Fujitsu TX1320 M3 - Cheap low power server (barebone)
- Thread starter Rand__
- Start date
Notice: Page may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission through services like Amazon Affiliates or Skimlinks.
Hey guys,
great thread, I just found it recently after already modding my drive bay, but maybe this can be also helpful to somebody:
I have modded my drive bay to accept other Fujitsu SFF Caddies, specifically these:
You just have to bend the steel tabs at the PCB end of the drive bay and drill a hole for the retention hook, now these work also.
Small caveat: They stick out a little too far to install the front cover and the LEDs are covered, but they work and hold the SSDs firmly in place.
great thread, I just found it recently after already modding my drive bay, but maybe this can be also helpful to somebody:
I have modded my drive bay to accept other Fujitsu SFF Caddies, specifically these:
2 x 2,5" HotSwap Tray SATA SAS Caddy Rahmen original Fujitsu S5-S7 + Schrauben | eBay
Alternativ können Sie die von uns erworbenen. Weitere Informationen finden Sie auf der Website der Landbell AG. Sie sind gesetzlich verpflichtet, Batterien und Akkus zurückzugeben. Batterien und Akkus in einem frankierten Umschlag an uns zurücksenden.
www.ebay.de
You just have to bend the steel tabs at the PCB end of the drive bay and drill a hole for the retention hook, now these work also.
Small caveat: They stick out a little too far to install the front cover and the LEDs are covered, but they work and hold the SSDs firmly in place.
If you dont like the Intel Management Engine / Intel SPS, maybe this can be helpfull
github.com
Tried the wohle process on our favorite little Fujitsu Server and everything seems to work quite well.
The SPS is stuck initialising and BIOS displays an empfty SPS version number, there seems to be no watchdog issues and no
reboots after the typical watchdog counter timeframe. The first boot/memory training after the flash took some time but my
System ist running proxmox without issues for several weeks now.
Only caveat so far: The Fujitsu IPMI will Log Errors regarding the missing SPS, but i can live with that. ^^
What i did:
- Locate the BIOS Flash Chip near the Drive Cage
- Attach flash clip
- Read the flash several times and compare the results to be sure you got a valid image
- Clone the repository
- Run the script as stated in the Readme
- After a succesfull run there should be a modified firmware file at the specified location
- Flash the modified image
- Boot and check the SPS Version in BIOS to verify the process
Note: I tried this after updating to the latest BIOS and IPMI Firmware.
GitHub - corna/me_cleaner: Tool for partial deblobbing of Intel ME/TXE firmware images
Tool for partial deblobbing of Intel ME/TXE firmware images - corna/me_cleaner
github.com
Tried the wohle process on our favorite little Fujitsu Server and everything seems to work quite well.
The SPS is stuck initialising and BIOS displays an empfty SPS version number, there seems to be no watchdog issues and no
reboots after the typical watchdog counter timeframe. The first boot/memory training after the flash took some time but my
System ist running proxmox without issues for several weeks now.
Only caveat so far: The Fujitsu IPMI will Log Errors regarding the missing SPS, but i can live with that. ^^
What i did:
- Locate the BIOS Flash Chip near the Drive Cage
- Attach flash clip
- Read the flash several times and compare the results to be sure you got a valid image
- Clone the repository
- Run the script as stated in the Readme
- After a succesfull run there should be a modified firmware file at the specified location
- Flash the modified image
- Boot and check the SPS Version in BIOS to verify the process
Note: I tried this after updating to the latest BIOS and IPMI Firmware.
Thanks for info.If you dont like the Intel Management Engine / Intel SPS, maybe this can be helpfull
GitHub - corna/me_cleaner: Tool for partial deblobbing of Intel ME/TXE firmware images
Tool for partial deblobbing of Intel ME/TXE firmware images - corna/me_cleaner
Tried the wohle process on our favorite little Fujitsu Server and everything seems to work quite well.
The SPS is stuck initialising and BIOS displays an empfty SPS version number, there seems to be no watchdog issues and no
reboots after the typical watchdog counter timeframe. The first boot/memory training after the flash took some time but my
System ist running proxmox without issues for several weeks now.
Only caveat so far: The Fujitsu IPMI will Log Errors regarding the missing SPS, but i can live with that. ^^
What i did:
- Locate the BIOS Flash Chip near the Drive Cage
- Attach flash clip
- Read the flash several times and compare the results to be sure you got a valid image
- Clone the repository
- Run the script as stated in the Readme
- After a succesfull run there should be a modified firmware file at the specified location
- Flash the modified image
- Boot and check the SPS Version in BIOS to verify the process
Note: I tried this after updating to the latest BIOS and IPMI Firmware.
What are the benefits?
The main reason for me ist to mitigate the possible security implications of having a cpu inside my cpu that has access to all system busses, network controllers and memory. You can choose to run every OS you like, but you cant audit or change the software of that critical component.
Hello. I bought this unit a month ago and it's my first NAS. I was wondering what is the most optimal storage setup.
Currently it's running on 2 hand-me-down SMR laptop drives. I'm running TrueNAS (ZFS) on the unit, but obviously: SMR drives + ZFS = 3 week long resilver times, which is bad.
Looks like the 2.5 inch drive format narrows the options quite a bit. "NAS" drives (WD Red etc.) are predominantly 3.5 inch.
It seems to me as if there are only two options:
1. Use only 2.5in SATA SSDs to avoid SMR drives, thanks to which it's possible to use ZFS - most expensive. It seems wrong to buy such a cheap machine then splurge on two 2TB SSDs
2. Use Unraid instead of TrueNAS and use regular desktop SATA SMR drives (shucked Seagate 5TB Backup Plus etc.), and enjoy the low cost
Am I right in assuming that most people here use option 2?
Currently it's running on 2 hand-me-down SMR laptop drives. I'm running TrueNAS (ZFS) on the unit, but obviously: SMR drives + ZFS = 3 week long resilver times, which is bad.
Looks like the 2.5 inch drive format narrows the options quite a bit. "NAS" drives (WD Red etc.) are predominantly 3.5 inch.
It seems to me as if there are only two options:
1. Use only 2.5in SATA SSDs to avoid SMR drives, thanks to which it's possible to use ZFS - most expensive. It seems wrong to buy such a cheap machine then splurge on two 2TB SSDs
2. Use Unraid instead of TrueNAS and use regular desktop SATA SMR drives (shucked Seagate 5TB Backup Plus etc.), and enjoy the low cost
Am I right in assuming that most people here use option 2?
Last edited:
I think most ppl here dont consider this a NAS
The majority of the rest prolly thinks it perfectly fine to run an all SSD setup (maybe large cheap SAS SSD drives)
and only a tiny fraction would consider your option 2 - ppl here tend to overkill things
But all jests aside, that totally depends on what your use case is - if you get 4 or 8 x2 TB 2,5" drives then u should be ok for a gigabit attached NAS device.
U also can get 2 large NVMe drives (AIC) and put them in the pcie-slots, or via cable into the regular drive bays...
Its all a question of requirements and budget
The majority of the rest prolly thinks it perfectly fine to run an all SSD setup (maybe large cheap SAS SSD drives)
and only a tiny fraction would consider your option 2 - ppl here tend to overkill things
But all jests aside, that totally depends on what your use case is - if you get 4 or 8 x2 TB 2,5" drives then u should be ok for a gigabit attached NAS device.
U also can get 2 large NVMe drives (AIC) and put them in the pcie-slots, or via cable into the regular drive bays...
Its all a question of requirements and budget
Hello,
i think it mostly depends on your Storage needs, altough i would absolutly avoid SMR Drives.
Used 2TB Enterprise SSDs can be a great and cheap (sub 200€) choice if you dont need a ton of Storage.
If you need a ton of storage you can also get a external 3,5 Shelf and attach it with a PCIe HBA.
I am running my tx1320 with an LSI HBA and Mellanox Connect-X 3 Dual 40G and it works flawless.
i think it mostly depends on your Storage needs, altough i would absolutly avoid SMR Drives.
Used 2TB Enterprise SSDs can be a great and cheap (sub 200€) choice if you dont need a ton of Storage.
If you need a ton of storage you can also get a external 3,5 Shelf and attach it with a PCIe HBA.
I am running my tx1320 with an LSI HBA and Mellanox Connect-X 3 Dual 40G and it works flawless.
For bare (i.e. non-redundant) network storage needs, you can also mount a single 3,5" drive in the bay near the power supply (only accessible from inside). It is a bit fiddly and you get only two screw holes and no vibrational decoupling from the case, but it works.
I'm using a 12TB 3,5" disk without any issues for exactly this purpose.
I also use a 2x 2TB consumer SATA SSD zfs mirror for more critical data and VM/LXC storage.
I'm using a 12TB 3,5" disk without any issues for exactly this purpose.
I also use a 2x 2TB consumer SATA SSD zfs mirror for more critical data and VM/LXC storage.
I stand correctedI think most ppl here dont consider this a NAS
Budget is definitely on the lower side of things and 1 Gbps speed will be fine, which is why 3.5" HDDs look so attractive. I'm weirdly stubborn about thinking of shoving 2 3.5" HDDs in there somehow. One 3.5" can indeed fit into the bay where the RDX drive is supposed to be, as da8833 said above and a few pages ago.
I'm mad at Fujitsu for not making the OEM 2x3.5' cage a separate part that you can buy. The 8x2.5" inch cage part is hugged by another U-shaped metal part - that part is attached with rivets to the chassis. This means that the whole unit chassis is either for the 2.5 version or the 3.5" version (see attached picture from PRIMERGY Illustrated Spares Catalog).
I guess a sufficiently motivated individual equipped with shelving rails and a drill could improvise a 2x3.5" cage in place of the 8x2.5" one. Something like mounting one drive in the top left, and another in the bottom right, both horizontally.
Another thing I'm wondering about is how to get at least 2 SATA power receptacles. The OEM cable that comes with the 8x2.5" version (plugged into the 8-pin connector labeled "SATA POWER" on the label on the cover) has a 4-pin Molex, but as the old adage says, "Molex to SATA lose all your data".
I'm mad at Fujitsu for not making the OEM 2x3.5' cage a separate part that you can buy. The 8x2.5" inch cage part is hugged by another U-shaped metal part - that part is attached with rivets to the chassis. This means that the whole unit chassis is either for the 2.5 version or the 3.5" version (see attached picture from PRIMERGY Illustrated Spares Catalog).
I guess a sufficiently motivated individual equipped with shelving rails and a drill could improvise a 2x3.5" cage in place of the 8x2.5" one. Something like mounting one drive in the top left, and another in the bottom right, both horizontally.
Another thing I'm wondering about is how to get at least 2 SATA power receptacles. The OEM cable that comes with the 8x2.5" version (plugged into the 8-pin connector labeled "SATA POWER" on the label on the cover) has a 4-pin Molex, but as the old adage says, "Molex to SATA lose all your data".
Attachments
From which 3d printing company have you ordered your drives ?I guess nobody is interested in getting cheap caddies
I will wait until 14:00 CET and then I will order, so anyone interested have until then to get cheap caddies with expensive shipping from Denmark
Can you please share the link ?
thanks Albert
Last edited:
Fujitsu made the version of the tx1320 M3 with the slot for two 3.5" (not hot swappable) sata disks instead of the 8 2.5" removable one. But are pretty difficult to find on the second hand market.
Last edited:
I am usign one of this servers as a sort on NAS. I have attached to it a netapp ds2246 (that I have bougth for about 70 euros) , that is powered via the tx1320 Monitor Power Out, so that I can start the two remotely (are in my cave) , in practice the ds2246 have about 12 5TB seagate disks that store the data and the tx1320 has 12 2TB disk grouped in 3 zraid arrays of 6TB that hold the data party.I think most ppl here dont consider this a NAS
The majority of the rest prolly thinks it perfectly fine to run an all SSD setup (maybe large cheap SAS SSD drives)
and only a tiny fraction would consider your option 2 - ppl here tend to overkill things
But all jests aside, that totally depends on what your use case is - if you get 4 or 8 x2 TB 2,5" drives then u should be ok for a gigabit attached NAS device.
U also can get 2 large NVMe drives (AIC) and put them in the pcie-slots, or via cable into the regular drive bays...
Its all a question of requirements and budget
Now I was tring to build a second server to use it as a proxmox machine always on, so I was looking to reduce the power consumption to the minimum. I will try some different cpu configurations and I will post the results in the next weeks.
Last edited:
I started making some test:
I have installed a i5-7500T on a Tx1320 with Bios 5.0.0.11 - R1.19.0.
Mainboard D3373-B12 3
1 ddr4 16Gb module
I have disable lan1 and remove the power from the backplane.
In this configuration with no drives installed when I was in the Bios I was measuring a consumption of 23W.
I add a nvme on a pci adaptor , I actually tested two , with a Lexar I was getting 25.6W and with the WD Blue 24.2W. So I have decided to install Proxmox on the WD.
With proxmox installed when is at the login prompt doing nothing I mesure a 19.6W. That is not bad , but I was expecting something better.
Update: After tuning some Bios parameters and running powertop I got 10W in idle!
I have installed a i5-7500T on a Tx1320 with Bios 5.0.0.11 - R1.19.0.
Mainboard D3373-B12 3
1 ddr4 16Gb module
I have disable lan1 and remove the power from the backplane.
In this configuration with no drives installed when I was in the Bios I was measuring a consumption of 23W.
I add a nvme on a pci adaptor , I actually tested two , with a Lexar I was getting 25.6W and with the WD Blue 24.2W. So I have decided to install Proxmox on the WD.
With proxmox installed when is at the login prompt doing nothing I mesure a 19.6W. That is not bad , but I was expecting something better.
Update: After tuning some Bios parameters and running powertop I got 10W in idle!
Last edited:
Tried this in a Supermicro case. used an aliexpress cable for the 16pin connector in combination with the Supermicro 1u psu.
Boots up and works ok ish.
had some issues that cpu and case fans always were spinning at 100%.
I wanted to add some small 4pin 4020 pwm Sunon fans
Also the motherboard kept reporting errors for the fan and psu and 3.3v volt power supply.
After adding a small fan to the 2nd fan connector that error went away.
After adding another fan to the psu connector the psu fan error went away.
However I never got rid of the 3.3v supply error.
Even when reverting back to the Fujitsu case and power supply the 3.3v error is still present.
but I can ignore the error and boot just fine.
seems that the motherboard now remembers that I swapped psu’s and still reports an error even when the original Fujitsu psu is connected again.
Have been looking to reset or revert the config but without luck. Maybe the Fujitsu servermanager tools allow some further
configuration but have not succeeded yet.