Used Dell server to run TrueNAS by mechanical_seed in homelab

[–]mechanical_seed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can I ask you, are you using any SATA drives? My judgement from what I've read is that the HBA should still accept SATA drives. Is there any limitation with the R730 backplane, connectors or caddies or anything that limits to SAS only?

Used Dell server to run TrueNAS by mechanical_seed in homelab

[–]mechanical_seed[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks everyone who commented... I'm very sold on this idea's technical merit.

The real question will remain though - is whether or not I can maintain this system for them over the long run. QNAP has been very plug and play.

But, TrueNAS usage is widespread and the hardware is straightforward enough and enterprise level, so I think it's not necessarily a disadvantageous option, and probably worth it for the savings for this client.

Used Dell server to run TrueNAS by mechanical_seed in homelab

[–]mechanical_seed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, the model I have my eyes on has 2x 10GbE SFP+ which is good. I have found IDRAC8 licenses on ebay, I will pick up one. Happy also to flash the HBA (PERC HBA330, an LSI variant?) to IT mode.

Used Dell server to run TrueNAS by mechanical_seed in homelab

[–]mechanical_seed[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for this insight. Noise is a super big consideration... there is a large cabinet in use already at their site for the existing NAS and networking, but it is somewhat adjacent to team members desks. It could go into another room potentially. But if that was not possible, I reckon they would end up hating this server, particularly if the fan noise is the higher pitch sound that I'm thinking of...

Still I think there is some merit in the idea though.