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Unread 06-28-2013, 06:44 PM   #1
SaFeHeX
Cooling Neophyte
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Yoo Kay
Posts: 28
Default A post for postings sake

Well, as the title says i figured i would post something because nothing much has been posted in a while, or at least that i can reply to, with something usefull. So this one's a little different.

I thought i would mention one of my new arrivals in my ever growing Snap Server farm!

I haven't done much with it yet but i have recently taken delivery of a used N2000 model. It was quite expensive compared to many of my other Snaps, but it was still relatively cheap for what it is and was quite the bargain.

The N2000 is a 12 drive bay SATA/SAS unit and appears like many of the other later Snap units to be based around an OEM SuperMicro Chasis and components.

It's running GOS 6.5.023 and from what i can tell it appears to be installed on/booted from and internal SATA DOM (Disk on Module) Flash drive rather than installed on the HDD's. At the moment this is just a guess but without the DOM installed it doesn't boot. If the DOM is installed but the HDD's are removed, it boots to a recovery console that complains of not being able to find any HDD's. I have not been brave enough to zero fill the HDD's to find out the consequences but i may in the future try some 'other' blank hard drives to see how it reacts.

I also have some concerns that if the DOM ever fails i could be up the creek without a paddle, but for now at least, it all appears to work fine in it's current configuration. (With the exception of one intermittant PSU)

It's early days yet and these are just some early observations, so i figured as nothing much has been posted in a while, i'll have a ramble with some probably useless information for anyone who is bored enough to read it.

Oh, one thing i did find very odd. It arrived with 2Gb of RAM installed but according to the data sheets for the N2000 it is expandable to 4Gb. Well that's easily sorted i think to myself and set about upgrading it to the full 4Gb. I checked EVERY specification on the 2Gb stick that was fitted, exact part numbers, the lot. I checked the compatibility lists for the SuperMicro motherboard that is fitted and sure enough the exact part number for the exiting RAM was on there and i did a whole load of other checking and double checking to check i could obtain the exact and identical RAM for compatibility. Literally right down to the individual IC numbers.

After all of the above i managed to procure two additional 2Gb sticks of RAM identical in every way exept for the date/batch codes on the individual IC's fitted to the stick. I only needed the one but they were being sold as a pair and the price was right.

So i set about doing the upgrade, as easy as slicing cake you would think but sadly it wasn't so. Bear in mind i have countless years of experience with computer hardware and i had been maticulous in ensuring compatibility. So i boot up with my new 4Gb of RAM and head over to the GOS status page to check all is ok and reporting correctly and Oh no, why do i only see 3072Mb?

Ok, so i think to myself i must have done something wrong or i have a faulty stick or something, so i shut down and investigate. Consulting all the data sheets again and the official documentation on how to install RAM into an N2000 including the manual for the SM mother board it's self. Nope, i've deffinitely done it right.

I check each individual stick in place of the original stick, boot up fine and see the full 2Gb for each stick. They all work as individuals and in any combination in any of the six slots but will not work together in any way or combination to report back in GOS anything other than 3072Mb. At one point i had all 3 sticks installed and still get the same result.

I did read in the original SuperM motherboard manual that some OS's will not see anything above 3Gb and i'm not quite sure exactly why that is in this case when the overland data says the N2000 is expandable to 4Gb.

I do understand that the likes of Windows XP will only see 3Gb in a PC but i am/was surprised that GOS only appears to register 3Gb also.

At the moment i'm running back on the single, original 2Gb stick, just because i got fed up messing about with it and all the combinations i tried, so we're back to original factory spec as a just in case thing, for the time being at least.

It's a little annoying when the Motherboard it's self is capable of supporting 2x Intel quad cores and a total of 12 sticks of RAM (6 per CPU) and something like 192Gb of RAM in total if both CPU's were fitted.

The machine seems to be way more than what GOS is designed to handle and in some ways GOS is almost wasted on it. Don't get me wrong i've been a fan of Snaps for a good few years and this thing is a beast. I'm pleased with it, but just a little bit disappointed by what appears to be limitations with GOS. Maybe i could understand it better if i was running an older GOS revision but this is 6.5.023. Ok, so it's not the very latest 7.2.xxx or whatever but 6.5.023 is still only a couple of years old. The N2000 it's self was only manufactured something like 3 years ago.

Well, there's my little rambling for the day should any one be in the least bit interested.

If you have any questions fire away but i probably can't answer any more than i've mentioned. It's quite new to me but still a nice peice of kit all the same.
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