Re: Buying recommendation for silent router/fileserver

On Fri, 2012-10-12 at 10:48:22 +0300, Volodymyr Kostyrko wrote:
> 11.10.2012 17:54, Ulrich Spörlein wrote:
> > Hey guys,
> >
> > I need to replace an aging Pentium IV system that has been serving as my
> > router, access point, file- and mediaserver for quite some time now. The
> > replacement should have:
> >
> > - amd64 CPU (for ZFS, obviously)
> > - 2x GigE (igress, egress interfaces)
> > - some form of wlan interface (I currently use an Atheros based PCI card)
> > - eSATA for attaching a backup disk where I stream ZFS snapshots to
> > - serial port is always nice, for when I mess up an upgrade
> > - fan-less if possible
> >
> > So far, this here seems to fit the bill perfectly
> > http://www.fit-pc.com/web/fit-pc/intensepc/
> > but pricing seems to defy any reality.
> >
> > It does not state directly which chipsets are used for Wifi and
> > Ethernet, the block diagram claims Ethernet chips to be Intel 82579 and
> > RTL8111D, but I don't trust that fully.
> >
> > For Wifi I can always fall back to sticking in a supported USB stick,
> > although that's kinda hacky.
> >
> > So how well is networking going to be supported by FreeBSD? Should I
> > just bite the bullet and find out?
> 
> Why not trying to look at cheap barebones or desktop PC's?
> 
> http://www.silentpcreview.com/Sapphire_Edge_HD3
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856119070
> 
> They are cheaper, hold much better processors for ZFS and can be 
> upgraded with extra GigE/eSATA interfaces by USB3.

I'm not looking forward to attaching both a Wifi USB dongle and another
Ethernet one. :(

Btw, eSATA is supposed to simply show up as another SATA port in
FreeBSD, right? No special driver supported needed for that one?

That 4 year warranty option on the IntensePC really looks nice ... I'll
shoot them an email to see if the MiniPCI wifi card is supposed to be
replaceable by an Atheros based one (I lost track of all the a/b/g/n a
while ago, especially which antennae have to go with those ...)

Cheers,
Uli