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R630 TrueNAS Build.md

@@ -5,12 +5,13 @@ I have a Dell R630 with 128G RAM from David and 8x 4TB NVMe from Taylor. What d
5 5
6 6 # Goal
7 7
8 - - U.2 Expansion Kit to support 4x U.2 2.5" Drives
8 + - U.2 Expansion Kit to support 4x U.2 2.5" Drives (MAYBE)
9 9 - Uses 1 of the x16 PCIE slots and connects to existing backplane allowing 4x slots to be U.2 compatible
10 10 - Can get M.2 to U.2 2.5" adapters to use my M.2 drives instead of expensive U.2 drives
11 11 - Support for 8x M.2 NVMe Drives
12 12 - 4x M.2 NVMe drives converted to U.2 2.5" Drives
13 13 - 4x M.2 NVMe drives on a single PCIE bifurcated card
14 + - ALTERNATE option is to simply use 2x of the PCIE 4x NVMe cards...still get 8x drives, but skip the U.2 conversion
14 15 - 8x 4TB drives in RAID10=16TB or RAID6=24TB or RAID5=28TB
15 16 - 12Gbps External SAS HBA for External Disk Shelves
16 17 - Use existing 6Gbps MD1220 shelf for 24x 2.5" Drives
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ To upgrade your Dell PowerEdge R630 to support U.2 NVMe drives, you need a speci
71 72
72 73 **Cable Kit:** Dell Part Number **K9TVP** (also known as 1PDFM), which bridges the PCIe connection between the riser card and the drive backplane.
73 74
74 - # M.2 to U.2 Converstion
75 + # M.2 to U.2 Conversion
75 76
76 77 You can also buy adapter card that allow you to use your M.2 NVMe sticks in the 2.5" U.2 form factor, like https://www.startech.com/en-us/hdd/u2m2e125
77 78
@@ -79,6 +80,8 @@ So I would buy 4x of these adapters, then use 4x M.2 NVMe drives as 2.5" drives!
79 80
80 81 So combine 4x M.2 NVMe in U.2 bays + 4x M.2 on PCIe card gives 8x M.2 NVMe Drives total!
81 82
83 + OR simply buy 2x of the PCIE 4x NVMe cards...still get 8x NVMe and skip the U.2 conversion
84 +
82 85 # M.2 NVMe Drives
83 86
84 87 Along with the 4x U.2 drives, you can add low profile PCIE cards that hold either 2x or 4x NVMe drives with bifurcation support.

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R630 TrueNAS Build.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
3 3
4 4 I have a Dell R630 with 128G RAM from David and 8x 4TB NVMe from Taylor. What does it take to turn this into a killer TrueNAS Server? This is referring to `SRV-55` inventory.
5 5
6 - Goal is
6 + # Goal
7 7
8 8 - U.2 Expansion Kit to support 4x U.2 2.5" Drives
9 9 - Uses 1 of the x16 PCIE slots and connects to existing backplane allowing 4x slots to be U.2 compatible
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@ Goal is
19 19 - 25Gbps Network Daughter Card
20 20 - Replace the 10G network daughter card with the 25G cards I already own
21 21
22 + # Concerns
23 +
24 + - Main concern is there will be no Intel Optane drives for a SLOG for the slower spindle disks
25 + - This means that the spinner pool should use ASYNC mode to prevent double writes
26 + - I will have to move data around in the new pools to ensure critical data is on NVMe with SYNC and non critical data is on spinners with ASYNC
27 +
22 28 # PCI Slots
23 29
24 30 The R630 10 drive edition has 3 PCIe 3.0 slots and requires both CPUs to be installed. 2x slots support full x16 speeds, and one slot supports x8 speeds.

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R630 TrueNAS Build.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
1 1
2 2 # Summary
3 3
4 - I have a Dell R630 from David and 8x 4TB NVMe from Taylor. What does it take to turn this into a killer TrueNAS Server? This is referring to `SRV-55` inventory.
4 + I have a Dell R630 with 128G RAM from David and 8x 4TB NVMe from Taylor. What does it take to turn this into a killer TrueNAS Server? This is referring to `SRV-55` inventory.
5 5
6 6 Goal is
7 7

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1 file changed, 1 insertion, 1 deletion

R630 TrueNAS Build.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
1 1
2 2 # Summary
3 3
4 - I have a Dell R630 from David Ward. What does it take to turn this into a killer TrueNAS Server? This is referring to `SRV-55` inventory.
4 + I have a Dell R630 from David and 8x 4TB NVMe from Taylor. What does it take to turn this into a killer TrueNAS Server? This is referring to `SRV-55` inventory.
5 5
6 6 Goal is
7 7

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1 +
2 + # Summary
3 +
4 + I have a Dell R630 from David Ward. What does it take to turn this into a killer TrueNAS Server? This is referring to `SRV-55` inventory.
5 +
6 + Goal is
7 +
8 + - U.2 Expansion Kit to support 4x U.2 2.5" Drives
9 + - Uses 1 of the x16 PCIE slots and connects to existing backplane allowing 4x slots to be U.2 compatible
10 + - Can get M.2 to U.2 2.5" adapters to use my M.2 drives instead of expensive U.2 drives
11 + - Support for 8x M.2 NVMe Drives
12 + - 4x M.2 NVMe drives converted to U.2 2.5" Drives
13 + - 4x M.2 NVMe drives on a single PCIE bifurcated card
14 + - 8x 4TB drives in RAID10=16TB or RAID6=24TB or RAID5=28TB
15 + - 12Gbps External SAS HBA for External Disk Shelves
16 + - Use existing 6Gbps MD1220 shelf for 24x 2.5" Drives
17 + - New 12Gbps MD1420 shelf for 24x 2.5" Drives
18 + - Total of 48x 2.5" drives in external Daisy Chained shelves!
19 + - 25Gbps Network Daughter Card
20 + - Replace the 10G network daughter card with the 25G cards I already own
21 +
22 + # PCI Slots
23 +
24 + The R630 10 drive edition has 3 PCIe 3.0 slots and requires both CPUs to be installed. 2x slots support full x16 speeds, and one slot supports x8 speeds.
25 +
26 + - Use the x8 slot for the External HBA
27 + - Use the x16 slot for the U.2 Expansion Kit
28 + - Use the x16 slot fo the M.2 4x NVMe card for 4x4x4x4x bifurcation support
29 +
30 + # Perc
31 +
32 + This `SRV-55` has the Perc H730 Mini which is ALREADY capable of HBA mode, so no IT mode cross flash is required!
33 +
34 + **Enable HBA Mode**
35 +
36 + 1. Turn on the server and press **F2** when prompted to enter System Setup.
37 + 2. Navigate to **Device Settings** and select your **Dell PERC H730 Mini**.
38 + 3. Go to **Controller Management** and verify your current mode is RAID.
39 + 4. Select **Advanced Controller Management**, then choose **Switch to HBA Mode**.
40 + 5. Confirm your selection, click OK, and reboot the server.
41 +
42 + # External SAS
43 +
44 + The older R620 TrueNAS server has a 6Gbps External SAS [[Production/Inventory/Components/LSI Logic 9200-8e SFF-8088/README]] which was flashed to IT mode. This card could work in the new R630, however if you want the newer 12gbps card that can be flashed to IT mode you would want this
45 +
46 + For your Dell PowerEdge R630, if you need an external 12Gbps SAS HBA for connecting to a disk shelf or tape drive, look for the **Dell 12Gbps External SAS HBA** (often called the Dell H830 or the OEM equivalent of the LSI 9300-8e). These cards run in IT/HBA mode natively out of the box and are a direct plug-and-play fit.
47 +
48 + Instead of trying to cross-flash a standard LSI 9300-8e, the easiest route is to use the dedicated **Dell 12Gbps SAS HBA (External)**.
49 +
50 + **Official Dell Part Numbers:** Look for PNs like `0T93GD`, `405-AAES`
51 +
52 + **Chipset:** Built on the robust **LSI SAS3008** controller.
53 +
54 + LSI's "IT Mode" (Initiator Target) and Dell's "HBA Mode" effectively accomplish the exact same goal!
55 +
56 +
57 + # U.2 Expansion Kit
58 +
59 + The R630 is capable of running 4x 2.5" U.2 NVME Drives in the last 4 drive bays, but you must buy the expansion kit which includes a PCIE card and the cabling. The backplane already has the 4 connectors on it ready for this expansion kit. This card does NOT require any IT mode flashing, as it still uses the Perc H730 Mini as the controller, which already works in HBA Mode (same as IT mode).
60 +
61 +
62 + To upgrade your Dell PowerEdge R630 to support U.2 NVMe drives, you need a specific hardware kit. It includes a PCIe extender/riser card and dedicated cables. This setup enables U.2 support on specific slots (usually up to 4 drives) in the server's 10-bay SFF chassis. Example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/173174252228
63 +
64 + **PCIe Extender/Bridge Card:** Dell Part Number **GY1TD** (or 0GY1TD).
65 +
66 + **Cable Kit:** Dell Part Number **K9TVP** (also known as 1PDFM), which bridges the PCIe connection between the riser card and the drive backplane.
67 +
68 + # M.2 to U.2 Converstion
69 +
70 + You can also buy adapter card that allow you to use your M.2 NVMe sticks in the 2.5" U.2 form factor, like https://www.startech.com/en-us/hdd/u2m2e125
71 +
72 + So I would buy 4x of these adapters, then use 4x M.2 NVMe drives as 2.5" drives!
73 +
74 + So combine 4x M.2 NVMe in U.2 bays + 4x M.2 on PCIe card gives 8x M.2 NVMe Drives total!
75 +
76 + # M.2 NVMe Drives
77 +
78 + Along with the 4x U.2 drives, you can add low profile PCIE cards that hold either 2x or 4x NVMe drives with bifurcation support.
79 +
80 + The 4x low profile cards that fit in the R630 are rare, but found this
81 + - https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/gfi4sk/adding_m2_to_a_dell_r630/
82 + - https://www.gigabyte.com/Enterprise/Accessory/CMT4034-rev-1x-2x#ov
83 +
84 +
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