First Unraid setup

[kortina]

I have tried to run a software raid setup on a Win2008R2 box at home with horrible results.

 

I have used 5x1.5tb WD Eco Green Drives (EARS)

 

The array worked fine until I got a bad block, then the volume wouldnt resync.

 

Guys on the XBMC forum rave about how good unRAID is, so I would like to give it a go.

 

I hope to use some existing components to make it a bit cheaper

 

Existing parts:

Antec Sonata case with power supply

5 x 1.5tb WD Eco Green drives

aoc-saslp-mv8 (8 port SATA card)

 

Proposed parts list:

Intel mITX D510MO motherboard, ATOM 1.66Ghz (BOXD510MO) ($115AU)

Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Performance TwinX Matched ($65AU)

Copy of unRAID

 

The motherboard seems to have a Realtek RTL8111DL NIC.

 

Looks like for arount the $250(Australian) mark I could then make much better use of my existing drives.

 

I was thinking of just using 4 drives and saving the 5th as a spare.

 

Thoughts?

[joshpond]

What existing parts do you have already?

 

Are you going to use the win2008 box and convert completely to unRAID or did you want 2 boxes?

 

Have a look at the hardware wiki and hardware section for some boards that people have tested as working.

 

Intel mITX D510MO motherboard, ATOM 1.66Ghz

That board only has 2 SATA ports, one PCI and one PCI mini.

That will really limit your number of drives before you start getting bandwidth issues.

 

Your AOC SASLP MV8 needs a PCIe x4 slot to function to it's capacity.

 

I'd look for a new board and ram to go with the PSU and drives you have.

If you can find a board with 6-8 onboard SATA and a PCIe x4 or above slot then you'll get 14 to 16 drives in without a worry with the parts you have. (Your PSU might struggle though)

 

Josh

[alxnet]

I have tried to run a software raid setup on a Win2008R2 box at home with horrible results.

 

I have used 5x1.5tb WD Eco Green Drives (EARS)

 

The array worked fine until I got a bad block, then the volume wouldnt resync.

 

Guys on the XBMC forum rave about how good unRAID is, so I would like to give it a go.

 

I hope to use some existing components to make it a bit cheaper

 

Existing parts:

Antec Sonata case with power supply

5 x 1.5tb WD Eco Green drives

aoc-saslp-mv8 (8 port SATA card)

 

Proposed parts list:

Intel mITX D510MO motherboard, ATOM 1.66Ghz (BOXD510MO) ($115AU)

Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Performance TwinX Matched ($65AU)

Copy of unRAID

 

The motherboard seems to have a Realtek RTL8111DL NIC.

 

Looks like for arount the $250(Australian) mark I could then make much better use of my existing drives.

 

I was thinking of just using 4 drives and saving the 5th as a spare.

 

Thoughts?

 

Welcome to the club.  I did a ton of research before jumping in and from everything I've read, Unraid was clearly the superior option in terms of ease of use and the fact that even with multi drive failures, the data on the other drives remain intact.  It's also very easy to add drives of different sizes.  I'm completely new to Linux, still don't know much about it, but Unraid hasn't given me a single problem since first using it a year and a half ago.

 

I have an Intel brand board (G35 or G41 can't remember which) with a cheap SATA add in card for a total of 9 SATA ports.  I'm planning on a MV8 SAS board in the near future.

 

The WD Green drives are great.  I've got eight of them now and not one problem.  They're quiet and don't generate much heat.

I've got a Coolermaster case with three of their 4 in 3 drive cages (for a total of 12 slots) in a pretty compact mid-tower format.

 

As for power supplies, I've had great luck with Corsair.  They usually have single rail setups.

 

 

[wsume99]

The Antec Earthwatts PSU in your case has 2 12V rails.  It is highly recommended to use a single 12V rail.  I think the Corsair CMPSU-430CX is the recommended budget PSU and it should handle something like 12-14 green drives.  You should check out the budget builds on the wiki page.

 

And you're going to have to look elsewhere for a MB like joshpond said as the one you mentioned will not support your SATA card.  There are mITX boards out there with PCIx16 slots if that is what you really want to do however I'd suggest that you get a mATX board since they'll be cheaper (processor included) and you'll have more options for expandability.  It should also fit just fine in your case.  The MBs listed on the hardware wiki are usually older boards (i.e. the wiki is not up to date unless that's changed recently) so I'd suggest that you follow the general guidelines outlined for MB features on the wiki and select one that is economical then check the form to see if anyone has used it before.

[Rajahal]

I agree with what has been said above.

 

I built my first unRAID server around a dual rail Antec Earthwatts PSU.  You can still use it, just know its limitations and plan accordingly.  You'll probably want to upgrade eventually, but you can use it for now if you are on a tight budget.

[Loch]

Could you expand upon the limitations of the Earthwatts 2 rails vs the Corsair single? I'm using the Earthwatts and am now up to about 5 drives now. For $35 shipped after rebate, that Corsair seem a better choice but is it worth the upgrade if you already have the Earthwatts?  Thanks.

[Joe L.]

Could you expand upon the limitations of the Earthwatts 2 rails vs the Corsair single? I'm using the Earthwatts and am now up to about 5 drives now. For $35 shipped after rebate, that Corsair seem a better choice but is it worth the upgrade if you already have the Earthwatts?  Thanks.

Typically only one of the rails is used for all the molex and SATA power connectors and frequently it is also shared by the 24 pin power connector to the motherboard..  The other 12 volt rail used for the 4/8 pin CPU power connectors and PCIe video card connectors.  Since those unused PCIe connectors on the second rail do not have +5V they cannot be adapted to be used for disks unless you create a custom power harness tapping the 5V from somewhere else.

 

Basically it means your dual rail 430 watt supply may have less capacity to power disks than a single rail 300 watt supply.

[Loch]

Thanks Joe L.

 

So how many drives do you figure you can put on a dual rail vs single rail (say 7200 rpm to be conservative)? or maybe I should say, how many would you feel comfortable with. It sounds like one would probably be fine with 6-8 drives on the dual rail if I read joshpond correctly.

[prostuff1]

Thanks Joe L.

 

So how many drives do you figure you can put on a dual rail vs single rail (say 7200 rpm to be conservative)? or maybe I should say, how many would you feel comfortable with. It sounds like one would probably be fine with 6-8 drives on the dual rail if I read joshpond correctly.

 

7 tops and that is pushing it quite a bit.  You should probably not go over 6 drives on the supply.

[Joe L.]

Thanks Joe L.

 

So how many drives do you figure you can put on a dual rail vs single rail (say 7200 rpm to be conservative)? or maybe I should say, how many would you feel comfortable with. It sounds like one would probably be fine with 6-8 drives on the dual rail if I read joshpond correctly.

Figure 2 amps per "green" drive, 3 amps per drive for non-green.

 

According to one review site the Antec Earthwatts 430 power suply has:

Dual 12V outputs: 12V2 for Motherboard and peripherals; 12V1 for processor

 

So... the disks share the same 12volt rail as the motherboard.   The other rail is used for the CPU.  It is not available for disks.

From what I've read, the two rails are rated at 17 Amps each.  

 

You only have 17 Amps for all the disks, the motherboard, and all your fans.   If you had all low-power disks you would be pushing it with 6 disks, a few fans, and the motherboard.  There is no way you could put 8 disks on that supply...

 

Joe L.

[prostuff1]

Thanks Joe L.

 

So how many drives do you figure you can put on a dual rail vs single rail (say 7200 rpm to be conservative)? or maybe I should say, how many would you feel comfortable with. It sounds like one would probably be fine with 6-8 drives on the dual rail if I read joshpond correctly.

Figure 2 amps per "green" drive, 3 amps per drive for non-green.

 

According to one review site the Antec Earthwatts 430 power suply has:

Dual 12V outputs: 12V2 for Motherboard and peripherals; 12V1 for processor

 

So... the disks share the same 12volt rail as the motherboard.   The other rail is used for the CPU.  It is not available for disks.

From what I've read, the two rails are rated at 17 Amps each.  

 

You only have 17 Amps for all the disks, the motherboard, and all your fans.   If you had all low-power disks you would be pushing it with 6 disks, a few fans, and the motherboard.  There is no way you could put 8 disks on that supply...

 

Joe L.

 

Joe L is correct!  When I did my quick search I found the case that comes with the 500Watt PSU and has a little more power on the 12volt rails.

[Loch]

Thanks again for the info and sorry to hijack the thread.

 

I have 5 on it now and the 6th will be coming once I decide on whether to get the Supermicro card or a cheaper 2 port PCIE card, so it looks like I'll need an upgrade.

 

Rajahal has the 430CX going up to 15 drives on his builds. Does that sound right? I would imagine that would be fine. I guess I missed the Newegg deal last week but it's Amazon has the same price at Newegg with free shipping. Is the 450VX a better unit? I found it for like $9 more with longer warranty and much better reviews (CX gets very mixed reviews).

[kortina]

Supermicro stuff seems harder to get in Australia.

 

I have found a C2SEE board (new) on ebay for about $100 with postage which seems ok.

 

If I put a Celeron 430 in it, and 2 gig of ram would that be a good idea?

 

I think I will stick with the power supply I have, then upgrade it to a single rail PSU when/if I expand to more disks.

 

I dont really see the point in adding the hot swap bay stuff, it seems like a waste of money considering the rare event that a disk will need changing.

[wsume99]

I'm just about ready to build my C2SEE server.  I got it from Newegg for $20 a while back.  Just waiting on my CPU to arrive.  I have a friend that is using the C2SEE with 2GB of ram and the Celeron 430 and it is working just fine. There are lots of others that use this board (and probably that RAM and CPU) so it should work fine.

 

I see no reason why you can't use your existing PSU so long as you know it's limitations and are prepared to upgrade when necessary.

 

My server is in an Antec 300 case and I don't use hot swap enclosures.  Personally I'd rather just deal with the fuss than spend the extra $$$ for the convenience.  Your drives will most likely run cooler if they're not in the enclosures.

[alxnet]

My server is in an Antec 300 case and I don't use hot swap enclosures.  Personally I'd rather just deal with the fuss than spend the extra $$$ for the convenience.  Your drives will most likely run cooler if they're not in the enclosures.

 

That's my thinking too.  I've got some Coolermaster 4 in 3 drive cages which are basically just 3.5" rails, not removable enclosures.  I figure these will not only keep the drives cooler, but I don't have to worry about failures in the backplanes of the fancier swappable drive bays.  Just one less piece of hardware to worry about.

[joshpond]

Supermicro stuff seems harder to get in Australia.

 

I have found a C2SEE board (new) on ebay for about $100 with postage which seems ok.

 

If I put a Celeron 430 in it, and 2 gig of ram would that be a good idea?

 

I think I will stick with the power supply I have, then upgrade it to a single rail PSU when/if I expand to more disks.

 

I dont really see the point in adding the hot swap bay stuff, it seems like a waste of money considering the rare event that a disk will need changing.

 

That's not a bad way to start on the cheap. The only thing is if you have a problem with the supermicro board then sending it back can be a PITA although that is unlikely. If you want to buy in Australia, there are boards available. Have a read of the mobo section of the forum. From memory (and it is pretty poor) there is a newer gigabyte board (HPA disabled as defalut) that some are using with success but I think it is an ATX board but will allow 8 SATA and expansion to the limit of the license.

 

Josh

[Rajahal]

Rajahal has the 430CX going up to 15 drives on his builds. Does that sound right? I would imagine that would be fine. I guess I missed the Newegg deal last week but it's Amazon has the same price at Newegg with free shipping. Is the 450VX a better unit? I found it for like $9 more with longer warranty and much better reviews (CX gets very mixed reviews).

 

I do?  Please point out where, that is a mistake.  The 430CX is good for up to around 12 drives.  For 15 drives you should use the 500CX.  The 450VX is also suitable for 15 drives, but it is discontinued here in the US.  If you can get it easily where you are, then go for it.

[Loch]

Rajahal has the 430CX going up to 15 drives on his builds. Does that sound right? I would imagine that would be fine. I guess I missed the Newegg deal last week but it's Amazon has the same price at Newegg with free shipping. Is the 450VX a better unit? I found it for like $9 more with longer warranty and much better reviews (CX gets very mixed reviews).

 

I do?  Please point out where, that is a mistake.  The 430CX is good for up to around 12 drives.  For 15 drives you should use the 500CX.  The 450VX is also suitable for 15 drives, but it is discontinued here in the US.  If you can get it easily where you are, then go for it.

 

Sorry. You are correct. Thanks for putting together your recommended builds. They are super helpful not only for starting out but for figuring out upgrade options as well.

 

After way to much searching it looks to be the 430CX vs 450VX vs Neo Eco 520 all in the same price range. The Neo Eco looks to be the most bang of the buck (and gets pretty good reviews)

[wsume99]

Just wanted to clarify my comments relative to the use of the Celeron 430.  Since the OP did not specify the planned use for unRAID I'll just add that the Celeron 430 is more than capable of handling stock unRAID w/ unmenu but if you are planning on running lots of CPU intensive add-ons (i.e. airvideo, handbrake, or VMWare) then I'd suggest stepping it up to a more powerful CPU (i.e. dual core pentium).

[Rajahal]

Sorry. You are correct. Thanks for putting together your recommended builds. They are super helpful not only for starting out but for figuring out upgrade options as well.

 

After way to much searching it looks to be the 430CX vs 450VX vs Neo Eco 520 all in the same price range. The Neo Eco looks to be the most bang of the buck (and gets pretty good reviews)

No problem, always best to err on the side of caution.  I'm a fan of the Neo Ecos as well, they are high quality PSUs.  The only downside to them is that they don't ship with a power cord, so you have to scrounge for one from a previous build, an electronics store, etc.  So there may be a bit more hassle involved.

 

I really like the VX as well, but you should also be aware that certain VX units made later in the brand's lifespan have some issues with squealing under load.  This is a known problem, and Corsair will certainly send you a replacement unit, but again there may be some hassle involved.

 

I know the CX line is getting some mixed reviews, but I personally haven't had a single problem with them.  Out of the three options you listed, I would guess that the CX would be the most hassle-free.

[kortina]

After hours of reading through the forum and cross checking many AU hardware sites, I could not find a good board at a good price that people have stated as working.

 

I have ended up where I started, and ordered the C2SEE from eBay.

 

I have picked up a Celeron 430, and 4gig of Kingston ram (the stuff that another aussie guy recommended). While getting stuff posted, I ordered another 2tb drive.

 

I also ordered the two pro USB keys.

 

I am planning to run 4x1.5tb data drives, 1x2tb parity drive, and have 1x1.5tb drive as a spare(turned off)

 

Looking forward to putting it all together, just need to check that the PSU is up to it. 5 Eco drives and a low power Celeron shouldn't need anything to fancy.(I think)

 

 

[Rajahal]

Even though your power consumption will be low, don't skimp on the PSU.  Look for something with a single +12V rail.  Corsair, Seasonic, and Antec NEO ECO are generally the best.  Something like the Corsair 430CX should suit you nicely.

 

Also keep in mind that a spare isn't a true spare unless it can replace any drive that may fail.  With your current setup, you can only replace a failed data drive, not a failed parity drive.  You might want to switch your 2 TB parity drive with your 1.5 TB spare.  This would allow you to use the 2 TB to replace any drive that failed, no matter what type.

 

Just curious, how long does it take for the USB keys to travel from the US to AUS?