X10SL7-F build and sourcing parts in New Zealand

[vegaman]

I'm trying to work out details of my build and how to get some of the parts (mainly the case and possibly a switch) without paying ridiculous shipping to NZ. Any help would be appreciated.

Build details
Motherboard: SuperMicro X10SL7-F - ordered from Amazon, shipping for something this size/weight isn't too bad
Operating System/Storage Platform: I'm still deciding on that, currently running VMs on my desktop to test the options, but storage will definitely be on ZFS
CPU: Xeon E3-1230 v3 - unless there's a compelling reason to go for something else
Chassis: Norco RPC-4224 - this is what I'd like but the shipping isn't cheap
Drives: WD Red 3TB
RAM: Kingston ValueRAM PC-12800 Unbuffered ECC 8GB modules
Add-in cards: IBM M1015 6GB/s SAS HBA - one already purchased
Power Supply: Seasonic - not sure which model yet

Usage profle: backups, NAS, media streaming (Subsonic, Plex, DLNA etc.), hosting VMs once more RAM is added

For a bit of background I've been running a little NAS from a SuperMicro X7SPA-H with 4x1TB drives for a couple of years but my requirements have grown beyond its abilities now. So I'm thinking I'll get a 1U case for that and install pfSense on it.
The main thing I'm stuck on at the moment is the chassis, the shipping cost for the RPC-4224 is US$300-600 from the places I've asked for quotes and would eat a large chunk of my budget and slow this build down a lot.
I've also just gone to my local supplier that I normally buy desktop components, hard drives and such from to ask if they can help with a case at all. I'll see what they come back with. Unless someone has suggestions on other shipping options or local suppliers.

I'd consider drives other than the WD Red 3 TB - which I plan on configuring in groups (I can't recall the correct ZFS term, vdev? zvol? pool?) of 8 Drive RAID-Z2's. This drive is at a good price point (in terms of $/GB) and I know it works well in this kind of setup, but if there's something cheaper or better I'll go with that instead.

The RAM will be upgraded to 32GB as my wallet allows it. Unless I'm looking in the wrong place and I can get it cheaper - locally it's ~US$120-130 per 8GB module.

I'll add a second M1015 controller once I find another for a nice price - I realise this means one will be on a PCIe 2 4x Lane, but as it's just HDDs hopefully it won't be a big issue. But I'm also considering an SAS expander so I can have the option of adding 10GbE when it's more affordable - to connect a dedicated VM host and/or connect to my desktop and use it as my primary storage.

In terms of the power supply I'm not sure which model/wattage is recommended/required to handle the eventual 24 drives.

I also want to look at adding SSDs for OS/SLOG/L2ARC, but I'm having trouble finding recommended devices for this. Either they're EOL - Intel 320, or way out of my budget/requirements - ZeusRAM. So initially I'll run the OS from a USB stick until I find a good option.

Slightly outside this topic as I mentioned above I also need a new switch (just using a wifi router at the moment). Either finding something on eBay or buying an HP 1810-24G v2 locally look like my best options. Given I'll need gigabit, managed and a minimum of 9 ports.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for any help.

 

[pgh5278]

Hello Vegaman, maybe able to help from across the Tasman sea. Have a new Norco 4220 unopened in original shipping boxes plus the 120mm fan bulkhead. Can relate to the freight costs across the pacific. If you are interested I will check out some freight costs from Brisbane to Auckland for a good deal.

Let me know by pm..
Regards P

 

[digitalwingx]

Interesting, I'm looking into building something similar to your build for similar type of usage:

CPU: Xeon E3-1230 v3 or Xeon E3-1220 v3 (not entirely sure the real advantage 1230 has over 1220)
MB: SuperMicro X10SLM+-F, X10SL7-F or X10SLV (again weighing between those options)
System: napp-it.org or maybe just linuxzfs since I heard good things about it, and just use linux based vms
HDD: WD Red or Hitachi deskstar 5k (Deskstar is harder to get but some sources say it's better than RED)
Case: Lian Li Q25 should I decide to go mini-ITX, if not there are plenty of good choices for microATX.
PSU: I really like PicoPSU, so if 150~160w is sufficient for a 2~4 HDD set up, I'd love to use PicoPSU.

Now:
1. comments?
2. why IBM M1015 6GB/s SAS HBA? I heard you can flash the onboard LSI 2308 to IT mode?
3. I'm new to SAS, what kind of cables should I be looking for for this kind of HBA + ZFS set up?

Thanks a lot mate.

 

[vegaman]

Looks good to me. I'm not sure about the 1220, when I last looked it wasn't in the stores here. But if it's the same apart from clock speed I'd go for it instead. I'm not sure if the picoPSU would have enough power myself, maybe try measuring with a kill-a-watt to try to work it out.
Yes the M1015 can be found cheap on eBay and it's easy to flash it to IT mode.
In terms of cables you want SFF-8087 forward breakout cables. Or just a straight SFF-8087 if you're using backplanes.

 

[digitalwingx]

Thanks for the quick rely. I'm venturing into some new territory for myself so any info is very helpful.

This is my current home server set up:

CPU: Intel I7-3770T
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional-M
SSD: Kingston SSDNOW S50 16GB for OS
HDD: 2TB Samsung HD204UI x 2 for data storage
PSU: PicoPSU-160-XT & EA11803A-120

And the PicoPSU handles it beautifully, on idle it draws about 20~30 watts IIRC (been a while). PicoPSU is much more efficient at converting power even compared to the best regular computer PSU.

Now regarding the CPU, here is the comparison:
ARK | Compare Intel® Products

Basically the real difference is 1230 has Hyperthreading which is kind of nice for VM. I guess it depends more on the availability than anything else.