Ubuntu 11.10 server installation

Ubuntu Server 11.10 Installation :

- Created software RAID 1 during installation on the 2 SSD

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SoftwareRAID

Note : Initially, I wanted to have ZFS on root disks as well and I followed this tutorial : https://github.com/dajhorn/pkg-zfs/wiki/HOWTO-install-Ubuntu-to-a-Native-ZFS-Root-Filesystem but for me I have an issue at step 6.2,  I don't have any .mod listed at this stage.


- Static IP + avoid resolv.conf to be overwritten by network manager with :

sudo chattr +i /etc/resolv.conf
See thread http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1186979

- Get ZFS support from ppa :

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:zfs-native/stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-zfs
 
- Create mirrored ZFS tank (4k sectors) with the 4 HDDs (my reference : Solaris ZFS Admin Guide and http://chaossoup.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/installing-a-nas-with-zfs/)

zpool create -o ashift=12 -f tank mirror /dev/disk/by-id/disk1 /dev/disk/by-id/disk2 mirror /dev/disk/by-id/disk3 /dev/disk/by-id/disk4

zpool export tank
zpool import tank


- Automatically mount / unmount ZFS at startup / shutdown
add zfs in /etc/modules
set 'yes' in  /etc/default/zfs for ZFS_MOUNT and ZFS_UMOUNT

- Installed ubuntu-desktop : sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop (I know it's supposed to be a server but if it can display movies on TV or let me browse the Internet it's even better ;-))

- Enabling xdmcp and/or x11vnc on server
xdmcp : http://askubuntu.com/questions/66431/how-do-i-configure-lightdm-to-work-with-xdmcp

Note : Seems like I can't get  xdmcp working, I successfully connect, I see the login invite but impossible to log in it's like keyboard input is disabled! That's actually why I considered vnc then ...

vnc : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VNC/Servers

- Installing Remmina on client with xdmcp plugin
remmina : sudo apt-get install remmina
xdmcp plugin : sudo apt-get install remmina-plugin-xdmcp

Which Distribution ?

Here were my initial constraints for selecting a distrib :
- Stability
- ZFS support (including root installation & tutorials available)
- Radeon HD6310 support (maybe at some point i want to plug my server in my TV ;-))
- USB install

so I came up with this non-exhaustive list :
- OpenIndiana
- FreeBSD 9 or its desktop-oriented version : PC-BSD
- Ubuntu Server 11.10

I tried all these distributions and here is my feedback :

- OpenIndiana 151a : easy install, native ZFS support but HD6310 not supported ootb, lack of documentation

- FreeBSD 9.0 : very robust distrib, native ZFS, great documentation but again lack of support for HD6310 and ports take time to install...

- PC-BSD 9.0 Isotope :  same than FreeBSD, PC-BSD installer supports ZFS install on root (but only 1 disk not on 2 mirrored disks), but again lack of support for HD6310 : could get it working in 1920x1080 but couldn't open a console with Ctrl-Alt-F1 or system will hang-up or even reboot...

- Ubuntu Server 11.10 : server install allows Software RAID-1 support, HD6310 supported out of the box, great community and software available, native ZFS support but through ppa...

My choice : the last one, Ubuntu Server !!

Even if I couldn't manage to install ZFS on my root system with Ubuntu, I chose to stick with it and did a Software RAID-1 with my 2 system disks instead.

Hardware Specifications

After 5 years running a D-Link DNS-323 with 2x 500GB in RAID1 I decided that it is time to upgrade to a more flexible and reliable Home NAS.

Here are my requirements :

• Be able to run and administrate any - preferably Linux based - OS
• Ensure my data are safe in case of disk failure
• Limit power consumption as the environment needs it
• Do all that without breaking the bank ;-)

After a quick search, I figured 2 things :

• It's better to build the NAS myself
• I definitely have to use ZFS

So after a week end comparing hardware components, here is my setup :

- CFI A7879 (with 200W) case (wanted the Chenbro ES34069 first but it is discontinued here in North America)

- Asus E35M1-I (cheap, fanless with 6 x SATA III ports and MIR this month!)

- 2 x 4GB Kingston DDR3 1066Mhz RAM (listed in the compatibility list for the MB, didn't want to take any chance)

- 2 x 60GB OCZ Vertex 3 SSD's for system (didn't expect to end up with SSD but they was a deal and I like new experiences with the unknown ;-)) and one dual SATA mounting card (http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=12669) to fit them in!

- 4 x 1TB WD Caviar Green WD10EARX (because it's always good to buy green) for storage

Here I will put some pictures of my box.