vexhold

I actually purchased the 4220 right when the 4224 was released. At that time, I was a little strapped for cash and the extra four drives did not justify the price difference.

The Finished Product I am very pleased at how this build turned out. This will keep me going for quite a while and when it fills up, or I decided to mirror it, I might build a second one. I started this build at around 8pm and finished at around midnight, but keep in mind I have 3 kids under 7 that ate up alot of that time. I started the formatting at midnight and when I woke up at 8am, it was complete with no errors. I have not seen the drives get over 29 degrees celsius and they usually run at 24-27 degrees.

The Build Even though I havent posted alot on the forums, I have been reading ALOT!! I always make sure that I know what I am getting into before I start in on it. You guys that have been using unRAID for a while have been a big help in making hardware and software decisions. The day before starting the build, I ran through the Wiki one last time and printed out some of the key steps for the install. These being all the steps I would be in my "Tech Cave" with no internet. Once the parts arrived I did the initial inspection, photos, and serial number documentation. Alot of people don't do this, but as I have had someone break into my home and take alot of computer stuff, insurance companies need information!! Creating the bootable unRAID Flash Drive was even more simple than the Wiki explained. Took a grand total of 3 minutes. BAM!! The overall build went very smooth and only ran into 3 problems. Problem #1 When installing the motherboard into the Norco 4220, I found that there were not enough pre-drilled holes for the motherboard risers. There was on missing. I decided it was ok and just moved on, but remembered to be careful when plugging the SATA cables into the board. Problem #2 When installing the SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8, I ran into an issue. The cards come pre-setup with the lower profile stabilizers. I took them off and replaced them with the taller ones. I put them on the same way the smaller ones were, but when I tried to plug them into the board, it did not line up. I fixed this by installing the stabilizer on the other side of the card. It was still a smidge off, but looks good. Problem #3 Holy Hannah are those Molex connectors hard to get in!! Seriously, I almost resorted to getting my three year old to stick his little hands in there and give her a go. I only plugged in 5 of the 10 molex and realize there is some debate whether this is correct or not, but if I run into problems, I will get some splitters. My only point of advice on these (and the SAS connectors) is... Take the fans out and find a person with freakishly small hands.

Hardware Case: NORCO 4220 I went with the Norco 4220 because I needed a case that could expand and grow with me without having to get back inside and mess with the hardware. I realize that there is the Norco 4224 that has 4 more drive bays, but at the time of purchase I was a little strapped for cash and could not justify the added expense. I also chose this case, over a desktop model, due to the fact I have a server room and wanted a rack mount. I was a little nervous about the comments people made about the noise this case puts out, but after getting it all installed and running, found it was no louder than any of my other systems. Motherboard/CPU: SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIL-F-O w/ Intel Core i3-550 Clarkdale 3.2GHz I like this board alot! It has a small footprint and has tons of features.The most important to me are: Onboard Video 6 SATA ports 3 PCI-e Slots IPMI On-board USB port The CPU was an easy choice as it runs very cool, doesnt use alot of power and can kick it up a notch when needed. Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W This power supply is pretty. Not sure thats a good thing or not, but it is. As you can see it is even shipped in a velvet Corsair bag. But more inportant it is beefy. It has a single 12v rail with 52amps. The only downside of this PSU for me is it was not modular. For me, I hate having a big ball of uneeded crap in my case that I have no control over. -oh well. Controllers: SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 Not much to say about these boys. Just have to have them!! Cables: (1) NORCO Reverse breakout Cable , (4) NORCO SAS Cable My first time using SAS and I must say... I like it!! I remember back when IDE cables were the bane of my existance when it came to cooling. Hard Drives: WD20EARS 2TB I only got 3 of these, as that should be a good start and I don't have 2,000 dollars to throw at drives right now. In the end, I will fill this case and possibly build another. Memory: Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 ECC Unbuffered Server Memory I heard alot of people talking about memory compatability with this mother board. I trusted Raj's choice and am glad I did. No problems at all. Cooling: All Stock Like I said above, I was worried about the fan noise the NORCO 4220 was going to make, but I figured, "Bah, it's in the server room". I was pleasantly suprised at how quiet it is. I also used the stock CPU fan and heatsink. The new Intel CPUs run very cool and I have no worries about overheating. Price: Total actually came out LESS than Raj's end price tag. I miscalculated the comparison. Sorry Raj!! Haha. Case: Norco 4220 (334.99) Motherboard: SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIL-F-O Xeon X3400 / L3400 / Core i3 series Dual LAN Micro ATX Server Board w/ Remote Management (189.99) PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible ... (89.99) Flash Drive: SanDisk Cruzer 4GB Flash Drive (USB2.0 Portable) Model SDCZ36-004G-A11 (9.99) Memory: Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 ECC Unbuffered Server Memory Model KVR1333D3E9SK2/4G (50.99) Hard Drives: Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (3@ 99.99 = 299.97) CPU: Intel Core i3-550 Clarkdale 3.2GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80616I3550 (129.99) Cables: NORCO C-SFF8087-D SFF-8087 to SFF-8087 Internal Multilane SAS Cable - OEM (4@ 19.99 = 79.96) NORCO C-SFF8087-4S Discrete to SFF-8087 (Reverse breakout) Cable - OEM (12.99) Controller Card: SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS SAS RAID Controller (2@ 109.99 = 219.98) Total Cost: 1028.88 + tax and shipping & hard Drives

Rajahal's 20 Drive Beast http://www.lime-technology.com/wiki/index.php?title=Hardware_Compatibility#Recommended_Builds OS at time of building: 4.7 final CPU: Intel Core i3-550 Clarkdale 3.2GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80616I3550 Motherboard: SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIL-F-O Xeon X3400 / L3400 / Core i3 series Dual LAN Micro ATX Server Board w/ Remote Management RAM: Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 ECC Unbuffered Server Memory Model KVR1333D3E9SK2/4G Case: NORCO RPC-4220 4U Rackmount Server Drive Cage(s): N/A Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SATA Expansion Card(s): SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS SAS RAID Controller Cables: 1x NORCO C-SFF8087-4S Discrete to SFF-8087 (Reverse breakout) Cable - OEM 4x NORCO C-SFF8087-D SFF-8087 to SFF-8087 Internal Multilane SAS Cable - OEM Fans: Stock Parity Drive: Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Data Drives: 3x Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Cache Drive: None Total Drive Capacity: 6TB (Future expansion to 38TB) Primary Use: Media storage for SageTV Likes: Dislikes: Add Ons Used: unMENU, C Compiler, Bandwidth Monitor, Mail & Status Alerts Future Plans: Add more Hard Drives and addon's Boot (peak): Idle (avg): Active (avg): Light use (avg): This is a build from Raj's wiki list. I have yet to see this one built and I was rolling one anyways, so here it comes. Parts were delivered today. I will walk through the entire process as I go through it. I will post everything I learn, as I learn it. I am hoping to take a ton of photos and answer any questions you have on the build. Stay Tuned!! Edit (Feb 23 2011) - Added a 4th WD EARS 2TB - Got it for 29.99

Grrrr, I just purchased 8GB of desktop RAM this week and didnt get that. Wonder if they will let me have it.

A mistake on Best Buys side? Following the link gets: Sorry, the page you requested was not found. The page may be temporarily unavailable or may no longer exist. There are a few things you can try:

Hello all, I have a scenerio I am having trouble with. I am in the purchasing process of building a Data Storage solution for a business. It is a small business with 2 employees. unRAID was, by far, my number one choice going into this project, but now the requirements have changed. The users want the following... Storage solution to store all business data (i.e. photos, templates, fonts, documents, billing, etc) Redundancy for data loss Ability to store backups of local systems on this device Accessible from a PC and a MAC Access to the data from home computers (each of their respective homes) Remote management (This one is for me as I would have to drive 30 minutes to be onsite) Is unRAID capable of fullfilling all of these requirements, and if so, how most people accomplish them. I really do not want to have to use Windows Home Server (with a hardware RAID) if I do not have to.

This is the case I am using to build an unRAID solution for my mothers Photography business. I originally purchased this for a gaming case back in the day and think it will be great for unRAID. I purchased 2 aditional iCages for a total of 3. I also removed the front wings as they made alot of vibration noise when the unit is running. Case Type Super Tower Material 1.0 mm SECC Front Bezel Material Aluminum Color Black Side Panel Transparent Window Motherboard Support Micro ATX, ATX, Extend ATX, BTX Motherboard Tray 5.25" Drive Bay 10 Ext. 3.5" Drive Bay 1 Int. 3.5" Drive Bay 6 Expansion Slots 7 Front I/O Ports USB 2.0 x 2, IEEE 1394 Firewire, Audio & Speaker ports Cooling System - Front (intake) : 120 x 120 x 25 mm, blue LED fan, 1300 rpm, 17 dBA - Side (intake) : 250 x 250 x 30 mm fan, 600 rpm, 15 dBA - Rear (exhaust) : 120 x 120 x 25 mm blue LED fan, 1300 rpm, 17 dBA 90 x 90 x 25 mm, 1800 rpm, 19 dBA - Top (exhaust) : 90 x 90 x 25 mm, 1800 rpm, 19 dBA Liquid Cooling Capable Yes Liquid Cooling Embedded No Power Supply Supported Standard ATX PSII Power Supply Included No Dimension (H*W*D) 20.9 x 8.7 x 22.0 in 530 x 220 x 560 mm Net Weight 34.8 lbs 15.8 kg Security Lock

No worries on me having enough. LOL. I have sold about 9 locally so far and have around 25 left. If you look at the 5th picture from the top, from left to right... 1 3.5 HD slot, 3 5.25 bays, 1 3.5 HD slot, and underneath the metal plate on the far right is 4 more 3.5 HD slots with a fan. So, 6 3.5 HD slots without modding. Add a 5 in 3 and you get 11. Another note: If anyone wants any of these, I will make sure to pick the best ones out of the (liter? lol)

Hey Guys! I just aquired a bunch of 4U Rack Cases. I cannot use all that I have, so I thought I'd give you guys first crack at them before I craigslist them. These were pulled from a Surveillance Companies infrastructure. They are a tad older, but I think they would work great for a low budget unRAID system. I think they should be able to hold up to 11 drives if you convert the 5.25 bays into Hard Drive space. As for cost, I want to keep the price low, just to cover my time of cleaning them up and removing all the old equipment that is inside each one. I am thinking like $20.00. I am not sure what shipping these would cost and would guess that would make up the majority of the cost (if someone with shipping experience can give some hints on shipping cheap, i'd be greatful). Anyone in Minnesota can feel free to stop by and pick one or two up. They are a bit scratched up on the tops, but that shouldnt matter to much to people. I have some that are white and some that are black, but they are all the same style.

Ran downstairs to our production room and it states it is a 250w single rail w/ 16a.

I work for a company that makes robotic media duplication machines. We use embedded PC's to run each device. I was finally able to aquire one and I think it works perfectly for unraid. I havent tested it yet, but wanted to get some pics on here to show you what I am working on.

would be 463.00 + shipping for parts. Would be a good deal for someone who needs it.

Norcotek has a camera that takes pictures in the future... they should sell that instead of PC cases. Shweeet. Boo to "Fans not included"

So, this passed weekend, I had planned on doing alot of the grunt work getting my 42u Server rack populated with all the various shelves, rails, etc. When Friday hit, I suddenly realized that I forgot to order some cage nuts and rack screws to use for this weekend project. I looked EVERYWHERE for a local server/rack parts shop only to find that none carried the parts I needed. I also tried a couple places that recycle companies old network/server equipment. No luck. Finally, I came across a company which is based in Minnesota that manufactures this kind of stuff, but they were located like 2 hours north of me, in some small town. Not only did they have the parts I was looking for, but they actually had an engineer drive down to where I was working and deliver them to me personally. While the engineer was dropping them off, he asked me about what I was using it for and I told him about unRAID and SageTV, and the likes and told him that there was a growing need for cases and hardware geared specifically to the media enthusuast and he sounded intruiged. All said and done, I would HIGHLY recommend Kendall Howard as a company that really cares about it's customers. http://www.kendallhoward.com/

This is the only place I can find that "states" they have them in stock and ship in 1-2 days. https://www.eio.com/p-23504-norco-rpc-4224-4u-rackmount-chassis.aspx

I tried this option last week and it limited me to 1 board. Not sure if its a limit or they only have 1 in stock.

Well, it comes with one of each, you can either use them or get higher powered ones, but I don't see the need. You DO want to get some thermal Paste which you will put between the CPU and the heatsink/fan. It might come with that too, but my experience says no.

Very Good point and not one I had read (or thought of) before I purchased my stuff. Live and learn. Would at least take a look and consider them. As it is, I'm slowly growing, only have 1 5x3 Hot Swap currently. unRAID and SageTV machines come out of "mad money" so sometimes I just like to get that little bit extra HAHA, don't I know it. When I 1st started with SageTV, I was planning a stand-alone HTPC and went WAAAY over-board, then I found extenders and have 3 now. Now I have an over powered SageTV server and nothing else to do with it. LOL.

Should be: 9 Drives = Maximum 16TB (No 5x3s - No Hot Swap - open case to add/remove/replace drives) 11 Drives = Maximum 20TB (4TBmore for cost of 5x3 - approx $100-$120 ballpark for Hot Swap) 13 Drives = Maximum 24TB (4TBmore for cost of 5x3 - approx $100-$120 ballpark for Hot Swap) 15 Drives = Maximum 28TB (4TBmore for cost of 5x3 - approx $100-$120 ballpark for Hot Swap) First Time I've used Hot Swap bays and personally, I think I'll like it enough for the added cost with the benefit of squeezing in 6 more drives (possible). YMMV What I said, is what I meant, Yes I know the next FULL step up was 13, but his requirement was 12 so I used that, It needs the 2nd cage to get to 12 so blah. lol But, I do agree with the hot swap point, just not sure if thats important to him or not. On a side note: If you have to purchase 3 3x5's for almost 300 bucks, wouldnt it be smarter just getting a 4020 or a 4220?

And of course as you can tell, the major chunk of that cost is the 3x5 drive housings. If your requirements were only 11 drives it would only be 464.00. And since the case has 9 bays, if that was enough the price lowers again to a minimal 344.00. 9 Drives = Maximum 16TB (Alot of space) 11 Drives = Maximum 20TB (4TBmore for another 120.00 ) 12 drives = Maximum 22TB (2TB more for yet another 120.00)

Just to be easier, take graywolf's current working build and make your own... Case: CoolMaster-Centurion 590 59.00 http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=CoolerMaster-Centurion+590&cid=10957540352379668631&ei=Df53TMWODojiMKTr_b4C&sa=title&ved=0CAcQ8wIwADgA#p Hard Drive Cage: CSE-M35T-1B 120.00x2 http://www.pricebat.ca/Supermicro-Black-3X5-25-to-5X3-5IN-SATA-Drive-Bay-Converter-HOT-SWAP-Mobile.u_837853/ Motherboard: Biostar A760G M2+ 55.00 http://www.directron.com/a760gm2plus.html?gsear=1#caption CPU: AMD Sempron 140 34.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103698&cm_re=Sempron_140-_-19-103-698-_-Product Power Supply: CX430 50.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139017&Tpk=corsair%20430w Memory: 2GB DDR2 800 37.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139017&Tpk=corsair%20430w Controller Card: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 100.00 http://www.cispc.com/ssproduct.asp?pf_id=1013412824 USB Drive: SanDisk Cruzer Micro (4GB) 10.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171398&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Memory+(USB+Flash+Drive)-_-SanDisk-_-20171398 TOTAL: 584.00 (not including Hard Drives, Cables, Taxes, shipping and unRAID license) EDIT: Made changes as per Rajahal's comments

If you have any questions about SageTV let me know. Ive had my system up for a couple years now and I couldn't live without it. As far as BD ripping, I've been using a couple software titles together and the only difference between them and regular DVD's is it takes a bit longer and takes up more space.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not cutting Tomm down at all, as I know coding can be a pain in the ass. I was just new to the unRAID scene and saw there was no "SOLD OUT" notice on the 1510's so I got a little Irked about not getting ANY response (even to say "sorry, I don't have the time"). I am still a HUGE fan of unRAID and have no problems what-so-ever building a couple servers of my own. I was just in a time crunch and needed something quick, but now I have negotiated a time increase and am excited as hell to get this done.