My Microserver build using "Raj's Prototype Designs"

[Tight_wad]

First let me say "Thanks Rajahal!" for all your work putting the build info together.

 

This is my second unRAID build.  First one was the unRAID 12 drive Budget build.  This time, I chose to do something a little smaller, that would be used for the rest of my family storage needs.  To do this, I decided to use the microserver build from Raj's Prototype Designs with the only change  being the use of different hot swap bays.  This was a great build to do, and it was a fairly inexpensive one too.  I had less than 250 in it, without the drives.

 

 

OS at time of building: 4.7 current stable

CPU: AMD Sempron 145

Motherboard: ZOTAC GF6100-E-E

RAM: Kingston 2GB DDR2 800

Case: Rosewill R101-P-BK

Drive Cage(s):Rosewill RX-C525 5.25" SATA Trayless Hot Swap Mobile Rack for 3.5" SATA HDD x 3

Power Supply: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W

SATA Expansion Card(s): None at this time

Cables: Include with Hot Swaps and one include with motherboard

Fans: Stock case exhaust fan plus Rosewill RFA-120-BL 120mm 4 Blue LEDs LED Case Fan front intake.

USB SanDisk 2GB

 

Parity Drive: future 1TB

Data Drives: future 1TB WD EADS x 2

Cache Drive: future 1TB

Total Drive Capacity:

 

Primary Use: Data storage and preclearing drives for expanding my 12 drive Budget build that I use for media server

Likes: Small, cool running, and pretty lights

Dislikes: Rosewell must have made some changes.  My side cover doesn't have the air baffle that draws the air for the CPU fan directly from side like the pictures I had see show it having.

Add Ons Used: unMENU preclear

Future Plans: cache_dirs, Time machine

 

*Future listed in drives is because right now I am running preclear on 2TB WD EADS x 2, 2TB Hitachi, 1TB WD EADS.  Once the 2TB drives are done, they will be re-installed in my 12 Disk unRAID budget build and the 1TB drives will move to this one for preclearing and use.  Will keep at least one hot swap bay open for preclearing use.

 

Everything is up and running really well.  Memtest went good, under 20 minutes per cycle.  It runs pretty quiet, not even audible at 4 feet away.  Not sure how the cooling would have been without the front case fan.  When I did the build, I added the fan, and to help keep the upper hot swap drives cool, they don't have any fans, I taped off most of the side cover vents, and then add some air baffles near the lower case mount drives to help direct the air flow across the upper hot swap bays.  This seems to be working well, the temps that I have while running preclear on 4 drives at the same time is 21 to 29 C with an ambient temp of 16 degress C.

 

 

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I will get some pic's up soon.  I was so excited to go to work and fire it up for the first time, that I forgot my camera!

 

Here are the pic's

 

Taped side vents help create an little draw of air on the hot swap drive's vents

 

This pic doesn't do justice to the pretty lights.  Blue lights show drive in place, while the orange lights show hard drives activite, in the middle of 4 drive preclear.

 

Interior pic shows the baffles used to redirect air flow to hot swap drives.  With side cover off, you can feel a nice flow going past them.

 

Another interior pic.  Will clean up the wiring a little more.  Notice that 5 drives installed.  Only 4 hooked up, max number for the MB.  Bottom 2 are 1TB each that will remain in place.  The 3 drives in the hot swap bays are all 2TB that will be moving on to my 12 drive unRAID.

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future edits

 

Mod Edit: Fixed broken URL

- Raj

Edited for pictures -Tight_wad

 

 

[Rajahal]

You are quite welcome, I'm glad you found my designs useful!  I do like that those hot swap bays aren't branded 'Connectland' like the monoprice ones.  Newegg also sells these Syba models which are unbranded and also don't have any power/HDD LEDs, which may be important for someone building a server that will sit in a living room or other public place.