17 replies to this topic

[swearingencj]

Hey all,

It's been awhile since I've thought about the build. I figured I'd wait and see what WHS2011 would bring.

So I have settled on 2011 for my build and have come into a few parts to start with. Here is what I was thinking, I'd love to hear your comments and I have a few questions too.

Inherited Vostro 220 Case, mobo, and Power supply
Intel Pentium E5200 - ebay
Crucial 4gb pc2 6400 ram
WD Caviar Green system drive 120-500GB whatever I can get at a good price
2 or 3 WD Caviar Green 2TB, 32mb Cache, 7200 RPM drives

Here is the big question, to RAID or not to RAID. I know this has been asked before but I am just not really getting my head around any benefits there may be. I could buy an inexpensive SATA II RAID card but is it really going to help me? I don't have any single data type that would fill a 2TB drive so I don't think I'll run out of space anytime soon. Are there problems with volume sizes shared folders etc using a RAID array.

I will use this to create a system backup for a PC, and a laptop used as WIN 7 media PC. I will also store all of my photos, ripped CD music and DVD video. I would like to be able to pull that video from the server to the laptop and then to the tv.

What am I missing here, I know there must be something...

[GaPony]

Just to avoid an issues, I'd be sure to get a system drive that is at least 160gb. The price difference between a 160gb and a 500gb is really only a couple bucks, anyway.

How you handle a "pool" depends on how you plan to use it. If you have shared folders which are relatively small, like documents or even music, there isn't really much need for a RAID setup. If you have movies that take up over 2TB of space, you can either organize it in such as way that sub-folders fit neatly with the 2TB boundry, even if on different disks, then you likely still don't need a RAID setup. If you sub-folders that exceed 2TB then you might want to consider a RAID setup, just to create an better organizational system.

I use the term RAID loosely here. You could also use one of the add-ins to manage the pool and provide any duplication that you might need. Using a separate drive for client backups is the way to go.

I've been using LDIsk. It allows me to create large pools (similar to Raid 0) for my video library. Since all my movies are backed up externally, I don't need any duplication or redundancy for these files. I can also create pools that provide duplication (similar to RAID 5) for those files which I really want to provide additional protection. I have smaller pools for photos and documents which are duplicated (and backed up externally). The difference between LDisk and actual RAID setups is that its very easy to setup and manage.

I suppose that the Drivebender and DrivePool add-ins provide for similar setups.

I hope this helps.

[Brett J]

@swearingencj

I'd agree with @gapony, unless your media is gonna exceed the drive space of a single drive then it's probably not worth the hassle. I'm running two boxes, one whs1 and one 2011.
The only time I need the raid is for my hd video which is 2.8tb. Other than that, you won't really notice the difference. Again, if your media does exceed your drive you could always create different server shares for different types of media, such as movies, tv series etc, instead of dumping everything inside the whs default "videos" share.

@gapony

What is your experience of LDisk? I'm still looking for suitable sw raid to complete the switch from WHS1 to 2011 and I wasn't impressed with the last drive bender beta, far too many bugs.

What I want is something easy to use like WHS1 not something that requires a degree in programming

[swearingencj]

Thanks for the responses! I am looking at drives right now and have read the issues in the past with WD EARS drives. Should I avoid those?

[swearingencj]

GaPony, on 24 January 2012 - 09:36 PM, said:

Just to avoid an issues, I'd be sure to get a system drive that is at least 160gb. The price difference between a 160gb and a 500gb is really only a couple bucks, anyway.

How you handle a "pool" depends on how you plan to use it. If you have shared folders which are relatively small, like documents or even music, there isn't really much need for a RAID setup. If you have movies that take up over 2TB of space, you can either organize it in such as way that sub-folders fit neatly with the 2TB boundry, even if on different disks, then you likely still don't need a RAID setup. If you sub-folders that exceed 2TB then you might want to consider a RAID setup, just to create an better organizational system.

I use the term RAID loosely here. You could also use one of the add-ins to manage the pool and provide any duplication that you might need. Using a separate drive for client backups is the way to go.

I've been using LDIsk. It allows me to create large pools (similar to Raid 0) for my video library. Since all my movies are backed up externally, I don't need any duplication or redundancy for these files. I can also create pools that provide duplication (similar to RAID 5) for those files which I really want to provide additional protection. I have smaller pools for photos and documents which are duplicated (and backed up externally). The difference between LDisk and actual RAID setups is that its very easy to setup and manage.

I suppose that the Drivebender and DrivePool add-ins provide for similar setups.

I hope this helps.

So I think what I might do is pool or RAID0 two of the drives for mass storage of media files and leave the third drive for system backups and personal share folders. Then I'll take my external USB drive I have now and backup critical stuff there.

The other option I considered was using RAID5 on the three internals and backing up to the USB. In this case, would it be foolhardy to use the extra space partitioned from the system drive for my PC backups?

[Dave Marchant (WGS)]

EARS drives are only an issue with WHS v1 (Server 2003) and XP. There is no problem with WHS 2011.

[swearingencj]

Dave Marchant (WGS), on 25 January 2012 - 02:51 PM, said:

EARS drives are only an issue with WHS v1 (Server 2003) and XP. There is no problem with WHS 2011.

Well that is great news cause they are significantly cheaper than other drives right now.

[swearingencj]

Here is how the build is progressing...

Ordered from newegg today
Intel E6600
4gb PC2 6400 Crucial RAM
1TB WD Green 5400rpm system drive
SYBA IDE Controller card for the DVD drive
SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze PSU
WHS2011

I'm going to build the system first and then bring in the mass storage. Still thinking about 3X2TB WD green SATA III drives that I will RAID with the onboard mobo controller. Still not sure if it will be RAID 1 or 5.

Any opinions on using the unused partition from the system drive for backing up my desktop?

[GaPony]

Brett J, on 24 January 2012 - 11:36 PM, said:

@swearingencj

I'd agree with @gapony, unless your media is gonna exceed the drive space of a single drive then it's probably not worth the hassle. I'm running two boxes, one whs1 and one 2011.
The only time I need the raid is for my hd video which is 2.8tb. Other than that, you won't really notice the difference. Again, if your media does exceed your drive you could always create different server shares for different types of media, such as movies, tv series etc, instead of dumping everything inside the whs default "videos" share.

@gapony

What is your experience of LDisk? I'm still looking for suitable sw raid to complete the switch from WHS1 to 2011 and I wasn't impressed with the last drive bender beta, far too many bugs.

What I want is something easy to use like WHS1 not something that requires a degree in programming

I've been pretty happy with LDisk. There haven't been any problems, at all. Installation is easy. Creating a pool is simple and straightforward. Data transfer rates have been excellant. Its conceptually about the same as DE in that you choose between a spanned volume and a mirrored volume (for duplication). It differs in that duplicated shares would be in a separate pool, which works fine for my purposes.

LDisk works more like a normal RAID setup than something like DriveBender. There is no migrating or merging of drives into the pool. Each drive is formatted as its added, more like Drve Extender works in WHS v1. What you don't get is that annoying DE balancing action running every time you turn around.

I have found Intelisan support to be very responsive and personalized in answering the questions I have submitted.

LDisk won't be for everyone, but it works almost exactly like I would think a pooled system should work. I don't expect a pool to protect my files, as that what a backup is for. I just need it to provide a large single volume that is reliable and robust. LDisk has been providing that service me that for the past couple of months. I started with a 4TB pool, expanded to 8TB, then to 12TB and I'm getting ready to expand to 16TB. Each expansion has been successful and without any drama. Perhaps more importantly, each version update has gone without so much as a hiccup.

If you have a couple extra drives for testing it, I recommend requesting a trial copy and checking it out.

[Brett J]

GaPony, on 28 January 2012 - 06:21 PM, said:

I've been pretty happy with LDisk. There haven't been any problems, at all. Installation is easy. Creating a pool is simple and straightforward. Data transfer rates have been excellant. Its conceptually about the same as DE in that you choose between a spanned volume and a mirrored volume (for duplication). It differs in that duplicated shares would be in a separate pool, which works fine for my purposes.

LDisk works more like a normal RAID setup than something like DriveBender. There is no migrating or merging of drives into the pool. Each drive is formatted as its added, more like Drve Extender works in WHS v1. What you don't get is that annoying DE balancing action running every time you turn around.

I have found Intelisan support to be very responsive and personalized in answering the questions I have submitted.

LDisk won't be for everyone, but it works almost exactly like I would think a pooled system should work. I don't expect a pool to protect my files, as that what a backup is for. I just need it to provide a large single volume that is reliable and robust. LDisk has been providing that service me that for the past couple of months. I started with a 4TB pool, expanded to 8TB, then to 12TB and I'm getting ready to expand to 16TB. Each expansion has been successful and without any drama. Perhaps more importantly, each version update has gone without so much as a hiccup.

If you have a couple extra drives for testing it, I recommend requesting a trial copy and checking it out.

Thanks, @ga, it sounds just what i'm looking for. I'll set up my test box and give it a go.

[swearingencj]

swearingencj, on 28 January 2012 - 01:05 AM, said:

Here is how the build is progressing...

Ordered from newegg today
Intel E6600
4gb PC2 6400 Crucial RAM
1TB WD Green 5400rpm system drive
SYBA IDE Controller card for the DVD drive
SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze PSU
WHS2011

I'm going to build the system first and then bring in the mass storage. Still thinking about 3X2TB WD green SATA III drives that I will RAID with the onboard mobo controller. Still not sure if it will be RAID 1 or 5.

Any opinions on using the unused partition from the system drive for backing up my desktop?

Any thoughts on the best uses for the extra partition on the system drive? Is this safe to use? How likely is the system drive to crash compared to anything else. Would you trust that partition for critical data? how are you using the space on your servers?

[Brett J]

If you mean the d drive, I use mine for data storage and client pc backups. I don't think it's any more likely that the system hdd shoud fail compared to any of the other data drives, and as long as the data and os are backed up then you should be fine. I mirror all my data to ensure that I don't loose anything but I do use the d drive partition for file storage as that's where my whs created the default shares.

[swearingencj]

Brett J, on 31 January 2012 - 12:15 AM, said:

If you mean the d drive, I use mine for data storage and client pc backups. I don't think it's any more likely that the system hdd shoud fail compared to any of the other data drives, and as long as the data and os are backed up then you should be fine. I mirror all my data to ensure that I don't loose anything but I do use the d drive partition for file storage as that's where my whs created the default shares.

Thanks I'll post up when it's built. Maybe throw some pics up here too. I'm guessing from the general lack of interest that the build looks pretty solid...

[Brett J]

I think your build looks good, and should withstand the tasks of the server quite well.

Certainly the processor and memory should be more than adequate.

As long as you have the necessary drivers for all of the bits you are going to use, I don't think you will have any problems. In my experience of building whs boxes, most of the problems I've encountered come from not using the correct driver and letting windows try to plug the gap. While windows 7 will happily find drivers for most motherboards etc, whs seems to be a little more choosy and likes the correct drivers from the manufacturer.

Let us know how it goes, and if you have any problems.

[swearingencj]

Here it is so far. The CPU comes in tomorrow.

I mounted the 1TB system drive in the 3.5 in media card reader bay. I had to drill an extra hole for the mounting screw. Not sure how comfortable I am with that config. There is ventilation on the bottom and I could open up the knockout in front to give it some more venting. Do you think heats going to be an issue there?

The system drive and DVD are both going to rum off the IDE/SATA controller as long as I can get the BIOS to boot off the SATA as primary. I have 4 other SATA connections on the mobo that I could use to RAID the other drives. The system also has 4 external USB in back and 4 up front as well as an external SATA II port on the back of the controller card.

Plans are to add one 2TB drive to the 5.25 in bay above and two more in the normal HDD positions at the bottom of the case.

Vostro 220

Album: Vostro 220 WHS 2011 Build

Uploaded 02 Feb 2012 - 03:51

System drive close-up

Album: Vostro 220 WHS 2011 Build

Uploaded 02 Feb 2012 - 03:52

Cable tied and case fan installed

Album: Vostro 220 WHS 2011 Build

Uploaded 02 Feb 2012 - 03:52

Ready for the CPU and storage drives

Album: Vostro 220 WHS 2011 Build

Uploaded 02 Feb 2012 - 03:52

[swearingencj]

Got the CPU last night and realized that the heat sink and case fan would be fighting each other if I used the shroud, so I pulled it out.

Loaded the OS, did the updates, connected my one PC and setup backups. Way easier than I thought it would be. Only ran into two problems. No driver for the IDE/SATAII controller but the Win7 64bit from syba worked fine, loaded from a thumb drive. Then I typed in my system password mistakenly with the caps lock on and didn't figure out what I had done until a was done loading the OS for the second time because it was the only way to recover from a lost password.

I'll post about the syba controller in a separate thread in case someone down the road is looing for one of these that works with WHS2011.

[GaPony]

The chipset type along with the firmware and driver version will be the helpful information.

[swearingencj]

Here is the detail on that card, and the driver download location is here:

ftp://driver.jmicron...roller/Windows/


Model Brand SYBA Model SD-PEX-JM1A1E1S
Specifications Type SATA / IDE External Connectors 1 x eSATA Internal Connectors 1 x SATA II + 1 x ATA 133 Interface PCI Express Operating Systems Supported Supports: Windows 2000, XP32/64-bit, Server 2003 32/64bit, and Vista 32/64-bit operating system
Features Features JMB363 chipset

Compliant with Serial ATA AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) Specification Rev 1.0.

Compliant with Bus Master Programming interface for IDE ATA Controllers Revision 1.0.

Compliant with PCI Express Base Spec Revision 1.0a.

Compliant with Serial ATA High Speed Serialized AT attachment Spec. Revision 1.0a.

Compliant with Serial ATA II Spec.

1-Lane 2.5Gbps PCI Express bus.

Supports up to Ultra-DMA 6 transfer mode.

Supports up to two PATA IDE drives.

Supports up to two 3.0Gbps SATA II storage devices.

Supports Native Command Queue (NCQ) on SATA II port.

Supports Port Multiplier with Command-based Switching on SATA II port.

Supports Hot Plugging on SATA II port.
Packaging Package Contents SATA II + Ultra ATA133 PCI-Express Combo card
CD Driver
User manual
Manufacturer Warranty Parts Lifetime limited Labor 1 year limited