Time for a new unRAID Server


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Hi Gang,

 

I have been an unRAID user for a long, long time. My latest server has been running since 2011 and I decided it's time to upgrade. I'm having some "weirdness" with the existing system that doesn't seem to have an obvious solution so instead of blindly replacing components... let's build a new one!

 

Existing system: 6 x 2TB drives and 5 x 1TB drives in 2 x 5in3 cages and 2 x in trays. Running unRAID 5.0.6 (15TB usable storage 13TB in use *before purging)

 

Requirements: NAS, Plex (1-2 users max), maybe one or two other things.

 

Stipulations: no reuse of anything from existing system (maybe a drive or two at first) just in case something there is on it's last legs. System "should" be able to grow a little but max out at 8 drives total. ( 1 x Parity, 1 x SSD cache, 6 x StorageDrives )

 

Proposed parts list:

 

Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (already bought when on sale for $120)

Supermicro MBD-X11SSM-F-O Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

Intel Xeon E3-1230 V5 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (open box for $271CDN)

Kingston ValueRAM 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory x 2 (16GB total)

SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

 

240GB SSD for cache

3 x 4TB to start (or 5TB or 6TB depending what I can get on sale)

 

So, does anyone see anything wrong with that?

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on some good SATA cables? I like to tidy things up and I hear that cross-talk is a possible issue with non-shielded SATA cables.

 

The plan is to build it and put it in place on the same network as the other. Once burned in and cleared I will begin moving (and purging) from the old server to the new. (I have a second USB as I purchased two licenses way back when).

 

I think that's it to start.

Thanks for looking.

Sam

 

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That looks like a good build to me.  I constantly keep an eye out on what I'd build next.  If my "production" server began having trouble, I'd build something with most of the same components you have listed.  Maybe a little more CPU, maybe a little larger power supply, but largely the same overall.  I'd probably use larger disks, though.  I'd rather manage a smaller array of 6TB or 8TB disks than a larger array of 3TB or 4TB disks.

 

I use Startech cables like these in my current setup.  They've been fine, though you'd use their regular cables not SAS/SATA.  To eliminate cross talk don't bundle SATA cables up tightly with wire ties, that causes problems.

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I hear you on the smaller array, but the price for the same amount of usable space is more with the larger drives... unless you can catch a sale. Come on, BlackFriday! Of course, I can just start with some 4TBs... and add 6TBs later. That's the beauty of unRAID.

 

Those are the same cables I have right now on my existing system. I am looking for something a little nicer. I wonder if I can get braided ones or not?

 

Anyway, thanks for the reply, tdallen.

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  • 2 weeks later...

To eliminate cross talk don't bundle SATA cables up tightly with wire ties, that causes problems.

 

No.  ::)

There are MANY MANY verified instances of problems being solved by unbundling SATA cables. Whether it's crosstalk or the crappy design of the push on connectors isn't really the issue, the facts are putting tension on SATA cables by tightly bundling them is a bad idea.

 

Personally I suspect crosstalk has nothing to do with it, I believe the entire issue is the pull away from center put on the cables instead of letting the connector relax into the socket. If you look inside the SATA connectors, the little spring wires that make contact aren't designed to have any up or down stress applied, as both upper and lower connections have to make a solid connection to ensure no data errors.

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Yeah, it's not crosstalk unless you're using the world's shittiest SATA cables. 

 

Proper SATA cables have twisted pairs, and SATA itself is a differential signal (LVD), so that's also really, really difficult to make crosstalk. 

 

Put it like this, pretty much every Dell or HP PC I've seen since they began using SATA has had at least two SATA cables running together, and they never give any trouble.

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Started assembly on the unit. A couple pictures for you.

 

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I also found what was "open box" about the CPU. The CPU itself was nice and clean but the heatsink had "dry" paste on it. I guess it was worth the $80 saving.  :D

I think I will buy an aftermarket quiet version. Any suggestions?

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Also, not sure what the sticker "Both 8 pins required for Heavy Load Configuration" is talking about. There is only one 8 pin connector under there. Anyone have any ideas?

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The CPU itself was nice and clean but the heatsink had "dry" paste on it.
That's the residue of the intel paste after it's been heated and pulled back apart. If you are reusing the hs, clean that junk off with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel before you apply fresh compound.

Also, not sure what the sticker "Both 8 pins required for Heavy Load Configuration" is talking about. There is only one 8 pin connector under there. Anyone have any ideas?

Pretty sure that's engrish for "Use an 8 pin connector instead of just a 4 pin if you are fully loading the motherboard". I'm sure the connections are just paralleled, the motherboard logic doesn't know or care if you have an 8 pin instead of a 4 pin, but under heavy load the pins and wires could get hotter than specified. It would boot just fine with only the 4 pin.
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Yes, I guessed it was from the previous application of thermal paste. If I decide to use the pack-in heatsink I will clean and reapply. But I'm currently researching other (quieter, more effective) options.

 

Ahhhh "engrish" that makes total sense then. I was scouring the board looking for the "second" 8-pin CPU connection but couldn't find one (obviously).

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Your new build is nearly identical to what i built a few months ago! Same motherboard and a similar process and number of drives. I kept my stock heatsink,  while it's the only fan I hear, it's not bad at all. No issues with temps either. I also replaced all my case fans with much quieter fans, though the Supermicro fan headers don't like the low fan speed and kept revving them up and down. To fix it you have to manually lower the minimum fan speed of the fans.

 

 

I just added a mellanox Connectx-2 10Gb network card to the build and a one on my workstation. this thing flies!

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Your new build is nearly identical to what i built a few months ago! Same motherboard and a similar process and number of drives. I kept my stock heatsink,  while it's the only fan I hear, it's not bad at all. No issues with temps either. I also replaced all my case fans with much quieter fans, though the Supermicro fan headers don't like the low fan speed and kept revving them up and down. To fix it you have to manually lower the minimum fan speed of the fans.

 

Nice. I decided to keep the stock CPU fan and see how it goes. I started up a mem test last week and then ended up onsite at a customer for 5 days. I just got back and the test had completed over 194,000 passes...without any errors. So I think I'm safe there! The CPU temp was at 42C during the testing. I think that's probably OK but I'll keep an eye for now.

 

I also replaced the stock 2 case fans with 3 x Fractal Design Silent Series fans that were on sale on Black Friday. I have 2 pulling in at the front, and 1 pushing out the back. I'll need to look into those fan settings you spoke of and see what speeds they are set to. I don't hear them at all.

 

I just installed 3 x 4TB Seagate Desktop drives (also from Black Friday) and will start preclearing to see what happens.

 

More pictures soon.

 

 

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I also replaced the stock 2 case fans with 3 x Fractal Design Silent Series fans that were on sale on Black Friday. I have 2 pulling in at the front, and 1 pushing out the back. I'll need to look into those fan settings you spoke of and see what speeds they are set to. I don't hear them at all.

 

 

 

Sweet, I also put in a few Fractal fans in mine. While I'm not 100% sure this is how i fixed the issue. This post looks what I did to lower the speed. https://calvin.me/quick-how-to-decrease-ipmi-fan-threshold/

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  • 3 weeks later...

So, I've taken the new baby home and installed it to a temporary location. I've started copying files off the old server (after disabling parity and enabling Turbo Writes). So far so good! It's very quiet after installing the new Fractal Design Silent Series fans. Although the originals weren't very noisy to begin with. Actually, I think the most noise comes from the CPU fan. Regardless, it's pretty damn quiet.

 

Once the copying is done I will turn on the parity and run a good few checks to make sure things are good. I will be swapping some hard drives from the old server into the new one once things have been copied. Then I can clean up the wires in the back a bit more.

 

I lucked out and found a UPS on sale. It was more than I wanted to spend, but it will drive both this server and my gaming machine so I'll take it.

 

Here's some more pictures. Not the greatest quality... I wonder how much it would cost to have a professional come in and do some glamour shots?  ;) JK.

 

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Here's some more pictures. Not the greatest quality... I wonder how much it would cost to have a professional come in and do some glamour shots?  ;) JK.

 

 

You might consider using Photoshop Elements.  This took about a minute-and-a-half! (And I should have straighten which would have added fifteen seconds.)

Retouched.jpg.49e95cc2762bd37ecb223d255f29fb6e.jpg

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