Home server

DaxInside

DaxInside

DaxInside

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27 Jun 2011
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Im thinking for building a home server in the new year so Ive started to so a little research.

At the moment I have a Drobo FS NAS. Its fine at what it does but its not very fast and im out of space.

I was inspired by this thread: http://www.avforums.com/forums/networking-nas/1347547-smurfs-monster-40tb-unraid-nas-build.html

Its a little more than I need, Id like 15 bay's.

In that thread the guy says that unraid isn't very fast either. Is WHS 2011 faster?

I think a good place to start is deciding on a case that can hold 3 of those HDD cages in. What am I looking for when I check the specs of a case? None of them seem to be made to hold that many so im a bit lost there.

Which parts determine the read/write speed of a server? Mine will be mostly used to stream full Bluray rips across a home network, hopefully a couple at a time.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.;)
 
by the looks of things you will be after a case with at least 9 5.25" bays

a quick look around OcUK's case section tells me that the coolermaster storm trooper and antec 1200 will work, but im sure theres more out there which fit the description
 
So the main thing im looking for is 5.25" drives. Will all cases with those sized drives be able to have them removed and cages put in, or is that a special feature?

Thanks for checking those cases out, ill have a look.

I know most people use fairly slow low poweer cpu's in their servers. Would the transfer speeds be affected by a faster or slower cpu?
 
DaxInside said:
So the main thing im looking for is 5.25" drives. Will all cases with those sized drives be able to have them removed and cages put in, or is that a special feature?

Thanks for checking those cases out, ill have a look.

I know most people use fairly slow low poweer cpu's in their servers. Would the transfer speeds be affected by a faster or slower cpu?
Click to expand...

Whats your max budget for a case? Only skimmed so forgive me if you've already stated
 
The transfer speeds are limited by the controller you use for the drives and the drives themselves.

WHS2011 uses Server 2008 tech but runs more like windows 7 due to its stripped down nature. Its got some nice features though.

If you have a gigabit network then you should be able to multi-stream blu rays, but if you are trying to read and write from the same drive then you will get slow down.

But my server can manage 2 stream 2 shows from the same drive (6x Samsung F4 2TB's) without issues. Haven't tried more, haven't needed to.

I'm running out of space in my case so will be watching this one to see if you guys come up with a good solution, am thinking about a cheap rack-mount case, because the Antec is a tad expensive/radical.
 
I dont have a set budget yet. The price of hdd's is more of what concerns me atm.

I dont like crazy looking cases, my gaming rig is a fractal r3 which is my kind of taste. I see they do a larger one which has the same sound proofing in it so that may be a contender.

My network is gigabit. Ill do some reading on controllers and im sure ill have some questions after...
 
These 2 cases look like they would fit the bill nicely

That would allow me to have 3 5 in 3 cages but no space for an optical drive. Im not sure I need one or not. I rip a lot of Blurays but I do that on my gaming PC at the moment.
 
Last edited:
@ DaxInside

Naughty, naughty.

The forum rules state that you're not allowed to link to competitors of OcUK.

I suggest you remove the links or edit them to the same product at OcUK or the manufacturer's website.
 
I'd take the Centurion out of the 2, it has a bottom mounted PSU which i simply prefer in a case for heat reasons. Buy yourself 3x silent 120mm fans (PWM if possible) for the front pannel though.
 
Do you need the other bits or just a case esle I would take a look at the HP Microserver - check this thread http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18216324

As they have updated the microserver cashback offer to the HP ProLiant Turion II N40L MicroServer which is a slightly quicker processor and 2gb of ram over the original - more info here

Can fit 5 drives into it and many people have it running as filestore/media centre/etc not bad for the money after cashback
 
They are 3Gb/s rather than 6. I know my gaming rig has 6 aswell, does this make a difference in a server? I don't mind paying for a controller card that is the same speed.
Click to expand...

Only SSD's make use of the 6GB/s SATA ports. HDDS don't come close to using the speed, they can't even saturate a regular 3GB/s port. So you'll be fine.
 
I have an Antec 300, using all bays including the 5.25" bays with adaptors its works like a champ! Its small and handles everything I throw at it
 
sypher365 said:
Do you need the other bits or just a case esle I would take a look at the HP Microserver - check this thread http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18216324

As they have updated the microserver cashback offer to the HP ProLiant Turion II N40L MicroServer which is a slightly quicker processor and 2gb of ram over the original - more info here

Can fit 5 drives into it and many people have it running as filestore/media centre/etc not bad for the money after cashback
Click to expand...


They are a bargain but I need far more space. Ive already filled my Drobo FS which has 5 x 2Tb drives in it.
 
If you have a PC with a motherboard or PCI/PCI-E expansion card that can support an external multiplexed eSATA connection you could add a Wesena eHDD Storage Case not the cheapest but will add another 10 drives (google Wesena eHDD for more info).
 
How do the hdd cages connect to the mobo? One cable for each drive or one larger cable for the entire cage?

I was hoping to use a small form mobo so theres more space for the cages but i might need more pci slots for controllers if each drive has its own cable.
 
sypher365 said:
If you have a PC with a motherboard or PCI/PCI-E expansion card that can support an external multiplexed eSATA connection you could add a Wesena eHDD Storage Case not the cheapest but will add another 10 drives (google Wesena eHDD for more info).
Click to expand...

Ill keep an eye out for that feature when i choose the mobo/controller. Thanks for the tip.
 
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