hansolo77

So I'm coming back to this and going to play around with it some. I haven't installed it yet. Does the program have the option to very minimalistly add a remote location directly? As I said above, through use of FTP or sFTP? If so, I would simply create a folder on my Seedbox "Backups". Then configure CloudDrive to connect to the Seedbox via sFTP and use that folder as a "virtual drive". Then all I would have to do is tell the built in Server backup to use that "virtual drive" as one of the backup locations.

Ok, I'm going to try and link my NewEgg wishlist for the basic parts (Motherboard, CPU, RAM). https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=33422147 Not sure if it'll work unless you're logged in. Anyway, going with your 2nd suggestion (the ASRock board) I did a little more research on their website. Apparently, this board will ONLY support ECC, so I compared what was on their QVL and NewEgg's prices, and came up with a Kingston 8gb for $60. Not bad, considering some of the stuff is REALLY expensive. The CPU is also the cheapest NewEgg offers, and the barest minimal required to use on ASRock's website. Since this is just a "make it work" build, I do plan on upgrading this more later, with a faster CPU, and maybe buy 3 more of the same memory (unless you can recommend a better option...). It's nice to have a running total wish list, so I know what I need to save up for. As it is right now though, I'm still saving up for the case. Once I get that, I'm going to transfer my existing components to the new case and work with that until I get the new motherboard. After I get the new motherboard and stuff, I'll then get that Expander card. It'd be silly for me to buy the card now, since I don't have any way to connect it and verify it will work. Once I have everything installed and running smoothly, I'll then work on building up some drive space. That 4tb Seagate NAS drive I got is nice. It's not getting hot at all. That 8tb is teasing me with it's storage capacity, but I think realistically I need to focus on smaller stuff first, and hope the prices continue to drop. It's pretty much a guarantee that it will, so by the time I'm ready to actually buy one, the prices should be much more reasonable. Heck, by then, they'll probably have 16tb or 24tb drives!

Yeah, I bought this power supply with Server in mind. I wanted something that was Certified (even though it's Bronze) and had a lot of watts available for all the drives and fans. 750w is probably overkill for my needs, but I planned ahead. Question.. are you SURE that EPS is 8 pin? When you click on the Connectors button on the left, it says "1 x 4+4 Pin ATX/EPS". Does that simply mean it's 1 plug of 4, that can add another 4 next to it? The picture next to it only looks like 4 wires side by side, but I guess that is 8 wires (4 double stacked) and just the angle looks like 4. Now that I think about it, I do recall having a strange cable to connect to the 4 pin next to the CPU on the current board, that also had another identical 4 pin on the same run of wires. I thought that was for 2 processors maybe. I guess not.

I actually tried that when I had WHS 2011 installed. It never actually created the file, so even though I had Lights Out configured to watch for it, it never found it. I will certainly try again now that I'm running WSE. Does the file need to exist in the pool? If not, I suppose I could have it create it on the desktop so I know it's there.

Yeah I may end up buying a new PSU. Perhaps further down the line. This one is kinda old...(Antec High Current 720 [non-modular]). Actually according to that website, it DOESN'T have the 8 pin connector, but the box shows that it does. I'd have to physically look and see. It does say it has some PCIe cables, I wonder if those would be compatible? If not, I think I'll buy the PSU after I get the Case because I'm going to need a working PSU for it all to work. At least with a new PSU, I can use it to power my current setup. Gee, now I have to look at a PSU. LOL!

It looks like it self corrected itself. Strangely, one of the drives in the pool had developed 2 unreadable sectors. After I ran another scan on the drive and attempted to recover, it fixed itself. Not sure that would cause the +3tb to be unusable, it wasn't even on the same drive, plus the 2 sectors was equal to 3kb. Anyway, yeah it looks like it is ok now. Gonna watch it though. The balancer is still working though, I installed Lights-Out and the computer has actually been off most of the time.

OK thanks for your feedback. 1 - My findings show that some boards are capable of 'bonding' or something, to enable the use of 1 nic for both features. However, those boards are rare. I think it's a cool idea, and probably something I'd be interested in making work in the future. It's not a defining factor of something I'd absolutely need to have though. 2 - I actually did a little more research (basically Googling "Can I use an HP SAS expander with any controller") and come up with an interesting forum thread. Apparently the card doesn't even register that it needs drivers. As long as the controller uses standard SAS specs. The first post talks about the 32-port but the 24-port I previously linked is probably going to work too. The nice thing is that it DOES specifically mention the card you sold me (IBM M1015 (SAS2008)) so that's cool. 3 - I actually double checked my existing power supply. I still have the original box, and it shows an existing 8-pin cable. So I'm good there. 4 - Yeah that's a shame it won't support both. But I can imagine why, without getting all technical. I think when the time comes, I'm going to get those non-ECC first since it's cheaper. So thanks again Chris! You're kinda like my new best friend. Helping me out here is a great treat.

I haven't made any changes. I know some people have specific rules setup, etc. But this is just from a bare metal install, OS, then DrivePool, then re-add the drive. I did install another new trial version of Scanner and it has been working on doing the drive scans since last night. I do notice, however, that the "unusable" portion has since shrunk down to 1.68tb compared to the 3.12tb it was before. The system as of this moment is still attempting to balance, and Scanner is still checking drives. I can provide the log if you want, but it is still processing. Should I wait and see what it looks like when it is done first? The log link you provided looks like it would only be helpful if there was an error, but I'm not getting any. Let me know.

Ok, so as we all know by now (I hope) I'm working on rebuilding my OS. Before the install, I did a safety backup "just in case" of my data. I removed drives from the pool, and made copies of the data to them. When I installed the new OS, and DrivePool, I was very happy to see that it did work as advertised (instantly recognized the DrivePool, verified data, and was good to go). So I went ahead and re-partitioned the drives I had made a backup to and re-added them back into the pool. It looks like it went ok, but my DrivePool is reporting a very LARGE portion is "unusable for duplication". It appears to be (almost) the entire partition of the 4tb I added (I only have 1x4tb drive). I'm afraid that if I remove the drive and repartition it again, the same thing might happen. Is this normal behavior? When I added the drive, it's been working on re-balancing the pool since my pool was 99% full after removing the drives for backup.

A few things: 1 - Yeah that IPMI video really helped explain a bit. Can I use that dedicated port as a regular LAN port too, or would I have to use the other ports for LAN and only use that IPMI port when I want to use it? If I can't use it regularly too, I'll probably not bother since I don't have a switch, just a regular 4-port router (and all 4 ports are used). 2 - Do you know if that HP SAS Expander is the right thing? It says it works with those other controllers, but doesn't say if it would work with the LSI. 3 - That motherboard is nice too, but I don't think my power supply has that 8 wire CPU plug. I'd have to double check. For what it's worth, I think the first board would probably suit my needs. I don't see any need for the extra PCI slots (not the PCIe). 4 - I do see what you mean now about the prices for CPU/RAM. I think your idea of cheaper "make it work" components is probably sound advice, and work on upgrading as I go. This is probably a dumb question, but can you combine ECC and non-ECC RAM? I would say NO, but if there is a chance, that might be the better way to go and get a board that has 4 slots. Get 2 non-ECC, then 2 that are ECC and then replace the old 2 with new as I go.

Thanks Chris. Somehow I knew you'd be the one to reply first. I was categorically looking through NewEgg's offers (parts->motherboard->server motherboards) and probably looked at this one at some point too. I think my decision to NOT use this was based solely on the fact that it didn't have a PS2 connection for my keyboard. I have a USB mouse, but not keyboard. I suppose I could pick one up dirt cheap somewhere though. Also, it sounds like I might not need either anyway with the IPMI (though I don't quite understand how that all works). The USB3.0 plug built into the middle of the board looks interesting. Is that meant to hold a USB jump drive to install the OS on? I bet that can be expensive, to get a +200gb stick. Or is it just meant to be used when you install the OS, then you remove it? Also, I wasn't aware you didn't need to plug in an expander. That would explain why I saw a few that didn't even have a PCI plug on it. However, I believe the HP expander I found (I believe it's the one you suggested) here is going to require a slot. Only, I'm not going to jump the gun and order this right away. I'm not sure it would be compatible since the description says you use it when you have a "Smart Array P410 Controller (SA-P410) or Smart Array P410i Controller (SAP410i)". As for the processor, I used to use a Celeron before I just upgraded to the Core2Duo in my current setup. Isn't Celeron like the lowest of the low? I know I don't need anything majorly beefy, but would an i3 be better? I'm still not sold on a Xeon. They just seem ridiculously expensive for no reason. As for the RAM, I definitely think I'm going to research prices and see how much ECC I can get by with. The only problem I see happening, is not having enough money to buy everything in 1 shipment. When that happens, I won't be able to test the components until they all arrive. By the time I get everything and test, the motherboard could be bad, and it might be too late to RMA it with NewEgg. I could just see that happening. And with reports of cheap backplanes in the Norco case, I really think I should test that first. So I think my first buy is going to be the case. Then I'll use my existing components (and buy the correct SAS cable) and test each row of drive bays before continuing. I wish places offered an extended trial period so you could buy with confidence knowing you could still replace the parts if they're not working past 30 days.

Hey all! I've been working on learning how to setup and install WSE 2012 R2 and I think I'm finally there. However, I'm feeling very limited in my capacities as my case is overflowing with drives. So I'm going to be building a new server from the ground up and would like some advice and suggestions as to what I should get. I'm only a part-time worker and don't really make a lot of money. So the purchasing time line is going to be really long. So far, I know for certain that I'm going to but the Norco 4224 case. I've read reviews and it has been recommended time and time again. The only issue with this case appears to be the fans, and the potential for the backplanes to be DOA. But at the price, it's a steal compared to other similar cases. Plus, I'm going to get it through NewEgg, as they're the cheapest place around, and they offer really quick RMA's for exchanges if there's something wrong with. Now I'm at the point of internals. The first order of business is the motherboard. Form factor isn't really an issue as the Norco case fully supports a whole range. Individual features are where I'm struggling. I know that I want to have room for expansion. So I'm kinda staying away from those Mini ITX boards, since they, for the most part, all seem to have only 1 expansion slot. I already have 1 SAS controller, and plan on getting an expander. So that would be 2 slots. As for the processor, I'm not sure what I need. My usage scenario is a simple home file server for client backups and media streaming. So I suppose I don't need anything major. The same goes for RAM. As it is right now, I'm thinking about getting one of these: SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCL-F-O LGA 1155 Intel C202 Micro ATX Intel Xeon E3 Server Motherboard or SUPERMICRO MBD-A1SAM-2550F-O uATX Server Motherboard FCBGA 1283 DDR3 1600/1333 The first board is nice, in that it has plenty of expansion slots, Support for Xeon processors, and is cheap. However, it only supports ECC memory of max 32gb, SATA 3.0GB/s, and is cheap. The second board is nice, in that it has just enough expansion slots for my needs (controller and expander), already comes with a processor, supports (but not require) ECC memory of max 64gb, and has 2xSATA 6.0Gb/s, but is a little more expensive. So which board should I get? Integrated CPU and more RAM, or more slots, less RAM, and mandatory ECC? Or should I look at something else? What are your suggestions? EDIT -> I just looked at and am now also adding this contender: SUPERMICRO MBD-A1SAM-2550F-O uATX Server Motherboard FCBGA 1283 DDR3 1600/1333 It's got more everything. More SATA 6.0Gb/s, TONS more RAM, support for faster CPU, and more expensive. To put it in perspective, this new board would probably take a month to save up for.

No I didn't realize I had to.

I'm actually looking for a simple way to do this using my pre-existing storage available on my seedbox. I checked with the mods there and they said it was within my ability (not violating any rules) to do that. All I need to do is setup a folder there, and get stuff uploaded to it. They support sFTP, so that would probably be the protocol to use. Only problem is finding a program that I can configure to do automatic incremental backups with. Doing it all manually, telling the FTP program to overwrite everything it sees seems a bit tedious. Plus I like to have an official support for me to be able to do an automatic recovery. (slightly) OFFTOPIC -> I just upgraded to WSE2012R2 tonight. I'm completely overwhelmed by the OS. I'm totally lost. Anybody care to send me a PM with stuff I need to do? I previously posted in another thread that I just want a simple file server that does client backups. Very much what the old WHS v1 did. But necessity for future proofing and access to Windows Update caused me to go this new route, where I'm not at all familiar with the OS. I've been trying to get my client computer to connect to the server domain, but it keeps crapping out on me. I don't know how to make that work. I did manage to enable Computer Browser to Automatic, and tweak the server to use a static IP address (I also changed the DNS from 127.0.0.1 to the router 192.168.1.1). Those seemed to make it work and I can browse the shares. But there's a lot there I don't ever need. Is there an easy way to remove them?

Hey all, me again. I just upgraded from WHS 2011 to Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials (trial) as per many suggestions. After going through the process of the install, I went and downloaded the latest DrivePool software for Windows 64-Bit (2.1.1.561). After installing, I went to give it my activation key, but it says "License not found for this machine". I believe I need a new key for the new OS. I did BUY it, so I should have unlimited restrictions like that right?

What would I use them for though? We have a 4-port wireless gigabit router. Connected to it is my Dad's Computer, MY computer, the Server, and an Xbox (plus various wireless devices such as Kindles, iPods, BluRay). The server is only used for file storage of media, and backups of mine and my dad's computers. Would I have use for additional ports on a new motherboard? What could I possibly do with it? I'm not at all familiar with VMWare, or virtual machines in general. Let alone HyperV. I just want to have a simple setup. Our internet connection is the WORST, so I'm not even planning on having a webserver setup (even though it comes with the OS). I have a spare monitor and mouse (only 1 keyboard) to directly interface with the server, so I don't need a dedicated port for that. In my particular situation, I just don't have a need that I can see for additional ports. Now, if I was a developer, or managing a business, yeah I could probably use it. But in a home environment for simple file sharing, I just think that's a minimal thing to look for.

You guys think of everything

Ok cool. I'm still going to take a proactive approach and remove a couple drives from the drive pool and backup stuff directly to them...just in case. Did you have to do anything to recreate the shares?

I can't seem to do anything. I appear to be completely locked out of all of my system tools (like Device Manager). They say they are in READ-ONLY mode because I'm connected remotely. That's never been a problem before, but now it's doing that. I've even tried direct computer access with the network cable disconnected. It looks like some how my server NAME was corrupted. When I access Device Manager, it says the computer name is Server. However, I called it CEREBRO when I installed the OS. If I right click on My Computer in the START menu, and go to properties, I can access Device Manager from there just fine, and it shows the computer there as CEREBRO. But if I right click My Computer and choose Manage, it has everything locked out. Apparently it is attempting to connect to the local system THROUGH a remote connection. I have no way to correct this. When I open the Dashboard to try to do a system restore, it tells me that there are folders missing, and lists ALL of them, however they are connected and showing up just fine when I go through Explorer. Because they're being reported as missing in the Dashboard, the option to do a server restore from previous backup is disabled, because the service is not running. The service isn't running because it has detected there are folders missing. ARGH!! So the only solution I'm going to have available to me now is to do a complete wipe and reinstall. This shouldn't be a problem, now that I've figured out how to do it. I'm going to just simply unplug every single SATA drive except the OS drive. Let it do it's thing, and reinstall everything. The problem I'm afraid of doing, is when I go to start rebuilding the DrivePool. I'm pretty sure it's documented that the software will automatically detect the pool and act like nothing changed. However, I'm very, VERY concerned it won't be that simple. The biggest threat I'm afraid of losing is my 10+ years of backed up TV Shows I'm watching. The smaller stuff, like Photos, etc, I can easily move elsewhere. What is the exact process I need to take to ensure I don't lose any data in my storage pool after reinstalling Windows?

Wow Chris, that's a lot of good info about the server boards. I'm definitely going to take a good long look at some of those other boards than just the super expensive ones. Is it a good idea to get one that is passively cooled like many of those are? I can see 2 advantages and 1 disadvantage. One, you don't have to buy a processor because it's already included. Two, you don't have the noise from the CPU fan running. But are they really ideal for a server platform? My server is mostly used for streaming Music and Videos, and storage for Photos and computer backups. I don't do a lot, but if I'm streaming HD, it takes more power than just looking at static pictures. Would something that is passively cooled be capable of sustaining a high usage when streaming an HD movie or other things for an extended time? Also, you never really explained the benefit of multiple LAN jacks. I looked at a few other "similar" boards briefly and I do see where some are listed as IPMI dedicated. But one of the had a dedicated port and 4 others. Why would I want 4 LAN jacks? You mentioned you use it in a router. Would that be what those ports are for? Using the server as a router that would connect 4 additional computers to it without a standalone router? Sorry if it sounds like a dumb question. I consider myself an "advanced" PC builder, but only up to a point because a lot of new technologies have come out since I last built from scratch. Namely, Server Boards in general, USB3, and SAS. I know SAS has been around but this is the first time I'm truly exposing myself to it and have started to learn about it. I never even dove into ACHI for HDD's until when I upgraded my OS to WHS 2011. Anyway, just to update. I got the controller card today and the 5.25-3x3.5 drive bay cage, but the cables didn't arrive, so I'm still kinda stuck and can't do anything. I ordered the cables FIRST too. Strange. Hopefully it'll get delivered tomorrow though. I guess UPS dropped it off to the Post Office, and they're going to handle final delivery (UPS tracking for it was updated on the 29th, saying it was given to the PO, with a schedule delivery of 8/1 (tomorrow)). Sounds like I'm gonna have fun Sunday! I figure I'll just spend a lot of time doing the research on the parts I want and just work on it as I go, while keeping my current build nice and stable. If you could build your server all over again, what would you get?

Have any of you guys that have the Norco cases had any problems with the hot swap bays? Some people were reviewing them and said they've had blow outs with the back plane. Have they resolved this issue, or would it be safer to just not hot swap and just plug in or remove with the power off?

That's alright. I too plan on building in stages. Right now I'm looking for cases. Next I'll be looking to upgrade the main board. I just upgraded my CPU and RAM though, so I plan to take my time on that. I know this is off topic, but what is the point/advantages of a true server board, with multiple LAN connectors and 2 CPUs and like 16 RAM slots? It just seems like overkill. Even though my router is gigabit, why would I want 2 or more ports? I've seen listings for people selling pre built servers with 32 GB RAM and 2 CPUs. But right now my OS is WHS2011. I think Drashna said that only supports up to 8 GB, so why would I get 32? Is there a different OS you guys use?

Just throwing this out there.... you say you had a 4220 and migrated into a 4224. What did you do with your 4220? Feel like selling it?

Yeah eBay offers payments of $36/month for that price. To get it I needed to apply for credit through PayPal. PayPal also offers their own credit (BillMeLater). I applied for the credit, but was rejected. The email I got basically said I have no established credit for evidence that I'm in good standing. I used to have credit. Owned a credit card too. I lost my job though and got in lots of trouble. Originally they offered me $200 credit. I spent like $5.00 of it to buy a case of pop. I lost my job, and couldn't pay them back. A couple years went by where I wasn't actively looking for job (family issues). Eventually the credit (with late fees and no-payment fees) exceeded the original $200 and went to nearly $3k. I called them and begged them to reset it, that this history all shows I only purchased ONE thing. They were only willing to go half-sees, and a 1 time payment. I couldn't make that so I let it go. Eventually it got up to $4k, but I was working. My first income tax I got after the whole fiasco I negotiated a 1/3 cost and paid the whole thing off. At that point I was back at square one. That was like 12 years ago I think. I'm a little surprised I still have ZERO credit. How are you supposed to BUILD credit if places run a credit check first and see you have none? It's a stupid system we live in. I remember after the fire I went to go buy a new TV. I tried to get it on store credit, but they refused to offer it to me because of the no-credit history. The next week I had saved enough to pay for it IN CASH. They wouldn't take it. They said I had to pay with a debit card because their till couldn't hold $1,500. What kind of electronics business that deals with high value merchandise only has tills that hold $200-300? So at that point I had to open a checking account and wait another 2 weeks or so for my card to come in the mail. By that time, the TV I was going to get had been sold and they were out, so I had to settle for something I didn't want. Bunch of jerks. I had the cash in hand, but they didn't trust me to give me a store credit. I just wanted the TV sooner, and would have paid it off in a week. But NO! They gotta be all stuck up. I need a car soon too, and I'm going to have to buy it with cash in hand because nobody's gonna give me a car payment plan. UHG! Anyway, back on topic. I saw eBay and NewEgg and TigerDirect all sell those 3x120mm fan walls. I'm definitely going to order one if I get one of those cases and it doesn't come with it. I have 6 installed in my mid-tower server right now. They are nice. I'm gonna do a bit of research though. I might need to get different fans since these are all mismatched brands. When that eBay guy emailed me back and said he would be happy to ship it at extra cost, I was elated. But I asked him in another reply if he would be willing to maybe negotiate some form of payment plan, or be willing to hold off selling it till I get the money together. I told him I have a crappy low paying job and I'm limited in hours I can work because of medical reasons. I told him I could have the money together probably in 2 weeks. But I understand if he can't hold out, and wants to just get rid of it quickly. He hasn't replied back to that question yet. If he ends up selling it, I may just go with the Norco 4220 from NewEgg. They're selling it for $329. But damn, I'd love to get that 4224 for $250 lol.

Thanks for the link. I'm at work right now, but I'll check it out tonight when I get home.