Need help - hardware requirement


N47H4N

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Hi all,

 

I'm new in the "Unraid" world. I've read a lot about Unraid and it seems coverage all me needs. Before I start, here is what I'm looking for:

- NAS with HUGEEEE storage 
- Docker
- VM
- Plex with hardware transcoding (Intel Quick Sync Video and maybe Nvidia NVENC/NVDEC)

- Budget: More or less unlimited if I'm sur that's the best hardware for my needs :) and if it's not over-needed

So I started to read stuff about hardware and compatibility with unraid, and here is my first "draft" configuration:

- Case: I've already a Norcotek RPC-4224 from an old FreeNas

- Power: No idea which one I need to be honest Seasonic Prime PX-1300
- CPU: 1x Intel i9-10900K Intel Xeon E-2388G
- RAM: 2x DDR4-2933 32Gb and ready to upgrade to 4x 32Gb (any recommandation about the brand?)

- RAM 4x Samsung 32Gb DDR4 3200 ECC
- HBA: Lsi Sas 9305-24i (a little bit expensive, so I really want to be sure that's the most suitable product to me ?)
- Disk: 10x TOSHIBA Enterprise Capacity 18Tb 4Kn MG09ACA18TA (first, I want to start with 10 disks and be able to upgrade to 24 disks if needed)

- Parity Disk: 2x TOSHIBA Enterprise Capacity 18Tb 4Kn MG09ACA18TA

- Cache Disk: 2x 2Tb PNY CS3040 SSD NVMe 1.4

- Cache Disk: 2x Samsung 870 QVO 8Tb

- USB Key for Unraid: Samsung Bar Plus 32Gb

- CPU Fan: Noctua NH-D9L
- Motherboard: Asus P12R-E/10G-2T MSI MEG 490 ACE or Azus Prime Z490-A ? (to be honest, it's the most complicate component... I need minimum 2 PCI for the HBA and an Nvidia card, more ? and M2 is a good idea for SSD cache. I was also looking for a motherboard with RAID for the Operating System of Unraid ?)

Am I missing something very important to build this new setup ? any recommandation are welcome !

thank you very much !

 

Edited by N47H4N
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44 minutes ago, N47H4N said:

I was also looking for a motherboard with RAID for the Operating System of Unraid

unRAID, as its name suggests, is not RAID.  You don't install unRAID OS on a hard drive (RAID or not) like with other OSes.  unRAID is "installed" on a USB flash drive from which the OS is loaded into and runs from RAM when the server boots. 

 

If you have a btrfs cache pool, the drives in the pool can be configured in some sort of RAID, but, your 'HUGEEEE' storage array of HDDs will not be in a RAID (whether using motherboard ports, an HBA or a combination of the two).  Each disk in an unRAID storage array has its own independent file system and can be read outside of unRAID by most Linux distros.

 

Clearly, budget is not a problem for you.  😁

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1 hour ago, N47H4N said:

- CPU: 1x Intel i9-10900K
- Motherboard: MSI MEG 490 ACE or Azus Prime Z490-A ? (to be honest, it's the most complicate component... I need minimum 2 PCI for the HBA and an

If the budget isn't a barrier, why bother with consumer grade? Move up to a dual CPU server MB with a pair Xeon's and ECC memory.  Greater expansion, more power, more room to handle unanticipated needs.

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2 hours ago, Hoopster said:

but, your 'HUGEEEE' storage array of HDDs will not be in a RAID

thx for your answer @Hoopster, I know that unRAID is not working as RAID. I've just read some people installing the OS (unRAID) on a disk instead of an USB stick. I'll also need a kind of RAID with the configuration of a parity disk. I need redundance on my data.

 

1 hour ago, whipdancer said:

If the budget isn't a barrier, why bother with consumer grade? Move up to a dual CPU server MB with a pair Xeon's and ECC memory.  Greater expansion, more power, more room to handle unanticipated needs.

 

Hi @whipdancer, yes it was my idea on the begining, but my main goal is running Plex with 4k hardware transcoding, and I didn't find any Xeon's CPU with Quick Sync Video . 

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1 minute ago, N47H4N said:

I'll also need a kind of RAID with the configuration of a parity disk. I need redundance on my data.

Parity allows you to recover data from a failed drive (or two with dual parity) onto a new drive, assuming all other data drives can be properly read, by calculating what is missing; however, the best way to protect that actual data is through one or more backups (I have three) of important data.  Since no data is actually stored on the parity drive(s) it is not really data redundancy.  A btrfs RAID cache pool configured for mirroring does provide redundancy of data stored there.

 

Perhaps you know all this and we are really saying the same thing, but, many new to unRAID have mistaken how parity works and made erroneous assumptions; just trying to prevent that in this case.

 

17 minutes ago, N47H4N said:

I've just read some people installing the OS (unRAID) on a disk instead of an USB stick.

Is there a reason why you really want to do this? It can be done but is a bit complicated and is not supported by Limetech should something go wrong.

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15 minutes ago, Hoopster said:

Perhaps you know all this and we are really saying the same thing, but, many new to unRAID have mistaken how parity works and made erroneous assumptions; just trying to prevent that in this case.

well... it was clear on my mind... but now you give me the doubt.. According the wiki here, you can configure one or two disk to act as a parity disk (more or less like RAID5 ?) anyway, you are right, the best solution is to have more backups, that's why I keep my synology and I'll have a synchronization between unRAID and Synology for the most important files. This system will store only data for my Plex so not really "sensitive" informations. I just want to be sure to not lose all my XXXX tb of data if only one disk fail.

and concerning the USB stick... you can say I'm stupid, it's more esthetics to NOT have an usb stick.. and I know that you can backup and transfer your license if the USB fail.. but if you have 2 disk on mirroring it's more safe... But you are right, let's start with an USB key :)


 

Edited by N47H4N
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Hi all,

 

I've updated my shopping list for Christmas, here is what I've already ordered:

- Norcotek RPC-4224

- Intel® Xeon® E-2388G 

- LSI SAS9305-24i

 

And I'm waiting to order :
- Asus 
P12R-E/10G-2T
- APACER 4x32gb

I hope to be able to build my configuration asap

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