cpu for software raid 6

[onlymeme]

i will be building a software raid 6 server for streaming video through the network in the next month or so, but even though i've been building systems for a long time i've never really paid much attention to raid.

For now it will be a minimum 4 disk raid 6 but eventually it will have at least 10 hdd.
what will be a decent cpu for this kind of system?

a couple more questions: from what i understand from raid 6 the minimum is 4 hdd but the os is in a separate hdd. What would happen if the hdd containing the os fails?

btw in some threads i read people with 15+ hdd. What cases do you have?

thx

 

[drescherjm]

Any modern dual to quad core CPU will be fine for raid6 in most non windows operating systems: linux, freebsd, opensolaris ...

I recommend an i3 for this setup with 4GB of ram.

 

[Dangman]

For now it will be a minimum 4 disk raid 6 but eventually it will have at least 10 hdd.
what will be a decent cpu for this kind of system?

What OS are you planning to use?

a couple more questions: from what i understand from raid 6 the minimum is 4 hdd but the os is in a separate hdd. What would happen if the hdd containing the os fails?

Well if you're using Linux, FreeBSD, OpenSolaris or some other non-Windows OS, generally you can just reinstall the OS on a new drive and recover/startup the software RAID array without too much trouble. For Windows, I'm not sure.

btw in some threads i read people with 15+ hdd. What cases do you have?

More than likely it's one of the three Norco cases:
$300 - NORCO RPC-4020 4U Rackmount Server Case
$350 - NORCO RPC-4220 4U Rackmount Server Case
$400 - NORCO RPC-4224 4U Rackmount Server Case

 

[onlymeme]

i was thinking fedora but i expect problems connecting to the htpc which is in windows 7.

How bad would it be in a windows environment?

 

[drescherjm]

I would run the HTPC on fedora (or my distro of chioce) as well using mythtv instead of windows 7 but I am getting off topic with that.

Back on topic, I do not see any problem with mounting the storage using samba on the windows box as long as windows does not have a problem storing protected content on network drives. I assume others have more experience with DRM.

 

[Dangman]

i was thinking fedora but i expect problems connecting to the htpc which is in windows 7.

How bad would it be in a windows environment?

Shouldn't be that bad. It's been well documented how to connect a Linux server to a Windows PC. A google search should turn many guides to help you.

 

[onlymeme]

i've decided to go with fedora for the server and windows 7 for the htpc (which is already running).

I'm gonna need a sata adapter to add sata ports when i decide to increase the number of hdd. Given that this will be software raid 6 do you have recommendations?

Can i add two hdd at once to the raid or do i have to add them one at a time?

 

[drescherjm]

Yes you can add 2 disks at once when expanding a raid 6 array. I would however do it one at a time.

 

[Dangman]

I'm gonna need a sata adapter to add sata ports when i decide to increase the number of hdd. Given that this will be software raid 6 do you have recommendations?

The two top recommendations for Linux compatible storage controllers are these:
$100 - SuperMicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 PCI-X (PCI Compatible) 8 Port SATA Controller Card
$120 - Supermicro AOC-USAS-L8i PCI-Ex8 8 Port SATA Controller Card plus 2 x $15 - 3ware SFF-8087 to Multi-lane SATA Forward Break-out Cable

Lets you add up to 8 drives with either setups.

Can i add two hdd at once to the raid or do i have to add them one at a time?

Yeah as drescherjm said, you can add 2 or even 8 drives at once to the RAID array but I personally would add them one at a time just in case.

 

[onlymeme]

after researching more about the available options at my disposal i've finally made up my mind: i'm gonna go with ubuntu and flexraid.

i've ordered the case for starters and the rest of the hardware is chosen except for 2 things: these controllers are not available in my country:

$100[/URL] - SuperMicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 PCI-X (PCI Compatible) 8 Port SATA Controller Card
$120 - Supermicro AOC-USAS-L8i PCI-Ex8 8 Port SATA Controller Card plus 2 x $15 - 3ware SFF-8087 to Multi-lane SATA Forward Break-out Cable

Do you have any other recommendations (remember its software raid )? btw what were the cables for in the 2nd controller? couldn't i just connect the disks to it?

the 2nd doubt is the ram. I'm undecided to either go with 6gb or stick to 4gb. I'll probably also use the server to download content from torrent and ed2k networks using a partition on the system disk giving my main pc a rest (it's been running overclocked 24/7). don't really think the extra 2gb will be worth anything but still...

 

[Dangman]

i've ordered the case for starters and the rest of the hardware is chosen except for 2 things: these controllers are not available in my country:

Do you have any other recommendations (remember its software raid )?

Which country do you live in? Are there any computer hardware online stores that services your country? Can't make other recommendations without knowing what's actually available in your country.

btw what were the cables for in the 2nd controller? couldn't i just connect the disks to it?

Those cables are used to attach hard drives to the 2nd controller. It requires a specialized cable.

the 2nd doubt is the ram. I'm undecided to either go with 6gb or stick to 4gb. I'll probably also use the server to download content from torrent and ed2k networks using a partition on the system disk giving my main pc a rest (it's been running overclocked 24/7). don't really think the extra 2gb will be worth anything but still...

For what you've described so far, even 2GB of RAM will be enough. So 4GB of RAM will be enough.

Which case did you order? What other parts did you choose?

 

[onlymeme]

i live in portugal and i'd rather get parts from local stores.

the case i chose is the lian li pc-343.
the rest of the hardware is a bit of overkill but i think it gives me options in case i decide to change os in the future:

i3 550 (have a good deal on this)
asus p7p55d le
hitachi 7K1000.c 1tb (going to start with 4 and i'm looking to add 2 each month)
GSKILL PC3-10600 4GB HK (2x2GB) CL8 DDDR3
ati 3870 (spare from another build from years ago just lying around)
Corsair HX-850W Modular