Help appriciated with DIY Ubuntu NAS config mb & CPU

[MrRalph]

Hi all,

I'm planning to build a NAS for 5 or 6 HDD's. OS will be Ubuntu server. Squeezeserver will be installed. A fast running Squeezeserver is of more priority than NAS throughput. I have no graphical needs. Case-wise I think to use the Antec NSK6580. Most likely it will be running 24/7, so power consumption is important.

There are numerous suggestions on the web (also in this forum on the fast Ubuntu NAS), but those mb's or cpu's are being discontinued. So, I'm looking for a combination of a 6-SATA low power motherboard (Ubuntu compatible, Gigabit lan) with a low power consuming (duo core) CPU that's still fast enough for Squeezeserver.

The two set I was thinking of is (and are readily available):

1. Intel DP43TF with Intel E5200 or
2. Asrock A780GMH/128M with AMD Athlon II X2 215 / 2.7 GHz processor

I guess power consumption for those is not optimal. Any comments on this or any better suitable alternatives?

Any help is much appreciated, Ralph

 

[Jay_S]

Hi Ralph,

I was writing a detailed response to your post, but I decided I'd just post my server build in its own thread instead! Link: My server build. That's my video server, which is complete overkill for Squeezecenter/Slimserver.

My other "server" - my music server - is an ancient Dell Optiplex GX110 (800 MHz Pentium 3, 512MB PC133 RAM) that I bought used for $20! It's running ubuntu server 9.04 from the CLI, Squeezecenter, Webmin, and a handfull of small utilities. My music library is around 300 albums, and the old P3 does just fine. Library scans take a little while, but how often do we rescan anyway?

It has an integrated 3Com 3c905 100Mb NIC, which is not WOL-friendly. But with a LOT of effort I found a way to wake it from off. The Server Power Control plugin for SqueezeCenter shuts it off. It's perfect for my needs: it consumes 26W at idle and can be turned on/off by the SqueezeBox's remote.

I spent a lot of time trying to consolidate the music & video servers into 1 machine, but this required making too many compromises. So, two servers for me. The upside is that both machines are optimized for their intended applications.

 

[MrRalph]

Hi Jay,

Thanks for your informative response. I looked at your server, and this seems very suitable. Remember, I need a storage solution, not just a server to run Squeezeserver. Right now I have 1665 albums, around 700Gb of music. I also have to 'digitize' around 50 DV video tapes. And I'd like to put my DVD's on there as well.

In your server setup, I was thinking of the 'lightest' duo core AMD, the Athlon II X2 215 (45W) because the 4050e is discontinued. Seems a snap in replacement.
Alternative may be the AMD Sempron 140 single core.

Will do some more research. Thanks so far,

Ralph

 

[sammynl]

Hi all,

Most likely it will be running 24/7, so power consumption is important.

I guess CPU power consumption has direct impact on heat generated meaning an increase of cooling fan needs (rpm) hence overall power consumption increases more and more.

Do you intend to run the OS on a energy-efficient 2.5" drive?

 

[Jay_S]

I was thinking of the 'lightest' duo core AMD, the Athlon II X2 215 (45W) because the 4050e is discontinued. Seems a snap in replacement. Alternative may be the AMD Sempron 140 single core.

Sounds perfect - when I was shopping, those new 45W parts were not available (is the Athlon II X2 215 available by you? I can't find it for sale in the US). I'm pretty sure that although unRAID can use more than one CPU core, it's so simple that it doesn't really need them. So I'm likely "wasting" some of my CPU. But, in my opinion, a dual core CPU has more "utility value" than a single core CPUs (it can be re-purposed in other machines when upgrading, etc.), and they're not that much more expensive. Besides, I doubt the Sempron will consume that much less power than the dual-core Athlon.

Though, you should really consider setting up remote WOL/shutdown using the SqueezeBox - this somewhat diminishes the idle power consumption challenge. WOL is so common and well-supported these days that there's no need for a 24/7 server (unless of course your applications require 24/7 uptime!).

 

[MrRalph]

(is the Athlon II X2 215 available by you? I can't find it for sale in the US).

Yes, it's around EUR 44,-

Regarding the WOL thing, the mb you mentioned supports all of this, right? I have a little trouble sourcing that mb here in the Netherlands, but will try.

 

[Jay_S]

The Biostar supports WOL - it's called "Power On from LAN" in BIOS.

Another mATX board that supports ECC ram is the Asus M4A78L-M LE. Same chipset, 6 on-board sata connectors, might be easier to find in your area.

EDIT -
Or the Asus M3A76-CM.

 

[MrRalph]

Just wanted to let you know I ordered everything, wait until it arrives

Case Cooler Master 333for 7x 3.5" with one quiet 12 cm rear fan (12 cm front fan optional)

PSU Corsair CX400W, 80+ quiet, good reviews, 6x SATA stock

Motherboard A760G M2+, based on experience in this forum

Processor: AMD 4050e 45W dual core, one of the last boxed I got my hands on here.

Memory: Kingston ValueRam 2GB(2x1) DDR2 667MHz. Must be enough for the server.

OS disk: 2.5" WD 160Gb 7200rpm for Ubuntu 9.04 server.

Storage: 3x 1Tb WD Caviar Green WD10EADS

Can't wait, I'll report back!

Ralph

 

[Jay_S]

Nice choices - good work finding that 4050e. The scarcity of those older 45W parts is really driving up prices.

Definitely let us know how you get on with ubuntu. What's your storage plan? mdadm raid5? One big LVM? My ubuntu music server is pretty simple since I only have 1 drive.

Tools I couldn't live without include webmin, ssh, htop, and saidar. Have fun!