build critique: file server/NAS

[designgeek]

hi all; i am building a network storage box for my studio and before i hit the "buy" button at newegg i just wanted to run it by those who are far more in the know than i am to make sure it all looks kosher:

Asus M2NPV-VM
AMD Sempron 64 3000+
Enermax Noisetaker EG425P-VE 420w power supply
Corsair 512MB DDR2 RAM
Cooler Master Centurion 5 case

and i will be putting in three or four 500GB Seagate 7200.10 SATA drives in RAID 5. i already have a small IDE boot drive, a CDRW and a floppy.

this box will run FreeNAS and serve files only to a maximum of two macs running OS X and using AFP (so goes the theory at least.) This will do nothing other than that; no SQL, no web serving, etc.. just storage. While i wanted to keep this dirt cheap and just spend the money on the drives, i decided that the cost difference between "dirt cheap" and "inexpensive but good" is really not that much, so i went for the more brand name stuff that i know to be quality.

thanks in advance for you comments!

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Dumb question; but did you check to make sure that FreeBSD/FreeNAS supports your SATA controller?

- M4H

 

[bob4432]

imho your hardware is much more than what is needed for build. if all is supported by freeNAS then that is cool, but you could use a 1GHz or even less and be fine. so you are definately ok in the h/w dept

 

[designgeek]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Dumb question; but did you check to make sure that FreeBSD/FreeNAS supports your SATA controller?

edit: i am reading the FreeBSD supported motherboard list and it looks like this board has issues. drat! (tho thanks for pointing that out.) any reccomendations on a board with 4 x SATA 3.0 and gigabit LAN?

edit number 2: looks like the M2NBP-VM is ok. and $12 cheaper.

and i absolutly agree that the hardware is more than is needed, but as i mentioend the difference between going to the bottom end stuff (new product - not interested in used) makes for a total price difference of maybe $100. for $100 id rather have too much than just enough. i also hope to use this box for many years so i wanted buy something with some legs to it.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: designgeek

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Dumb question; but did you check to make sure that FreeBSD/FreeNAS supports your SATA controller?

edit: i am reading the FreeBSD supported motherboard list and it looks like this board has issues. drat! (tho thanks for pointing that out.) any reccomendations on a board with 4 x SATA 3.0 and gigabit LAN?

edit number 2: looks like the M2NBP-VM is ok. and $12 cheaper.

and i absolutly agree that the hardware is more than is needed, but as i mentioend the difference between going to the bottom end stuff (new product - not interested in used) makes for a total price difference of maybe $100. for $100 id rather have too much than just enough. i also hope to use this box for many years so i wanted buy something with some legs to it.

personally i wouldn't worry about the 3.0 as regular sata is fine - 150MB/s str is much more than any single 15K u320 scsi/sas can saturate (fastest is ~125MB/s from the newest seagate 15k.5 line which uses perpendicular recording but very expensive). sata 3/sataII is more for the ncq, which is again, is not too good on sata and actually hinders performance from the benchmarks i have seen - more of a marketing than anything else

just out of curiosity, have you looked at the price comparison to the new am2 65nm dual cores? ddr2 just took a major price dive so that may be a way to go too, plus the 65nm cpus will be more efficient, put off less heat, etc than the skt754

edit - don't know where i got 754????? nevermind in that area

 

[nweaver]

I would look at a nice server class machine if this were me...contact your local supermicro dealer. Enterprise class hardware is more expensive for a reason...

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: designgeek
hi all; i am building a network storage box for my studio and before i hit the "buy" button at newegg i just wanted to run it by those who are far more in the know than i am to make sure it all looks kosher:

Asus M2NPV-VM
AMD Sempron 64 3000+
Enermax Noisetaker EG425P-VE 420w power supply
Corsair 512MB DDR2 RAM
Cooler Master Centurion 5 case

I think this is a decent build, but there are some things that I'd change and consider changing if I was making it for myself.

Case: I'd replace it with an Antec SLK3000B + 1 120mm fan.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129152

Advantages: Removable drive cage for 5 cooled drives. 120mm fan.
Price: +$5 + fan

CPU: I'd want an inexpensive dual core.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103046

Advantages: Coolness. Greater potential for future / high CPU applications.
Price: +$59

I have managed to max a 2 GHz AMD 64 CPU in some file server applications (high speed gigabit ftp, RAID 5). I don't claim that this is a regular occurrence -- only that issues like this can arise at some times (esp. with less than ideal drivers or software), and that modern dual cores are cheap.

I do claim that many underestimate the CPU requirements of file servers based on older / lower performance expectations. There's a reason that consumer NAS boxes give poor gigabit performance, and this is largely because their CPUs are underpowered. I've posted measurements showing actual file transfer performance on the order of 100 MB/s. If people disagree with such opinions about modern CPU benefits, I'd invite them to back that up with high performance figures that they've achieved with their builds and the details of the setup and testing. That could be a fun and informative separate thread.

To be clear: The Sempron is probably just fine for this application, and if the price difference is material, it's the better choice. If the price difference is not material, then you could consider alternatives for some potential benefits.

The other thing I'd consider is a shift to an Intel-based build, assuming that AMD-based driver / OS support might not be the best, but Intel would likely be. This one really needs to be evaluated by comparing the builds / performance in detail, and short of that, would be just something of an "insurance" step. You'd also need to check Intel driver / chipset support details. Just a couple of examples:

E.g. Intel Q965 chipset

E.g. Asus P5B-VM DO http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131085

E.g. Intel http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813121056

Advantage: Intel drivers, >= 6 SATA
Price: + $38

Your RAM should be fine.
Inexpensive Intel dual cores are available, albeit with older design.

E.g. 915 retail: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116253
Price: + $54.

Again, the original is a decent build IMO, and I don't really intend to invalidate it all, but there are many alternatives, and the above are ones that come to my mind.