cpthook Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Long Process but worth it in the long run. All media will be safe and sound no need to panic anymore!! I wanted a small form factor server that was economical and runs quiet. So far I have achieved the quiet part somewhat. OS at time of build: unRAID 5.0vB12a Issues: None right now, but judging from what others have encountered I know my time is coming. Times: From purchase to construction and first Bios Post: 5Hours From purchase to final customization, drive install, Add-On install and parity build: 9Days Tom was gracious enough to give my server a Pro License after troubleshooting my original USB Flash. For some reason the GUID was not a standard number so I had to purchase a new one. What a swell guy and what awesome customer service. Thanks again TOM.. Hardware: 6 Bay HDrive unRaid server W/max10-15TB storage capacity(Cost: $272) - HD's and 6drive Lic. and $25 Fan controller. CASE: LIAN LI PC-Q08B MOBO+iGPU: ZOTAC GF6100-E-E AM2+/AM2 nForce 430 MCP Mini-ITX CPU: SEMPRON 145 SDX145HBGMBOX 2.8GHz Single-Core AM3 45W PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-430CX 430W 80Plus certified ATX12V RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 1GB (1x1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800Mhz CL6 PCI-e 2port SATAII controller card for two additional drives(MOBO only has 4ports) I had 5 WD Caviar Green external drives previously, bought one more 2TB drive with hardware purchase.(3EADS Y 3EARS) Well here you go!! Pretty reasonable size for a server, not as small as a Micro Server but not too big either!! Have it in a corner behind sub-woofer MOBO had only 4 SATAII had to add PCIe controller card which added to cost. May have came in under $250 without it! The build was a snap even for a NooB!! Except when I:P choose the wrong boot order in CMOS. lol... for two days I had to open case and unplug SATAII cables from drives in order to boot to unRAID. Hence the Velcro on drive-side case door so I can get in/out easy ..it's a NooB thing, you wouldn't understand..lol Parity Sync and drive install took the longest to set up. I didn't read the start-up guide thoroughly enough in the beginning, so I added parity and first drive at the same time. I had almost 6.5TB of media to TX. Needless to say TX speeds were nothing to write home about 21.5MB/s MAX. Slideshow of Hook's unRAID build with more pics...http://www.flickr.com//photos/cpthook26/sets/72157627790229610/show/ ..end slideshow with button in the upper left corner to view specs! Only thing left to do now is name this lil' sucker, any suggestions? Well... Hope you enjoy! If you want anymore info on my build I'm always available to explain/advise or learn more!! Build recommendation from here.. http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=881213&postcount=1 Link to comment
Rajahal Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Looks sharp! I personally would be wary of placing my server next to a subwoofer. I know speakers are usually magnetically shielded and that the distances are likely too great to cause any interference, but even if magnetic interference isn't an issue the sub will also send vibrations through the server that could shorten the lifespan of your drives. Maybe I'm overly paranoid, but why take the risk? Link to comment
cpthook Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 Looks sharp! I personally would be wary of placing my server next to a subwoofer. Maybe I'm overly paranoid, but why take the risk? +1.. considering new location! Link to comment
speeding_ant Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I'd worry about the vibrations more than the magnets Link to comment
cpthook Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 I'd worry about the vibrations more than the magnets Noted... Also wondering if it would be feasible to keep NAS on the carpet as supposed to being in a cabinet? On carpet, i can hide NAS in more places. If in cabinet, server will be visible. How long of a CAT5 cable can consider before I should start worrying about signal degradation? NAS is wired to a T1000 switch. Link to comment
Chris Pollard Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 CAT5 is rated for up to 100M which I imagine should be long enough Link to comment
Rajahal Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I would suggest raising the server up a few inches off the ground (put it on some wooden stilts or a small end table). This will help keep dust out of it, and it will allow air to flow underneath the server (which is important if you have any air vents on the bottom of the case). Also, you need to use Cat5e or better cabling to achieve Gigabit speeds. Link to comment
kizer Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I can't tell for sure, but I would honestly install your USB stick inside your case opposed to leaving it on the outside. I could picture my 2Year Old walking off with that in a second. LOL Link to comment
cpthook Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 I can't tell for sure, but I would honestly install your USB stick inside your case opposed to leaving it on the outside. I could picture my 2Year Old walking off with that in a second. LOL Hey....have you been to my house?? Have a daughter that just turned two last month, has already grabbed the USB a few times to come show me how pretty the light is..lol The reason i haven't moved it to a different location is because I like to see if when there is activity on the USB and when it is being written to!! Link to comment
Johnm Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 ... I just spit my pop out... umm. that's a disaster in the making.. your piece of mind might not be worth you pulling your hair out when you get a corrupted thumb drive... Link to comment
cpthook Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 ... I just spit my pop out... umm. that's a disaster in the making.. your piece of mind might not be worth you pulling your hair out when you get a corrupted thumb drive... LOL...Gotcha.. I guess I didnt really think too much would happen, just plug it back in and restart.. Still in the NooB phase of this obsession so please excuse! Plus, I mainly built this server for the kids and wife to store cartoons and reality TV shows as I'm at work lots during the week so I can't monitor equipment 24/7. So...up in the cabinet it goes tonight! Tnxs guys, constructive criticism always wakes up the sleepy Link to comment
kizer Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 LOL, honestly the only reason I put mine in side is I was moving my case around and I thought whats going to happen if I hit that stick? I'm guessing either the stick is going to get damaged and I'm out a pro license until Limetech gets back to me or I damage the port on my mobo. Well a few bucks later I patched it into the Motherboard and since I have a case with grills I can peak inside to watch it blink while it boots up. As for the Noob comment don't worry we are all one way or another. Some just wont admit their mistakes to openly. LOL Mine was I kept finding my server off and I was annoyed I couldn't check the logs. I later realized my 2year old was walking into my office and pushing the pretty lit button and shutting down my server. At least I have the powerdown script installed, but it was still rather annoying. Link to comment
Johnm Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I actually broke my esxi Flashdrive. I had a clip-it in the back port. I was doing mainence on the sever and I unplugged Everything and stood my norco on it's back.... Crack! I forgot the flashdrive. Thank god I broke the flash and not the USB port. Oops So I am not that smart lol Link to comment
cpthook Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 Well knowing how clumsy I am, I asked about this very thing before I even got started. Got this Reply from TOMakaLimetech: If your flash fails, gets lost, broken, etc., obtain a new USB flash device and send me the GUID and I'll transfer the license to it. Don't forget to make backups of your 'config' directory, especially following any config change. Cheers, Tom So hopefully if I do make a mistake it wont be catastrophic! Link to comment
Beer40oz Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Sweet set up Cpt Hook.... I love it.. Link to comment
cpthook Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 Sweet set up Cpt Hook.... I love it.. Good Lookin' OG!! Fellas, My daughter has about made me pull my hair out and drink daily now that she likes to unplug things.. SO... Had to snatch the APC Back-UPS RS700 I recommend this to all builds especially if you have worries about intermittent power or have small kids that like to unplug things Currently load capacity is at 17% of 420W // TIMELEFT is 35min // IdleDraw is what you see here 72W W/all drives spun-up but no streams // 47W Draw W/all drives spun down **Experts, please comment if you think the location is to close to unRAID box** plan to leave it here! Link to comment
Johnm Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 location is fine.. it might not be a bad idea to un-wire your power/reset switches... thats going to be fun when she gets to button pushing age.. that or put the server in a closet/basement etc.. Link to comment
WeeboTech Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 location is fine.. it might not be a bad idea to un-wire your power/reset switches... thats going to be fun when she gets to button pushing age.. that or put the server in a closet/basement etc.. My friend had to do this. He pulled all the switches out because his daughters liked to flip the machine off and hear him scream. Nice setup. I would love to build one like that. Only i have a 20 drive beast and do not need another unRAID server. It's been a struggle. But I've overcome the unRAID Compulsive Design syndrome. LOL! Link to comment
Beer40oz Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Dang! love your set-up and your choices of hardware... 420W? dont you mean 450w Link to comment
cpthook Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 420W? dont you mean 450w Thought so too homie', but check this: UPS Status (from /sbin/apcaccess status) APC : 001,038,0951 DATE : Fri Oct 28 20:27:15 PDT 2011 HOSTNAME : Tower RELEASE : 3.14.3 VERSION : 3.14.3 (20 January 2008) slackware UPSNAME : Tower CABLE : Custom Cable Smart MODEL : Back-UPS RS 700G UPSMODE : Stand Alone STARTTIME: Fri Oct 28 17:47:09 PDT 2011 STATUS : ONLINE LINEV : 119.0 Volts LOADPCT : 12.0 Percent Load Capacity BCHARGE : 100.0 Percent TIMELEFT : 46.7 Minutes MBATTCHG : 10 Percent MINTIMEL : 5 Minutes MAXTIME : 300 Seconds SENSE : Medium LOTRANS : 088.0 Volts HITRANS : 141.0 Volts ALARMDEL : Always BATTV : 13.7 Volts LASTXFER : No transfers since turnon NUMXFERS : 0 TONBATT : 0 seconds CUMONBATT: 0 seconds XOFFBATT : N/A SELFTEST : NO STATFLAG : 0x07000008 Status Flag MANDATE : 2011-07-27 SERIALNO : 3B1131X05134 BATTDATE : 2001-09-25 NOMINV : 120 Volts NOMBATTV : 12.0 Volts NOMPOWER : 420 Watts FIRMWARE : 856.L3 .D USB FW:L3 APCMODEL : Back-UPS RS 700G END APC : Fri Oct 28 20:27:21 PDT 2011 Link to comment
mbryanr Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 https://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR700G Nice set-up! I know what I want for Christmas. Link to comment
chip Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 This looks like a good build. Looks like that board is out of stock at alot of places - any recommendations on a replacement? Link to comment
Johnm Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 This looks like a good build. Looks like that board is out of stock at alot of places - any recommendations on a replacement? I would recommended SUPERMICRO MBD-X7SPE-HF-D525 it depends on how much horsepower you need. Link to comment
kizer Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Yep I nearly disconnected my power buttons after my 2year old pushed them 3 times. I guess he got it out of his system after the 3rd time. LOL Link to comment
cpthook Posted November 8, 2011 Author Share Posted November 8, 2011 This looks like a good build. Looks like that board is out of stock at alot of places - any recommendations on a replacement? Here you go Mr. Chip.. http://www.amazon.com/Zotac-GeForce-6100-Motherboard-GF6100/dp/B003FSTAVO says it is still in stock too!! Very easy build...lol, believe me if i can do it anyone can!! Good Luck! Yep I nearly disconnected my power buttons after my 2year old pushed them 3 times. I guess he got it out of his system after the 3rd time. LOL ....lol, well.. After Mr. JohnM spit his pop out while reading how my 2y/o snatched my USB out of the port a few times I began to take it more serious.. So I bought the APC Back-UPS. So far power has went out due to a few thunderstorms since I got the APC so it is well worth the investment. Link to comment
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