server/workstation case + hotswap

[vjeko]

I have a Lenovo TS140 server which I made a bit of a mistake buying as it is rather
limited in number of drives it can take and power supplied from it's power supply
so I'm interested in putting together another low power server/workstation
in a case with 8 hotswap drive bays (just for practical reasons)

I've read a few threads and in one it is suggested to use a tower cases if
a GPU will be used/for easier cooling.

Would appreciate some pointers regarding which type of case (rack/tower) and hotswap
bays (have no experience with or without trays) would make sense to buy to have
something which will be a bit more future proof.

 

[rtech]

If you want GPU especially if its something like 3090 in Tower is better as you can barely even put in 4U chassis.

Do you have rack already?
If not just get case with as many optical/5.25 slots and fill it out with 5disk to 3x 5.25 hotswap bay.

Or get some old server with hotswap bays say 2U gut it out and jury rig power supply and cooling. Connect it with HBA or put in miniITX inside gutted enclosure

There are threads in here to convert DL380.

 

[vjeko]

Much appreciated. No I don't have a rack. Looks like I need to take a more careful look at the other threads.
Before I do that - is there anything special to look for when it comes to the hotswap bays - brand/material/ tray or trayless
and do they become problematic/better stay away from them if not absolutely necessary - I'd like to
know what I'm getting myself into?

 

[rtech]

5x 3.5hdd > 3x 5.25 is trayless only. You should go for metal construction do search on what is available locally and search for reviews and post here if someone knows the bay/backplane.
No reviews or unknown brands is typically nono i had one such bay it had plastic in release mechanism suffice to say it failed after few releases of disk.

 

[Blue4130]

I have a Lenovo TS140 server which I made a bit of a mistake buying as it is rather
limited in number of drives it can take and power supplied from it's power supply
so I'm interested in putting together another low power server/workstation
in a case with 8 hotswap drive bays (just for practical reasons)

I've read a few threads and in one it is suggested to use a tower cases if
a GPU will be used/for easier cooling.

Would appreciate some pointers regarding which type of case (rack/tower) and hotswap
bays (have no experience with or without trays) would make sense to buy to have
something which will be a bit more future proof.

Is this for a home lab or a production workstation/server? Do you really need hotswap? How often do you think you will be swapping drives? Getting a case without hotswap is much easier if you can live without it.

 

[vjeko]

For home lab. It is a combo purpose pc as I will be using it to learn more about proxmoxx and probably moving the NAS to it from esxi. I'm not
interested in the "hot" part of the hotswap but rather the ease of swapping drives.

 

[nabsltd]

5x 3.5hdd > 3x 5.25 is trayless only.

I have iStarUSA 5-in-3 that use trays. They are older and SATA-only, but their newer models are SAS as well. They also make trayless versions, but for semi-permanent installs (like a NAS) where you don't swap drives often, I'd recommend units with trays, as those are often cheaper and somewhat more reliable.

 

[rtech]

I have iStarUSA 5-in-3 that use trays. They are older and SATA-only, but their newer models are SAS as well. They also make trayless versions, but for semi-permanent installs (like a NAS) where you don't swap drives often, I'd recommend units with trays, as those are often cheaper and somewhat more reliable.

Thanks i did not knew that but with cheap Bays/Backplanes with trays you will have to screw the hdds on trays which kinda defeats the hotswap.

 

[skipper ohms]

Go rack mount and use a HBA. It's worth it in the long run because this journey doesn't stop at 8 drive bays.

 

[nabsltd]

Thanks i did not knew that but with cheap Bays/Backplanes with trays you will have to screw the hdds on trays which kinda defeats the hotswap.

I have drives that have been in the same sled for years. If you are building something like a NAS array that runs 24/7, you'll put the drives in the trays one time, and then only change them if the drive dies or you upgrade for more space. The 112 3.5" bays in my rack all use trays.

OTOH, I have an external 12Gbps SAS 4-bay enclosure that is trayless, because I use that to swap in backup drives, drives for testing, etc.

 

[skipper ohms]

If you want to be a little bit crazy and build your own NAS case, these are fun to play with:

https://www.aliexpress.us/w/wholesale-12-bay-cage.html

You still need to solve for cooling and power, but you can get decent density with these:

 

[nabsltd]

If you want to be a little bit crazy and build your own NAS case, these are fun to play with:

https://www.aliexpress.us/w/wholesale-12-bay-cage.html

You still need to solve for cooling and power, but you can get decent density with these:

With shipping cost to the US, one of these is close to $100, and then I need to find something I can mount it in.

Why bother with that when I can get a SuperMicro 2U chassis for $220 shipped, which includes power supplies, the cooling solution, plus the actual case, drive sleds, etc. You can get a similarly complete 4U SuperMicro chassis for $300 shipped.

 

[skipper ohms]

With shipping cost to the US, one of these is close to $100, and then I need to find something I can mount it in.

Why bother with that when I can get a SuperMicro 2U chassis for $220 shipped, which includes power supplies, the cooling solution, plus the actual case, drive sleds, etc. You can get a similarly complete 4U SuperMicro chassis for $300 shipped.

If you're designing for a small space with noise level requirements, a deep chassis and small diameter fans are counter productive.

 

[nexox]

If you're designing for a small space with noise level requirements, a deep chassis and small diameter fans are counter productive.

I agree with the size portion of that, but those dense disk cages need a pretty good static pressure to move much air through, which isn't a strong point of larger fans, in a custom enclosure I think I would use the same 80mm fans I have loaded in my 826. Still easier and cheaper to just make some more space on my shelf.

 

[skipper ohms]

For example, here's a 6U flight rack case at 12" depth rail-to-rail with 36 bays and two mini PCs that is space efficient, isn't jet engine loud, and is transportable with the rack covers on when I migrate to better weather twice a year.

The back without the minis:



The back with the minis:



And the front: