My First unRAID from spare parts

[KYThrill]

I'm new to the forum, and new to the whole NAS, unRAID, FreeNAS, etc. scene.  I'm very computer savvy (I've never bought a single desktop PC in my life, only built them) and I think I've decided I want to get my feet wet building an unRAID.  I need a media server to stream DVD and BD .iso's through my home network.

 

Since this is my first shot, I would like to build my unRAID using spare parts I have lying around.  Here is a list of what I've got:

 

• PC Case w/ 4 x 5.25" ext bays, 2 x 3.5" ext bays, 4 x 3.5" int bays
  
• Rosewill RV430-2-FRB (+12V1@14A,+12V2@15A)
  
• GIGABYTE GA-G41M-ES2H Motherboard (on-board video)
  
• Pentium E6300 Wolfdale 2.8GHz Dual Core
  
• 4 GB (2x2) Corsair XMS2 RAM
  
• 2x  Rosewill RC-201 PCI SATA x2 (Silicon Image Chipset)
  
• WD Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB SATA 7200 rpm (2.45 A-p)
  
• WD Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB SATA 5400 rpm (1.39 A-p)
  
• WD Caviar Green WD10EAVS 1TB SATA 5400 rpm (1.67 A-p)
  
• WD Caviar Blue WD10EALS 1TB SATA 7200 rpm (1.95 A-p)
  
• 4GB SanDisk Cruizer Micro
  

 

I think the CPU, RAM and MB have more than enough power to run unRAID from what I have read.  The MB also has built in video and GB ethernet.  The MB has 4 SATA ports and the Rosewill cards have two each.  So that allows me 8 SATA drives in this configuration.  I probably won't even put in the Rosewill's yet, since I will only start with three drives (and only have 4 spares total anyway).

 

The PSU is a little weak.  It is dual rail, and not a very powerful one at that.  However, it did run 2x WD5000AADS  and the WD7501AALS for two years, along with two optical drives and never had a problem.  Do you think I can get buy with it in a 4-drive system for awhile?  My peak amps are only about 50% capacity of one rail.  If drives 5 and 6 are green drives, I may be able to squeeze those in too (~10A), but anything beyond that would require a new PSU right?

 

I had planned on using the WD10EALS 1TB drive for the parity drive.  In benchmark tests, it is 30% faster than my next fastest drive.  Since it would be accessed on every write, I thought it should be at least as fast as any drive that is being written.  Is that my best approach?

 

The only parts I plan to buy are a 5x3 SATA backplane and a 1x1 trayless backplane.  This will fill my four 5.25" bays and give me six drives I can hot swap.  If I need to expand beyond that, it will require a new PSU and either a new case, or add the next drives internal.

 

As far as hardware, am I overlooking anything essential for the build?  Does unRAID do okay with the mouse and keyboard disconnected.  Or does it even need one at all (can it all be done through the web interface)?  Until I get a KVM switch, mouse/keyboard is plug/unplug between another system.

 

I look forward to any input/suggestions.  I hope to start the build this weekend.

 

Thanks!

[poofyhairguy]

Two things:

 

1. I have that board (I use it for a hackintosh). Watch for HPA.

 

2. Your are right, the PSU's limit is probably 4 or 5 drives.

 

3. I would go for a PCIe sata card, not PCI.

 

Otherwise looks good. I used old parts on my two builds.

[Rajahal]

Yep, looks like you've thought of everything.  I agree with using your WD Blue drive as a parity drive.  I would just use the hardware you have now (making sure HPA is disabled).  When you exceed the capacity of your PSU, replace it.  If you start noticing slowness, replace your PCI SATA cards.  Everything you have now will work, it just isn't ideal.

[KYThrill]

Yeah, I know PCI isn't ideal.  I thought it might be good enough since the RB-1200 that Lime sells uses PCI cards. 

 

I'm not 100% sure those SATA cards will work.  They aren't specifically on the supported list, but they are SI chips, and the list says basically anything with an SI chip.  They do have linux drivers for download off the web, which gave me some hope.  I won't need them for the first four drives anyway.

 

The MB doesn't even have any PCIe X1 slots, so when I need that as an upgrade, it will require a new MB.  In theory, I guess I should be able to put a x1 card in the unused x16 slot.  Maybe I can find a good, cheap one before needing to add drives 5&6.

[Rajahal]

If your Rosewill cards don't work (I expect they will), I've got a used Promise TX4 card (4 ports on PCI) that I'll sell for cheap

[BRiT]

Two things.

 

1) Watch your HPA.

 

2) Read this topic to understand limitations of PCI bus and what the better alternatives are (Onboard or PCI-Express) http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=7520.0