My First pfSense Box
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Notes
Power Bricks - If there's no ferrite choke on the cord, that would be a sign the manufacture is cutting corners!
Motherboard - There might be problems with the Intel board you selected .. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121622 .. investigate the Newegg Customer Review complaints left by users, they may be valid concerns.
I like most of Intel's hardware, but they can screw things up to…. after all they are human to.
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Ok great, thanks Stephen!
Looks like I have a final build:
- CPU - Intel Core i3-2120T Sandy Bridge 2.6GHz LGA 1155 35W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115094
- Motherboard - Intel DQ77KB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121622
_* RAM - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231472 * PSU - 19v/8.4A 160 Watt AC-DC Power Adapter - http://www.mini-box.com/19v-8-4A-160-Watt-AC-DC-Power-Adapter [still unsure] _* HDD - Mushkin Enhanced Callisto Deluxe 40GB Sata II MLC - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226168 - NIC - Intel EXPI9402PTBLK 10/100/1000Mbps - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106015 [using a pci-e riser]
- Case - G-Atlantic GA6503 B-Type Mini-ITX Case - http://www.g-alantic.com.tw/wp-content/uploads/Download-GA6503.pdf
Seems like that should be everything then!
Everyone, thank you very much!! :D I would like to start it in the next few weeks… would be a nice summer project!
Edit: @Clear-Pixel: You seem to have posted while I was writing mine up too. It seems there are some problems with the board, but it seems there are just as many good reviews too... so like a 50/50 shot huh? If everything on the hard drive is backed up and the mobo fails, could I RMA it and have it all up and running as soon as it's installed? Do you have any recommendations for a power adapter? Thanks.__
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The concerns about the MB seem to be valid ghendi ….. You must investigate for yourself .... don't take anyone's word that everything's ok!
From a IT perspective when your running server based software you can run into serious issues with some boards.Like I said a power supply such as this http://www.mini-box.com/19v-8-4A-160-Watt-AC-DC-Power-Adapter with no ferrite choke tells me they are cutting corners.
My choice for a quality power supply would be HP TouchSmart 310 520 135W 19V AC Adapter Power Supply they do make higher powered bricks if needed.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-HP-TouchSmart-310-520-135W-19V-AC-Adapter-Power-Supply-Cord-Charger-/400343813708?pt=Laptop_Adapters_Chargers&hash=item5d3659ce4c_You're the one which will have to live with it, not them … always verify information! _
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Interesting. Surprised it doesn't have a choke. I guess it could have sufficient internal filtering.
There are quite a few people using that board here on the forum, have a search around. I don't remember hearing about any problems with the NICs. It could be a Linux only driver issue.
I'm not running that board myself though so I can only pass on what I've read. ;)
Steve
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Interesting. Surprised it doesn't have a choke. I guess it could have sufficient internal filtering.
There are quite a few people using that board here on the forum, have a search around. I don't remember hearing about any problems with the NICs. It could be a Linux only driver issue.
I'm not running that board myself though so I can only pass on what I've read. ;)
Steve
I don't have a need to investigate the issue, but there seems to be a problem with Linux and the 82579LM and 82574L Intel chip combination.
Speculation
1. Its a direction Intel is headed in and the problem may have to be solved by the Linux community.
2. Nic combination was never designed for Linux compatibility. If that's the case, from a IT perspective the board is unsuitable for IT use unless your running Windows based software. -
FreeBSD doesn't seem to have an issue though.
The 82574 is almost ubiquitous. It was the chip that had the 'packet of death' issue that turned out to be a badly programmed eeprom. Not Intel's fault and not a problem on their boards.
I'm open to be corrected on that.Steve
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FreeBSD doesn't seem to have an issue though.
The 82574 is almost ubiquitous. It was the chip that had the 'packet of death' issue that turned out to be a badly programmed eeprom. Not Intel's fault and not a problem on their boards.
I'm open to be corrected on that.Steve
What about the Intel BOXDQ77KB board and Linux?
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I don't know what you're asking. I haven't seen any confirmed reports of the 'packet of death' on any board other than the one described (but not named) here: http://www.kriskinc.com/intel-pod. I personally tried it on a few NICs without incident.
I was just pointing out that the reports of bad behavior on the review page are mostly concerning the Linux driver not FreeBSD.
Steve
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I don't know what you're asking. I haven't seen any confirmed reports of the 'packet of death' on any board other than the one described (but not named) here: http://www.kriskinc.com/intel-pod. I personally tried it on a few NICs without incident.
I was just pointing out that the reports of bad behavior on the review page are mostly concerning the Linux driver not FreeBSD.
Steve
The reason I am making a issue of this, is because it is a issue. If you spend $600 to $800 on a powerful custom build for IT related uses, and you can't even run VMware ESXi or Linux it would be foolish.
A custom build will in most cases in its life span be used for a variety of IT purposes not just for Pfsense/FreeBSD.
They say nothing about Linux Compatibility
http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-008326.htm
Older discontinued boards did, but not new production boards as listed in the link above.Only conclusion that can be made, is they did not design this board to be used for Linux or FreeBSD it is a generic windows desktop board.
Notes:
Its been a couple of years since I've been in the market for a motherboard… so just out of curiosity I went to Newegg to have a gander at Customer Reviews statistics which I have found to be very useful in the past and more accurate than not. There seems to be some problems with the Intel and SuperMicro boards ..... The Mini ITX may not be the best choice as your choices will be limited. I don't like big packages but a Mico or full ATX might be the best path to find quality.Browsing through some of the Intel Desktop motherboard it seem as though they just might have removed all support for Linux ..... Just a hunch ..... would have to dig into it more to confirm. But if you look at there out of production boards they are supporting Linux Fully or to a limited extent ..... New production boards they mention nothing of Linux ...... If this is true you may have to go to a Server classified board to get full Linux support.
This is not Good at all people, if this wild hunch is true and other manufacture follow suit ..... It might cost you more for a fully compatible Linux motherboard.
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oh wow…. so this is something to really be cautious about...
so hold of on this build and look for a micro atx setup?
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I would hold off ….. going on Vacation starting tomorrow so I wont have time to research all motherboard options for you.
There are many knowledgeable helpful people on the forum that can hook you up with a quality board that will be flexible and have minimum issues.
Keep in mind I'm very picky and don't like having to deal with poorly engineered hardware. Its enough of a headache having to deal with buggy open source software ..... add in incompatible/buggy hardware just complicates things even more and could prevent you from doing what needs to be accomplished.
Again, as I was snooping around Intel documents today I found out Intel has dropped all support for Linux on there current desktop motherboards.
Some will tell you O that's no big deal, Linux/FreeBSD runs fine on mine….I assure you Intel has a very good reason for not listing support for Linux on there current production boards.I just don't know enough about what all has changed on these new production boards for Intel to behave like this. So I cant truly judge the risk, so all I can say at the moment is advise you to avoid them all together.No motherboard manufactures wants to claim Linux support anymore >:(
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Searching for support documents on other brands such as Asus, ASRock, MSI, GIGABYTE …. no one wants to comment to support for Linux any more it seems. Guess thing have changed a bit over the years for the motherboard manufactures.
Still doesn't change the possible Linux problems at hand with the dual nic issue with the (82579LM and 82574L) Worst case scenario most likely would be deactivating the on-board nics and use a PCI-E dual nic card, which would be a wasteful F'd up way to go.....
To make sure you have full compatibility with FreeBSD, VMware ESXi and Linux is to hunt down post in the forums over the web looking for issues.
Brands with Best odds for 99.5% Linux Compatibility
Intel
SuperMicro
TyanGood luck ghendi
Why in the heck are these board manufactures putting two different Ethernet chipsets onboard ???
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Thanks Clear-Pixel for all your help and research. This was going to be my summer project but it seems like its going to be delayed a bit until more info can be found out. But all this means that it will affect the NAS I was about to start to build since I will be running FreeNAS… I have to find out what's going on. Going to be anxiously waiting for those Intel updates.
Although, maybe a server mobo mini-itx like: Intel DBS1200KPR Mini ITX Server Motherboard LGA 1155 Intel C206 (or Intel's website) and drop the Intel NIC and just use the dual gigabit on the board. That should save also about $150.Edit: It seems after opening up the product's specifications pdf, it has two separate ethernet controllers (82574L and 82579LM) so that would be an issue as well. Instead, it may seem like it's time to move up to the micro-atx boards and go with the SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCL+-F, which has the same ethernet controllers for both ports. That should be alright with Linux systems, right?
Edit 2:
How about using the X9SCL+-F mobo with the Cooler Master Elite 100 Case for ~$70? That should power everything, keep a nice small footprint, and comes with (FSP150-50LE relabeled as RS-150-FSGA-J3) FSP 150w PSU. Know anything about this?Edit 3: Searched everywhere for the Coolermaster Elite 100, but none left in stock. Anyone know of a similar case, or knows somewhere that is selling it?
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Whilst I agree that research is a good idea and knowing all you can before spending hundreds of dollars is certainly a good idea I think you might be making more of this than is necessary.
First of all, for anyone who didn't realise yet, FreeBSD is not Linux. I have not seen any reports of issues with FreeBSD and either of those NICs, other than 'packet of death' which is OS independent but doesn't apply here. So in the short to medium term you can be fairly confident of not having problems running either pfSense or FreeNAS.
Intel write their own drivers for FreeBSD and are considered the most compatible NICs to have.
The reason the NICs are different on the DQ77BK is that one supports Intel AMT, not a bad thing.
Steve
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About the ALN chipsets:
82574L - is supported by pfSense and ESXi.
82579LM - is supported by pfSense and NOT by ESXi.
I can confirm the above first hand, I am using an Intel BOXDQ77MK for both a bare metal pfSense install and ESXi. The reason the 82579LM isn't supported in any *NIX is 100% due to the lack of a driver. There is an ESXi user patch to enable it, but I prefer to run very clean systems. I solved it with the addition of a $30 Intel NIC that was supported.
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I think I'm going to go with the Supermicro X9SCL+-F mobo with the onoard dual Intel 82574L gigabit controllers, in the COOLER MASTER Elite 120, and the picoPSU-150-XT + 150W Adapter Power Kit. To cover up the gaping hole in the back of the case for the regular atx ps2 psu, I found a guy who does backplates with 4 pin din connector, a fan hole, and grill: http://outsidethestb.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-about-backplates-covers-for.html. This seems to be the right way to go, especially because this motherboard and case will be good for future expandability. What do you think?
