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avatar7
28-03-12, 09:16
Just thinking of bagging one of this for experimental and learning use.

If any users here has one what setup/OS are folk running on it?

tsx
28-03-12, 11:34
I have two, one fully loaded as an ESXi box (part of a vSphere test lab) running a couple of servers including UberVSA (mainly used for iSCSI testing and messing around with virtualized storage etc..), and the second I've used as a replacement to my primary NAS running openmediavault (looking to possibly change the OS though).

Great bargain if your quick enough to get the £100 cashback.

tsx
28-03-12, 11:48
A couple of links


http://www.ebuyer.com/281915-hp-proliant-turion-ii-n40l-microserver-100-cashback-658553-421

http://www.serversplus.com/microserver_cashback

And make sure you have a good read here about the modified firmware if you want to completely fill the device with disks:


http://www.avforums.com/forums/networking-nas/1521657-hp-n36l-microserver-updated-ahci-bios-support.html

REMEMBER!!!!!!

Cashback is only for this month unless they extend it again (they do keep doing it, so who knows when it'll end).


Product must have been invoiced between 1st November 2011 and 31st March 2012
All submissions must be received by Monday 30th April

avatar7
28-03-12, 17:45
ive been reading about and most people prefer to use windows home server 2011.

What's the easiest way of setting up raid5 on this. My windows knowledge is poor.

tsx
28-03-12, 21:54
For RAID5, I believe you have two options:

1) Software RAID
2) purchase a half-height H/W RAID card. IIRC a few are mentioned in the forum link above

avatar7
29-03-12, 19:53
Im looking to do Software Raid. Can this be done directly in WHS 2011 easily?

tsx
29-03-12, 21:35
I've got to be honest, I've never used WHS, so I have no idea if its any different than any than something like 2008R2, sorry.

Maxwell
30-03-12, 07:43
WHS 2011 is based upon 2008 R2 and indeed reports itself as 2008 R2 for compatability.
I have mine fitted with 8GB RAM, 4 3TB drives plus the 250Gb drive that it is supplied with for the OS and have recently fitted it with a GT430 GFX, Im running Windows Home Server 2011, with Flexraid setup as a drive pool and Snapshot Raid config, the Flexraid setup is far superior to the Raid 5 you are contemplating.
It does require a custom BIOS to be flashed to enable full SATA on the ODD port (where most people put the OS drive) but no big deal to sort it out.
Its a great little server for the money IMO especially if you can get the £100 cashback

avatar7
30-03-12, 08:05
WHS 2011 is based upon 2008 R2 and indeed reports itself as 2008 R2 for compatability.
I have mine fitted with 8GB RAM, 4 3TB drives plus the 250Gb drive that it is supplied with for the OS and have recently fitted it with a GT430 GFX, Im running Windows Home Server 2011, with Flexraid setup as a drive pool and Snapshot Raid config, the Flexraid setup is far superior to the Raid 5 you are contemplating.
It does require a custom BIOS to be flashed to enable full SATA on the ODD port (where most people put the OS drive) but no big deal to sort it out.
Its a great little server for the money IMO especially if you can get the £100 cashback

I was looking at Flexraid but got a bit lost reading it's documentation. Is there any documentation you followed to set your setup using Flexraid?

Also as using WHS 2011; do you require to run any anti-virus software on the O/S?

Lastly, which is the custom BIOS that you require to be flashed on the N40?

Thanks

Maxwell
30-03-12, 08:20
Flexraid is quite easy to setup as they have built in a "one touch setup" for combined drive pooling and RAID this then leaves you with just having to setup your shares, whilst there are many things you can do with Flexraid for a simple setup as you propose it is very easy to do. there are a couple of tutorials on the Flexraid forum that make it quite painless, I will find you some links later to look at.
WHS 2011 is quite locked down as standard and I dont use an anti virus
Will dig out a link to the custom BIOS for you later.

Maxwell
30-03-12, 08:32
BIOS info here, I used the file from post#6

http://www.avforums.com/forums/networking-nas/1521657-hp-n36l-microserver-updated-ahci-bios-support.html

Start here with Flexraid, the info I had in the forum appears to now have been included in the wiki.

http://wiki.flexraid.com/category/beginners-guides/

avatar7
30-03-12, 10:49
Thanks for your help Maxwell! :-)

Just a side note if other people get this and want to use the optical drive by to mount a 3.5 HDD inside. I bought these brackets of eBuyer to secure it in place:
http://www.ebuyer.com/124153-startech-metal-5-25-to-3-5-inch-drive-adapter-bracket-bracket-uk-bracket

I'm looking to run sabnzbd/sickbeard/couchpotato and AirVideo on the Microserver. So should be fairly simple to achieve using WHS 2011.

Now need to think if I should run A/V or not. Maybe a free download of Microsoft Security Essentials...

avatar7
30-03-12, 21:59
Maxwell - Im just reading up about Flexraid setup.

I have 2 x 2tb disks and 2 x 1tb disks. Any recommendations on how I would go on about to set my storage pools as?

Maxwell
30-03-12, 22:12
You would have to use one of the 2TB drives as your parity drive and pool the other 3

avatar7
30-03-12, 22:32
You would have to use one of the 2TB drives as your parity drive and pool the other 3

So am I correct in saying that would give me total of 4TB to use?

Maxwell
31-03-12, 07:35
Yes thats correct, you have to do it that way because Raid requires that the Parity drive is the same size or bigger than your largest single drive in the system.
You could not bother with Raid and just use flexraid to pool the drives to give you 6TB total space.
Just remember that Raid is not a substitute for a good backup regime

avatar7
31-03-12, 12:56
Yes thats correct, you have to do it that way because Raid requires that the Parity drive is the same size or bigger than your largest single drive in the system.
You could not bother with Raid and just use flexraid to pool the drives to give you 6TB total space.
Just remember that Raid is not a substitute for a good backup regime

Yes you are right if 2 drives where to fail them you would be screwed.

I may consider just doing a raid 1. First start with 2 x 2tbs - gives me 2tb of storage. Then buy another 2 x 2tb later and add them.

avatar7
01-04-12, 00:13
I am trying to install WHS2011 but am struggling. I'm installing using external usb dvd drive and all seems ok but then all of a sudden it just hangs and crashes at this screen:

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/6039/imag0235j.jpg

If I do a cold boot it starts up again going through the install process then again it crashes at this screen:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/imag0236xl.jpg

I'm a little stuck and don't know what to do.

Any suggestions?

avatar7
01-04-12, 17:20
It's ok. I got it to work. Re-flashed bios to stock as I was using a hacked one and now it installed fine.

Maxwell
01-04-12, 17:37
The problem you will have now you are back on stock BIOS is you will not be able to use the ODD slot in full SATA mode and if you reflash the BIOS after installing windows you will have a nightmare getting it to run if you put the OS drive in the ODD bay, it is possible to do it that way though and there are a couple of tutorials somewhere.
Also assuming your C: drive is not fitted to the ODD slot Windows will have now claimed one of your other 4 drives as the OS drive and partitioned it as C: and D: it is now not a good idea to add drive D: to your drivepool/RAID if the OS fails and has to be reinstalled you have then lost one of the DRU's because on reinstall Windows will repartion it causing any data to be lost including the PPU data held for the Parity drive needed for a RAID rebuild.
This also means that your storage drives will now be down to 2 drives as you cannot store data on the parity drive either

eblaster101
01-04-12, 18:15
i am using Unraid and its really good as well. Never have to touch it just works.

avatar7
01-04-12, 18:56
The problem you will have now you are back on stock BIOS is you will not be able to use the ODD slot in full SATA mode and if you reflash the BIOS after installing windows you will have a nightmare getting it to run if you put the OS drive in the ODD bay, it is possible to do it that way though and there are a couple of tutorials somewhere.
Also assuming your C: drive is not fitted to the ODD slot Windows will have now claimed one of your other 4 drives as the OS drive and partitioned it as C: and D: it is now not a good idea to add drive D: to your drivepool/RAID if the OS fails and has to be reinstalled you have then lost one of the DRU's because on reinstall Windows will repartion it causing any data to be lost including the PPU data held for the Parity drive needed for a RAID rebuild.
This also means that your storage drives will now be down to 2 drives as you cannot store data on the parity drive either

Understood. Problem now is that not sure which bios hack is the correct one I need?

Or I could leave it as stock. It's only the O/S running on this drive...