On 4/27/22 03:50, Tom Browder wrote:
On Tue, Apr 26, 2022 at 08:49 Christian Britz <cbr...@t-online.de> wrote:
...
I really appreciate all the advice, but I am not going to build from
scratch again (but I will encourage my grandchildren if they ever get
interested). In that vein, the link on the modern build-your-own case
(Fractal Design) from David was very helpful--thanks!
YW
So, if I need a new in-home server, I think I will go the Dell route. The
multiple easy in/out drives capability is just what I need for my
redundancy case (and ease of use) and assume I can add SSDs from my own
sources instead.
If your COTS server has spare internal or hot-plug drive bays,
backplanes, cables, PSU capacity, etc., and you have the appropriate
drive carriers, then you can install additional standard drives and they
should work. But, beware of warranty entanglements.
Going the other way, when you remove a drive in a COTS server, you may
need to install a filler so that cooling works as engineered.
I have been using SATA 2.5" SSD's as OS drives for many years. I
install 2.5" SATA trayless drive racks in all of my desktop and server
machines (including the Fractal Design):
https://www.startech.com/en-us/hdd/hsb220sat25b
For machines without an available external drive bay (including the Dell
PowerEdge T30), I install a PCI slot version:
https://www.startech.com/en-us/hdd/s25slotr
(My older laptops have externally accessible 2.5" SATA drive bays.)
My SSD's do not get heavy use, so passive cooling is enough. If your
SSD's get heavy use, pay attention to cooling.
For backup disks, I have experienced numerous issues with external disk
drives; primarily disconnects, but also overheating. I install 3.5"
SATA drive racks in appropriate machines (including the Fractal Design)
and put 3.5" SATA drives in drawers with fans:
https://www.startech.com/en-us/hdd/drw150satbk
(I tried 3.5" SATA trayless bays, but cooling was inadequate.)
That said, racks, backplanes, etc., add more opportunities for failure.
The most reliable approach is internal drives with good quality
cables. This is how my data drives are connected.
When shopping, be sure to look at barebone NAS products that are
designed for a home environment -- e.g. small, energy efficient, quiet,
etc..
David
