====== PVE-NAS Bring-Up Guide (TorresVault 2.0) ======

**System:** ASRock Rack X570D4U-2L2T + Ryzen 7 5700G + ECC + Dual LSI HBAs\\ **Location:** Fractal Design Define 7 XL case\\ **Role:** Dedicated NAS + Proxmox storage node for TorresVault 2.0

----

===== 1. Goal of This Bring-Up =====

Before installing into the full Define 7 XL chassis, this process verifies:

  * Motherboard + CPU + RAM stability
  * ECC functionality
  * IPMI operation
  * BIOS settings
  * Proxmox installation
  * 10GbE network interfaces
  * HBA passthrough compatibility
  * Drive detection
  * Temperatures and fan profiles
  * General system reliability

This is the “early burn-in” phase to make sure all major parts work before the full production build.

----

===== 2. Temporary Bench Setup =====

For initial testing, use:

  * ASRock Rack X570D4U-2L2T motherboard
  * AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
  * At least one stick of Micron ECC DDR4 (16 GB)
  * Temporary PSU you already have
  * USB 3.0 flash drive for the Proxmox OS
  * Optional: small spare SSD for a real boot drive (not required)
  * Monitor connected only through IPMI (no GPU needed)

Do **not** install the HBAs yet.\\ Do **not** mount inside the Define 7 XL yet.

Goal: verify the board //bare// first.

----

===== 3. First Boot + IPMI Access =====

  - Plug in power
  - Connect Ethernet to the dedicated IPMI port
  - Let the board boot for 60 seconds
  - In a browser, go to the IP address the router gave it
  - Default credentials:
    * Username: admin
    * Password: admin

Confirm via IPMI dashboard:

  * CPU detected
  * ECC RAM detected
  * Temps stable
  * Fans spinning
  * Remote console works

----

===== 4. Required BIOS Settings =====

Inside IPMI → Remote Console → BIOS:

==== ECC ====

  * AMD CBS → UMC → ECC → Enabled\\ (Ensures ECC reporting works properly)

==== PCIe Link Speed ====

Set all PCIe slots used for HBAs to **Gen 3** for stability.

==== Disable Global C-states ====

Improves ZFS/NAS stability.

==== Fan Settings ====

Use "Full Speed" or “Server Mode” for burn-in.\\ You can tune later for quiet operation.

==== Boot Mode ====

  * UEFI enabled
  * USB first boot for installer

----

===== 5. Install Proxmox VE =====

Use a USB flash drive created with the Proxmox ISO.

==== Recommended install choices: ====

  * Install Proxmox onto the temporary USB or spare SSD
  * Filesystem: ext4 (simple for testing)
  * Do **not** create ZFS yet (wait for HBAs + drives)
  * Hostname: ''pve-nas.torresvault.com''
  * Static IP on your infrastructure VLAN
  * Root password set for initial console use

When installation completes, open Proxmox at:

<code ->
https://pve-nas.torresvault.com:8006

</code>

----

===== 6. Post-Install System Checks =====

==== ECC Status ====

Run:

<code ->
dmesg | grep -i ecc

</code>

Expect ECC initialization messages.

==== CPU + Board Sensors ====

Run:

<code ->
sensors

</code>

Confirm temps are normal (Ryzen 5700G typically idles 30–40°C with Dark Rock 5).

==== 10GbE NIC Test ====

Run:

<code ->
ip a
ethtool enp4s0
ethtool enp5s0

</code>

You should see:

  * Both 10GbE ports
  * Proper negotiated speed
  * No driver errors

----

===== 7. Optional: Early HBA Testing =====

If you want to confirm LSI HBA + SAS drive detection early:

  - Shut down PVE-NAS
  - Install **one** LSI 9201-8i or 9211-8i
  - Connect 1–2 of your 6 TB SAS drives
  - Boot
  - Validate:

Drive detection:

<code ->
lsblk

</code>

HBA seen:

<code ->
lspci | grep LSI

</code>

SMART check:

<code ->
smartctl -a /dev/sdX

</code>

This verifies that the X570 chipset + your HBAs are fully compatible.

----

===== 8. Cluster Integration Testing (Optional) =====

You may add PVE-NAS to your existing cluster for early validation of:

  * Corosync traffic
  * UI integration
  * Node statistics
  * Remote console performance
  * HA behavior

You **do not** need the ZFS pool created yet to join the cluster.

----

===== 9. Burn-In Recommendations =====

Run these tests before building inside the case:

==== Memory Test ====

Use:

<code ->
apt install memtester
memtester 8G

</code>

Or run an overnight ''stress-ng'':

<code ->
stress-ng --cpu 8 --vm 2 --vm-bytes 8G --timeout 12h

</code>

==== CPU Load Test ====

<code ->
stress --cpu 16 --timeout 30m

</code>

==== Network Load Test ====

From another machine:

<code ->
iperf3 -s

</code>

On PVE-NAS:

<code ->
iperf3 -c <server-ip> -P 4

</code>

You should hit near 9.5 Gbit/sec.

----

===== 10. What This Early Stage Confirms =====

Before even placing the board in the Define 7 XL, this process validates:

  * Board is stable
  * ECC works
  * CPU thermals are good
  * Proxmox runs cleanly
  * NICs are fully functional
  * At least one HBA works
  * SAS drives detect reliably
  * No BIOS or hardware issues
  * IPMI is solid and responsive

If //any// issues show up, you fix them **before** ripping apart PVE1 and PVE2.

----

===== 11. What Comes Next =====

After early bring-up is confirmed:

  * Move the system into the Define 7 XL
  * Connect both HBAs
  * Install all 16 SAS drives
  * Add your NVMe / SATA SSDs for OS mirror
  * Build the full ZFS pools
  * Configure SMB/NFS/iSCSI as needed
  * Set up replication from PVE1/PVE2
  * Begin migration to the new NAS

This will be the heart of **TorresVault 2.0**, built clean, tested, and rock-solid.