Build Fileserver VS NAS

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I want a dedicated storage box in my home. Here are the requirements:

Gigabit
Hardware RAID 5
Linux based (I like Ubuntu)
SATA

Not too bad if you ask me. Here's my solutions:

Option 1:
Thecus N5200 NAS - $640
*Convenient little box
*Easy Setup
*Pricey
*I know it will work
*Gets 40 MB/s write and 50 MB/s read speeds. I think that's great.

Option 2:
Build my own server. From what people tell me, I need a 3ware card to have *true* hardware raid. I have a Promise TX4310 right now, and linux sees 3 drives because apparently it's fakeRaid (driver driven).

3ware 9650SE 4-port - $335
Compatibility List

Intel D975XBX2 - $147
That's the cheapest mobo that is on the compatibility list. It's an open box, and the retail one is $200.

LGA 775 Celeron D @ 3 ghz - $50
The cheapest LGA 775 proc.

The hardware compatibility list for the 3ware card is pretty short. There are two mobos using the Intel 975X chipset, so do you think if I bought the $120 DFI board with the same chipset, it would work?

My Dad and I were talking about how the actual PC might be more modular and could be used later. I want this box to stay together without maintenance until SATA dies. I want to be able to upgrade/replace the drives, resize the array, etc. At that time, both of these setups will be obsolete.

So there's the two options. Which would you go with and why?
Thanks for your time!
 
The $ you're spending on the RAID 5 card & extra $ to get compatible MB is more than if you were to get bigger HD (750GB) and just use MIRROR built into a cheaper SATA MB
 
I have a Thecus N5200. It is not hardware RAID 5. It is Linux software RAID. I get 20-30 MB/s speeds, but that is not a formal benchmark, just my "intuition". I know of no network drive benchmarks that exist (maybe someone could point me to one and I'd do a real test).

Also, your requirements list is too vague. It explains nothing about what you want to do with the box.
 
I've got a similar set up using Ubuntu Server 6.10 on an old box. Works really nicely, I have it set up sharing files over Samba, and running TorrentFreak (web based BitTorrent client).
Specs:
Duron 800MHz
320 MB SDRAM
40GB boot disk
Sil 3114 PCI SATA controller
3x 500GB Seagate 7200.10 SATA in software RAID5

With that setup I get about 40-50 MB/s reads using hdparm to test. Not sure what my write speeds are. Wouldn't say they're great, but for my purposes (big media/backup server) it does just fine.

With the right version of the Linux kernel and mdadm (the RAID manager), you can expand a RAID 5 online with no problems, I made a post a while back about doing it here: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1178081
 
Right now I'm running Feisty Fawn with 4, RE2 500GB Western Digital in a software raid 5 and these are my speeds according to hdparm:

Timing cached reads: 1102 MB in 2.00 seconds = 551.16 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 292 MB in 3.01 seconds = 97.09 MB/sec
 
Note that the 'cached disk reads' figure will only happen when the data is already in main memory.

As others have insinuated, the best solution might be software raid. Make sure to pick a well-supported controller, though - the sil3114 or any onboard Intel controller will be fine - or you'll have more problems with the controller than you even want to know about.
 
I'm normally a fan of having dedicated hardware, but when I build my file server I build an actual PC. I have 4 x 500GB Western Digital RE2's in RAID5 and 2 x 36GB Raptors in RAID1 for my system drive.. I also have one 500GB RE2 as a global hotspare.

For the card, I purchased a Dell PERC 5/i off of Ebay for $150. There are usually tons of them on Ebay from people taking them out of PowerEdge servers. It's a SAS/SATA card.

I went with a full blown PC because I use it to do more than one thing. It is:

1) A Domain Controller
2) File Server
3) Runs DHCP/DNS
4) Terminal Services so I can get in remotely
5) I use it as my "always on" box. When I want to run a task that will take a few days, I use it because it's not heavily used and it's always on..

Also, I can *push* 50 - 60 megabytes/sec to it and *pull* 80 - 90

Riley
 
/dev/md0:
Timing cached reads: 896 MB in 2.00 seconds = 448.01 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 306 MB in 3.01 seconds = 101.64 MB/sec

Three disk RAID5 on fedora core 6, software raid. These are OLD OLD drives. 3 18GB SCSI 10kRPM, so YMMV, but if you have a 3 or 4 disk raid 5 and aren't getting 100MB/s than something is probably wrong, software or hardware RAID.

I get much better throughput on our newer SAS drives, this is just an old crappy dual P3 dell we had laying around that I put to some good use. (logging, nmap, tshark, that I can use form my windows box.)
 
Eickst said:
Three disk RAID5 on fedora core 6, software raid. These are OLD OLD drives. 3 18GB SCSI 10kRPM, so YMMV, but if you have a 3 or 4 disk raid 5 and aren't getting 100MB/s than something is probably wrong, software or hardware RAID.

I get much better throughput on our newer SAS drives, this is just an old crappy dual P3 dell we had laying around that I put to some good use. (logging, nmap, tshark, that I can use form my windows box.)
Click to expand...

It's worth noting that those 100MB/s reads are off 10K SCSI drives, which even if they are much older, are still going to be quite a bit faster than modern 7200 drives.
 
I was in a similar dilemma when I built my server. But I opt'ed for the server route as it was more expandable as my needs changed. The original server only had 4 drives hooked to it via firewire running Gentoo.

Its not still running Gentoo, but has 16 sata drives hooked to it on 2 controllers and in 2 cases (multilane to make 8 drives external).

I find this setup very good for my needs. Its running Samba to share to Window clients and NFS for my Linux (Sabayon) workstation. I have vmware server running on it for a Windows XP guest that I remote desktop to from work to browse 'safely'. :) Plus various other daemons for things, just as hellanzb, teamspeak, etc. Only has 1g of memory but so far hasn't been an issue.

My biggest worry is the OS drive is just a stand alone drive. So I'd like to re-do the server at some point to have the OS drive mirrored but been to lazy to do that. ;)
 
The Hunter said:
It's worth noting that those 100MB/s reads are off 10K SCSI drives, which even if they are much older, are still going to be quite a bit faster than modern 7200 drives.
Click to expand...

Debatable at best. I had a machine with 4 (old) 15k drives in hardware raid 10 which only got 100 MB/s reads. Individual disks were in the 50 MB/s neighborhood. If sequential transfers are the only metric you're concerned with, modern sata disks will do better than that.
 
Skud said:
For the card, I purchased a Dell PERC 5/i off of Ebay for $150. There are usually tons of them on Ebay from people taking them out of PowerEdge servers. It's a SAS/SATA card.
Click to expand...

What port type is on those. I almost bought one but didn't feel like pulling apart a production server to check the connector type so I could get some adapter cables to sata.
 
unhappy_mage said:
Debatable at best. I had a machine with 4 (old) 15k drives in hardware raid 10 which only got 100 MB/s reads. Individual disks were in the 50 MB/s neighborhood. If sequential transfers are the only metric you're concerned with, modern sata disks will do better than that.
Click to expand...

Yep. I was concerned with IOs especially with the hit I take with RAID 5.
 
swatbat said:
What port type is on those. I almost bought one but didn't feel like pulling apart a production server to check the connector type so I could get some adapter cables to sata.
Click to expand...

The connector on the PERC is a SFF-8484, a 4 lane connector. There are two of them (8 lanes total). You need a cable that turns it into four SATA connectors...

Riley
 
Skud said:
The connector on the PERC is a SFF-8484, a 4 lane connector. There are two of them (8 lanes total). You need a cable that turns it into four SATA connectors...

Riley
Click to expand...

where would someone find a cable like that ?
 
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