I recommend hw a new pbs

[Fabio]

I'm doing a PBS with the following hardware, can you tell me if the disks are okay?
- Server dell VCG3C Dell R250 4x3.5" E-2314 1x16GB 1x2TB HDD SATA 700W
- disks for storage backup 2: 161-BCFV 2.4TB Hard Drive SAS2.5in Hot Plug Format: 2.5 ''
Capacity: 2,400 GB
Interface: SAS
Rotation speed: 10,000 rpm
Transmission speed: 12,000 Mbit/s

For the operating system I will use the single disk that the server comes with, the two SAS disks I would like to do the storage and for backups. Before making the purchase, can you tell me if the hardware is okay?

 

[silbro]

It's not recommended to use spinning disks for the pbs. I'd really recommend you get some enterprise SSDs.

 

[Fabio]

Are these okay? : 960GB SSD SATA Read Intensive 6Gbps 512e 2.5in Hot-plug Drive . Can I use drives labeled read intensive if I do daily backups?

 

[tcabernoch]

Hey these are valid questions, but they are very basic.
So pardon the instruction session ...

Read Intensive drives will burn out more quickly. In some cases A LOT more quickly.
You want MU ... Mixed Use.
They make Write Intensive drives priced similar to MU, but they I don't see any advantage to them.

I don't recommend any particular drive vendor, but these guys have a nice logical site that makes it easy to find the right stuff.
Use this for reference, and follow along.
https://www.harddrivesdirect.com/dell_build_PowerEdge_R250.php

Your PowerEdge R250 comes equipped with a 12gb backplane.
SATA is only 6gb.
Look at the list. Scan down past all the SAS to where the SATA starts.
See? Everything below that line is 6gb.
I run SAS everywhere, professionally, and even in my homelab. Not SATA.

You've indicated you are shopping for SFF (Small Form Factor) or 2.5" drives.
Your PowerEdge R250 was only released with full 3.5" bays.
So if you want to install a 2.5" drive of any sort, you are going to need a hybrid drive frame.
Are you actually pricing a Hybrid drive, and just quoted the 2.5" mounted inside?
You need to figure that out. Really. Look at the exact model and start googling for pics.

Back to that page.
I saw this 960gb drive under the second section "Dell PowerEdge R250 Options - SAS Hot Plug 3.5" (LFF) Mixed-Use (MU) Hybrid Solid State Drives (SSDs)"
400-BCNP Dell G14-G16 960-GB 3.5 SAS 12G MU

Hmm. They want like $850 for it.
Take that product description and search ebay.
There it is, brand new, for $700. With pics.

... And ... the disks are too small.
Go with bigger disk to start, so you don't have to buy twice.

-------------
I should not offer this advice. So, its not advice.
My primary homelab box is your machine's older brother. I run a R230 in my bedroom.
That machine, if you have the riser installed, has exactly 1 PCIE slot for you to use.
And in that slot, I installed a single device that hosts a pair of Gen3 NVME and a pair of 2.5gb NICs.
https://www.qnap.com/en-us/product/qm2-2p2g2t

I don't know if its on the Dell approved hardware list, but this is a class above consumer gear.
iDRAC knows about the NICs. It even sees the new RAID controller, and its bootable.
Made to go into a NAS. Radically extends the limited capabilities of that low-end server.
When I add it all up, the card and a pair of large, heavy-duty (Gen 3 or 4) NVMe cost considerably less than the native SSD quoted above.

 

[jlauro]

Are these okay? : 960GB SSD SATA Read Intensive 6Gbps 512e 2.5in Hot-plug Drive . Can I use drives labeled read intensive if I do daily backups?

Really need the specs in terms of DWPD or total write endurance / size of drive.

Generally 0.7+ DWPD is plenty for backups that are once a day. Most of your data will not be changed by PBS, only the indexes. Even if expect your backup rotates out every 30 days (ie: a log server with 1 month on line), that would only be 4% change. In practice, most servers don't change that much and your are consolidating a days worth of writes to one point in time so a lot of writes are merged. The problem "Read Intensive" is too generic. Typically for Dell enterprise drives "read intensive" is 1DWPD and is plenty for PBS, but consumer grade is going to be below to 0.3 DWPD or less with a name like that and might be ok for backup if you are only do 1 backup a day and have at least n+2 (ie: z2 or raid6) protection, but not good if you start doing backups every hour.

You do need to know your data change rate though. For example, a database server can have not that many changes per day, but because the chunks in pbs are fairly large lots of little changes through out the day can add up to a higher % of changes then something that changes more often but those changes are portioned by date. That said, Read Intensive is generally good for a backup server that's only doing daily backups.

 

[tcabernoch]

Ya made me scramble and look. Yes, everywhere I've checked, Dell defines Read Intensive as 1 DWPD.
Honestly, I knew the difference was dramatic, but did not expect it to be exponential.

On the QNap device I'm using a pair of Lexar 2TB NM790 Gen 4 NVMe. They've got a DWPD of 0.4.
They've been in use for months and are barely touched, but will certainly burn out well before anything else.
I'm your daily backup case. My NVMe aren't getting the blowtorch treatment.

Boy, my NVMe setup is cheap tho. I'll replace em when they burn out.
$260 - 2 NVMe
$230 - QNap card
+ I love the fast NICs.