---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Al Hopper <a...@logical-approach.com> Date: Sat, Nov 21, 2009 at 8:23 PM Subject: Re: [zfs-discuss] The 100,000th beginner question about a zfs server To: "R.G. Keen" <k...@geofex.com>
On Sat, Nov 21, 2009 at 7:08 PM, R.G. Keen <k...@geofex.com> wrote: > > With apologies for clogging up the forum with beginner questions - No problem - we've all been there. > I'm trying to figure out how to build a home zfs server. Common question. In > the last two months of reading the net and here, I've found many answers, > none of which would convince me to part with the $800-$1K to do it. > > So can someone take pity on a beginner and tell me - will this work? It's > about my seventeenth paper design for the server. Objectives are You get extra points for putting in this amount of effort before this post! > 1 - zfs and other considerations for data preservation It would be helpful to give us a broad description of what type of data you're planning on storing. Small files, large files, required capactity etc. and we can probably make some specific recommendations. > 2 - file server operation > 3 - units of terabytes, consistent with a few (less than a dozen) disks > 4 - as low an electrical power use as practical, given the above > > I've thrashed through Intel vs AMD, ECC, chipset support, number of ports, > adapters, and so on ad nauseum. Here's what I think will work: > > Supermicro MBD-X7SBL-LN1-O > intel Xeon E3110 > unregistered ECC, 4GB - 8GB I see that your research has shown the importance of using ECC memory. Hence the Xeon based choice. Good choice. > What I can't pick out of the overwhelming flood of raw data I've read is: > 1 - does opensolaris offer driver support for the SATA ports resident on the > motherboard (Intel® 3200 + ICH9R), or must I get another board to run them? > I'm happy with the six SATA ports on the MB to start with Yes the Intel ICH9R is supported. > 2 - does opensolaris directly support the LAN chips ( Intel 82573V) on that > MB, or must I grab a NIC to stick in a slot? The Intel based NICs are well supported by OpenSolaris and have been historically. Good choice. > 3 - does opensolaris support that graphics chipset (XGI Volari Z9S) well > enough to let me install and get it bootstrapped into operation, after which > I'll make it headless. It'll definately work in a VGA mode. Thats all you'll need for setup. > 4 - Are there any gotchas which would keep me from enabling and running the > ECC memory functions productively; I think this is a "no", but as long as I'm > asking questions... None. It's usually a BIOS config option and transparent to the OS. > Things of some considerations but lesser importance: > 5. Electrical power; the E3110 is a low-ish power chip (nominally 65W) Low > power is nice, but not a killer. I'd prefer it to be low, and am willing to > take slow to get more of that, because my file server needs are not in any > way real time. I just need a large, but reliable, bit bucket. The requirement for ECC limits you from most of the popular motherboard and processor choices. This is one of the few remaining dividing lines used to separate the marketplace into consumer or enterprise categories. And to enable use of a dual pricing schedule. > 6. Cost; I've been through several iterations of something with an AMD Athlon > 11 X2 240e with an Asus motherboard to get lower power and cost for the same > objectives. I can't tell that the silly thing would or would not be something > I could make run. And frankly, the data is worth more than the extra $200 or > so for the intel solution - iff the intel solution works. But I really am not > interested in buying a canned commercial solution for a couple of $K. I'm > willing to put in the work setting up and managing the system in lieu of > that, so there is a dollar threshold, I guess. Personally I get great satisfaction from rolling my own. > > And the last silly question. It seems to me that you'd have many, many > adopters if there was a real answer to what the HCL tries to be and isn't - > an answer to "if I buy this stuff, do I have a prayer of making it work, or > is there a subtle gotcha that's going to waste my time and money?" We used to > solve that with reference designs. They don't have to be perfect, they don't > have to be optimal, but they should be practical and they should be modestly > predictable given moderate skill in the art. Agreed - the HCL has not proved to be as useful, in practice, as most users would like. It's a difficult task - but the typical OpenSolaris builder is unwilling to put the effort in to contribute to the HCL. Current OpenSolaris releases work well enough and support enough current hardware that the risk of something mainstream *not* working is pretty slim. Of course its very inconvenient to install an OS and then find that it did'nt come with a driver for the onboard NIC, without the NIC, you can't get and install the required driver conveniently. > I think that an intel and an AMD reference design would be a screaming good > idea for improving the acceptance and population of opensolaris. Agreed. Overall I think you've done your homework very well. I'm sure others will contribute alternatives. In this post I've focused on the topic of the choices you've made, rather than discuss alternatives. Please keep the list posted on your progress and final config and what you learn through building and using it. Regards, -- Al Hopper Logical Approach Inc,Plano,TX a...@logical-approach.com Voice: 972.379.2133 Timezone: US CDT OpenSolaris Governing Board (OGB) Member - Apr 2005 to Mar 2007 http://www.opensolaris.org/os/community/ogb/ogb_2005-2007/ -- Al Hopper Logical Approach Inc,Plano,TX a...@logical-approach.com Voice: 972.379.2133 Timezone: US CDT OpenSolaris Governing Board (OGB) Member - Apr 2005 to Mar 2007 http://www.opensolaris.org/os/community/ogb/ogb_2005-2007/ _______________________________________________ zfs-discuss mailing list zfs-discuss@opensolaris.org http://mail.opensolaris.org/mailman/listinfo/zfs-discuss
