I've been reading a lot and see that if you want a 20 drive rig - you either need the norco 4220 or a 12 5.25 bay case and load it up with 5x3.5 cages. Is there an alternative to be able to fit 20 internal hard drives inside a case without hot swap cages? I don't see any cases out there that can fit 20 internal drives. Am i wrong? These hot swap cages can get pricey and I am thinking about avoiding them since I plan on starting off my unRAID with all 2TB drives!

 

Thanks!

I found these:

http://www.servercase.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BR2U19

 

Haven't tried them but they are basically trays for 5 HDDs in a 3x5.25" bay space.

 

This is essentially something that can be made or ordered to spec from local workshops.

 

If you go this route, be sure to have plenty of cooling inside your case.  5 drives packed that tightly need a dedicated fan (80mm or larger if possible).  Most hot swap cages come with their own dedicated fans.  Also, you are still going to need a case with 12 5.25" bays.

 

The only other option I've seen is to build your own custom rack, like bjp999.

There are 5x3s which are not Hot Swap which are a lot cheaper than the Hot Swap variety.

The only other option I've seen is to build your own custom rack, like bjp999.

And me.  (Another custom rack for 14 drives built into a bargain case)  See it in the "Pimp your Rig" thread.

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=2031.msg67670#msg67670

 

I can open the door in seconds, remove the two screws easily for a given drive if I need to replace it.  The top of the server is removed by two thumbscrews, and it is easy to get to the cables.  I don't need hot-swap bays... my home-made solution is way less expensive, and I don't need to take apart a lot of the server to add or replace a drive.

 

The three fans are all run at low speed and easily keep the drives cool since when the front door is closed they force air past the disks.

 

My server case was $27.99 ... shipping included.

 

Joe L.

 

I've thought about using two Cooler Master 590s, one as the main case and a second as an auxiliary case for extra drives. Just drill a couple of holes to pass the SATA and power cables. Couple this with the Cooler Master 4 in 3 drive cages for effective cooling. Since we are going to be stuck at 2TB drives for some time, I think drive swapping would be minimal.

I've thought about using two Cooler Master 590s, one as the main case and a second as an auxiliary case for extra drives. Just drill a couple of holes to pass the SATA and power cables. Couple this with the Cooler Master 4 in 3 drive cages for effective cooling. Since we are going to be stuck at 2TB drives for some time, I think drive swapping would be minimal.

 

Well, you don't need to run power from main to auxiliary case,

just install a regular PSU at auxiliary case and connect Pin-16 (Green color, PS_ON) and Pin-15 (Black color, Ground) together (lookup ATX-24 pin layout) use the ON/OFF switch on PSU to turn on/off power. then you have a separated PSU provide power in auxiliary case such that you don't

need to draw power from main.

 

You can use e-SATA cables to connect both cases together.

 

I use CM590 as main and Antec 300 as my secondary drive box and 4 CM 4-in-3 cages.

 

 

I've built two machines with lotsa drives and no 5-in-3s.

 

The second one uses the Sharkoon Rebel 12 case: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=2031.msg73565#msg73565

 

This case has capacity for 18 drives if you use 1:1 cages or mounts in the 5.25" bays or 22 drives if you use 4-in-3 cages (e.g. Scythe).

 

Sharkoon cases may only be available in Europe, though.

If you go this route, be sure to have plenty of cooling inside your case.  5 drives packed that tightly need a dedicated fan (80mm or larger if possible).  Most hot swap cages come with their own dedicated fans.  Also, you are still going to need a case with 12 5.25" bays.

 

The only other option I've seen is to build your own custom rack, like bjp999.

 

Although I love my homemade rack, it does have its downsides.  Replacing a drive requires moving the server to my work table, unplugging the drives, removal of the rack, replacing the drive, putting it all back together, and testing to make sure all of the drives are recognized.  This is a good hour, if not two.

 

The regular 5 1/4 to 3 1/2 drive adapters installed in conventional drive bays (upper part of my case) were not quite as bad to replace, but it still felt like a major ordeal to replace a drive.  The fact that my server's "home" is cramped and requires lugging the very heavy server in and out to work on it effectively contributed to the feeling.

 

But I have done some server updates since my "pimp your rig" posting (see below), adding 2 SuperMicro CSE-M35T 5-in-3 racks to the upper part of my case.  In the process I put my larger drives into the homemade rack, and the smaller ones (next in line for upgrades) into the upper rack.  Since them I've been able to painlessly upgrade several smaller drives without hardly lifting a finger.  Eventually I will need to start upgrading the drives in the lower rack, but when I do the first one I will swap drives around so I am again prepared for the next round of upgrades.

 

The downside of these high densitey racks is that they can get hot.  My hottest temps went up about 10C.  Luckily my drives stayed pretty cool (mid 20s), so this wasn't so bad.  But if my drives were already in the 30s or 40s, I could have been in trouble.

 

Being a cheap scate at heard, I was skeptical of the value of these expensive removable drive enclosures.  But if you are like me and would consider it a chore to swap out a drive, I would have to recommend having at least one.  That in combination with a more economical approach for the other drives seems a reasonable compromose, adding convenience for most drive updates and saving $100s of dollars vs going wild with enclosures.