OS for a NAS?

[ddrueding]

I have a 1U server with 4 1TB disks in it. It is an X2 3800 with 4GB of RAM. This will be the main fileserver for the company, and will be set up as RAID-10. All the machines are windows, and the store needs to support AD permissions. I'm looking for the fastest OS/software that is easy to setup and manage. I know many will say Linux/Samba, but I'm not that familiar with it. If there is an easy GUI available, I'm interested. I was also looking at FreeNAS, but I'm not sure about the whole always booting from CD thing. I do have a copy of Server 2003 Web edition sitting on my desk for this purpose, but I am exploring other options.

 

[Chewy509]

and the store needs to support AD permissions.

You can either go with the Linux/*BSD/Solaris route using SAMBA for filesharing/authentication, etc. in a AD environment or for the easiest solution, just stick with Windows due the whole AD permissions thing. (How much is your time worth learning a new system if something goes wrong, just to save a few $ at the start).

PS. Besides FreeNAS, NexentaStor is another NAS alternative (with paid support options as well). NexentaStor is an Opensolaris distribution focused on NAS like devices.

 

[Mercutio]

I normally use Linux for that sort of thing. I think it's silly to pay thousands of dollars for user licenses just to serve files.

 

[ddrueding]

I had decided to go the safe, familiar route and installed Windows 2003 Web edition. Install went fine, and I started taking some performance measurements. A single 1TB disk clocked in at 80MB/s. Striping all four? 80MB/s. Mirroring two? I don't know, as it's taken over 24 hours to "ReSync" two empty drives! WTF! I'm reconsidering a Linux solution. Is it possible/difficult to install Linux onto a RAID-10 of all four? I think that will be my next project.

 

[Mercutio]

IIRC you have to create a mirrored-only mount point for /boot and then you can use LVM to created a RAID10 set with some amount of data on all of your drives.

The whole softraid setup is really, really nice compared to Windows, though.

 

[ddrueding]

I just noticed that the SATA controller supports RAID as well. Any advice whether to use that or the Linux SoftRAID?

BTW: A RAID-1 in windows did...80MB/s.

 

[ddrueding]

Grr...looks like dmraid doesn't support ICH7R? Or ubiquity is somehow blind?

Instructions I followed:

1. Configure array in BIOS
2. Boot Ubuntu 8.10 live CD
3. Install dmraid
4. Verify that dmraid sees the array
5. Launch ubiquity
6. Ubiquity sees 4 independent drives...WTF?

 

[ddrueding]

Stranger and stranger...

When I go into gparted, it sees the array. Only the installer has issues.

 

[sdbardwick]

This

It is an X2 3800 with 4GB of RAM.

does not seem consistent with this

Grr...looks like dmraid doesn't support ICH7R? Or ubiquity is somehow blind?

AMD processor with Intel ICH7R? Or am I just missing something obvious?

If it is an X2 3800 on an nVidia chipset, the crappy I/O performance really does not surprise me.

 

[ddrueding]

Sorry, I changed the hardware during the build.

1U Tyan Tank GT20
Tyan S5191 Mobo (Intel Toledo i3000R chipset with ICH7R)
Q6600
4GB RAM
4x 1TB SATA in hotswap

 

[ddrueding]

I slipstreamed the ICH7R into the 2003 Web disk, and we'll see if performance is any better. It shouldn't be, but we'll see.

 

[ddrueding]

Well, with the softraid-10, it doubled the speed of the winraid-0 (160MB/s). That'll do.