[geeks] Impressive...

[Sridhar Ayengar]

Angel Martin Alganza wrote:
> Hi, Sridhar, everybody,

Hello.

>> My latest configuration is capable of 24TB (after RAID 5 overhead)
>> in a box the size of a largeish mid-tower PC.  I love it.
> 
> Which hardware and software are you using on that beast?  I'm planing
> to build up a NAS box (I'm exploring FreeNAS, FreeBSD based, which I
> very much like at the moment;  I've also found OpenFiler, Linux based,
> which I haven't explored yet), although I would prefer a rackable box,
> rather than a tower.

I'm using NetBSD 4.0.1, and have configured Samba and NFS manually.  I 
prefer performing configuration tasks on command-line, however there are 
tools available to make it more GUI- and Web-centric.

I use an Antec Twelve Hundred case, which is a standard ATX case (as in, 
it doesn't accept EATX or EEB motherboards) that has twelve 5.25" open 
drive bays in the front.  The hardware is:

(I don't remember manufacturer or model of the motherboard.)
Dual-processor Dual-core Opteron Motherboard
4GB Registered ECC RAM
3ware Escalade 8-channel PCI-X 133 SATA RAID controller
1 Cheapie 5-in-3 drive cage (sits in 3 half-height bays)
5 Seagate 1TB SATA drives

I have room for 3 more 5-in-3 drive cages, have more PCI-X slots for 
RAID cards, and can upgrade to 1.5TB drives.  NetBSD supports the RAID 
card out of the box.  So, 4 drives per drive cage (after overhead) times 
4 drive cages times 1.5TB per drive is 24TB.

The machine sits behind a firewall, and the whole setup is quick enough 
to serve up MPEG-2 compressed 1080p video (with AC3 or DTS audio) over 
100Mbps ethernet through the firewall, the router, and to a machine 
outside the firewall without any hiccups or stuttering.

Peace...  Sridhar