crypticcelery#AskFedi: So, I still have this project (idea) lying around of a 10-inch rack storage server (for small #HomeLab purposes), probably 3U.
One key thing I am trying to work out is drive caddys, since I really like that about my current NAS (one of those HP cubes). I like the idea of a miniSAS connected 4 drive bay, with trays, not sure how much I want to build this myself.
Thoughts? Ideas on motherboards (like maybe mini- or deep ITX, not wider)?
__Miguel_@crypticcelery Are you focusing on power draw or raw performance from the motherboard?
Also, do you want enterprise features like ECC or IPMI, and do you have access to a 3D printer?
Because that will change the recommendations quite a bit.
@nanianmichaels I would prioritize lower power draw for the 24/7 home operation, and it will probably at most expose the (encrypted) drives and maybe database services. So I am also fine going with lower power CPUs.
Not sure if I need ECC, so I will leave that open. IPMI or similar would be nice to have, but not critical. I have access to a 3D printer and possibly other machines (CNC, laser cutter).
I already know I might need to build things myself, seeing what exists (e.g. cages).
@crypticcelery Sorry, had to step away when I was writing the reply to this toot, and was only able to come back to it now.
For the drive trays, check this out: https://www.printables.com/model/1290788-10-inch-rack-1u-2-x-35-inch-hdd-hot-swap
There are also several MiniITX cases for 10'' racks models available.
I believe there are also hot swap bays available to be printed.
When it comes to the motherboard, and since you're more interested in power efficiency, I would suggest either something like the ASRock N100DC-ITX, which couples an N100 CPU with a normal RAM stick, plus a combo of 2-12 SATA drives (and one NVMe), since it has a PCIe 4x slot.
Or if you're feeling adventurous, an AliExpress N5095/N100/N150 NAS board, which usually comes with two NVMe slots, plus 6 SATA connectors (so, potentially 18 total drives, and if you're lucky an extra NVMe on the WiFi slot). With luck, you can also get 2.5GBps networking (some even offer 4 ports!).
Hope this helps steer you in a direction you'd like!
@nanianmichaels thanks for the infos, I will take a look.
The base board for the cage is what I think is the most challenging part (I want to to be thing, so an actual board with 4 slots would be ideal, the usually accept miniSAS and a 6 pin power cable and handle the rest internally).
And for the boards I will have to do some more search, maybe I can move the disks to PCIe devices (a PCIe 2x8 HBA can support 8 drives via to miniSAS, and I might aim for up to 16 drives (8 HDD + 8 SSD).
The base board for the cage is what I think is the most challenging part (I want to to be thing, so an actual board with 4 slots would be ideal, the usually accept miniSAS and a 6 pin power cable and handle the rest internally).
And for the boards I will have to do some more search, maybe I can move the disks to PCIe devices (a PCIe 2x8 HBA can support 8 drives via to miniSAS, and I might aim for up to 16 drives (8 HDD + 8 SSD).
@crypticcelery
You might need to design the backplane, I've never seen SAS cages for 10'' racks.
Good news is that there are also NVMe SAS HBAs, though only for 4 drives.
Do note that the N9x/N1xx class CPUs have very few PCIe lanes, so their PCIe and NVMe expansion slots are usually capped at 1 to 4 lanes, tops.