# Installation recommendations



## softwhere (Mar 15, 2011)

New to FreeBSD. Background in programming (assembly through C). Very comfortable with networks.

Setting up a FreeBSD, MySQL, Ruby (and Rails), Passenger, and Apache web server (multiple sites). Purchased and assembled hardware from a gentlemen at MicroCenter knowledgeable in server side (FreeBSD) setups.

Hardware consists of: 

1.	Asus Sabertooth X58 1366 ATX motherboard
2.	Intel CI7-950 CPU
3.	Raid 10 config â€“ Qty 4 Samsung 1TB Sata Raid
4.	12GB of memory - Corsair 4GB D3 1333 DIMM L9
5.	LG 22X DVD Burner SAT
6.      EVGA 8400GS 512MB D3 PCIE

Any comments/red flags on configuration?

Thanks much - Craig


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## aragon (Mar 15, 2011)

The nvidia card seems like a waste, but everything should work.


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## softwhere (Mar 15, 2011)

No on-board video and $29.

Thanks!


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## jb_fvwm2 (Mar 16, 2011)

Two questions come to mind: you have a backup strategy, and upon what driver/hardware is your raid configured?  Not that I am qualified particularly to suggest either, but others might.


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## softwhere (Mar 16, 2011)

Ich10r


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## SirDice (Mar 16, 2011)

Personally I try to avoid hardware RAID. When the controller dies you'll have a hard time trying to find a similar controller that's able to make sense of your current RAID set. For this reason I'm sticking to software RAID (gvinum, zfs, etc). Then it won't matter what type of controller you get, as long as it's able to access the drives. Performance is hardly an issue nowadays anyway.


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## softwhere (Mar 16, 2011)

I'm assuming I would install zfs during FreeBSD install? Would I need to get a separate controller or will zfs use the Ich10r controller?


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## SirDice (Mar 16, 2011)

softwhere said:
			
		

> I'm assuming I would install zfs during FreeBSD install?


You can't. Not unless you do the install by hand.



> Would I need to get a separate controller or will zfs use the Ich10r controller?


ZFS is a filesystem.


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## wblock@ (Mar 16, 2011)

SirDice said:
			
		

> You can't. Not unless you do the install by hand.



The PCBSD install has options to install FreeBSD rather than PCBSD, and to install on ZFS.  (Untested by me.)


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## softwhere (Mar 19, 2011)

Does PCBSD install ZFS so I wouldn't have to crate a UFS file system to boot FreeBSD? It's my understanding I can boot FreeBSD from a Raid config.

Also, what would be an effective ZFS structure for 5 1TB sata disks? RaidZ and RaidZ-2? (I'm planning on serving 4-5 websites each having a separate MySQL database)

Are these the best sites/examples for documentation to configure ZFS?
http://www.solarisinternals.com/wiki/index.php/ZFS_Best_Practices_Guide#RAIDZ_Configuration_Examples

http://blogs.freebsdish.org/pjd/2010/08/06/from-sysinstall-to-zfs-only-configuration/


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## Woland (Jul 6, 2011)

This:
ZFS RAID recommendations: space, performance, and MTTDL
might be helpful.


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