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[SFF] unRAID Server
#31
EndiSky Wrote:You wouldn't need to get a micro atx mobo for that Raidmax case, an ATX would be fine.

Oh yes I know I can go full ATX... that is what I had in there before... just thinking about that Micro Atx mobo from Asrock....

Sound good that I can stick it in the closet..... I think I will do this since it will save me from buying a new case.

T800 I am going to be using all the same gear as you.... I will have questions for you when I set it up. I will PM you maybe you can help me.

So here is my list:


AMD Sempron 145 Sargas 2.8GHz Socket AM3

Lexar JumpDrive FireFly 4GB

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 How many HD's can this handle?

ASRock 880GM-LE AM3

Crucial 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 I have two sticks of this already so I'll just use one.

Stupid question... does Unraid show as one huge hard drive?

Oh and yes I don't plan to run any other software on it.... just for all my entertainment and documents.

LOL I found a place for it in this closet... LOL

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#32
Beer40oz Wrote:question... does Unraid show as one huge hard drive?

Sort of... what it does is show as "shares".

For example, what I have for shares are:

HD Movies
HD TV
Music
Backups
SD Movies
Comedy

But that is what I see when I access my Unraid server via "network". Keep in mind that your XBMC will see whatever you map it too.

The computer that I access my data from in the office (not really an XBMC machine) has the Network mapped drives of Comedy, HD movies, and HD TV (all showing 1.53 TB of 6.82 TB Free (right now at least))because I occasionally go in and manually manipulate the data in those folders.

As for space, don't worry too much on how it organizes it, I have probably 3-3.5 tb of HD movies, all across different drives I'm sure.

Hope that made a little sense!
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#33
ps... as for the space in the closet... just make sure that there is either plenty of airflow (open closet) or plenty of unobstructed volume of air (emptier closet)
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#34
@Beer40oz - I forgot to answer your original questions ...

Beer40oz Wrote:Now do people leave on there Unraid system all the time?
Can it be shutdown by clicking the power button? I need this to be WAF....
Your options are (in order of highest WAF as I see it):
1) Place the server hidden away in the basement or a closet and let the server stay on all the time. IMO leaving the server on all the time will definitely give you the best user experience because your files are just a click away. My server with three green drives and a laptop drive for apps uses ~42w when it is sitting idle and all the drives are spun down. Use an atom or i3 and you can get even lower power use.
2) Use S3 sleep and have your htpc send WOL commands to wake the server. This can sometimes be hard to get working properly. I used to use this method but now I just leave my server on all the time.
3) Install the powerdown package from unmenu and you can schedule a powerdown time using your go file. You can then setup a scheduled time to power up the server in your motherboard's BIOS.
4) Install the powerdown package from unmenu and use the power button on the case to manage the server's power state. I would only do this as a last resort. If you're thinking of using this method I'd seriously reconsider your decision to build a server.

Actually I would install the powerdown package regardless of what option you decide to use. That way you can always just use the power button on the case whenever you need to.

Beer40oz Wrote:I already have a Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS 2TB that I can use but it's been hooked up to my Gigabyte Mobo so I guess I need to take off the HPA.... how can I even find out if the HD has HPA in it?
I've never had to deal with HPA. Try reading this thread and see if it helps.

Beer40oz Wrote:Now what Hard drive is recommended for Parity? My friend has a Caviar Black 2TB that I could use is this a wise choice?
If I were you I would use whatever drives I had on hand first because you don't need to spend any money. If you need to purchase a drive I'd get a green drive because they are cheaper to buy, they use less power which means they are cheaper to operate, and they'll generate less heat. There is a difference in performance between an all 7200 rpm array and an all green array but I just don't see that added bit of performance being worth the additional cost - which can be substantial if we're talking 2TB and 3TB drives.

The rule of thumb for the parity drive is that it must be as large or larger than each of the data drives. There is not a substantial benefit to having a black (7200 rpm) parity drive if you have green data drives. I have done this before and I ended up replacing my 1TB black parity drive with a 2TB green drive. If you are going to have a mixture of drive speeds I would use the 7200 rpm drives as your data drives because you will get higher throughput when you're reading from the data drive but when writing to that data drive the speed will be dictated by the slower green parity drive. Hopefully that makes sense.
HTPC: Win 7 Home 64-bit | MB | CPU | GPU | RAM | Case | PSU | Tuner | HDDs: OS, Media | DVD Burner | Remote
Media server: unraid 4.7 | CPU | MB | RAM | Case | PSU | HDDs: Parity-2TB, Data-2x2TB
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#35
Beer40oz Wrote:LOL I found a place for it in this closet... LOL

Image
LOL - I have my server in the basement sitting on that exact same TV tray.
HTPC: Win 7 Home 64-bit | MB | CPU | GPU | RAM | Case | PSU | Tuner | HDDs: OS, Media | DVD Burner | Remote
Media server: unraid 4.7 | CPU | MB | RAM | Case | PSU | HDDs: Parity-2TB, Data-2x2TB
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#36
Thank you guys for your quick answers.... so what do you guys think about the hardware I have listed on the top?

or get this ASUS M4A88T-M LE AM3 AMD 880G

I heard you can go 12 HD's with out the need of a $100 SuperMicro card to get more SATA outputs.... (if needed) as where the Asrock 880gm you do need that $100 card....
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#37
well yeah,
the ASRock 880GM-LE can hold a max of 18HDD's but,
you can only go up to 10HDD's before the need of buying that $100 SuperMicro card
for the remaining 8HDD's,,,

the ASUS M4A88T-M can hold a max of 20HDD's but,
you can go up to 12HDD's before the need of buying that $100 SuperMicro card
for the remaining 8HDD's,,,

So yeah, if you dont think going over 10HDD's,
i guess the ASRock 880GM-LE is a great choice in this case!
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#38
Beer40oz Wrote:Thank you guys for your quick answers.... so what do you guys think about the hardware I have listed on the top?

or get this ASUS M4A88T-M LE AM3 AMD 880G

I heard you can go 12 HD's with out the need of a $100 SuperMicro card to get more SATA outputs.... (if needed) as where the Asrock 880gm you do need that $100 card....
Well since it looks like both boards have a NIC that has been reported to work just fine with unraid I think either one would work well. It's really just up to you. If you think you'll actually need to go up to 12 drives then get the asus board. I'm not sure how much data you'll be accumulating but one thing to keep in mind is that it might be a long time before you get to 12 drives and by that time you may not even have your original MB. If that's the case then you might want to just get the cheaper board. But like I said, either one should work just fine it's really up to you to decide which one best fits your situation.

BTW - The corsair 430w PSU will power up to 12 green drives.
HTPC: Win 7 Home 64-bit | MB | CPU | GPU | RAM | Case | PSU | Tuner | HDDs: OS, Media | DVD Burner | Remote
Media server: unraid 4.7 | CPU | MB | RAM | Case | PSU | HDDs: Parity-2TB, Data-2x2TB
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#39
Right now also I have a regular router that goes 10/100....
Will the unraid system suffer transferring data? will it be slow?

I should then buy a gigabit router too right? D-Link DIR-655
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#40
wsume99 Wrote:BTW - The corsair 430w PSU will power up to 12 green drives.

+1

for 15HDD's, go for the CORSAIR 500W,,,,
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#41
wsume99 Wrote:@ Beer40oz - let me offer you some unsolicited advice ...
I would be careful when taking advice from others on these forums. I'm not saying to ignore what is being said but there are some people on here that will give advice on what to purchase and how to setup/use a product that they themselves have never even bought or used. As an unraid builder and user I can tell you that some of the advice and expalanations I see on this forum range from needlessly vauge to downright incorrect. My suggestion to you would be to ask those who offer advice on how they use THEIR OWN unraid system. That's not to say that you have to have your own unraid system to know anything about it, BUT reading about something is certainly much different than actually having experienced it firsthand. If you are going to build an unraid server my suggestion would be to visit the unraid forums. There you will find loads of actual users who will be more than happy to assist you in a very friendly manner.

I disagree with the loads of people comment, frankly I found lots of people on the unraid forum ready and able to convince you to get one, but if you have any problems with it don't expect a quick response from any of those people YMMV of course.

But I have had questions go for 2 weeks before someone gives you a 2 line sentence that begs a followup that may come a week later. Those that really know about unraid rarely look at your problem syslogs if your lucky enough to have a syslog. If the computer outright crashes and does a powerdown there is nothing to look at to provide clues as too the source, syslogs die when the power goes.

Don't mean to dissuade interested parties from it it is a good system once it is up and running stable but it's not a backup solution, be prepared to troubleshoot your own issues, buy only vouched for hardware unraid is notoriously picky, and enjoy the nerd ride.

There are other options but most are more expensive and just as finnicky with less options but interested buyers should know that unraid is not for fire and forget crowd.
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#42
@Zedd - I am sorry to hear that you had a difficult time getting your problems addressed. My comments are based upon my own personal experiences as well as observations of the activity on the unraid forums. Based upon what I have experienced/seen I would say that your experience in getting help is not the norm but it can happen. So thank you for adding that insight. I've edited my original post.

Now WRT the syslog disappearing, I have seen many posts on the unraid forums that outline what can be done to capture the syslog when you have a situation that involves a hard crash of the server - use telnet or putty to connect remotely to the server and execute a tail command to display the syslog. When the server crashes the syslog will be preserved in your telnet/putty window. You can read here for more detail. So while it may be frustrating to have that occur there are documented ways to help diagnose what is happening.
HTPC: Win 7 Home 64-bit | MB | CPU | GPU | RAM | Case | PSU | Tuner | HDDs: OS, Media | DVD Burner | Remote
Media server: unraid 4.7 | CPU | MB | RAM | Case | PSU | HDDs: Parity-2TB, Data-2x2TB
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#43
Beer40oz Wrote:Right now also I have a regular router that goes 10/100....
Will the unraid system suffer transferring data? will it be slow?

I should then buy a gigabit router too right? D-Link DIR-655
A 100 mbps connection will bottleneck your throughput to/from the server but it is not the end of the world. You'll most likely get sustained reads and writes in the 10-12 MB/sec range. This is more than enough to sustain a 1080p stream to your HTPC so the slower connection will not impact your media playback. The downside is that you will spend more time writing your media files onto the server.

On a 1000 mbps connection you will typically (emphasis added for those nitpickers out there) see sustained reads in the 65-75 MB/sec range and sustained writes in the 22-25 MB/sec range on a parity protected array with green drives present (but YMMV).

To reach 1000 mbps speeds you can either replace your router with a 10/100/1000 model OR add a 10/100/1000 capable switch to your network. Switches are normally cheaper than routers. To add the switch you would connect the HTPC and server to the switch and then connect the switch to your existing router. IMO you need to weigh the benefit of having faster write speeds versus the additional cost of the equipment you'll need to buy to reach those speeds.
HTPC: Win 7 Home 64-bit | MB | CPU | GPU | RAM | Case | PSU | Tuner | HDDs: OS, Media | DVD Burner | Remote
Media server: unraid 4.7 | CPU | MB | RAM | Case | PSU | HDDs: Parity-2TB, Data-2x2TB
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#44
@ wsume99 I did know about a switch but I got told that it would not work because my router needs to have 10/100/1000 also. But i know for a fact that is wrong. I can have 10/100 and add the switch and get 1000.... is there a switch that you can recommend?

Will this just do? TRENDnet TEG-S80G or D-Link DGS-1008G

I have about 2 Tb's to transfer to the Unraid system and I want it to transfer in a decent time.

Also.............


I have a eads and ears green drives on my current system that has a gigabyte mobo.

I will be transfering my green drives to the Asrock (Unraid build).

Will they have a problem since they where already on a Gigabyte mobo?

Am I going to need to do anything special?


My plan is on the Unraid system to use a new Caviar Black 2TB for parity....
Then use the EARS HD thats in my HTPC and add it to the array.... (I don't need the data in it... it's pretty new)

Then transfer all the data from the EADS on my HTPC to the server.
Then transfer the EADS HD to the Unraid array....

Should work right?
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#45
Beer40oz Wrote:My plan is on the Unraid system to use a new Caviar Black 2TB for parity....
Then use the EARS HD thats in my HTPC and add it to the array.... (I don't need the data in it... it's pretty new)

Then transfer all the data from the EADS on my HTPC to the server.
Then transfer the EADS HD to the Unraid array....

Should work right?

Should work wonderfully. That sounds just like what I did, add a blank drive, then pull data from another drive, then add THAT drive etc...

Keep in mind that the drive set up/formatting/ transfer/ initial parity takes FOREVER! Once you get it set up though, you save a ton of time with this setup though.
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