premium!)

 

The product page for the server we're looking at doesn't say anything about which fans are used. Any idea how difficult it would be to put in quieter ones if they turn out to be loud?

 

Anyone have any experience with this shop?

 

Any other issues we may not have considered?

 

Thanks in advance for any insights!

 

 

 

 

[chola-gringa]

If anyone has read this and thought I was crazy for thinking I could set a rack server on it's side, you can rest easy. I have been informed by my husband that that was an insane idea. We will build a new shelf in our closet for it.

 

Anyone have experience with XCase in the UK?

 

[Frank1940]

Since you haven't gotten any response back, I thought I would jump in and give some insight.  As I read your requirement, it appears that you are setting up a very basic server at this point.  You said you are planning to keep it in a closet on a shelve so I would assume that you have no plans to running any VM's on this box.  You said nothing about running any dockers like Plex. 

 

If this is the case, you have a bit of overkill with regard to the CPU and motherboard.  You might want to look at the i3 family of processors.  They have more than enough power to run unRAID and are relativity low power.  (Look at my setup, the AMD sempron 140 does the job without any problems!)  You said you are starting with 8TB drives with 15TB of data ready for storage.  You might want to revisit that choice of case if you want to save a bit of money.  That case would provide you with at least 112TB of data storage--- That is almost 4000 BluRay rips.  I do agree with your decision of using hot plug drive bays.  It can save a lot of headaches that often result when you disturb a SATA connection to another drive when you have to replace/install a hard drive. 

 

Almost any Motherboard you should be looking at will have a minimum of six SATA connections on it, I would delay buying an expansion card until you really have a need for it.  There appears to be a lot of used expansion cards available at a very reasonable price.  If you stick with your case choice, make sure you have two PCIe X16 slots on your motherboard as most of these cards only support a maximum of eight drives. 

[kizer]

I'd like to Echo what Frank said about his Sempron 140. I have the same processor and its very low powered on the scale of others. You don't need a beast of a Processor to serve up data. However, if you plan on running VMS or some other apps for Transcoding or various other tasks then that's when I would consider more power.

 

I would definitely like he said make sure you get at least 6 Sata connections and plenty of room in any case to move around if your changing things. Honestly you can start with any case to save some upfront coin. Just like in my Sig I started with a CoolerMaster tower and thought some day I might go rack mount or something Fancier. Several years late I'm still running the same case and I think I spend roughly $50-$60 US for it. I have picked up a Rackmount case off a local guy who was literally giving it away and still haven't used it.

 

I don't recall the name of it, but I've seen some take a piece of Furniture from IKEA and use it as a rack/end table. Might be a solution for you too. Rack inside the future and maybe monitor/keyboard on top or even better a lamp.

 

Here you go found a link to it.

https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/Lackrack

[SSD]

I'd like to Echo what Frank said about his Sempron 140. I have the same processor and its very low powered on the scale of others. You don't need a beast of a Processor to serve up data. However, if you plan on running VMS or some other apps for Transcoding or various other tasks then that's when I would consider more power.

 

I would definitely like he said make sure you get at least 6 Sata connections and plenty of room in any case to move around if your changing things. Honestly you can start with any case to save some upfront coin. Just like in my Sig I started with a CoolerMaster tower and thought some day I might go rack mount or something Fancier. Several years late I'm still running the same case and I think I spend roughly $50-$60 US for it. I have picked up a Rackmount case off a local guy who was literally giving it away and still haven't used it.

 

I don't recall the name of it, but I've seen some take a piece of Furniture from IKEA and use it as a rack/end table. Might be a solution for you too. Rack inside the future and maybe monitor/keyboard on top or even better a lamp.

 

Here you go found a link to it.

...

 

There was mention of a gaming server requirement. So there may be higher CPU demands than pure NAS.

 

With so many Docker and VM options, I would be hesitant to recommend a lower end CPU for a new user. I'd fear near instant buyer's remorse. If she had an old desktop laying around, different story. I'd get a 3 drive array set up in that and do some playing around to better understand how I'd use the server prior to purchasing the rest.

 

One more thing - those rack mounted monsters are very heavy. And don't like to mount vertical as youve learned. I took a tower case with 12 5.25" slots and installed 4 5in3s getting me to 20 easily swapable drives. And very small footprint. See HERE. Note my case has an additional 6 3.5" slots inside, giving 26 drive capacity if ever needed.

 

Being able to swap disks without rustling the rats nest of cables inside a large drive build it very important. So often we have users adding a new drive and having drives drop from the array due to cabling problems. It is very stressful as it appears a drive has failed, and getting Humpty Dumpty back together takes some effort. So I DEFINITELY recommend hotswap units. (I am not sure they even make these types of cages that are not hotswap any more). Note that "hotswap" functionality (replacing a drive in a running system) is not well supported in unRAID.

[00b5]

For what you described, the GHZ of any E3xx-v3 xeon probably makes no difference. The different models ARE difference (some have intel video, some have hyperthreading, some are newer tech, etc).

 

While a higher ghz will be faster, only if its the same generation/type of xeon, so you'd be fine going with pretty much any E3xx-v3 cpu. Comparing ghz on an i3 v i7 v xeon is a different matter entirely.

 

For your MB, they also have a supermicro that has a built in SAS, so you could skip adding another card to the unit, the X10SL7-F.

 

And what did gaming server mean? Like you want to play games on it as well (in a VM with passed through gaming GPU?) or something like a minecraft server?

 

Regardless, I think you are on the right track, just put some serious thought into where you will go with Hdds. People often see the ability to HAVE 24hdds, but NEVER get anywhere close to that. If you are buying 8TB hdds (even just two, 1 parity and 1 data), but you only currently have 3/4TB of data, no need to add in a handful of 500gb/1tb/etc drives when you could just copy all your data to the 8, and then buy another 8tb every year until you get to something like 6 drives (1 parity, 1 cache/vm/etc drive still leaves 4 data drives, 4x8=32TB of usable space). This idea convinces some people to go the exact opposite of what you are saying, a small m-ITX case/setup that sips power, and doesn't even need its own shelf in the closet.