File / NAS Storage Servers

File and NAS storage workloads are bandwidth-and-capacity-bound, not CPU-bound. We stock 12-bay and 24-bay LFF (large form factor) chassis loaded with enterprise drives ranging from 8 TB to 22 TB — total per-node raw capacity from 96 TB to 528 TB.

Dell PowerEdge R740xd2 (24 LFF) and HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 (12 LFF) are the workhorse platforms. Pair with 64-128 GB RAM (more if running ZFS / TrueNAS) and dual 10/25 GbE NICs for client throughput. Storage controller: Dell PERC H730/H740 or HPE Smart Array P440ar for RAID-6 / RAID-60 layouts.

For Windows Server File Server / SMB 3.0 deployments, use hardware RAID with battery-backed write cache. For TrueNAS Scale or Core, use HBAs in IT-mode (no hardware RAID — ZFS expects raw disk access). We stock both controller types and pre-flash IT-mode firmware on request.

Capacity sizing: a 12-bay R740xd with 12× 18 TB SAS HDDs in RAID-6 yields 180 TB usable. A 24-bay R740xd with 24× 22 TB delivers 462 TB usable (RAID-60). For tiered storage, mix 4× 1.92 TB SSD (hot tier) + 20× 18 TB HDD (cold tier) with Storage Spaces or ZFS L2ARC/SLOG.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much storage can I fit in a Dell PowerEdge R740xd?

R740xd accommodates 24× 3.5" (LFF) drives in front + 4× 2.5" SFF in rear cage. With 22 TB drives that's 24 × 22 TB = 528 TB raw, ~462 TB usable in RAID-60 (4 parity drives). For NVMe-only, use 24× 2.5" U.2 NVMe in front bays for ~74 TB usable in RAID-5 (12.8 TB drives) — much faster but pricier.

Should I use SAS or SATA drives for file storage?

SAS for any production deployment — dual-port redundancy, higher reliability, hot-swap chassis design. SATA is fine for backup-target or archival storage where downtime tolerance is days, not minutes. SAS drives also support write-through caching with battery-backed RAID, which SATA does not.

What is the best RAID level for file storage?

RAID-6 (dual parity) for 8-16 disk arrays — tolerates 2 simultaneous drive failures. RAID-60 (striped RAID-6 sets) for 16+ disk arrays — better rebuild times. Avoid RAID-5 on arrays >6 TB total — single-drive failure rebuild times approach week-long with modern 18+ TB drives.

Can these servers run TrueNAS Scale?

Yes — all our Dell PowerEdge and HPE ProLiant platforms support TrueNAS Scale on bare metal. The catch: TrueNAS expects HBA controllers in IT-mode (not hardware RAID). We pre-flash the LSI 9300-8i or Dell PERC H330 to IT-mode firmware on request, free of charge.

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