Hísilómë - logs

Custom NAS #2: Hardware list

Unknown — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The build</h2>

Core</h3>
#</th> Part</th> Model</th> Price CHF</th> Where</th> Condition</th> Bought</th> Installed</th></tr></thead>

1</td> Motherboard</td> MSI B250M PRO-VD</a></td> 57.19</td> AliExpress</td> refurbished</td> 29.12.2024</td> 28.04.2025</td></tr>
2</td> CPU</td> Intel Core i5-6600T</a></td> 32.59</td> AliExpress</td> refurbished</td> 02.03.2025</td> 28.04.2025</td></tr>
3</td> CPU cooler</td> Xilence I250PWM</a></td> 12.70</td> Galaxus.ch</td> new</td> 13.03.2025</td> 28.04.2025</td></tr>
4</td> RAM</td> Corsair CMK32GX4M2A2666C16R</a></td> 30</td> Ricardo.ch</td> new</td> 27.03.2025</td> 28.04.2025</td></tr>
5</td> NVMe boot #1</td> Samsung PM9B1 2230 256 GB</a></td> 55.51</td> AliExpress</td> new</td> 03.03.2025</td> 10.10.2026</td></tr>
6</td> NVMe boot #2</td> Samsung PM9B1 2230 256 GB</a></td> 42.59</td> AliExpress</td> new</td> 11.10.2026</td> -</td></tr>
7</td> PCIe x1 #1</td> ASM1182e (PCIe x1 → 2x M.2)</a></td> 10.09</td> AliExpress</td> new</td> 27.09.2026</td> 10.10.2026</td></tr>
8</td> PCIe x16</td> ASM2824 (PCIe x16 → 4x M.2)</a></td> 74.52</td> AliExpress</td> new</td> 27.09.2026</td> -</td></tr>
9</td> M.2</td> Intel JL82599EN (M.2 → SFP+)</a></td> 31.39</td> AliExpress</td> new</td> 26.09.2026</td> -</td></tr>
10</td> PSU</td> be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 550 W</a></td> 68.45</td> Galaxus.ch</td> used</td> 08.10.2026</td> -</td></tr>
11</td> Case</td> Thermaltake Divider 200 TG Air</a></td> 65</td> Ricardo.ch</td> new</td> 01.03.2025</td> 28.04.2025</td></tr> </tbody></table>
Total: CHF 480</strong></p>
Utilities</h3>
#</th> Part</th> Model</th> Price CHF</th> Where</th></tr></thead>

U1</td> Cable</td> SFP+ DAC Cable, 3 m</a></td> 11.23</td> AliExpress</td></tr>
U2</td> Adapter</td> Molex → SATA</td> -</td> had it</td></tr>
U3</td> Cable</td> SATA, 5 pcs</a></td> 6.80</td> AliExpress</td></tr>
U4</td> Mount</td> Steel three-storey cage for 3.5" SATA</a></td> 10.59</td> AliExpress</td></tr>
U5</td> Splitter</td> 4-pin 1→2 on SYS_FAN</a></td> 1.70</td> AliExpress</td></tr>
U6</td> Mount</td> 50x M3x5 / 6-32 flat-head screws</a></td> 2.75</td> AliExpress</td></tr>
U7</td> Pads</td> Self-adhesive silicone pads, 10x2 mm, 50 pcs</a></td> 1.49</td> AliExpress</td></tr>
U8</td> Cable ties</td> Self-locking nylon cable ties</a></td> 1.54</td> AliExpress</td></tr> </tbody></table>
Total: CHF 36</strong></p>
Data drives</h3>
#</th> Part</th> Model</th> Price CHF</th> Where</th> Condition</th> Bought</th> Installed</th></tr></thead>

S1</td> NVMe `fast</code> #1</td>` Samsung PM9A1 1 TB</a></td> -</td> had it</td> used</td> -</td> -</td></tr>
S2</td> NVMe `fast</code> #2</td>` Samsung PM981a 1 TB</a></td> -</td> had it</td> used</td> -</td> -</td></tr>
S3</td> HDD `tank</code> #1</td>` Seagate IronWolf 6 TB</td> 200.99</td> AliExpress</td> new</td> 26.09.2026</td> -</td></tr>
S4</td> HDD `tank</code> #2–3</td>` 2x Seagate IronWolf 6 TB</a></td> 2x 202.39</td> AliExpress</td> new</td> 30.09.2026</td> -</td></tr>
S5</td> HDD `backup</code> #1</td>` Seagate Barracuda 6 TB</td> -</td> had it</td> used</td> -</td> -</td></tr>
S6</td> HDD `backup</code> #2</td>` Seagate Barracuda 6 TB</a></td> 139.12</td> Amazon.fr</td> new</td> 24.03.2025</td> -</td></tr> </tbody></table>
Total: CHF 745</strong></p>
Build total: CHF 1 261</strong></p>
Not in the build</h2>
Debugging gear</h3>
Bought for bring-up and troubleshooting; not part of the final build.</p>
#</th> Part</th> Model</th> Price CHF</th> Where</th></tr></thead>

D1</td> USB expansion card</td> 4-port USB 3.0 PCIe</a></td> 6.87</td> AliExpress</td></tr>
D2</td> Keyboard adapter</td> PS/2 male → USB-A female</a></td> 2.36</td> AliExpress</td></tr>
D3</td> Front-panel adapter</td> USB 2.0 9-pin → USB-C (Type-E)</a></td> 2.48</td> AliExpress</td></tr>
D4</td> Video adapter</td> VGA → HDMI</a></td> 7.60</td> Amazon.fr</td></tr> </tbody></table>
Total: CHF 19</strong></p>
Failures</h3>
Parts that died in service and were replaced.</p>
#</th> Part</th> Model</th> Price CHF</th> Where</th> Condition</th> Bought</th> Installed</th> Replaced</th> Cause</th></tr></thead>

F1</td> PSU</td> LC-Power LC420-12</a></td> 31.90</td> Galaxus.ch</td> new</td> 13.03.2025</td> 28.04.2025</td> 12.10.2026</td> A short circuit made it unstable</td></tr> </tbody></table>
Total: CHF 31.90</strong></p>

Note:</strong> everything below describes the final configuration, not the current one: 4x NVMe on the ASM2824; `tank</code> as 6x 6 TB IronWolf raidz1 on the onboard SATA ports; warm backup (18 TB + 2x 6 TB) in an external box with its own power supply, attached through the free PCIe x1 slot.</p> </blockquote>`
Layout</h2> Pool</th> Drives</th> Role</th></tr></thead> rpool</code></td> 2x NVMe 256 GB, mirror (PCIe x1 → ASM1182e)</td> OS</td></tr> fast</code></td> 4x NVMe 1 TB, two mirrors (ASM2824), ~1.8 TiB usable</td> Jellyfin, TorrServer, Nix cache, etc.</td></tr> tank</code></td> 6x IronWolf 6 TB, raidz1, ~27 TiB usable</td> main storage</td></tr> backup</code></td> 1x 18 TB CMR + 2x Barracuda SMR 6 TB, stripe, ~27 TiB usable (external box)</td> warm backup of tank</code></td></tr> </tbody></table> Failure model and tiers</h2> Event</th> What saves you</th> What you lose</th></tr></thead> 1 drive in tank</code></td> resilver</td> nothing, pool degraded but alive</td></tr> 2nd drive during resilver</td> warm backup</td> data since the last zfs send</code></td></tr> drive in warm backup</td> tank</code></td> nothing, send it again</td></tr> everything at once (PSU, lightning, ransomware, fire)</td> nothing</td> everything outside the partial cold copy</td></tr> </tbody></table> Cold</strong>, partial: documents, KeePass databases and 2FA exports on a Kingston IronKey; photo archive on an external HDD.</p> Appendix A: rebuild time after a drive swap</h2> Ranges from Synology and TrueNAS forum reports plus arithmetic on average HDD throughput (~140 MB/s for 6 TB CMR). Conditions: idle array, CMR drives, raidz1 ~70 % full.</p> Array</th> RAID5 (mdadm, Synology)</th> SHR-1</th> raidz1 (ZFS)</th></tr></thead> 6x 6 TB</td> 10–16 h</td> 10–18 h</td> 5–9 h</td></tr> 6x 10 TB</td> 16–28 h</td> 18–30 h</td> 9–15 h</td></tr> 6x 16 TB</td> 24–40 h</td> 26–45 h</td> 14–24 h</td></tr> </tbody></table> (Multiply times: ×3–5 for SMR drives, ×1.5 if the array is under load during rebuild.)</em></small></p> Legend:</p> RAID5/SHR read the whole disk, time does not depend on fill. raidz1 resilvers only allocated blocks: an empty pool takes minutes, a full one is RAID5.</li> DSM throttles rebuild speed by default ("Balanced"/"Low impact"); in "Low impact" 6 TB stretches to 2–3 days.</li> A read error on a surviving drive mid-rebuild: mdadm kicks the drive and the array collapses; ZFS marks one file as damaged and carries on.</li> </ul> Our tank</code> (6x 6 TB, ~70 %): ~4 TB of data per drive, resilver 6–8 h.</p> Sources:</p> https://sraidcalculator.com/blog/synology-nas-rebuild-time</li> https://community.synology.com/enu/forum/1/post/140325</li> https://forums.truenas.com/t/long-resilver-time-tl-dr/29218</li> https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/drive-size-and-resilvering-times.95917</li> https://louwrentius.com/zfs-resilver-performance-of-various-raid-schemas.html</li> </ul> Appendix B: power draw and running cost</h2> Estimate from component datasheets. Wall figures assume ~87 % PSU efficiency at 10–20 % load (80+ Gold).</p> Component</th> Idle</th> Load</th></tr></thead> i5-6600T + B250M + 2x DDR4</td> 14 W</td> 45 W</td></tr> 6x IronWolf 6 TB (tank</code>, spinning / standby)</td> 24 W / 5 W</td> 32 W</td></tr> 4x NVMe</td> 2.5 W</td> 8 W</td></tr> ASM2824 switch</td> 5 W</td> 6 W</td></tr> ASM1182e adapter</td> 1.5 W</td> 1.5 W</td></tr> ASM1166 (PCIe x1 → eSATA, warm box)</td> 2 W</td> 2 W</td></tr> 82599EN + DAC</td> 6 W</td> 6 W</td></tr> Fans (200 + 120 + CPU)</td> 3 W</td> 4 W</td></tr> DC total</strong></td> ~58 W</strong> (tank</code> standby: ~39 W)</td> ~105 W</strong></td></tr> At the wall</strong></td> ~67 W</strong> (tank</code> standby: ~45 W)</td> ~121 W</strong></td></tr> Warm box, own PSU (18 TB + 2x 6 TB), at the wall</td> ~2 W (standby, pool exported)</td> ~25 W (during zfs recv</code>)</td></tr> </tbody></table> (Measured figures with a wall meter: separate worklog after the build.)</em></small></p> Load = scrub or nightly zfs send</code>; runs a few hours a day at most. Scenarios include the warm box: standby except 2 h of nightly send, ~4 W average. tank</code> spins down after inactivity (planned, timeout to be tuned against spin-up count in SMART).</p> SIG tariff 2026, Profil Simple, Électricité Vitale Vert 10 % (reference product), VAT included:</p> Item</th> ct/kWh</th></tr></thead> Energy</td> 11.24</td></tr> Grid use</td> 11.35</td></tr> Cantonal levy (13.2 % of grid use)</td> 1.50</td></tr> Federal renewable surcharge</td> 2.49</td></tr> Federal electricity reserve</td> 0.44</td></tr> Solidarity costs</td> 0.05</td></tr> Total</strong></td> 27.1</strong></td></tr> </tbody></table> Meter fee (CHF 7.24/month) is fixed per household and not attributed to the NAS.</p> Scenario</th> Average draw</th> kWh/year</th> CHF/year</th> CHF/month</th></tr></thead> Idle 24/7, tank</code> spinning</td> 71 W</td> 622</td> 169</td> 14.0</td></tr> Idle 24/7, tank</code> standby</td> 49 W</td> 429</td> 116</td> 9.7</td></tr> 14 h standby + 8 h spinning + 2 h load</td> 63 W</td> 552</td> 150</td> 12.5</td></tr> Load 24/7 (upper bound)</td> 146 W</td> 1279</td> 347</td> 28.9</td></tr> </tbody></table> Source: https://media.sig-ge.ch/documents/tarifs_reglements/electricite/tarifs/tarifs_electricite_tous_clients.pdf</p> Appendix C: deferred to the next build</h2> Each needs different hardware or does not pay off at this size.</p> Feature</th> What it solves</th> Why not now</th> What it takes</th></tr></thead> ECC RAM</td> Bit flips in RAM before ZFS checksums the block; ZFS cannot detect these</td> B250M / i5-6600T do not support ECC</td> W680 or C246 board + Xeon E / i3 with ECC, or AM4/AM5 board with ECC UDIMM validated (ASRock Rack); ECC UDIMM</td></tr> ZFS special</code> vdev on its own NVMe mirror</td> Metadata and small blocks on SSD: directory listings, find</code>, rsync scans, small-file datasets stop touching HDD</td> Media-heavy pool at 30 TB, ARC 32 GB covers hot metadata; losing special</code> loses the pool, so it must be a mirror, and all four M.2 slots on the ASM2824 are taken by fast</code></td> 2x NVMe (~1 % of pool size, 256–512 GB) on a dedicated mirror; special_small_blocks</code> per dataset</td></tr> Hot plugging</td> Swap a failed drive without powering down; no resilver interruption from a reboot</td> Divider 200 has fixed cages, no backplane; drives are cabled directly</td> Case with hot-swap bays and SATA backplane (or a 5-in-3 cage), AHCI hot-plug enabled in BIOS, zpool replace</code> by /dev/disk/by-id</code></td></tr> Cold backup of tank</code></td> Full offline copy in another building: fire, theft, ransomware, operator error</td> Partial cold only: KeePass DBs + 2FA export on Kingston IronKey, photo archive on an external HDD</td> 2x 18 TB or a second NAS at another site; rotate monthly; zfs send</code> to it, then export and unplug</td></tr> UPS</td> Clean shutdown on power loss; no interrupted resilver or scrub; HDD heads park under power, not on a crash</td> ZFS itself survives a power cut (transactional, copy-on-write); the remaining risk is mechanical and a mid-resilver cut on raidz1</td> 600–900 VA line-interactive (APC Back-UPS, Eaton Ellipse), USB, NUT on NixOS with services.ups</code>; ~CHF 150–250</td></tr> L2ARC</td> Second-level read cache on NVMe when the working set does not fit in ARC</td> ARC 32 GB is not saturated by a media workload; L2ARC only helps once ARC hit rate drops; L2ARC headers consume ARC</td> One NVMe (no mirror needed, loss is harmless), zpool add tank cache</code>, persistent since ZFS 2.0; add after seeing arcstat</code> hit rate < 90 %</td></tr> </tbody></table>