ZFS Small Server Build
Serge Y. Stroobandt, ON4AA
Copyright 2015–2022, licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
This page is still under construction.
Introduction
Off‑the‑shelf alternatives:
- iXsystems FreeNAS Mini (not distributed in Europe)
- OSNET NAS Mini ZFS: spec sheet and WD Red spec
Case
Chenbro SR301(69)
CPU & motherboard
Buying an Intel Atom C2xxx?
Make sure it is a C0 stepping!In January 2017, Intel first publicly acknowledged the issue with flawed
LPC
clock outputs on its Atom C2000 system-on-chips. This happened very sneakingly in the form of bug AVR54 in the product specification errata list. This happens to be a very serious issue. It literally is a ticking time bomb under one’s infrastructure. According to the Intel data-sheet,LPC_CLKOUT0
andLPC_CLKOUT1
are driven by the processor to provide essential timing signals to hardware on the board, including the boot ROM. If this signal stop ticking, the rest of the electronics stops, too.C0 stepping
By the end of April 2017, Intel revealed that its Atom C2000 chip family has a new C0 stepping, up from the previous B0, meaning at least some parts of the chip have been redesigned.
Free Super Micro repair through direct RMA
For EU consumers: The defect existed in the processor contained within the product at the time of manufacture, therefore it was “not of merchantable quality” when acquired. When the failure eventually occurs or whether the product is still under warranty does not matter.
return merchandise authorization (RMA)
Super Micro: RMA services, contact information, «merchantability Atom C2550 failing clock recall», «free ECO update»
References
- Intel’s Atom C2000 chips are bricking products — and it’s not just Cisco hit
- Intel Atom chips have been dying for at least 18 months — only now is truth coming to light — Vendors clocked C2xxx flaw when returns spiked
- Intel redesigns flawed Atom CPUs to stave off premature chip death
- Intel Atom C2000 C0 Stepping Fixing the AVR54 Bug
DDR3 ECC SO-DIMM
2× Kingston KVR16LSE11/8 8GB PC3L-12800 (1600MHz) CL11 204-Pin ECC SO-DIMM spec sheet
Power supply
LC-Power LC7300 v2.3 300W 80PLUS Silver certified; spec sheet
Solid state system drive
SATA cables
4× InLine 27703L left-angled 6 Gbps SATA cable, 0.3 m; spec sheet
Internal USB 3.0 cable
The case comes with a dual USB 2.0 port at the front. However, the motherboard does not carry an internal USB 2.0 connector. It does feature a 20‑pin USB 3.0 connector. There is also a 9‑pin COM2 connector which, at first sight, might be mistaken for a 9‑pin internal USB 2.0 connector. Luckily, the USB 2.0 cable assembly can be demounted to be replaced by a 20 pin female USB 3.0 internal connector to dual port cable (see picture). Make sure you grab one with the right USB connector separation distance. For the model shown here, I only had to saw off a bit of each lug to make it fit. The original screws and some hot glue keep the connector head in place.
Hard drives
Price
- March 22, 2015
- csv.de
quantity | description | item price | subtotal |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Super Micro A1SAi-2550F retail, C2550 Mini-ITX Mainboard | € 296.77 | € 296.77 |
2 | KINGSTON 8GB 1600MHZ DDR3L ECC | € 91.60 | € 183.20 |
1 | Chenbro SR30169, Mini-ITX-Gehäuse | € 119.62 | € 119.62 |
1 | LC-Power Pro-Line LC7300 V2.3 Silver Shield 300W Netzteil | € 39.69 | € 39.69 |
4 | 0,3m SATA 6Gb/s Anschlusskabel rund, abgewinkelt links, blau | € 5.66 | € 22.64 |
1 | 20‑pin female USB 3.0 internal connector to dual port cable | € 3.75 | € 3.75 |
4 | WD Red hard drives | NA | NA |
VAT included, shipping excluded | TOTAL | € 665.67 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution‑NonCommercial‑ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Other licensing available on request.
Unless otherwise stated, all originally authored software on this site is licensed under the terms of GNU GPL version 3.
This static web site has no backend database.
Hence, no personal data is collected and GDPR compliance is met.
Moreover, this domain does not set any first party cookies.
All Google ads shown on this web site are, irrespective of your location,
restricted in data processing to meet compliance with the CCPA and GDPR.
However, Google AdSense may set third party cookies for traffic analysis and
use JavaScript to obtain a unique set of browser data.
Your browser can be configured to block third party cookies.
Furthermore, installing an ad blocker like EFF's Privacy Badger
will block the JavaScript of ads.
Google's ad policies can be found here.
transcoded by to make it run as secure JavaScript in the browser.