Folding Farm Help

Ph4lanx

Ph4lanx

Ph4lanx

Associate
Joined
19 Apr 2010
Posts
474
Location
Surrey
Hi guys,

Well, I've managed to get hold of a 42u server cabinet off of eBay (for 99p!) which I intend to build into a folding@home server farm in my garage.

I was wondering though, can I just buy rackmount cases and just put normal components into them? Is there a particular 'u' size I should be looking for, or can someone recommend the rackmount cases I need to get hold of?

Any information would be welcome, even if I've not asked it! This is my first time running a rack cabinet, so all help is needed :)
 
depends on what hardware you're going to be running, but generally yeah they do fit normal components in them.

From a competitors site you can pick up a 4u case for £40, then you'd probably need rails £36, unless you're planning to stack them in which case you'd just screw them in.
 
As the person above mentioned you can purchase some cheap rack mount cases with rails etc, or you could buy rack mountable shelfs. These come in different sizes and supporting different weight.

Don't discount purchasing old server cases and using them as shelves as you've seen with your 99p rack there is some bargins to be had.

You obviously want to keep costs low, so you could create your own shelves. You might want to investigate that. Its not a super priority to have slipping rails etc for your folding@home farm. So should be quite easy to make up some static custom shelves:)
 
Ph4lanx said:
Hi guys,

Well, I've managed to get hold of a 42u server cabinet off of eBay (for 99p!) which I intend to build into a folding@home server farm in my garage.

I was wondering though, can I just buy rackmount cases and just put normal components into them? Is there a particular 'u' size I should be looking for, or can someone recommend the rackmount cases I need to get hold of?

Any information would be welcome, even if I've not asked it! This is my first time running a rack cabinet, so all help is needed :)
Click to expand...

Yes you can, theres a few types, You can get Rackmount PC cases, Wich fit ATX Mb's in them, And you can get the server enterprise standard Cases, witch will only fit EATX ect......

But the U size shouldnt matter, I would go for 3 - 4 U Cases, then you fit a fair few systems in, And they wont ne too loud.
 
A 42U rack full of servers equals a fair bit of heat and a big electric bill!

As mentioned above, there's plenty of OEM chassis in 2U or 4U which take a standard ATX PSU and motherboard combination.
 
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