Rajahal

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Posts posted by Rajahal

  1. I don't think the tiny slider looks very good next to the static images. I suggest a single static image to represent custom builds, then a large slider on another page. I'm also not a fan of the 'timer' bar, I find it distracting. Finally, for the photo of the Supermicro chassis that you credited to me, please use prostuff1's name instead, as he actually built that one (I know I didn't specify in my original post). Thanks!

  2. Congratulations on your new site, it looks great! I'm sure you'll be much happier with WordPress, I know we are :)  In case you haven't already picked one out, check out RoyalSlider, it works well on our site.

     

    You are welcome to use any of these photos:

     

    Dropbox link

     

    Some are from a professional photographer we hired, some are my own amateur photos.

     

    I resized them all to 460 x something (they don't all fix exactly as 460 x 300, but you can crop them if you like). They are all JPG, as the file size is actually smaller for JPG than PNG for these types of photos. PNG is better for computer-generated graphics, JPG is often better for photos. Using the smallest image size will help your site's load times.

     

    If you use any of them, you can credit them to myself, prostuff1, or just to Greenleaf Technology in general. Thanks!

     

    P.S. Let me know when you are done with the dropbox link so that I can take it down.

  3. So in the end I ended up trying out the Noctua NF-R8 for my SS-500 and they work great (I use the Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) cable option). I picked up a 3 pack of the R8 fans on Amazon for cheaper than I could find two of the R8 fans alone.

     

    I've also used the Noctua NF-R8 as a replacement fan in the Norco SS-500 (I have the second generation SS-500, the one with the flat back).  Works great.

     

    I've started using the ARCTIC F8 PWM as a fan replacement for the Norco SS-500 and Norco SS-400 units. Fairly cheap, and it works well.

  4. Yes, you have to use the trays if you want a reliable server. Without the trays, the drive bay is too large for the drive and it will likely come loose and have an unreliable connection. I've seen trayless 4-in-3s and 3-in-2s, but no 5-in-3s unfortunately. Plus, the drive's serial number typically isn't written on the end of the drive, so even in a trayless cage it wouldn't be visible. You can print out some stickers and label the drive trays yourself, or just organize your trays in a logical manner (parity in tray 1, disk1 in tray 2, disk2 in tray 3, etc.) so that you can easily identify a failed drive.

  5. Still primarily interested in the smaller drives (500 GB or less) to be used as test drives. As my current batch of test drives is starting to show widespread failures, the sooner the better! Of course I'll understand if you have to withdraw the offer in favor of selling through EMC instead, but I hope you don't!

  6. What are your prices on the 500 GB and smaller drives? I can always use more test drives.

     

    I'm also interested in 5 or possibly more 2 TB drives, and I would be happy to go in on a bulk order with anyone else in the SF Bay Area.

     

    Would you be able to provide SMART reports on any of the drives?

  7. Hi garycase,

     

    1) I've got a small 3 drive server built around this motherboard that is currently hosting backups for both my and several other businesses. With all drives spun down, it is currently pulling 28W (this is according to my UPS that is powering it, I can't take it offline to try a Kill-a-watt test at the moment).

     

    2) I don't use WOL, so I can't comment, sorry. As the board is so low power already, I don't see any reason not to just run it 24/7.

     

    3) None that I can remember, but to be honest, I first worked with this board over a year ago (maybe two), so I may have forgotten something. I do remember that the first board I got off eBay was defective, but Supermicro's warranty covered it and they sent me a replacement that has been running like a champ for quite a while.

     

    Unfortunately I never tested this board with 3 TB or larger drives, but I would be surprised if it didn't work. Nearly all motherboards support 3 TB and larger drives as data drive, but only newer ones are able to boot from them. In unRAID, this is typically not an issue.

     

    In short, I highly recommend this motherboard for unRAID.

  8. Is this the power supply you are talking about?

     

    OCZ ZS Series 550W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply

     

    If so, then it will be fine for a 10 drive build.

     

    Your motherboard uses a Realtek NIC, but Asus doesn't specify which one. This means that you may need to use a beta or RC version of unRAID in order to get the NIC to work, which isn't the end of the world. If you have trouble with your NIC and want to use unRAID 4.7, then I suggest a PCI Intel NIC as a replacement ($25 - $30).

     

    I'm not a big fan of builds with internally mounted drives, but that's your call if you want to save money.

     

    My go-to SATA card is still the Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8, which is an x4 card for about $100 (check superbiiz.com for the best pricing). You won't see a significant performance increase by using an x8 or x16 card, x4 is fast enough for today's hard drives. You might also be able to save some money by using one of the M1015 cards that seanant sells in the good deals forum. I haven't used one, so I can't personally vouch for it.

     

    Another option to save money: look for a motherboard with 6 onboard SATA ports and at least two PCIe x1 or faster slots (x16 will also work), and pick up two of these PCIe x1 SIL3132 cards from monoprice, which cost about $20 each after shipping. You'll save quite a bit over your current build.