XigmaNAS

Hi,
My configuration is:
AMD mobo with IDE cd-rom
3G ram (max. for the mobo)
3ware 8006-2LP raid card
WD green drive 2T x 2 (turn off spin down, but no WDTLER support)
Broadcom gigabit NIC
I can add a 1G usb drive if needed.

I can have the following choice for installation, but don't know which one should be the best.
1. use 3ware 8006-2LP hardware raid to build a raid1 for the two 2T drives. (any issue for 4K/sector drive problem?) Then install nas4free onto the raid 1 volume as embedded + Data + swap
2. use 3ware 8006 hardware raid to build a raid1 for the two 2T drives. Then install nas4free onto a usb drive as embedded.
3. use 3ware 8006 bypass sata HDDs to mobo, due to my mobo doesn't have any sata port. install nas4free onto a usb drive as embedded. Then use nas4free's built-in softraid to build a raid 1. (How to do setting for the 4K/sector drive for softraid 1, as I knew there are support on ZFS setup?)

What should I do?
By using the 3ware8006-2lp to form a hardward raid 1, does it support 4K/sector drive?
Thanks for your advise.

Regards,
Chan

C.C. Chan wrote:I can have the following choice for installation, but don't know which one should be the best.
1. use 3ware 8006-2LP hardware raid to build a raid1 for the two 2T drives. (any issue for 4K/sector drive problem?) Then install nas4free onto the raid 1 volume as embedded + Data + swap
2. use 3ware 8006 hardware raid to build a raid1 for the two 2T drives. Then install nas4free onto a usb drive as embedded.
3. use 3ware 8006 bypass sata HDDs to mobo, due to my mobo doesn't have any sata port. install nas4free onto a usb drive as embedded. Then use nas4free's built-in softraid to build a raid 1. (How to do setting for the 4K/sector drive for softraid 1, as I knew there are support on ZFS setup?)

Option 3 is the best.

if you use Hardware RAID, your NAS Depend of your controller if somethings fails, you need same controller, also, if you use same data disk to store Nas4Free , so if something goes wrong with Nas4Free and you need to reinstall, you lose your data.


Please read this excelent powerpoint and do the next: http://forums.freenas.org/threads/slide ... oobs.7775/


Install embeded Nas4Free in a USB key and boot from it, so you save your valuable SATA ports for Data disk.

DO NOT use hardware raid, use soft Raid Instead.

You can use ZFS with 3GB , if you do not use advanced features like dedupe, and your data can be safe.

you can use ZFS mirror to start ( two 2TB disk in a mirror), and you can add other 2 disk in mirror in future to grow if space is left.


PD: You say that your mobo do not have SATA ports, but perhaps have free IDE ports, in this case use one to boot N4F from it, you can install full or embeded in a IDE Disk to boot, and old IDE disk are cheap or free.

whats the cpu in your config?

and use embedded usb install. its the recommended option.
Its better to seperate os and data.

does the 3ware controller support jbod (ie no raid config, passing the discs straight through to the os) ?
if so i would recommend creating a zfs mirror setup.
zfs raid is much better than any hardware raid.

+1 on ZFS
I have installed embedded to small [2Gb] Hdd and then set them to spin down after 5 minutes
also these in both 512 Mb PATA and 1Gb SATA http://www.logicsupply.com/components/f ... h-modules/

armandh wrote:+1 on ZFS
I have installed embedded to small [2Gb] Hdd and then set them to spin down after 5 minutes
also these in both 512 Mb PATA and 1Gb SATA http://www.logicsupply.com/components/f ... h-modules/

Hi, how to set your boot up IDE Hdd 5min spin down?
What is the min. Size of USB for booting nas4free?
thanks!

C.C. Chan wrote: Hi, how to set your boot up IDE Hdd 5min spin down?

You can spin the disks down using the webGUI settings Disks>Management tabs. Or for more advance configuration use camcontrol command from shell:
viewtopic.php?f=66&t=5546

chrisf4lc0n wrote:

C.C. Chan wrote: Hi, how to set your boot up IDE Hdd 5min spin down?

You can spin the disks down using the webGUI settings Disks>Management tabs. Or for more advance configuration use camcontrol command from shell:
viewtopic.php?f=66&t=5546

Thanks!

a 512 Mb USB or IDE flash is big enough
the N4F embedded OS is just over 200 Mb

lots of old hardware can be a bit of a challenge
particularly those with manufacturer written BIOS
I've had several old Dell that would only boot from the primary IDE, Floppy, or an expansion card ROM
on several of these I have used IDE Hdd [under 10 Gb in size] for the embedded N4F OS and config.
first booting from a CD on the primary IDE and loading to the Hdd on the secondary, once done
I then remove the CD and move the Hdd to the primary IDE line
a SATA expansion card works well for the data drives as does the secondary IDE PATA line.
then, via the web GUI, the drive is installed and set to spin down.
it is not mounted unless one has a use for the excess space. [I do not, see next]
Anything in that space may be lost if the drive must be over written with a fresh OS