Rack mounted in home environment

[jmwills]

The HP used server I referenced is the only OEM server I have.  And only that one because it was such a good deal.  With refernce to the SuperMicro server, I did see a shipping option from the Netherlands, I thought.

[artiom]

Yes, they have delivery from Netherlands - while it is really tasty, it is pricey as well so I will keep researching

[Andne]

The only OEM server I've ever bought was a N36L Microserver years ago.  When I started to exceed it's capabilities, I started looking at rackmount stuff and just have always built them from parts.  I originally started using a Norco case but ran into some issues with the backplanes - a bad hard drive (it had a short in it) lit one on fire.  After that experience, I started looking for some better cases and got a SuperMicro case.  I've been pretty happy with it so I've just kept buying their stuff.  The other thing I discovered is that at least the ones I bought have rails, which makes getting them into and out of the rack much easier and often means for simple tasks I don't actually need to take them out - just slide the case out, open the top, do what I need to and reverse to put everything back together.  One catch I did run into with rails is make sure you have a rack that works with them.  Originally I had bought a skeletek rack and while it was nice and sturdy, it was built in such a way that rails would not mount in it at all.  I have a Tripp lite rack now that I added wheels to and it works a lot better.

 

I have learned that with server hardware you definitely get what you pay for, cheaper stuff does seem to have limitations due to lacking features that the more expensive equipment has.

 

Also, with SuperMicro cases it's easiest to stick with SuperMicro boards.  They usually package an adapter, but the front panel connector has a connector that puts everything in one block and it's nice to be able to just plug it in instead of having to match up all of the little connectors for power, the LEDs, reset button, etc...

[Poppapete]

My 2 cents worth.

 

Go for a 2U simply because the 1U fans are noisy and have to work like hell so in my experience often fail.  That said Supermicro have always replaced mine for free even when they were slightly out of warranty.

[artiom]

Hi there,

 

Just a quick update:

I decided to combine both "use towers" and "use racks" advices so I got a Dell Poweredge T710 (5U, rack-mounted variant), but because it is too noisy for a living room, I installed it in the garage.

To pack things nicely, I got a 27U server cabinet and a 3U rack mounted 3000VA UPS for cheap - so now everything is in the garage, including my old HP MS G8.

To avoid spider infestation, I closed all holes in the cabinet with a window insect-proof mesh (was a bit tricky as I wanted to use self-adhesive magnet strips).

 

Everything is working fine so far, except the switch - I have a rather old Cisco SG300-10SFP and it just restarts if I connect more than one port of the integrated NICs to it, which is really strange (will create a separate thread for this problem).

 

Let me know whether anyone is interested in more details about all this - used materials, photos, etc. Should I create a separate thread for it?

[itGeeks]

Hi there,

 

Just a quick update:

I decided to combine both "use towers" and "use racks" advices so I got a Dell Poweredge T710 (5U, rack-mounted variant), but because it is too noisy for a living room, I installed it in the garage.

To pack things nicely, I got a 27U server cabinet and a 3U rack mounted 3000VA UPS for cheap - so now everything is in the garage, including my old HP MS G8.

To avoid spider infestation, I closed all holes in the cabinet with a window insect-proof mesh (was a bit tricky as I wanted to use self-adhesive magnet strips).

 

Everything is working fine so far, except the switch - I have a rather old Cisco SG300-10SFP and it just restarts if I connect more than one port of the integrated NICs to it, which is really strange (will create a separate thread for this problem).

 

Let me know whether anyone is interested in more details about all this - used materials, photos, etc. Should I create a separate thread for it?

What rack did you end up going with?

[itGeeks]

My 2 cents worth.

 

Go for a 2U simply because the 1U fans are noisy and have to work like hell so in my experience often fail.  That said Supermicro have always replaced mine for free even when they were slightly out of warranty.

Agreed I got a SuperMicro 1U Xeon server in my basement and she is a screamer.

[artiom]

What rack did you end up going with?

 

"Prism PI", 27U, 1000mm deep, 800mm wide, 19" - http://www.prism-online.co.uk/products/27u-800mm-x-1000mm-pi-server-cabinet/

Got it for £50 in nearly new state - the guys who sold were replacing it by a sound-proof enclosure and wanted to get rid of it asap.

It fully accomodated my equipment (8U used + 2U for a shelf with a switch and PDU).

[itGeeks]

"Prism PI", 27U, 1000mm deep, 800mm wide, 19" - http://www.prism-online.co.uk/products/27u-800mm-x-1000mm-pi-server-cabinet/

Got it for £50 in nearly new state - the guys who sold were replacing it by a sound-proof enclosure and wanted to get rid of it asap.

It fully accomodated my equipment (8U used + 2U for a shelf with a switch and PDU).

That looks like a nice cabinet, Wish they sold to the US I could use something like this. Anyone have recommendations on a cabinet like this that I could purchase in the US?

[artiom]

In this cabinet I liked the fact that you can adjust the internal rack depth - I had to do this two times with already mounted equipment (it's quite heavy, though and needs to be done carefully - no hammers!).