20 Drive unRAID setup w Norco 4220


helio

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Hi All,

 

Looking at setting up a 20 Drive unRAID NAS with a Norco 4220 (tried to get a 4020 but no stock in Aus :()

 

It will be for distributed Media (using LinuxMCE) and general NAS use. Hoping someone out there may offer some critique on the choice of components to date  ;D

 

Case: Norco 4220

$566 AUD

CPU: Intel Core i3 530

$129 AUD

MOBO: ASUS P7P55D-E-LX

$169 AUD :: http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/37947-p7p55d-e-lx

Question: MOBO seems to be the hardest. Found similar ones listed on the forums/wiki but not this exact model. I wanted to go Socket 755 but can't seem to find many. This one (LGA1156) has 6 X SATA II and 2 x SATA III, 8112L Gigabit LAN. Should be OK right?

PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 800W PSU (Single +12V rail up to 98A / Silent)

$229 AUD :: http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/38016-rs-800-80ga-d3

Question: Enough for 20 HDDs yes?

RAM: Kingston 2GB DDR3

$65 AUD

USB Flash: Corsair Voyager 4GB

$22 AUD

Cables x 4: SFF-8087 / SAS to SATA Reverse Breakout Cable

need to find in Aus some place ~ $30 AUD each

SATA Expansion Card x 2: Supermicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 8-Port SATA II Controller Card

Ebay probably.. $160 AUD delivered

HDD: TBC - combination of existing and new. I will be starting with only 6-8 and expanding over time. As such I might delay the purchase of the AOC-SAT2-MV8's if I can.

 

Please let me know if I have missed something or you think an alternate component would be better.

 

Many Thanks!!

Helio.

 

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1. If you are going with i3-530 you will need a motherboard based om H55 (as it uses the integrated video) and not P55 as you selected.

 

2. Do not buy AOC-SAT2-MV8 as you probably wont find any reasonably priced motherboard with two different PCI-X slots . Instead buy two AOC-SASLP-MV8 cards ( US$100 each or so) but you need to look for a mobo with two PCIe x 16 slots. You have now 16 HD slots for which you will need to buy four SFF8087 to SFF8087 cables (a guy sells on Ebay good quality ones for US$4.95 plus very reasonable shipping - it wil cost you probably US$25-30 for all four of them)

 

The mobo you selected has a single PCIe x 16 slot - so you can use only one AOC-SASLP-MV8 - look elsewhere - for example check out this post as a very cheap alternative (US$50) - http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=7555.0

Or get any H55 based mother board with 2 x PCIex16 slots and 6 onboard SATA ports that you can find locally.

 

Then you need only a single reverse breakout cable ($15 US on Ebay plus shipping) to use the existing four motherboard SATA ports.

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1. If you are going with i3-530 you will need a motherboard based om H55 (as it uses the integrated video) and not P55 as you selected.

 

2. Do not buy AOC-SAT2-MV8 as you probably wont find any reasonably priced motherboard with two different PCI-X slots . Instead buy two AOC-SASLP-MV8 cards ( US$100 each or so) but you need to look for a mobo with two PCIe x 16 slots. You have now 16 HD slots for which you will need to buy four SFF8087 to SFF8087 cables (a guy sells on Ebay good quality ones for US$4.95 plus very reasonable shipping - it wil cost you probably US$25-30 for all four of them)

 

The mobo you selected has a single PCIe x 16 slot - so you can use only one AOC-SASLP-MV8 - look elsewhere - for example check out this post as a very cheap alternative (US$50) - http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=7555.0

Or get any H55 based mother board with 2 x PCIex16 slots and 6 onboard SATA ports that you can find locally.

 

Then you need only a single reverse breakout cable ($15 US on Ebay plus shipping) to use the existing four motherboard SATA ports.

 

Thx bcbgboy13. I'll do a search for both options and see what I can find locally. Appreciate the feedback :)

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FYI I use 2 Supermicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 8-Port SATA II Controller Cards in my system

I just upgraded my mother board which has 3 64-bit PCI-X slots from one that just had PCI slots and saw the speed of Supermicro AOC-SAT2 almost double what the did when they were in PCI slots

 

If I was building from scratch Id recomend the AOC-SASLP-MV8 cards to as PCIe x 16 slots are what new now

 

But you can still find tons of old coprporate surplus PCI-X slot motherboards on ebay

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Righto - thanks to all for helping me with this. Take 2  :)

 

Now

CPU: Intel Core i5 760 $244 AUD

MOBO: ASUS P7P55D-E PRO $206 AUD

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14187&cPath=897#getprice

2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 / 8x SATA (6x2 2x3) / Realtek  8112L LAN

PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 800W PSU (Single +12V rail up to 98A / Silent) $229 AUD

http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/38016-rs-800-80ga-d3

Question: Enough for 20 HDDs yes?

RAM: Kingston 2GB DDR3 $65 AUD

USB Flash: Corsair Voyager 4GB $22 AUD

Cables x 2: SFF-8087 / SAS to SATA Reverse Breakout Cable

~ $30 AUD each

This should let me build up to 8 (using the MOBO SATA ports) before I need the SAS adapter below in a few months. Right?

+ some video card I have lying about

 

Later

SAS PCIe Cards: 2 x AOC-SASLP-MV8

$160 AUD each (delivered off ebay)

+ 4 x SAS Cable

 

Note: I realise that the CPU might seem a bit of overkill - but it is more a result of the MOBO than anything else. Plus apparently they have low idle power consumption...

 

Thanks!

Helio.

 

 

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CPU: Intel Core i5 760 $244 AUD

Definitely overkill.  Why did you change from an i3 to an i5?  The motherboard you've chosen supports both.

 

MOBO: ASUS P7P55D-E PRO $206 AUD

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14187&cPath=897#getprice

2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 / 8x SATA (6x2 2x3) / Realtek  8112L LAN

Also overkill, but it will definitely work.

 

PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 800W PSU (Single +12V rail up to 98A / Silent) $229 AUD

http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/38016-rs-800-80ga-d3

Question: Enough for 20 HDDs yes?

Overkill again, but yes it will support 20 HDDs.  A good quality 650W will also support 20 HDDs.

 

RAM: Kingston 2GB DDR3 $65 AUD

USB Flash: Corsair Voyager 4GB $22 AUD

Cables x 2: SFF-8087 / SAS to SATA Reverse Breakout Cable

~ $30 AUD each

This should let me build up to 8 (using the MOBO SATA ports) before I need the SAS adapter below in a few months. Right?

These are all fine.  Yes, you will need reverse cables to connect the Norco 4220's backplanes to the motherboard's SATA ports.

 

+ some video card I have lying about

Hopefully you have a PCI video card laying around?  Otherwise you'll be using up one of your PCIe x16 slots and you'll max out at 17 drives (9 onboard SATA + 8 on the add-on card).  You could then throw in two PCIe x1 cards to bring it up to 20+.

 

Later

SAS PCIe Cards: 2 x AOC-SASLP-MV8

$160 AUD each (delivered off ebay)

+ 4 x SAS Cable

Again, you'll only have one open PCIe x16 slot if your video card uses the other one, so you'll only need one of these cards and two of these cables.

 

Note: I realise that the CPU might seem a bit of overkill - but it is more a result of the MOBO than anything else.

What's your logic behind this?  The i3 would work just as well.

 

This is truly an over-the-top sort of configuration, but it would certainly work.  I would highly recommend either procuring a PCI video card to keep both PCIe x16 slots open (actually they are PCIe x8 slots when both are used, but that's fine) OR choosing a different motherboard that has onboard video.

 

I do endorse your idea to buy just what you need now and get the rest of the stuff later.  Hopefully things will come down in price as time goes by, or perhaps there will be some new tech out that does the job even better.  Of course there's also the risk of items being discontinued, but it should still save you money in the long run.

 

Is this motherboard available in your area?

ASUS P5BV-M LGA 775 Intel 3200 Micro ATX Intel Xeon Server Motherboard

That's what I use to get to 20 drives (two PCIe x8 slots + 4 onboard SATA ports).  I use it with a low power Celeron 430 because I don't do anything CPU intensive with my server.

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Definitely overkill.  Why did you change from an i3 to an i5?  The motherboard you've chosen supports both.

Yeah - I wasn't too sure about the whole P55 H55 thing mentioned earlier. If I can go the Intel Core i3 530 I will. Thx - that will save me $120 :)

 

MOBO: ASUS P7P55D-E PRO $206 AUD

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14187&cPath=897#getprice

2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 / 8x SATA (6x2 2x3) / Realtek  8112L LAN

Also overkill, but it will definitely work.

I am sure you are right  -it just seems to be hard to find an available MOBO that isn't overkill and has:

- Enough SATA ports

- 2 x PCIe x 16

- No other issues (HPA, unsupported LAN etc)

 

Hopefully you have a PCI video card laying around?

I should be able to find one. Somewhere.... ;)

 

What's your logic behind this?  The i3 would work just as well.

You're right - I'll go the i3 as above...

 

Is this motherboard available in your area?

ASUS P5BV-M LGA 775 Intel 3200 Micro ATX Intel Xeon Server Motherboard

That's what I use to get to 20 drives (two PCIe x8 slots + 4 onboard SATA ports).  I use it with a low power Celeron 430 because I don't do anything CPU intensive with my server.

I found it in one place... but it is listed @ $216 AUD though - more than the ASUS P7P55D-E PRO. Also for best performance don't I need PCIex16 for the AOC-SASLP-MV8?

 

On a side note - the 4220 arrived... Hooked up the fans to see how loud it was... Ouch! will have to replace them before I get this rig up and running. LOUD!

 

Many thanks for the detailed response  ;D!

 

Cheers,

Helio.

 

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I am sure you are right  -it just seems to be hard to find an available MOBO that isn't overkill and has:

- Enough SATA ports

- 2 x PCIe x 16

- No other issues (HPA, unsupported LAN etc)

 

It is not hard as you think - and Intel is not the only game in town....

 

5 min search on your vendor web site:

 

Motherboards

 

for $65 AUD - ASRock 770DE3L:

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=138_803&products_id=15258

This one will require the use of a cheap PCI video card (you said you have something)

ASRock as brand was spun off from Asus to be able to offer cheap stuff and not tarnish the Asus "higher end" image.

 

If you insist on Asus brand then get this one for $115 AUD - ASUS M4A87TD-USB3:

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=138_803&products_id=15008

 

Add one AMD Athlon II X2 245 for $69 AUD

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_345&products_id=12138

 

==========================================================================

End result - you can buy the two AOC-SASLP-MV8 and cables now and possible even save some money compared to your original build without the controllers. ;)

 

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Hmmmm - I guess that probably is a rather large oversight on my part. I have been kinda focusing on Intel.

 

I have also been looking for a minimum of 8 onboard Sata (to put off having to get the AOC-SASLP-MV8), which was probably the other reason I could not find any. Long term that might not be worth it considering I will still need 2 though.

 

I don't care about the manufacturer as long as it works. I will take a look-see.

 

Thanks :)

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The SuperMicro AOC-SASLP-MV8s actually run at x4, so any x4, x8, or x16 PCIe port will allow them to run at full speed.

 

I would definitely look into boards with 4 or 6 onboard SATA ports instead of 8.  Like you said, you'll need the second card anyway.  A 4 port board plus two SuperMicro cards will give you 20 drives.  A 6 port board will get you up to 22 drives (which is unRAID's current max).  The Norco 4220 of course supports only 20 3.5" drives, but you could install two 2.5" drives in the upper bays if you wish.

 

I've used one ASRock board and had no problems with it.  I do still consider Asus to be better quality, though.  I also like Biostar.  Both the boards posted above look good to me, though I would try to find one with onboard video just to keep things simple (this will save power over using a separate video card as well).

 

As for a CPU I would recommend either an Intel Celeron 430 or an AMD Sempron 140 if you plan on using unRAID stock (meaning minimal or no add-ons).  The i3 is great if you want to spend a bit more and have a more powerful machine capable of just about any add-on you throw at it.

 

Concerning the i3, an H55 board will allow you to get the optimal power savings from the i3 that others have reported.  The P55 will not.

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Thanks all again for the help. This is my final list. Turns out that the PCI GC card I thought I had was AGP - so I have gone onboard VGA. Also - tried to find most of it in one store to make it easier. I realise some may be a little overkill - but I am ok with that... as long as it works :)

 

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 Dual Core 245 2.9GHz $67 AUD

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=39835

MOBO: Asus M4A88TD-V-EVO-USB3 $137.50 AUD

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=46137

RAM: Corsair DDR3 2GB PC-10600 $55 AUD

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=39455

PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold M800 800W $225.50

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=47195

Flash: Corsair 4GB "Voyager Mini" USB2.0 Flash Drive $14.30 AUD

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=32092

Cables:

1 x SFF-8087 / SAS to SATA Reverse Breakout Cable $30 AUD

4 x SAS cables ($TBC)

PCI SAS adapter: 2 x AOC-SASLP-MV8 (ebay about $260 AUD delivered)

 

 

 

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Given the overspec on the rest of the build (which is neither here nor there, a bit of headroom is never a bad thing!) , I'm surprised at only 2 GB of RAM.

 

With an array of up to 20 disks and the data contained therein, I'd look at putting more RAM in - if only for the cache_dirs script to use.

 

I'd certainly sacrifice some of the other components for cheaper alternatives to help fund RAM if need be.

 

However it's easy enough to drop extra RAM in at any point in the future I guess.

 

 

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Given the overspec on the rest of the build (which is neither here nor there, a bit of headroom is never a bad thing!) , I'm surprised at only 2 GB of RAM.

 

With an array of up to 20 disks and the data contained therein, I'd look at putting more RAM in - if only for the cache_dirs script to use.

 

I'd certainly sacrifice some of the other components for cheaper alternatives to help fund RAM if need be.

 

However it's easy enough to drop extra RAM in at any point in the future I guess.

 

 

Well actually the Wiki suggested 1GB for the 20 drive setup. I only went 2GB because i had to get DDR3 and the only 1GB DDR3 was a crappy brand.

http://lime-technology.com/wiki/index.php?title=Hardware_Compatibility#20_Drive_Beast

 

I can get 4GB without breaking the bank...If this will make a difference?

 

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1 GB is the minimum, anything above that will be unused UNLESS you use a script or add-on like cache_dirs that specifically makes use of it.

 

I like to use single 2 GB sticks in my servers because it grants me the option of upgrading to 4+ GBs later without replacing smaller RAM sticks.

 

I like your parts list as it is.  That PSU is insane, but it will definitely work.

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1 GB is the minimum, anything above that will be unused UNLESS you use a script or add-on like cache_dirs that specifically makes use of it.

That is not entirely accurate.  As soon as you play a movie over 1GB in size, the added memory will be used to cache the disk blocks.

 

The OS has no way of knowing you'll not be accessing the blocks of data near the beginning of the movie again, it just buffers until it has no more free buffer.    You can use all the available buffer space by watching a single movie.

 

The statement of the RAM being unused is therefore not correct.  It is used, but will not affect how you can use the server.  I run with 512Meg in my older server and it does just fine serving movies AND running cache_dirs.

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I run with 512Meg in my older server and it does just fine serving movies AND running cache_dirs.

 

I would presume the more files you have, the more memory cache_dirs uses?

 

Working on the assumption that having 20 disks of data means you're going to have a decent number of files..the more memory the better. Whether 4 gigs is actually needed is the question, but it definitely won't hurt.

 

I noticed a significant improvement in cache_dirs effect going from 2 to 4 gigs on my modestly sized array. Although I do have a number of directories with high file counts.

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That PSU is insane, but it will definitely work.

 

He will have to watch out for proper power distribution if he ever fills the case as the PSU has only 4 MOLEX connectors (and he will need 5 for the backplanes, one for the middle fan assembly and possible one or two for the two fans on the back). Getting all these of a single modular cable may not help him much even with a single 98A rail.

 

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That PSU is insane, but it will definitely work.

 

He will have to watch out for proper power distribution if he ever fills the case as the PSU has only 4 MOLEX connectors (and he will need 5 for the backplanes, one for the middle fan assembly and possible one or two for the two fans on the back). Getting all these of a single modular cable may not help him much even with a single 98A rail.

 

 

That's a good point.  I power my Norco 4220 with 6 molex cables - 5 for the backplanes and 1 for all the fans.

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I will highly recommend you get an intel chipset based board like a Supermicro board with decent Intel NICs and probably built in IPMI. Looking at your other components it seems to me that you are going to build a top notch system. There is an execellent decent Dupermicro board with Intel NICs, some 4 or 5 PCIe slots and IPMI, just don't have the exact model name but may look it up.

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