Using Up² as a micro file server

Hadmut Danisch

One thing I was planning to use an Up² for is a micro file server, i.e. put it in a case together with an SSD and three 2.5 inch hard disks with 4TB each, to get a cached 8TB redundant ZFS file system.


Originally I thought I'd have two problems, but both are gone:

- I've bought a mini pcie board with two SATA ports , which just fits into the slot, but i was afraid that this could be too unfirm, since the Up² has only one mounting hole on the right side, while the board has the SATA ports on the left side, but I was happy to see that the hole has moved to the left on the board I got. I nevertheless would favour for two holes if at all possible.


- I was disappointed about the mSATA port beeing too short for an SSD (needed as a cache). But I just found a half size mSATA SSD, which should fit.


So both problems are gone, all I still need to find is a suitable power supply and some case design (maybe for 3D-Printer) for one UP² and three fat 2.5 inch hard disks.

Martin

Hello Hadmut2,
can you please post which mini pcie board with two SATA ports did you use?
Thx

Hadmut Danisch

I have bought that one:
https://www.conrad.de/de/02-port-sata-iii-controllerkarte-mini-pcie-986896.html

but didn't test it yet. It's some china-made board that is sold under lots of different brand names and different prices, usually between 20 and 45 €. Google should help finding a dealer in your country. (be aware, it comes in two versions, one with standing and one with flat SATA plugs,

https://www.conrad.de/de/02-port-sata-iii-controllerkarte-mini-pcie-1195021.html

the flat ones probably not fitting the Up² since not enough space for the cables, maybe except with angled cables).

Someone mentioned a board with four sata ports, but I did not find that yet.

Hadmut Danisch

Making a ZFS file server really fast even with slow 2.5 inch disks would require an SSD-based cache.

Someone mentioned somewhere here in the forum, that the M.2 port is not a full but an E-key port (whatever that means precisely) which would not take M.2 SSDs, so it would not work exactly as I had intended. But I'm not sure about this, since I thought an E-key would also include the PCIe, as described under

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/02/understanding-m-2-the-interface-that-will-speed-up-your-next-ssd/

and PCIe is to my knowledge, what SSDs require. Toshiba announced an M.2-2230 sized SSD, but I am really not sure whether this will work in an Up².

Christian

I have a similar project in mind. Got my board today. The SSD in 2230 format hast to be a PCIe SSD not SATA SSD since SATA is not present in the 2230 slot / E key.
The flat 2 port sata adapter could work with the 90° angled cables.

Another solution would be a mPCIe to PCIe x1 Adapter + PCIe x1 riser cable. This would allow to use 4+ SATA / SAS ports via a PCIe x1 controller (starting at 20+ Euro). You just need a customized case to fit this.

Sadly they don't have a case ready. One could develop and print one with 2x 2.5" HDD slots.

zuzzurro

This one looks nice:

http://www.iocrest.com/en/product_details564.html

Bartek

Hi,

I am also planning to use UP as file server. But plan to use usb3 to sata bridge like this one. They are cheaper than mpcie to 2 sata (and much more than 4 sata). Speed should be the same as through Up Squared mpcie (it is rev 2 mpcie - 5Gbit/s)

I am also considering more expensive sollution: sata multiplier but not sure if it will work with UP Squared. It only require easy to get sata to esata cable. With this I should get full 6Gbit/s sata spead and free mpcie slot.

Martin

Hi,
after investigating other options I decided to use integrated SATA port and two USB3 to SATA bridges.

Now I have three connected 2.5" SATA drives. I will test their performance tomorrow.

Adam

So, msata SSD-s are not supported?? In this topic: https://up-community.org/forum/public-up2hw/1095-m-2-msata-ssd-options
a user said: "For mPCI-e, you can choose any full size mSATA in the market"

Can someone confirm if an msata SSD like Samsung EVO 850 mSATA can fit to and work with the up squared?

Martin

I can confirm that mSata SSD works. I tested 2 and both works fine.

Adam

Thank you! My plan with up squared is standing on a mSATA ssd But in this case I don't understand Hadmut2's post: 'I was disappointed about the mSATA port beeing too short for an SSD ' O.o

Martin

I tested 120GB Kingston mS200 and some old 32GB Samsung. Length is OK.

Adam

Good to hear, thank you for the quick answers

Hadmut Danisch

Ahhh, sorry!

My mistake. I meant M.2, not mSATA.

The M.2 slot is a 2230, too short for common M.2 and not equipped with all connectors, since an E-Key slot.

Toshiba has recently announced an M.2 2230 SSD: https://www.golem.de/news/m-2-2230-toshiba-zeigt-weltweit-kleinste-nvme-ssd-1508-115730.html

(but I wouldn't bet it makes it's way to the market, Toshiba was recently said to have sold it's ssd branch.)

Hadmut Danisch

I was looking for an SSD for the M.2 slot since I plan to put a 2xSATA-Adapter into the PCIe slot.

When writing the article (probably too tired) I have confused mSATA and M.2.

Sorry for that.

zuzzurro

I am this >< close to buy this:

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20170410083927&SearchText=IO-mPCE9215-4I

I never bought on aliexepress. Do people recommend it? I understand it depend a lot on the seller..

WereCatf

I've bought a lot of stuff on Aliexpress, it's quite fine. Just, when you receive the package do not throw *anything* away, absolutely no packaging material or anything, until you've checked you got everything you ordered and you've tested that it works, because they demand pictures of all the packaging and everything and a picture of a scale showing how much it all weighs, if you're trying to demand refunds. Ie. only throw the stuff out after you've tested whatever you bought.

Upp3r

zuzzurro wrote:

I am this >< close to buy this:

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20170410083927&SearchText=IO-mPCE9215-4I

I never bought on aliexepress. Do people recommend it? I understand it depend a lot on the seller..

has anybody tried this or something similiar?
looks great and would be great to have this work for a small fileserver

ergo just thinking about maybe even expand with an external raid controller. hmmm need to look closer at this. does anybody already tought about that?

Jaap Cammeraat

Did you have some success with the " 0+2 Port SATA III-Controllerkarte Mini-PCIe " ?

Bartek

That is good question. It would be great to have confirmation that it is working with UP. I have ordered similar card - based on ASM1061R (raid version). It has bios on it's own and supports RAID0, RAID1, SPAN:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Mini-PCI-E-PCI-Express-to-2-Port-SATA-3-0-III-6Gbps-Adapter-RAID-Controller/1495338_32708403249.html

The one you have mentioned: " 0+2 Port SATA III-Controllerkarte Mini-PCIe " - it's based on ASM1061 - without RAID support. Apart from RAID the difference I have found is that it supports Serial ATA Revision 3.0 whereas ASM1061R supports Serial ATA Revision 3.2 - whatever that means, but I can assume that it is better: )

Thomas Schleich

I´ve got mine from german amazon, i think it´s the same you´ve orderd from aliexpress:
https://www.amazon.de/BlueBeach®-Mini-PCI-E-Ports-Adapter-RAID-Controllerkarte/dp/B014MTCW9G/ref=pd_sbs_147_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3ZHKWM2PP7ER0S96FP7V

i could not get it to work yet. a blue led lights up on start if a sata drive is connected but the drive(s) don´t show up in bios or under debian. i´ll do more tests on the weekend.

Thomas Schleich

i had no success... may be to a bad controller board, incompatibility, or wrong bios settings - don´t know.
had anybody else more luck with the above mentioned mini pcie to sata controllers?

Per Mejdal Rasmussen

I have tested a SATA portmultiplier, using dd across 5x500GB drives:

combinded read: 122MB/s
combinded write: 97MB/s

Bartek

My ASM1061R works on Up². However I haven't found a way to get to it's bios, hopefully it is not important for my project. Up detected two different drives without any problems. The mpcie slot on up bios must be set to pci express (which is the default I guess).

Regards
Bartek