Norco 4220 Case Build

Frankenbuilders(home build or self build) have a lot of choices when it comes to Windows Home Server hardware. From tiny ITX cases with an octopus of USB/eSata drives hanging off of the back all the way up to a massive rackmount case holding a ton of drives, the flexibility of WHS can really be shown off.  Most of us love WHS so much because it can scale to the needs of the user. Only need to back up a few small PCs? No problem, build something with a 1TB hard drive inside and you’re all set. Want to stream blu-ray movies to multiple locations around your house and store hundreds more as well? As a certain company has (sort of) said, “there’s a case for that”.

For me, I was getting to the point where my case was getting incredibly crowded and I needed to expand my storage.  I had an Antec 300 tower case with 5 hard drives installed. While the Antec is an EXCELLENT case for many uses, it started to get cramped, especially with wiring. My long term goal is to archive a huge amount of 8mm/Hi8/Digital8 videotapes on my WHS.  That is going to require a lot of storage.

Researching large scale data storage solutions that are not bank busters can drive you nuts. For those who are inclined, two great forums helped in the research for this project.  AVS forums is always a great place to go for any type of home theater information.  There is a fantastic thread over there about Media Storage Servers (careful though, it’s over 180 pages long. Prepare to get sucked in). The other destination on the web is [H]ardforums. They have a whole section devoted to Data Storage Solutions that is a treasure trove of builds and ideas.

After a lot of research, I settled on a very popular 4U rackmount case, the Norco 4220.  It holds ATX boards with a 20 drive hotswappable front bay.  Fill this thing up with 2TB hard drives and you’re talking 40TB of storage.  While my immediate needs don’t come near 40TB, I’m still going to make sure that I can use all of the hard drives I have and have plenty of space for future expansion. So, to make sure people don’t start screaming TINWOP, (or I guess, PINWOP), here are a few pics.

The front of the case.  You can see the slimline optical drive bay on the top left and the 20 hard drive bays below it.

Immediately above the drive bays, there are two mounting trays for 2.5” drives.  I chose a pair of 160 gig WD Scorpio Black drives and configured them in a RAID 1 array.

An overhead shot of the whole case.  Immediately behind the drive bays is the fan bracket. It holds 4 80mm fans that draw air from the front of the case, through the drive bays and over the motherboard to be exhausted to the rear of the case by two more 80mm fans that sit over the I/O panel.

Here is the backside view of the fan bracket.  The stock fans are incredibly loud.  I replace them with a much quieter fan. As you can see, the motherboard tray can hold a full server sized motherboard. I’m using an ATX board.

A slightly closer view of the motherboard. I’m using a Gigabyte board running an AMD Athlon II X2 Regor 250 chip with 4 gigs of G-Skill DDR3 RAM.  Also, I’m powering it all with a Corsair 750HX modular power supply. Not pictured is the Supermicro SAS expander card. The SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) connection allows for four drives to be connected to one cable.  You can use a reverse breakout cable to connect the four SATA ports on your motherboard to one SAS connection (you can see the SATA end of that cable on the lower left side of the above pic).

The back of each row of hard drives has a backplane that allows the row of hard drives to connect via a SAS port.  The Supermicro card allows for two SAS connections, so with the four ports on the motherboard and two of the SAS expanders, you get 20 connections on 5 cables.  On the other end of the backplane, you have the power connection.

I forgot to snap a pic while the fans were off, but you can sort of make out the path of the cabling on the SAS side.  The power connections are conveniently on the side with the PSU.

Installing WHS with the system drive in RAID 1 was a snap. I’m not sure if this type of redundancy is the perfect solution to backing up your system drive, but it can’t hurt.  My system runs rock solid and has had no hiccups so far. I don’t have an optical drive hooked up yet, but when slim Blu-ray drives get cheap, I’ll throw one of those in.

Adding hard drives is extremely easy and with the Disk Management Add-In, I’m able to keep track of which drives are where.  So far, I’ve installed 6 drives with two more to go.  You pull out a drive bay, screw in the drive, push the bay back in and lock it shut.  After restarting WHS, it shows up automatically. Putting new drives in without opening the case and trying to work the drive around existing cabling is such a nice way to go.

While not for everyone, the 4220 is without a doubt a great way to get a ton of hard drives hooked up to WHS without breaking the bank.  The case is running at $350 shipped and the two SAS expander cards you would need will set you back another $200.  With all of that room though, you’re able to scale up to a significantly large storage pool fairly easily.

Popularity: 1% [?]

ICY DOCK MB662US-2S dual bay 3.5" SATA I & II to eSATA / USB 2.0

The MB662US-2S is a dual bay hard drive RAID enclosure that can use two 3.5” SATA hard drives (in my case, 80 GB drives) with 6 different RAID configurations and both USB and e-SATA connectors.  A good looking case design, a fan speed controller and hard drive installation that requires no tools or kits rounds out the highlights of features.

What’s in the box?

Product Features:

* MB662 Series fits 2x 3.5” SATA I/II hard drives for maximum storage and supports up to 4TB.
* Plug & Play USB 2.0 + eSATA with Silicon Image 5744 chipset for versatile connectivity.
* Built-in hardware RAID controller allows six different RAID configurations:
–RAID 0 (FAST), RAID 1 (SAFE), BIG, JBOD, SAFE 33, SAFE 50
* No additional software and hardware required for RAID capabilities.
* Multi-drive exchangeability & maintenance capabilities.
*Compatible for both Windows and Mac.

USING THE ICY DOCK WITH YOUR WINDOWS HOME SERVER

For this review and testing purposes, I am going to deploy this enclosure as a USB connected device for the data that is stored on a Windows Home Server (WHS) that is built with an OEM copy of WHS and a repurposed Dell PowerEdge 650SC.  The enclosure could also be used as additional storage drives for the WHS or as an additional drive for a PC or MAC (as shown with the Dell C521 below).

Installing the drives (which are not included) is as easy as opening the bay doors with the push button latch.  The drives then slide in very easy when shutting the door.  I tried several time to get the drives out of alignment to see if they would not seat properly, but they would not.

The unit has LED lights for each bay that indicate the stats of the drive.  It can display up to six different status using the blue, red and purple light options.

Simple design allows the user to quickly know the hard drive status.  Steady blue indicates the drive is idle.  Flashing purple indicates drive access.  It can also indicate no drive, drive failure, rebuilding of the drive or the verification of a drive rebuild with the available colors.

How does it use RAID?

Manual dip switches on the back of the enclosure allow users to set their drive for different RAID configurations without having to buy any RAID controller cards or install software.

Changing RAID setting does require the use of the reset button and destroys all data stored on both drives.  It would be important to back up any data before a setting was changed.

RAID Configurations

JBOD(Just a Bunch of Disks)

The simplest of the six to understand.  With this configuration, both drives are used as if they were plugged directly into the server.  If one drive fails, it will have no effect on the data of the other.  There is no data redundancy or protection with this setting.

For backup, JOBD would give the maximum use of the drives.  However, data on a failed disk would be lost.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When using this enclosure with the e-SATA connector, the computer must support port multiplier for this function to work.

RAID 0 and Big

RAID 0 and BIG appear identical when viewed by disk space.  The one difference is that RAID 0 can have faster transfer speeds than BIG.  BIG combines the two drives to create a larger logical volume.  RAID 0 stripes the drives together creating a similar larger logical volume.

For backup, RAID 0 and BIG would give the maximum use of the drives, but all data would be lost on both drives if either one of the drives fail.

RAID 1 “mirrors” the two drives to create one single logical volume.  The data that is on one drive is also copied to the other.

For backup, RAID 1 would only use half the total space on both drives, but could recover from a single disk failure.  No data will be lost if one drive fails.  The remaining disk can then rebuild the replacement.

I did remove a drive during testing of RAID 1 with success.  The WHS continued to function as if the drive was still there.  On the unit, the drive light turned red, indicating a failure.  If the drive had really failed, I would have just had to replace it.

Safe 33 gets it name from the way the drive is allocated.  33% of memory space on both drives will be operating under RAID 1 and the rest of the drive space on both disks will combined as BIG.  So, 33% of 74 GB is 24 GB.  The remainder of the drive space (50 GB x 2) is combined together for 100 GB.

For back up, just the data stored in the RAID configured space can be recovered in the event of a single drive failure.

Safe 50 is similar to Safe 33 with the exception of a larger RAID space.   50% of memory space on both drives will be operating under RAID 1 and the rest of the drive space on both disks will combined as BIG.  So, 50% of 74 GB is 37 GB.  The remainder of the drive space (37 GB x 2) is combined together for 74 GB.

For back up, just the data stored in the RAID configured space can be recovered in the event of a single drive failure.

Pro’s

• Very good design – easy to get the drives in the bays
• Supports both USB and e-SATA
• The RAID functions are easy to set and use.  Almost no knowledge of RAID is needed.
• The unit comes with a variable speed fan and can be adjusted with a control on the back.  Very quiet
• Screw-less and tool-less design makes set up very easy

Con’s

• The doors to the drive bays do not always line up to the latch.  Care needs to be taken when shutting doors. When using e-SATA with the JBOD function, the computer may only be able to detect one drive if the host cannot support port multiplier.
• Rubber feet are only on the bottom of the case.  None there if I wanted to lay the unit on its side.
• External power brick

Conclusion

The MB662US-2S is a smart looking, very functional, 2 bay external drive enclosure.  It would make a solid unit for anyone wanting some extra bang for their back up buck on a home or small business solution.  This isn’t a replacement for a Windows Home Server, but could be a nice device to go along with it.  Because of its strong RAID capabilities, using it as a drive to back up the shared folders and the client back ups would be a nice fit for this unit.

It would also be a great solution for a PC or MAC that required a more robust back up solution.  It would give the end user many more options and a better strategy for data redundancy compared to just a single external hard drive.

Manufacturer Website

http://www.cremax.com

Product Website

http://www.cremax.com/product/mb662us-2s.html

Where to buy – MB662US – $96.51

Disclosure: ICYDOCK provided this unit for testing purposes at no cost.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Icy Dock New Product Showcase

We have been talking a lot about the Icy Dock products this week.  We posted three reviews of their products with one more on the way and a podcast dedicated to discussing those reviews.  The conversation has also spilled over into our forums with a representative from Icy Dock fielding questions.

I would also like to share with you an Icy Dock post from their community blog.  It’s a quick look at a part of the items they brought to CES2010.

You can read that post here.

or

Head over to the Icy Dock site.

*by no means has Icy Dock sponsored or requested coverage on this blog.  They just make some cool stuff that we geek out on!

How is this not cool?

Popularity: 5% [?]

Icy Dock MB561US-4S Quad Bay External Removable Enclosure

This is the Icy Dock MB561US-4S Quad Bay External Removable Enclosure.

During CES 2010 Dave , Chris and Jim paid a visit to the Icy Dock booth. They saw the potential of how the Icy Dock product could contribute to the Windows Home Server ecosystem. Icy Dock was pleased to help out and soon we each received a product to review.

Icy Dock MB561US-4S

The Icy Dock MB561US-4S unit has both USB and eSATA connections. It holds 4 SATA drives and supports the latest 2TB drives. It is available in a silver aluminum exterior with a white front and rear plastic panels or a completely black unit. This case is quite stylish with no screws or switches on the front for a simple clean finish.

Construction

The aluminum shell is a one piece construction with no seams and rounded corners. The quality is very sturdy and adds to reducing drive vibration and noise and helps to keep the unit cooler.

The  4 removable trays may look flimsy, but with a hard drive installed and 6 small screws to secure the drive, it is solid. There is a external plastic removable fan at the rear.

This design allows the user to remove the fan effortlessly by applying pressure to a tab located on the bottom of the fan at the center. Also you can choose to leave the fan off the unit if you have only 1 or 2 drives for a completely silent unit or leave it on if you add more drives. The power supply is also silent and internal this eliminates the need for an external power brick.

What’s included

Instruction manual, screws, USB cable, eSata cable and power cable.

Use

The trays can be removed by releasing a gray plastic tab that will allow an aluminum arm to swing out and pull to remove the tray. Remove the plastic insert with a philips screwdriver and attach a SATA hard drive with the supplied screws. Slide the tray back in and secure the drive by moving the aluminum arm back in place unit you hear a click. Plug the unit to your servers external eSATA port, plug in the power cable. Power up the unit and your done.

Using the Icy Dock with your Windows Home Server

I’ll be testing this unit on my EX470 and my EX490 HP MediaSmart Servers. The EX470/5 has an external eSATA port multiplier aware connection that can recognize a 4 bay eSATA enclosure, while the EX490/5 can recognize a 5 drive eSATA enclosure. The EX485/7 can only recognize 1 drive therefore these model will not work with the Icy Dock MB561US-4S.

Console View

These 2 views using the Disk Management addin show my 3 WHS pooled drives in the EX490 and then in the Icy Dock.  You will notice that the temperatures are very similar.

eSata vs USB

I wanted to take full advantage of my HP MediaSmart server. To do that I am using the eSata connection for faster transfer speeds and to leave the 3 USB ports on the server available for other uses.

Conclusion

The primary use of the Windows Home Server Software is for PC backups. Secondary is to have a central place to store all my media and have it available throughout my network. Video libraries can grow very quickly if you want to have your content available immediately. WHS does this well. However to properly secure your precious files and a lot of work, it is wise to plan for data loss. Turning on Folder Duplication reduces your storage space by half and doing a Shares Backup also decreases your available storage of new data. This is where the Icy Dock MB561US-4S can be an invaluable and prudent product. You can very quickly double your storage capacity. You can use the speed of the eSATA connection to the Icy Dock unit to eliminate the storage space lost by enabling Folder Duplication on WHS. Or you can use the Icy Dock unit as a non pooled drive for Shares Backup and turn the unit off when not in use or remove the unit completely as an off-site disaster recovery plan.

Pro’s

You can very quickly double your storage capacity.

You can use the speed of the eSATA connections to the Icy Dock unit to eliminate the storage space lost by enabling Folder Duplication on WHS.

You can use the Icy Dock unit as a non pooled drive for Shares Backup and turn the unit off when not in use.

Remove the unit completely as an off-site disaster recovery plan.

Using the Icy Dock just to backup my shares, allowed me to be able to connect this device to my Popcorn Hour via USB and watch my videos.

Con’s

Does the price out way the advantages ?

My XBOX360 was not able to connect to this device

Product Website – http://www.icydock.com/product/mb561us-4s.html

Newegg – ICY DOCK MB561US-4SC External Enclosure

Popularity: 11% [?]

Icy Dock MB881 2.5 and 3.5 SATA Hard Drive Docking Station

This is the Icy Dock MB881US-1S-1 SATA hard drive docking station.

What you will first notice about this docking station is that it is completely different from any of the other “mini toaster” looking hard drive docks.  Not only does it’s looks set it apart but it’s versatility also stands above the crowd compared to all other docking stations I’ve used.  I’ll tell you why in this review.

The Unboxing

It came to me in a clear plastic container showing off it’s largest components.  The dock itself and a black carrying case.

I was wondering what the green arm was for even before I got it out of the box.  Here is the stand fresh out of the package.

The case, or protective pouch as Icy Dock calls it, was loaded with the USB and eSATA cable.

The bottom of the package contained the rest of its contents.

The external power adapter, SATA to eSATA port for your computer, and the instruction booklet.

It’s contents are as follows:

• Drive Stand
• AC Adapter
• Power Cord
• eSATA Cable
• USB 2.0 Y Cable
• Protective Pouch
• Single Port eSATA Bracket

I was anxious to get it fired up on my Windows Home Server but started fiddling with the drive stand and found that the green stand is removable.  This is by design which allows you to detach the stand with a 2.5” hard drive attached and transport it with the protective pouch.  That is certainly a selling point if you have a 2.5” drive that you would like to make portable.

In this review I’ll be using a 3.5” drive.

Beyond the design differences, it’s still a hard drive dock.  It can be used with your computer via USB and eSATA with the external power brick or it can be used with the supplied USB Y cable which allows you to power the unit.  I don’t like using two USB ports to power a drive but if you want to forgo the external power brick at least you have that choice.  If you don’t have an eSATA port you will have to crack your PC case and install the bracket.  The bracket’s cable measures roughly 11” long so it should reach any SATA port on your motherboard.  It’s a straight connector so some distance may be lost by plugging it in to your motherboards SATA port.  I also like the power switch on the front of the unit.  If you’re not going to use the drive in your storage pool you can power it down to save energy costs.

The unit feels solid too.  I’ve held some cheap plastic docks and this feels nothing like that.  It’s a nicely made product.

Using the Icy Dock with your Windows Home Server

If you are like me you are always looking to upgrade storage in your Windows Home Server.  I replace small hard drives with larger ones and this always leaves me with a couple of drives laying around.  With this dock you can put them to good use backing up shares or using BDBB to make an external copy of your backup database.  Take a look at my server setup.

The top drive is listed as a “Non Storage Hard Drive.”  This is the Icy Dock.

Another view of my storage can be seen via the Disk Management Add-In.

The Icy Dock is at the bottom in this shot.  It shows up as an unmanaged disk which allows you to use Add-In’s like BDBB to create, “Backups of your Backups.”  I’m using the Icy Dock and a 500Gb drive to do just that.

You can see here in the WHS BDBB settings tab that the J: drive is the one I am using.  That’s the Icy Dock.  You can use a single drive with your Windows Home Server or rotate hard drives to perform different functions.  I will also use the dock to backup a couple of my Shared Folders for additional redundancy.

USB vs. eSATA

The obvious answer to this question is speed.  The eSATA spec is up to 3 Gb/s and USB 2.0 is at 480Mbits/s(60MB/sec).  My personal issue with the eSATA port is that I am using the MediaSmart Server so there is only one of these ports available.  If I continue to use the dock via the eSATA port I won’t be able to upgrade my storage pool with the many available port multiplier products on the market.  If you take a closer look at my storage situation I am in need of some larger drives or a port multiplier solution.

A positive note about using the eSATA port beyond the speed gain is the ability to get SMART data off of the drive.  This is not possible via USB.

This shot shows you the HomeServer SMART add-in with the data about the drive in the Icy Dock.  A comparison shot is the USB drive I have attached to the server.

There is no SMART data on this drive.  USB simply does not support it.

Using the Dock

Once you have decided where you will use, what port you will use and how you will power it you simply need to add a hard drive.  My 3.5” drive slid nicely down the dock and into place.  There is a ridge on the left hand side of the dock that guide the drive into place without any fear of messing up pins or connectors.

You will inevitably want to face the drive to you or to the front of your equipment and that makes the cables have to bend and route back.  This is all dependant upon your setup but you can see the cable routing in photo.

You can see in this photo that I’m using the eSATA connection which is the flat cable.  The power connector is below it.  The power plug on the unit is in a tight spot.  It can’t be plugged in blindly.  You will have to turn it sideways and “eyeball” it in.

The USB port is on the opposite side of the unit and is also very easy to get to.

This photo shows the dock removed from the stand and in the protective case.  A 2.5” hard drive can remain mounted to the dock and inside the case for travel.  I’ve seen in some reviews where there is a concern for the dock tipping over.  I would discount those concerns mainly because your interaction with the dock is primarily seating and unseating drives into it.  It will remain on a flat surface just fine.

Pro’s

On/Off Switch.

Portable Design.

Solid design.  Does not feel cheap like other external docks.

Con’s

Will it tip over?

Power plug in an awkward spot.

Higher cost than ‘most’ competitor docks.

Conclusion

You might say that hard drive docks are “a dime a dozen” as the old saying goes. I think most would pick a dock for either the port they have in their system (USB/eSata/FW) or the size hard drive they have to use with the dock initially. (2.5” or 3.5”) Beyond that I think price is going to be the major factor in a dock decision.  Perhaps Free Shipping from the vendor may persuade you.  They Icy Dock comes in at the higher end of the price range although not the highest I found.  It does however, offer more for your dollar at that price range.

The Icy Dock certainly looks better than their competitors.  Honestly, some of the other docks are butt-ugly.  But, does that matter?  It’s just a dock right?  To some it might.

I think it comes down to price, function, and quality.  Does the dock have the features you want compared to the cost you are comfortable with?  I don’t think you can find much better in the area of quality when it comes to this dock compared to others.  It’s simply a well made product.  If you look around hard enough you can find this dock in a comparable price range to others.  I say…shop frugal, but always shop smart.  This one will be worth the money paid for it.

Manufacturer Website

Product Website

Where to buy

Amazon – Icy Dock MB881

NewEgg – ICY DOCK MB881US-1S-1 HDD Docking Station Enclosure for Mac & PC

by: David McCabe, homeservershow.com

FTC Disclosure:  Icy Dock has not asked for this unit back so I continue to use it.  That had no effect on the review however. (I’ll update this spot if/when this status changes)

Popularity: 8% [?]

Icy Dock MB672SKGF Screwless Internal 3.5” SAS/SATA HDD Enclosure

At CES 2010, Home Server Show had the opportunity to meet with the folks at Icy Dock and view their product line.  We shot a video interview with Roland Pantaleo and we agreed that their product line should be of interest to the home server community particularly those who are building their own machines.

As part of a series of products sent to the Home Server Show for review, Icy Dock  has sent us the MB672 (MB672SKGF) internal SATA hard drive enclosure.  The MB672 holds a single SATA hard disk, has a keyed lock on front, and an LCD screen.

Installation

My home build server has gotten pretty cluttered over the years.  I have a nice big case, but wires and splitters run in all directions making the removal or addition of hard disks a challenge.  I almost never use my CD/DVD drive so that is coming out to make room for the enclosure.  I also elected to make this enclosure the home for my system drive which is lodged soundly at the very bottom of my case.  Replacing the CD/DVD drive with the MB672 was a snap as the enclosure has 4 screw holes and should install easily and any computer case.  I did notice that the front bezel is actually a bit smaller than a standard drive leaving a bit of a gap both above and below the enclosure.  This would be great if your case is cramped for space, but I would prefer for the installation to look seamless.

Internally, the enclosure has a fairly low profile protruding less into my case than my CD/DVD drive did.  There is a single 4 pin standard power connector and a single SATA data cable.  I found it an interesting choice to use a standard power adapter instead of SATA Power but it worked fine for me.  There is also a Master/Slave switch, jumpers for other settings (that I won’t mess with) and a small case fan.

Function

Inserting my system drive was without incident.  The screwless design makes installing a drive easy and fast.  The drive goes in about 80% of the way and is completed by closing the door.  I had to push the door a bit to get the door latch to click into place and the click was a satisfying feedback that it was closed.  The keys remind me of bicycle lock keys or a kensington style lock.  When locked, the latch has no play and seems firmly closed making a quick swiping of your drive less likely (especially important if it’s your system drive!).

The server booted back up with no problems and there was little or no indication that anything had changed at all which is a good sign.  As the machine powers on, the LCD screen springs to life showing you enclosure temperature, drive activity, heat warnings, fan status and a couple other basic indicators.  The LCD is a cool blue color that nicely matches my case lights.  Temperature settings can be changed from Celsius to Fahrenheit for those not not used to the metric system.

Build Quality

Made of steel and heavy plastics, the MB672 feels extremely sturdy.  The screwless design may be concerning to some, but the drive seats very snuggly and has little or no play.  The LCD is clear and bright even if the display looks like a 1980’s video game.  All wire attachments were tightly fitting and functioned well.

Performance

The primary job of the enclosure is to hold a drive and allow it to connect to the motherboard.  The MB672 does this job flawlessly.  The added function of an LCD display is a nice touch.  It gives a direct indication of drive activity and temperature.  I did compare the drive temperature on the enclosure to the temperature the drive itself was reporting to home server (through disk manager) and found the enclosure to be reporting 10 degrees cooler.  Both temps were well within the safe operating range, but I found it odd that there would be such a large discrepancy.  I really have no way to tell which one is more accurate.

Windows Home Server Integration

I have to say (and disclose) that this enclosure is now a permanent part of my home server.  A feature that home builders often lack is being able to quickly swap drives like the commercial boxes.  Being able to quickly and easily access drives is a big bonus in boxes containing multiple hard drives.  The more I think about the lock, the more I like having a swappable system drive that is locked in place.  This is likely NOT a drive you want to be taking in and out of the server and the lock is a reminder to the installer or the owner not to mess with that particular drive.  The data drives can and should be placed in other enclosures (locked or not) to keep them separate.  An alternative use would be to store the Home Server Data Base Backup files to that drive for easy access in the event of a crash.

Pros:

Sturdy Build
Nice LCD display
Reasonably Priced (~$50)
Easy Install and Operation

Cons:

Bezel not flush with (my) case
Choice of non-SATA power (not really a con)

Conclusion:

The MB672SKGF Screwless Internal 3.5” SAS/SATA HDD Enclosure from Icy Dock is a great addition to any home build server for users interested in paying special attention to a particular drive.  At around $50, it adds significantly to the price of a hard drive, but those of use building home servers are already convinced that spending a little extra to monitor and secure data is worth it.  I give the MB672SKGF a big thumbs up.

Links:

Icy Dock Product Page: http://www.icydock.com/product/mb672skgf-b.html

Amazon: MB672SKGF Screwless Internal 3.5” SAS/SATA HDD Enclosure

ComSource: http://www.compsource.com/ttechnote.asp?part_no=MB672SKGFB&vid=1339&src=JF

Popularity: 10% [?]

Awesome Apartment Setup with Media Center and Windows Home Server

Here is another reason you need to check out the forums at homeservershow.com.  JVK has a post that shows his frankenbuild setup throughout his apartment full of Windows Home Server, Media Center, and even a computer built into a little valet chest.

So I went to Ross (like a TJ Maxx) and found the perfect dresser valet that would fit a Mini-itx motherboard. Cheapest computer case I have ever bought at $11.99! A little drilling and a lot of cutting later, another pc was born.

Thank you for the post JVK.  You can see all the photos and information here.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Upgrade the RAM on your EX470 or EX475 for the HP 3.0 Update

The news of the 3.0 update coming out for older generation MediaSmart owners is certainly good.  If you are interested in the update on your EX470 or EX475 server you had better upgrade your RAM before attempting it.  Here are some photos and videos to help you out.

In this post you can find Hi-Resolution photos of the EX470.  They may help you navigate during the upgrade or get acquainted with the inside of your server prior to attempting the upgrade.

The most popular RAM module for this upgrade can be found here.  It’s the G.SKILL 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory

This exact module can be seen in the Hi-Res shots.  I’ve installed many of them without a single problem to report.

I also have two videos that take you through the upgrade process step by step.

The original posts for these videos can be found here.  Part 1.  Part 2.

Visit the forums for any help on the process.

Popularity: 14% [?]

An Introduction to Home Networking

Everyone who listens to this show or reads this blog is using a network of some sort. It is becoming a very important part of our daily lives. So where does one begin when trying to understand about networks and how they work? What I have created here is a basic introduction to Home Networking. The target audience is someone who may have picked up a Home Server for the first time, or is even just trying to connect their computers to the internet. I hope that reading this will give a better understanding of how computers communicate with each other.

IP Address

One of the basic premises of networking is that all devices on the network need to have an IP address. This is how they will connect and communicate with one another. Most home networks usually use IP addresses in the range of 192.168.0.1 or something like that. External networks also have IP addresses. Google.com for example, has an IP address of 74.125.159.147 (well there are multiple (.99, .105, .106, .103, .104, & .147), but that’s one of them).

DHCP

Each device has to get this IP address from somewhere. They can be either statically assigned, or for most environments, they are assigned by a DHCP server. Most home routers have a built-in DHCP server. The DHCP server is configured to give an IP address to any device on the network that asks for one. The number it gives out is within a certain range, specified in the DHCP server settings.

Router

A router is a device that simply connects multiple networks. For most home users, this connects their internal network to the World Wide Web. The router’s function is to forward requests that are for computers not inside the network outside and then to receive the response and pass it on. Most consumer routers are actually a combination device. They do routing, function as a DHCP server, do switching, some do wireless, and also serve as a firewall.

Firewall

A firewall is simply an entity (hardware or software) that filters inbound and outbound content to protect a device. Windows has had a firewall built in since Windows XP (it wasn’t until Service Pack 2 that it was actually was worth anything). This does a decent job of stopping most intrusions. One of the most basic types of firewalls are blocking ports.

Ports & Port Forwarding

Each network connection has 65536 ports that you can think of as subsets of the connection. The most common is port 80, which is where regular web traffic goes. Some other common one’s are 3389 for Remote Desktop, 20/21 for FTP, 22 for ssh, 25 for SMPT, and 443 for https. Most firewalls will, by default, block all inbound ports. That way you don’t have to worry about a hacker trying to connect through anything you might have running and not even know it.

However, if you do want to have a server running, you might need to forward a port to the server to make it accessible from outside the network. Lets use the example of the web server built into WHS. When you setup a port to forward, you are actually performing 2 actions. The first is that the router’s firewall no longer blocks inbound port 80, and the second is that the router forwards all requests that it receives on port 80 to the WHS.

Switch

Back in the day, networks used to be composed of hubs. Hubs functioned in a way that any communication across the network was heard by every device on the network. If computer A was talking to computer B, Computer C would be able to hear what they are talking about, although it would pretty much ignore it. The obvious downside of this is that the network would get busy and bandwidth would be severely diminished. Recently though, hubs have been all but replaced with switches. Switches are smarter devices that transmit data directly from Computer A to Computer B in a way that Computer C isn’t involved in the communication. The major upside to this is that Computers A & B can communicate at full speed with each other and Computers C &D can communicate at full speed with each other as well, something that isn’t possible with hubs. Most people don’t see hubs anymore, so this is more for historical information than anything.

Modem

While most of us aren’t using modems in the sense of 56k (or 33.6, 28.8, 14.4, etc) most still have Cable or DSL modems. There are a few different ways that these talk to the internet, but for most people, all you have to do is connect a network cable from the modem to WAN port of the router and you are good to go. Sometimes to have to go to the router administration page and provide login information for your ISP (Internet Service provider). Some ISP’s will give you the choice of paying extra for a modem that has a router built-in, but I personally recommend against that as you can almost always get a better router by doing it separately, and not all combination modem/routers give the option of port forwarding and hosting servers. However, there is something to be said for simplicity if all you’re doing is connecting 1 or 2 computers to the internet.

Network Cables Cat5e vs Cat6

Many people wonder what the difference is between network cables. There are cat3, cat5, cat5e, cat6, and a couple other niche products. The answer is actually pretty straight forward. Cat3 was used back in the day for 10mbps networks (more on that soon). It’s pretty much only used for telephones now. Cat5 replaced cat3 and could handle up to 100mbps. Cat5e upped the ante by allowing 1gbps network connections. The big question is about cat6. To put it simply, most home users won’t get any advantage with cat6 over cat5e. There is additional shielding that allows for less interference. The cable is also made to more stringent standards. Finally, it allows for 10gbps in lengths up to 120ft on very specialized network connections. My personal recommendation for most home users? Don’t bother with cat6 unless the price differential is minimal (<10%).

Network Speed

One of the big performance factors that determines how good the network is at transferring files is the network speed. Back in the day, we had to mess with 10-baseT using BNC cables and t-connectors. (Actually, I was corrected that BNC used 10base2/5, not “T” which would be twisted pair. Thanks for keeping me in line.) Now, the vast majority of wired home network run at either 100mbps or 1gbps using the previously mentioned cat5/6 cables. 100 mbps can also be written as 100 megabits per second. If you remember that there are 8 bits in a byte, then this is equivalent to 12.5 megabytes per second. Likewise, 1gbps is equal to 125 megabytes/second. This is obviously much faster. One thing to note is that transferring files across the network will run at the speed of the lowest common denominator. If you are using gigabit network cards in the computers, but the switch only supports 100mbps, then your maximum transfer speed is going to be 100mbps. Also, just keep in mind that most of the time, the maximum speed that you will be transferring at is about 90% of the theoretical, due to overhead.

Wireless

The last item I want to touch on is wireless networks. To break it down, there are 4 main protocols: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n. While, there really isn’t much use of 802.11a anymore, it did have its time. It was the first standard to run at 54mbps (theoretical speed). 802.11b was the other initial standard that was used. One thing to note is that for equivalent power, higher frequencies generally cause decreased range. 802.11b was limited to 11mbps, but ran at a more common frequency of 2.4ghz. 802.11g combined the best of both of those to run at 54mbs in the 2.4 ghz range. 802.11n, which was just recently finalized, increases that bandwidth to a theoretical 600mbps. It also brought about a technology called MIMO which basically allows for multiple concurrent connection for higher speeds and better resistance to interference. It also allows for both the 2.4ghz range and 5ghz, which some routers use simultaneously for even more speed and resistance to interference. There are many other differences between the standards, but those are main one’s. One thing to note is that some wireless routers allow for multiple types. For example, you can run both 802.11b and 802.11g on a 802.11g router. Generally, if you don’t have any 802.11b devices, you should set the router to run in 802.11g-only mode which will prevent potential slowdowns. This is similar with 802.11g and 802.11n.

Wireless Security

This is one topic where there is some debate about what people should use. It mainly boils down to personal preferences and priorities, so I will outline here my personal feelings. First off, you shouldn’t really ever run an unsecured wireless connection. Even if you have it restricted to a DMZ, the homeowner can be taken to jail, for example, if a stranger is sitting in the street downloading kiddie porn. One thing that you also have to worry about is a hacker having access to your computers. Secondly, don’t use WEP security. It takes about 5 seconds to crack with tools that an 8 year-old can download off of the internet. Just say no. So what we have left is WPA and WPA2. For all intents and purposes, WPA  & WPA don’t matter as much as the underlying security. Both of these allow for the use of AES & TKIP. Not too long ago, the TKIP system was cracked, which means that given enough time, a hacker can break the encryption of the network and have access. While it takes more time to crack that WEP does, it is still not entirely secure. That leaves us with AES. I always recommend the use of AES encryption on either WPA or WPA2.

There are 2 other options that people recommend using that I personally believe aren’t worth hassling with. The first is hiding the SSID. The SSID is the name that you give to your wireless network (by default it is usually something like ‘linksys’ or ‘netgear’). Most wireless networks allow for the name to be hidden. The idea is that you can’t connect to it if you don’t know it exists (if the SSID is hidden, it won’t show up in the Windows list of available networks unless the computer has been preconfigured). The downside is that it is much more difficult to connect new computers to the network and to troubleshoot when your computer doesn’t connect automatically like it should. The idea behind the use of this is “security to obscurity” that people won’t know to connect if they don’t see it listed in the Windows connection menu. The trouble with this is that there are many tools that can be used to show hidden networks with very little effort. The 2nd option is to do MAC address filtering. I’ll get into this more in the 2nd part of the article, but the idea is that you only allow connections from specific computers by using the key of the network card. The down-side is that while these keys are uniquely set at the factory, they can be changed by the user. All a hacker has to do is listen over an insecure network for an approved computer’s key, and then change his own computer to use that key. Then they are in. The downside of enable the MAC filtering, is that any time you want to connect a new computer, you have to look up the 16-digit hexadecimal key and type that into the wireless router. That’s more than a 5 second job. Basically my mentality behind not using these 2 options is that if you are using WEP or TKIP, while the hacker will take a little longer to go over the 2 speed bumps, they will still be able to get through. If you are using WPA & AES, then the hacker won’t get through that, so they won’t get close enough to drive over the speed bumps won’t be driven over by the hacker, but will invariable slow down the homeowner. That said, if you want to enable the options for your own peace-of-mind, they are available to you.

The practical

So reading the descriptions might not solidify one’s understanding of the subject. Let me go through a practical example: my own home network.

I have a D-Link wireless router which is connected to the internet via a cable modem. Now I have a separate switch that the computers are plugged into, but most people probably just use the one that is built into their wireless router. The router is set up as the DHCP server using the 192.168.0.1 range, so all of the computer are given an IP address within that range. I have my network printer, Windows Home Server, and the Media Center PC (as well as the xbox 360, not shown) plugged into the switch using cat5e cables. The router also has wireless turned on, running in G-only mode with WPA-AES.  I have 3 laptops that use the wireless as well as a Zune HD and the Eye-Fi card.

The router is configured to forward some ports to my WHS: 80, 443, 3389. It also has a firewall built in that prevents any sort of intrusions.

Conclusion

I hope that this little guide helps to explain simplistically how a home network works. I plan to release the second part in the near future which will go into much greater depth on some more facets of how networks work.

by: AJ Peck

Popularity: 8% [?]

Is USB 3.0 worth it?

As WHS users we are always looking for different ways to upgrade our storage capabilities fairly cheaply and without giving up too much performance.  Since the introduction of USB 3.0 with advertised “theoretical” speeds of 625 Megs/sec, I have been eager to see what the real world performance would be and if that would translate to any gains in the Windows Home Server or PC over the current USB 2.0 devices we now use.  More specifically, I wanted to see if USB 3.0 would allow the use of external drives at full drive speed without the hassle, limitations, or quirkiness of eSata.

My intention of this test is not to come with best case numbers or to exploit the limits of the interface, but rather see realistic numbers that would translate in what we users care about, data throughput.  Although USB 3.0 has been released for awhile now (November 2008), it was not till recently that we were able to buy hardware from the retail chains.  I purchased the PCI-E 2 port USB 3.0 card about three weeks ago however I could not find any reasonably priced external USB 3.0 Enclosure till recently.  For testing, I used a WD 1T green drive since that is almost WHS standard equipment at least for me.  I know that it is not the fastest drive around but I mainly wanted to see if the USB interface would bottleneck the drive interface and limit throughput as it did with USB 2.0.

Installation of the card was pretty straight forward except that it required the use of installation disk even in Windows 7 despite the instructions stating to the contrary.  Once the drivers were installed, the card was recognized and worked without issues.  The box installation was straight forward except that the overall quality of the box was pretty bad and I would recommend waiting for something better to come along.

Testing was performed using a small Blue Ray file that weighed in at 11.6 Gigabytes as well as using HD Tach to validate the results.  I also used the same enclosure, drive, as well as the same system to perform the testing and did a fresh format each time.  As you can see from the data below, there is a huge difference in performance using USB 3.0.

Besides the obvious difference in the benchmarks, I found the USB 3.0 to feel more responsive and was much “snappier” when moving data around.  Considering the moderate prices of boards and the increasing popularity of enclosures that are becoming available, it is a painless and worthwhile upgrade for your WHS or PC.  There is no doubt that the drives themselves are now limiting the performance and that with faster drives in the enclosure you would get even better results than what I posted.  So next time you are considering additional storage for your WHS and are forced to go external, go with USB 3.0 you won’t be disappointed.

PCI Express USB card:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815150161&cm_re=USB_3-_-15-150-161-_-Product

Enclosure:  http://www.byteccusa.com/product/enclosure/HD-35SU3-BK/HD-35SU3-BK.htm

Popularity: 14% [?]

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