N40L and 3TB disks?

[ruvil]

Hi

 

I am currently about to buy myself a N40L which i am really excited about. There is however one thing that confuses me... the HP data sheet for the server says "Maximum internal storage: 8TB /4*2TB" but i have seen people writing about 3TB disks both here and elsewhere. If i would buy a 3TB WD disk, would it work just fine or would i run in to some problems?

Edited May 12, 2012 by ruvil

[diehard]

I'm using 2 3TB drives in my N40L Microserver and they are working fine.

 

The issue will be with the OS you will choose. I had to do some hacking to allow the 3TB drives to work with Windows Home Server version 1.

 

If you use the drives with Windows Home Server 2011, you have to add the drives through Disk Management and not through the Dashboard because you 1st have to convert the drive to GPT then format them. Then they will work.

 

Also since the BIOS does not support UEFI, you can not have a 3TB as the boot drive with any OS.

 

Therefor, in the end, you have to make some compromises, so the easiest solution is to avoid the complications.

 

So let us know what OS you plan to use and we can help you out. Welcome to the forum .

[ruvil]

Thanks, I'm planning to use FreeNAS since it will be a dedicated NAS.

 

Maybe the best solution would be to stick a smaller hard drive in the 5,25" and use that as OS-only disk or something?

[diehard]

Yes, that's possible, check the previous posts in this section and you will see how Joe Miner added a 2-1/2 drive.

 

I have a SSD installed as the boot drive in one of my WHSv1 Microservers.

[Joe_Miner]

Yes, that's possible, check the previous posts in this section and you will see how Joe Miner added a 2-1/2 drive.

 

I have a SSD installed as the boot drive in one of my WHSv1 Microservers.

 

Yes, I have a SSD installed below the ODD bay and it's working great for me.

 

You can learn a lot about the N40L checking out the posts in the MicroServer SubForum.

 

Here's a couple that describe my SSD installation (among other things) http://homeservershow.com/hp-microserver-n40l-build-and-bios-modification.html

 

http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/3583-drive-performance-on-n40l-microserver/

 

And a few other interesting links:

 

http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/3506-more-interesting-microserver-links/

 

http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/3875-whs2011-on-proliant-n40l-3tb-drives-not-recognizing-all-disk-space/

 

http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/forum/67-hp-microserver/

[alan2k]

I have 4 Hatachi 4TB hard drives inside my NL40. They work fine. WHS2011 and Flexraid.

[Jamr]

So I understand, I can add a 3Tb drive to my N40L with the latest Stablebit Drive pool, as long as I add the drive through Disk Management it will add properly and work properly and I can access all drive storage (close to 3tb)?

BTW for those interested. This HD at Newegg is on sale. for 149$

If so, should I go with the WD green or red or the Seagate?

Thanks for your input.

[ikon]

My vote is for WD Red. I don't like Seagate and I've found WD Greens to be less robust than I am willing to accept.

[Joe_Miner]

So I understand, I can add a 3Tb drive to my N40L with the latest Stablebit Drive pool, as long as I add the drive through Disk Management it will add properly and work properly and I can access all drive storage (close to 3tb)?

BTW for those interested. This HD at Newegg is on sale. for 149$

If so, should I go with the WD green or red or the Seagate?

Thanks for your input.

 

Hi Jamr!

 

Personally, I think the three drives you highlighted are all good drives and would work well in a N40L with WHS-2011 with DrivePool. My preference was, and still is, for the ST3000DM001's because they are FAST and they've been very reliable for me. I wouldn't pay the $149 price though -- just recently the ST3000DM001's were at $119 w/free shipping and earlier this week the WD Red's were on special for $119 also with free shipping. Over the next month or two I expect their prices will be low again and I wouldn't be surprised to see the ST3000DM001's dipping below $119 soon. If you NEED a very quiet machine plus marginally better energy efficiency go with the RED's; If you NEED marginally better energy efficiency go with the Greens, and If you want blow your hair back speed go with the ST3000DM001. They are all three pretty reliable IMHO. My 2 cents.

[jmwills]

The HP material was probably published before the availability of the 3TB drives so that oversight is not an issue. If you can afford the spread between the Greens and the Red, go for the Red Drive.