Searching for NAS mobo

[cen1]

I am doing a FreeNAS build and I am searching for mobo with:
-LGA1150
-at least 8 SATA ports
-ECC support

It turns out that only a few workstation and higher priced server boards fall into this category. I only need a simple server mobo with many SATA ports.. is there really no market for this?

I could get a Controller/RAID card with a cheaper board but that brings possible compatibility issues and I am not sure it's much better price-wise anyway.

Any ideas?

 

[Dahak]

For the many sata ports not really. The only options would be a board with an additional SAS(raid) controller if you want it all on board.

Otherwise you can go with a simpler board, most intel board max out a 6 SATA ports, or even cheaper ones with 4 SATA ports and then add a RAID card like the IBM M1015 (or some sort of LSI Based controller) as they can be flashed into IT mode which is best if running FreeNas

I have been looking into rebuilding my storage server as well and looking into FreeNas or windows with storagespaces.

A few I have been looking at are Asrock's E3C226D2I (6XSATA 6G) ro E3C224D2I 24(2X6G SATA 4X3G SATA) as I only need 6 ports

 

[Cerb]

It turns out that only a few workstation and higher priced server boards fall into this category. I only need a simple server mobo with many SATA ports.. is there really no market for this?

Yes, there's a market for them. You already found them. Most people buy whole servers from big OEMs, so your selection isn't going to be huge. Even so, Supermicro and ASRock have a fair selection of boards. Intel can get a lot for a chipset that turns ECC on, and so they do.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157403
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157404 (has IPMI)

 

[_Rick_]

Check this list:
http://geizhals.de/?cat=mbxeon&xf=644_+Sockel-1150~2962_8#xf_top

and the Supermicro X10SL7-F which offers 6x SATA and 8xSAS in µATX at a reasonable price.

 

[cen1]

Thanks, this will help a bit.

 

[crashtech]

Wondering what it takes for a FreeNAS server to hammer a CPU hard enough to need a Haswell. Mine is using an old Xeon L5320 and it's never really straining with several family members using and at least one streaming HD.

 

[daxzy]

Wondering what it takes for a FreeNAS server to hammer a CPU hard enough to need a Haswell. Mine is using an old Xeon L5320 and it's never really straining with several family members using and at least one streaming HD.

That was my thought. I had a Core2 Duo based NAS and it didn't have any problems with file serving or streaming. Now with transcoding being more popular (720p is about the limit it can handle), I'm seeing the limitations and am forced to upgrade to a Haswell based NAS.

I picked up the following combo:

SM X10SLM-F (C224 based) for $130 Open Box from Newegg, and it came with the retail box and all accessories (including IO plate).

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C220/X10SLM-F.cfm

Used 6Gbps SAS HBA off eBay. With 2x SAS adapters, that's 8x 6Gbps SATA for $100. I see some Dell PERC H310's for around the $50 mark.

 

[crashtech]

That was my thought. I had a Core2 Duo based NAS and it didn't have any problems with file serving or streaming. Now with transcoding being more popular (720p is about the limit it can handle), I'm seeing the limitations and am forced to upgrade to a Haswell based NAS.

I picked up the following combo:

SM X10SLM-F (C224 based) for $130 Open Box from Newegg, and it came with the retail box and all accessories (including IO plate).

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C220/X10SLM-F.cfm

Used 6Gbps SAS HBA off eBay. With 2x SAS adapters, that's 8x 6Gbps SATA for $100. I see some Dell PERC H310's for around the $50 mark.

Well, we don't do any transcoding on the server, in fact, I don't know how to implement that. All the ripping and transcoding is done on the HTPC and synced up with the server later.

Maybe I need to check out the Plex plugin to give me a reason to upgrade!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Well, we don't do any transcoding on the server, in fact, I don't know how to implement that. All the ripping and transcoding is done on the HTPC and synced up with the server later.

Maybe I need to check out the Plex plugin to give me a reason to upgrade!

Plex transcoding works fine on a Celeron 1037U.

480p DVD rips eat about 25% of one core. I haven't tried, but it should be able to handle at least one stream of 1080p.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Used 6Gbps SAS HBA off eBay. With 2x SAS adapters, that's 8x 6Gbps SATA for $100. I see some Dell PERC H310's for around the $50 mark.

I was futzing around with a PERC H710 yesterday.

I read somewhere that the PERCs don't work so hot with FreeNAS. This reflected by experience as well.

Suse, Red Hat, ESX and Windows are the supported OSes according to Dell.

Ubuntu recognized it just fine though.

Just saying. *shrug*

 

[crashtech]

I should look a the logs more, but I know we have had 2 HD streams going at once before. Still wondering what a Haswell would be good for in a FreeNAS box, I understand wanting new hardware but it seems like Sandy and Ivy in particular have fuller selections of low power CPUs. and can still be had new.

 

[cen1]

Haswell requirement was not really that important, just want to get new hardware in general. I don't think the situation on the motherboard side is any different on older gens.

I guess my main surprise was that not a single vendor offers something like a "NAS" branded motherboard with a bunch of SATA/SAS ports. I've read about the recommended RAID cards on freeNAS forums but when the top recommendation is to buy these on eBay.. well, I am not impressed to say the least. If I can get all the ports already on the motherboard that's one less hassle to worry about.

 

[crashtech]

Not many lower end NASes need more than 6 drives.

 

[Dahak]

I was futzing around with a PERC H710 yesterday.

I read somewhere that the PERCs don't work so hot with FreeNAS. This reflected by experience as well.

Just saying. *shrug*

It has more to do with if you are going to run ZFS, it wants the bare drives and not araid below it, or the raid jbod's

If the card can be flashed into IT mode it might work fine

 

[Cerb]

Haswell requirement was not really that important, just want to get new hardware in general. I don't think the situation on the motherboard side is any different on older gens.

I guess my main surprise was that not a single vendor offers something like a "NAS" branded motherboard with a bunch of SATA/SAS ports. I've read about the recommended RAID cards on freeNAS forums but when the top recommendation is to buy these on eBay.. well, I am not impressed to say the least. If I can get all the ports already on the motherboard that's one less hassle to worry about.

The recommendation is to buy on eBay because you can get them so much cheaper than brand new, and they are quality server parts. $50-100 v. $250+. Because of the demand for quality well-supported cards in cost-sensitive Linux and FreeBSD builds, selling those cards at low cost offers more money for recycler/refurbisher guys than including them in some given used server, and better value for the buyer. There is nothing wrong with buying them used on eBay.

Nobody offers NAS branded motherboards, because motherboards with many ports can be used other ways, too (Supermicro does make them, with 6 Iintel + 4-8 LSI). NAS is something that happens after the build, when you expose files through a network file system. The same hardware can be used, for example, to provide a SAN, or simply as local storage for a server that needs lots of data and/or IOPS and/or bandwidth, and neither of those would be NASes, once built.

 

[cen1]

One more thing. If I get the IBM card do I also need to buy some kind of miniSAS to SATA cables?

 

[Lonyo]

The recommendation is to buy on eBay because you can get them so much cheaper than brand new, and they are quality server parts. $50-100 v. $250+. Because of the demand for quality well-supported cards in cost-sensitive Linux and FreeBSD builds, selling those cards at low cost offers more money for recycler/refurbisher guys than including them in some given used server, and better value for the buyer. There is nothing wrong with buying them used on eBay.

Nobody offers NAS branded motherboards, because motherboards with many ports can be used other ways, too (Supermicro does make them, with 6 Iintel + 4-8 LSI). NAS is something that happens after the build, when you expose files through a network file system. The same hardware can be used, for example, to provide a SAN, or simply as local storage for a server that needs lots of data and/or IOPS and/or bandwidth, and neither of those would be NASes, once built.

http://www.asrock.com/server/overview.asp?Model=C2550D4I
How about that? Not much else it can be except for a NAS.
Atom 2550. 4xECC DIMM slots, dual Gigabit LAN, 12 SATA ports (8x6gbps, 4x3gbps), 1xPCIe x8 slot

 

[Cerb]

One more thing. If I get the IBM card do I also need to buy some kind of miniSAS to SATA cables?

If it needs them but doesn't come with them, yes. Some have full-size SAS/SATA connectors, some SFF types. The cables are standard, though. Often, the cards are sold with the cables.

http://www.asrock.com/server/overview.asp?Model=C2550D4I
How about that? Not much else it can be except for a NAS.
Atom 2550. 4xECC DIMM slots, dual Gigabit LAN, 12 SATA ports (8x6gbps, 4x3gbps), 1xPCIe x8 slot

What if you wanted your own cheap SAN setup? Two of those could get you on your way, and that wouldn't be NAS (would that be a good idea? Well, that's a complicated question...).

 

[cen1]

That Avoton board seems perfect. Good find.

 

[Aikouka]

http://www.asrock.com/server/overview.asp?Model=C2550D4I
How about that? Not much else it can be except for a NAS.
Atom 2550. 4xECC DIMM slots, dual Gigabit LAN, 12 SATA ports (8x6gbps, 4x3gbps), 1xPCIe x8 slot

I'm actually considering going with the ASRock C2750D4I, which is a slightly higher-end model, for a new server build. I currently have a "server", and it technically works well, but honestly... I put it in quotes because it's really just a PC that shares files. I'd really like to "do it right". I found a post on the Plex forums where a user tried that same C2750 motherboard with Plex, and he managed four 1080p transcode streams without any problems. I don't believe he tried any more than that though.

What got me interested in this motherboard is that I've fallen in love! No, I'm not mistaking this for the Love & Relationships sub-forum, but I stumbled across a really nice NAS case on Amazon: Silverstone DS380B. I just love the fact that it seems to be designed specifically for use as a NAS -- including direct cooling for the hard drives! Unfortunately, they seem to be rather hard to find at this point.

EDIT:

Scratch that last part. Was able to find one in stock, but had to pay for shipping.

 

[crashtech]

http://www.asrock.com/server/overview.asp?Model=C2550D4I
How about that? Not much else it can be except for a NAS.
Atom 2550. 4xECC DIMM slots, dual Gigabit LAN, 12 SATA ports (8x6gbps, 4x3gbps), 1xPCIe x8 slot

I didn't even know ASRock made anything like that! It's perfect!

 

[ethebubbeth]

I didn't even know ASRock made anything like that! It's perfect!

Yeah, I'm contemplating that board for a spare NAS and potentially another for a pfsense router box. It's everything I'd been wanting for a small NAS. Dedicated IPMI, Dual intel NIC, fanless operation, 12 sata ports, and ECC UDIMM support.

 

[Lonyo]

I only found it because I was browsing for cheap mITX boards on Amazon and it was one of the results which came up for Atom and mITX. It was interesting but I don't have a real use for it.
Nice that it potentially might help some other people.

 

[_Rick_]

I suppose that Atom exposes encryption acceleration. But is it supported by the FreeNAS crypto routines?
That's the only thing that might make me not recommend that combo.

Edit: it looks like it's just exposed via vanilla AES-NI operations.
Also, only now I realized, that 8-core Avoton can probably keep up with the dual core i5 650 I have in my current server, when it comes to most tasks that I run on it (crypto, transcoding, zip/unzip)
Shame there's only 12 SATA headers on there - I'd like a 13th for the ODD.
With a single PCIe it's also not going to take both a sound card AND a TV card, but an external DAC might be an option.
Of course, 400 euro for the board + CPU doesn't really make it a financially better option, compared to Haswell Xeon or i3 + C226, where I can get all the ports I want, and won't be PCIe limited.

But then I'm looking at running a more fully featured server - for a pure NAS with 10-12 disks in a RAID and boot/OS on USB, this is a nice machine.