(Part 2) Best products from r/homelab

Errm, perhaps a generic build but pretty simple would be:

CPU: E3 1230 or 1245 (Or better if your budget suits)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-BX80646E31230V3-Quad-Core-Processor-3-3GHz/dp/B00D69PY1C/

Motherboard: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HWLICLO
(Frankly anything with a 1150 socket will work, the asus are usually pretty good value, server motherboards take ECC RAM usually, but that's the main difference, you can customise to get the ports that you want, pcie and ethernet)

RAM - ECC (Error Correcting Code)
this would be an example of some
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-ValueRam-DDR3-1600/dp/B008LMNXS0/

Power Supply
PSU, if you have built desktops, then you should know, but something between 300-500w will be more than enough, you can use a standard desktop PSU if redundancy // reliability aren't of the utmost importance, but I've run consumer grade PSUs for years 24/7)

Case:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Codegen-500mm-4U-Rack-Mount/dp/B008IB9TH8/
Generic cheap case, I have one, it's not too shabby. If you go for 2u or 1u case, you will need to buy a special size PSU

*** This is a pretty generic guide, I invite anyone to improve it, you can probably find parts for a lot cheaper, or more efficient for the particular use. The use of a 4U case does take up more room than preferred, but it's an easy size to start with, and allows generic desktop PSU).

If this isn't beefy enough for your needs, you can always build multiple, and cluster them for virtualisation, or bump up to an E5 and/or E5 dual processor.

You can use the same build (just change case, and add raid card/SAS expander) if you wanted to build a NAS with many hard drives for central storage, it's a pretty generic/robust setup of components.

If you're looking for a cheap RACK in EU http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B000QDLPHS is decent, just got one. Beware it lacks the depth for rails though.

Please pm me if you would like

As I said, if anyone has any suggestions/changes, please suggest

Okay, I've read through the other comments and feel I still have something to contribute as I've just set this up for my parents and plan to run it at my place some time in the future.

• PoE Switch - If you want to use a PoE switch, you have to get the PRO APs, the LITE and LR only support passive PoE. I was lucky enough to have inherited a Cisco SG300-10 802.3at PoE+ Switch from my former employer when they shut down. It's very convenient to use, but not a necessity. The PoE Injectors that come with APs have a nice mounting plate so that you can attach them to the wall/shelf/what-have-you. If you're dead-set on using PoE, Netgear has some decent, inexpensive offerings. 8-port PoE without VLANs $80, 8-port PoE with VLANs $100. If you're running out of outlets, and are on a budget, I would suggest buying a bigger power strip (Belkin makes a nice one I've used in a lot of applications) (or, if you're moving to rack mount, a PDU plugged into a UPS)
  
  
  
  
• Patch Panel - For flexibility, what you'll want to look for is a keystone panel and then populate it with your own jacks as needed. (If you want to throw in Coax you can, and if you want/need a phone jack in there, just use another CAT5E)
  
  
• Rack - Based on what you said, I think you are looking for something like this? You could also look at making a lack rack, if you're into DIY.
  
  
• Additional thoughts - If you are sharing the internet connection with your tenants in the basement, you may want to look at using a "proper" firewall that can VLAN them onto their own subnet, and keep them out of your internal network (for security reasons). When I set up my parent's network, I put all of the "Internet of Things" devices (thermostat, sprinkler controller, solar monitor, etc) on their own subnet and VLAN because they are something that I have very little control of, and I see as being a big network risk. Just my $0.02
  
  Let me know if any of this didn't make sense to you.
  
  Cheers!
  
  Edit: additions in bold above

+1 for the VLAN advice. Do you mind if I inquire what type of router you run? I initially began tinkering with pfSense (both virtual machine and bare metal) on an ancient eMachines, single-core Sempron, 2GB RAM and a quad-port Intel gigabit NIC dropped into it (for five total), but eventually settled on a little Edgerouter-X, which was one of the better investments for my network. It handled most everything I could throw at it (excluding encrypted VPN traffic), even ran dual-WAN for a while when we had both 100/20Mbps fiber and 50/5Mbps Time Warner (Spectrum?) cable. Load-balancing became pointless, because there was such a noticeable difference for anyone who got stuck sending packets across the cable, as both latency and throughput were significantly higher, to the point where I was able to easily notice which pages were being loaded via which ISP. Swapping that to fail-over was much better, but was using the neighbor's cable package after running a 150+ foot cat5e cable through the basement and up into his adjacent apartment.

We've since moved and the fiber has been so darn reliable, even when I was working from home, it became wholly unnecessary to bother with redundant WAN. I believe we've had roughly ~30 seconds of down-time in the 2+ years I've been using this little regional fiber carrier. Our ISP reduced pricing on their internet packages last summer (took me a while to notice, unfortunately... when I first signed up it was $250/month for Gbps fiber, compared to $50 for 100Mbps) -- so we were able to finally upgrade to Gigabit fiber late last fall, for a mere fifteen dollar additional cost. Sadly, it's not symmetrical fiber, but hard to complain about 1000/50 for $65 USD. My trusty little ER-X would push near Gbps line speeds just fine, but I managed to nab an Edgerouter 12 from the early release store just over a year ago, with plans to convert the ER-X to a little managed switch for my homelab, so I could begin learning VLANs, while keeping the ER12 running the "homeprod" side of the network. I bought a used Cisco SG300-20 for $75 from someone on here as my little lab had continued to balloon with each new Craigslist "treasure" I stumbled across, so five ports wasn't going to cut it anymore. Have the switch operating in layer 3 mode, but I'm sort of stuck in the analysis paralysis planning phase. Not sure how granular I want to go. Both my VMware ESXi compute nodes (x2) each run with local storage, so my little network setup is hardly complicated, yet still almost ~half a year later after completely redoing my network, by removing the OPNsense transparent firewall in bridge mode as my edge device and tearing down the physical separation (ER-X had two subnets, one "homelab" the other "homeprod") in favor of the new ER12 upgrade, I still sit here typing to you from a mostly flat network. eth9 has its own separate subnet, in case I manage to lock myself out, or if I want to work on, or test sketchy/unknown machines, I have an extra port that's segmented off completely from the rest of the haus.

Goodness, sorry to talk your ear off -- set out to simply convey that I'm stuck in a rut and still haven't implemented VLANs. It's difficult to find a time when the network isn't in use so I can tinker and learn, but the managed switch is pretty nice. HUGE upgrade from my first attempt at a "smart" (managed) switch, this TP-Link TL-SG108E that i picked up for $33.21 in the fall of 2017, which was the first time I became aware of the fact that I was going to need/want to implement VLANs before long.

Probably should just create three VLANs to get started and see how I do from there. I've got a LOT to learn, obviously. Truly appreciate the continued comments and advice -- never enough time in the day to accomplish all my bad little projects... probably because I spent such an inordinate amount of time ranting and raving with these little Reddit diatribes. My apologies, yet again, for the barrage/wall of text. Your input has been immensely valuable.

No one told me this when I started so I'll tell you:

I think we should specify here that "server rack" and "network rack" are built differently. If you want a rack for networking and just the 24 port switch and patch panel, you'd look at something like this. If you're wanting to eventually put a full-length server in, you'll need something like this instead the difference being that the second one is built to support the length and weight of a full server.

Keep in mind when you purchase a server you'll need to buy rails that attach to the rack for it. The server then sits in the extended rails, which slide back into the rack.

Startech makes pretty good stuff, IMO. I've seen them on here before. I have the four post rack that I linked to in the second post and it's served me well. The best thing you can do however, if you have the room, is to jump on craigslist and see if you can find an enterprise getting rid of their rack. Generally those are worth thousands new and the companies are selling them for $40, or something ridiculous like that. I didn't have access to a truck, so that's why I bought mine.

Note that with the large rack you can add networking equipment too, and can also get shelves to support things that aren't rackable.

For power you can either get a rackable UPS or power strip.

Hope this helps. Have fun.

I've really enjoyed lurking/learning in this community and decided to share what I've put together. I stumbled in here shortly after purchasing an R610 from savemyserver and the posts here have provided a lot of inspiration! Here's what my garage setup looks like:

On the Wall (Photo 1):
Two horizontal 2x4's attached to studs provide a foundation for the 4U wall-mount rack and the pegboard (which is suspended by screw hooks and swings out to provide access to the backside). Had the ISP install a new coax drop in the garage to feed the modem. Use a pair of ZyXel PLA5456's to get a wired connection to the top floor; the throughput is crap but I don't see much latency or jitter (photos 5 & 6) and it's a better experience overall than wifi in some parts of the house.

1. Juniper SRX210
   

• Used for labbing, currently unplugged
  
• On loan from employer
  

2. Ubiquiti AP-AC-LR
   
3. RaspberryPi 2 (in a cobbled custom-designed LEGO enclosure)
   

• Backup OpenVPN server (primary is a Pritunl VM)
  

4. Intel NUC
   

• Used to be my server before the R610 came along, now it's unplugged and waiting for another project
  

5. 4U Startech Wall-Mount Rack
   

• See details below
  

6. Seagate HDD
   
7. Seagate HDD
   
8. ActionTec MOCA Adapter
   

• For the TiVo, renting from ISP
  

9. Arris CM850 Cable Modem
   

• Renting from ISP
  

10. Dell XPS 630i
    

• Destined to be NAS/iSCSI datastore
  

11. APC UPS XS1500
    
    
    Rack Detail (Photo 2):
    Here are the details of the rack-mounted gear:
    
    
12. Dell PowerEdge R610
    

• VMWare ESXi host
  
• (2x) Intel Xeon E5645 2.40GHz Hexa Core Processors
  
• 64GB (8x8) PC3-10600R DDR3 RAM
  
• (4x) 140GB 10k SAS HDDs (RAID 10)
  
• 260GB 7200 SATA HDD
  
• 240GB SATA SSD
  

2. Cisco WS-C2960G-24TC-L
   

• Core switch
  
• On loan from employer
  

3. Juniper SRX340
   

• Core router, firewall
  
• On loan from employer
  
  
  Server Mount Detail (Photo 3):
  The server is resting loose on the 4U rack - the front is sandwiched between the wall and the Cisco switch while the rear is suspended by a wall-mounted 40 lb. hook (look for the orange prongs). The hook is mounted to a 2x4 and drilled into a wall stud (hidden by the server in photos). The only way it's going anywhere is a big earthquake, in which case I'll have bigger problems anyhow.
  
  
  Network Diagram (Photo 4):
  My day job is networking so that's the part I most care about when diagramming. I'm using a "router-on-a-stick" topology with a four gig LACP LAG connecting the router to the switch. The switch feeds all other equipment according to VLAN. The R610 uses one port each dedicated to management and iSCSI traffic (although I have yet to actually use the iSCSI part) with the other two ports LAG'd to the switch (although this LAG doesn't use LACP because I'm not using VDS). That LAG trunks the rest of the VLANs which terminate in individual port groups. I keep a separate vswitch and port group isolated to give me a spot to put interfaces where they can't hurt anybody.
  
  The SRX340 is the DHCP server, firewall, and DNS cache for all VLANs except VLAN-UNTRUST (which is the L2 domain connected to the cable modem, a DMZ of sorts; anything in it can get a WAN IP). Most subnets are split in half with the first /25 reserved for static clients and the second /25 handed out via DHCP. All subnets follow the 10.0.X.0/24 scheme, where X = VLAN ID, except for VLAN-MGMT because I like using 172.X.0.0/24's for loopbacks, tunnels, and other bits internal to the route engine.
  
  DNS is a little weird. It flows like this: [clients] > [SRX] > [PiHole VM] > [OpenDNS]. This provides local caching, ad blocking, and content filtering, in that order. Is it a little crazy to have three hops for DNS? Maybe. Could something like pfSense do all those things in one hop? Probably, but that wouldn't be anywhere near as fun! Besides, cold requests aren't so slow that I notice.
  
  At work I have the great benefit of access to a dedicated, separate test network that has its own ISP connection in addition to the corporate-managed network. The ERL is basically setup for dual-WAN (although really it's just static routing) so that traffic destined for my home's external address is routed out the test network (reducing the use of corporate resources) while all else gets passed to corporate (so I can still access what I need internally). A Pritunl VPN interface then gives me routes to my home's VLAN-MGMT, -TRUST, and -DEV so I can manage things while away. The ERL is connected to a small switch at my desk creating it's own little LAN into which I plug my work PC, other lab routers, etc.

This topic is asked frequently both here and /r/datahoarder but since I just did a bunch of research on the topic I'd be happy to share with you what I found.

• TRENDnet TEG-30284 $339
  
• TP-Link T1700G-28TQ $372
  
• Dell N1524 $399 (used via ebay)
  
• MikroTik CSS326-24G-2S for $225
  
• D-Link DGS-1510-28X $299 (link)
  
  There are even Quanta L6BM's up on ebay for $299.
  
  So I went with the D-Link and it's great. The web interface is snappy and it has a CLI. Plugged a Mellanox card into it via Twinax and it didn't complain at all. Great performance and easy to manage, oh and it uses 19 watts of power.

In case anyone finds this by Googling later, I experimented with two different generic rail kits, for science:

• NavePoint 1U Rack Mount 4-Post Shelf Rail Full Depth
  ** I tried these first, and they DO NOT fit a Lenovo SA120 in a standard 19" square-hole rack. The design of these rails means they stick inwards about 1/4 centimeter beyond flush with the rail, making it an extremely tight squeeze for larger hardware like a (2U) SA120. While that alone might still be usable in some racks, additionally the depth of these rails is adjusted with some screws that have heads that stick yet another few millimeters inside, making it impossible to seat the machine. It might be possible to make the squeeze if you have a round hole or threaded rack, but I wouldn't chance it.
  
  
• CyberPower 4POSTRAIL 4-Post Universal Rack Mount Rail Kit
  ** These worked for me. They're a similar design to the NavePoint, but they leave a few precious extra millimeters between posts that made all the difference. It's still a tight squeeze, and I had to remove the SA120's rack ear protectors to make it fit (you can put them back on after), but it's in there good and securely, and flush with the rest of the equipment. Looks great.
  
  Thanks to /u/Mthrboard for pointing me in the right direction, and to /u/donnydavis for offering to sell me a genuine kit!

Are you needing cards in all devices or are any already 10Gb enabled? RJ45 or will SFP+ work too?
I went with a D-Link 1510-28X at my core switch for the 4 10Gb SFP+ that I am using one Broadcom dual 10Gb SFP+ to that and then to 2 QNAP TS-451x for a three device 10Gb network.

Good thing is there is an open box like new on Amazon for $199 versus $360-390 new. I am pretty sure this dropped from $299 in the last few days.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00MCZNW5G/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

Currently I am running all DAC between the QNAS boxes and the host with one between the QNAS boxes as all devices have 2 ports. So you could do that with cards down to $30-40 for single port as pulls.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-OF-2-MNPA19-XTR-MELLANOX-10GB-ETHERNET-NETWORK-INTERFACE-CARD/282092353923?epid=1604121398&hash=item41ae03b983:g:MzkAAOSwX3FaDIR7

I have used Cisco 10Gb Tek DAC cables so far and had good luck. So you are looking at a little over your $300 range with 4 cards $31x2, switch $200, and 4 DAC cables $17 a piece for $329.99, but you will have a good 24 port switch with under 18W power usage and a single fan.

Just make sure the cards support your OS/hardware. I paid $55 for pulled card for an HP that supported ESXi 5.5+

They're not being shitty but being truthful. A lot of telcom and professional audio / video recording studio gear used threaded hole racks but the computer industry pretty much standardized on square mounting holes that ball bearing sliding rails snap into as well as using cage nuts that fit square holes.

You can use a round hole rack for computer equipment but he'll need to buy several sets of L bracket shelves to hold his gear. You can buy round hole to square hole adapter brackets so a square hole sliding rail set can mount to the frame but now that free rack suddenly becomes more expensive each time a piece of gear is added to it.

He'll also have to go to Ace Hardware, buy a few different sized machine screws and try them out until he finds the right diameter and thread pitch that will fit his rack. It could be 10-32 or 12-24.

I'm in the market for a rack and every time I see one for sale that has round holes, I close the tab for the reasons I outlined above.

It looks as if the round hole sections can be removed, if he can find a square hole conversion kit that will fit, then it was a good deal to get it.

So when I originally moved in to my house last year, I set things up in a very temporary setup that became more permanent than I was hoping. I also had to bring another box home from my office when we moved locations and we no longer had a dedicated internet connection so I couldn't expose anything directly to the internet.

I've been looking at setups from everyone for a while now, getting ideas of what I needed and I finally settled on the following:

• NavePoint 4ft Open Frame 19" 22U 4-Post Network Server - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6JQO4A
  
• TP-Link 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BU0EKW
  
• Keystone panel - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F8NLZ4Z
  
• 2U shelf - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008X3JHJQ
  
• 1U shelf - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6JQYDG
  
• Rosewill 4U case (8 bay) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055EV30W
  
• Rosewill 4U case (6 bay) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07957B2VF
  
• 80mm quieter fans - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NTUJZ36
  
• 1U PDU - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075TQS7XC
  
• 1U Blank - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0779M2D96
  
• Velcro! - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E1Y5O6
  
• POE injectors - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NRF9GQO
  
  I don't intend on purchasing full sized rack mount servers as I just use desktop class hardware for the most part but I took the two systems that I had in desktop cases and put them in the Rosewill cases that I've seen a lot of people use and a coworker recently suggested them as well as he recent did a rack setup. Since I don't need full size servers, I decided to go with a 4 post "network" rack as I don't really need the extra depth. I'm just using a 1U blank to help stabilize the servers in the rack so they're not just hanging from the front.
  
  If anyone is looking to get some of the same components, I would say that the 1U shelves that I bought don't really work that well as I had to get creative with the brackets to make them work and they do extend out the back a bit but I knew they would do that when I purchased them, I just didn't realize I would have to flip around some brackets to make it work.
  
  My network is really basic so I went with a 24 port unmanaged gigabit switch. I did have to get some POE injectors for my 3 WAPs as I did have a 8 port switch that had built in POE before but I knew that 8 ports wasn't going to cut it and I wanted to go with a rack mount switch.
  
  Future plans are to replace the 3 regular PSUs with something rack mountable. Right now I have one PSU for each box and then the 3rd is for all of the network equipment. I'd also like to get a KVM but for right now I have HDMI cables ran to the side where I can easily switch them out and the keyboard I only plug into the front panels if I need it.

The protectli works well.
Here's the Amazon link
I bought the storage and RAM as a bundle, but an mSATA drive is what you want as the unit runs pretty warm. Keep it away from anything that is heat sensitive.

FreeNAS is great! It's been around for years, and ZFS is rock solid. I'm using the SSD as an L2ARC, and I've segregated all storage traffic to a separate subnet across two NICs on all servers, which makes a huge difference!

I do recommend finding a case that will keep the spinning drive noise to a minimum and putting money into RAM over a faster CPU.

oVirt works well. I'm not running the "self-hosted" engine. I tried it, but there's some glitch that prevented me from moving that VM from one host to another. I find that I don't need that flexibility anyway.

Its called the Unifi Dream Machine, but looks like its only "Early Access" at the moment, which basically means you'd be Beta testing, but I've only heard positive things, with people saying its a lot more powerful than the USG (specifically for using things such as the IPS).

But to answer you questions:

1. Correct, these are Layer-2 only, you need the USG/PFSense for the routing. Why do you need POE? The Unifi AP's come with a POE-Injector. Also, be aware the 16 Port switches have fans, which can generate noise, so you will probably want to stash it away (in a cupboard or garage etc).
   
   Personally, I do use POE, but I use their 8 Port Swich with 4 POE ports (their cheap-cheap version), along with this, I have their standard 8 port switch, see below:
   
   8 Port, with 4 POE: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-UniFi-Switch-Port-Enterprise/dp/B01MU3WUX1/
   
   8 Port, None POE: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-US-8-Managed-Desktop-Passthrough/dp/B01N362YPG/
   
   USG: https://www.amazon.co.uk/UBIQUITI-Networks-Security-Gateway-Router/dp/B00LV8YZLK/
   
   Cloud Key Controller: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ubiquiti-Networks-UC-CK-Stand-Alone-UniFi-Cloud-Key-Controller-BOXED/401859588968
   
   You don't need the last one, but I find it useful, as it gives you a physical device and it saves having to spin up a seperate VM or Rasperberry Pi for it.. And its pre-baked, you plug it in and go!
   
   

2. Yes. You could actually even do this with 1 NIC... Thats is what I do, I just put WAN onto a seperate VLAN... After all, its just another "security zone", just like each of you internal VLANs, the reason you use VLANs, is to control routing between them.. My Virgin Hub, plugs into a port, which is Untagged on VLAN-1000, has no other VLANs assigned, the only other place that has this VLAN is my Firewall VM.
   
   Some people will cry "danger", and they have a point, if you are not 100% confident in what you are doing, its better to use separate NICs for LAN and WAN. This also has another issue, if you've only got 1Gb NICs, and its carrying both LAN and WAN, you've got a bottleneck (On my servers, I use 10Gbe, so I don't have that issue).

I'm using this one.

I'm certainly no electrician but I do try to google with just a little more effort when it's electric. It's been a while since I brought everything down so I'm really not that comfortable only assuming that I'm hovering around 7.5A. If I was constantly sitting just below 10A I don't think I would be very comfortable with it, given there are at least 4 other outlets sharing the breaker. Someone else would probably have a much better answer than me if you want more info about a safe power draw. As for the PDU I bought... I was happy but after looking at the link again I realize that mine isn't the model with a surge protector and now I'm wondering if a break and inline fuse is enough for me now :P

Pretty much no power supply is going to have enough connectors for a substantial number of drives. That's hardly important, though. 4:1 or 5:1 splitters are cheap and easy to come by. (That one is $6.69 right now.)

Also, one of the advantages of using a chassis with a backplane is that it saves you dealing with an enormous wiring harness.

You may, however, eventually run into other limitations of your power supply. (This is unlikely with 15 drives and a 650W PSU, however.) For example, how many rails does your power supply have, and what are their individual maximum wattages? (3.5" hard drives primary draw from the 12V rails.) There may be less than the full 650W available to your hard drives.

You will also see large current spikes at boot, when all of the drives try to spin up at the same time. The machine may fail to boot if this draw exceeds the power supply's capacity (again, either on those particular rails or overall). This can be mitigated by using staggered spin-up, which requires either controller/OS support or MacGyvering. (One of the pins in the SATA connector tells the drive not to spin up immediately when power is applied.)

All of that having been said, though, unless you have other complaints about your PSU, a few cables is probably the right fix.

If you're dead set on replacing it, then you should be most interested in power supplies with high efficiency at the load that you expect. (Do some math but also take some measurements, and then look at the PSU's datasheet. The single efficiency number that will be advertised on the product's website or box assumes that it is almost fully loaded.) Power supplies are also differentiated by features like active PFC (power factor correction).

If you're looking for a specific suggestion, I've had good luck with the EarthWatts series.

Good luck!

Okay, that's a LOT of stuff.

First off, you underestimate the POWER of the Xeon side. You're running a dual-core CPU without hyperthreading. You state you're running Workstation (I assume VMWare Workstation) to run another Win10 instance for general file grabbing. Translation: Plex has 1 core/thread to do transcoding on, and it's sharing it with Windows 10. This is a recipe for disaster.

Remember, threads are workloads. If you're trying to run three workloads on one thread, it's gotta swap out between them. If you're on the R710 you described, you have 24 threads. You also have four times the amount of cache mem on the processor, which also speeds things up drastically. So compared to the system you have now, you could have 10 1080p transcodes going and still have as many as 14 threads idle or doing other work.

Seriously, the R710 would be a MASSIVE upgrade.

As far as RAM for it, the manuals for the server will tell you what the ideal slot population method is. I would recommend once you get it to look at the RAM modules and order more of the same off of eBay to expand your memory; the R710s I believe have 18 slots, so that would be 72GB. 24GB will be more than enough to get the ball rolling though. Here is a document about how the RAM setups are configured on the R710s.

Can't help you with the case/noise issues; my understanding is that for their size the R710s are fairly quiet, and a door will block a lot of it, but you could always go for a tower format device instead if you're worried about noise.

I would recommend that you have SSDs local for storing your VM's boot images; bulk storage over the network can be arranged but the OS drives are something you want to be a bit faster. Don't install ESXi on an SSD; as someone else mentioned ESXi is designed to boot off of USB sticks and run from RAM. You can definitely use adapters for the caddies, but they have to be specific types; This type will work as it ensures the SATA ports line up to the hot-swap bays.

Hope that will help some, good luck!

Ubiquiti APs are straight-up the best you can get in that price range, as well as ranges above it. I've found that a single AC-Pro will be able to provide the same coverage that two lesser APs could when properly located.

If you like the Unifi control plane then yes the USG and switches make sense, although you will pay for it. Personally I like the greater control and flexibility of something like the EdgeRouter line, and the ER-X just rocks for smaller installations due to the price.

I was choosing the 'L' CPUs not really for power consumption but rather for cooling needed as I would expect to be able to run with less noisy fans with those. Does that make sense or heat generated wouldn't change for the use cases mentioned above (prob CPU not running very high load).
What other cases do you have mind that would fit a nice little NAS? I looked as well at this SilverStone Mini-ITXcase or this Fractal Node 304

Based on the comments on this thread, looking into a e5 whitebox, but definitely not the e5-2640 - expensive CPUs even 2nd hand!

Honestly, I'd go with Cisco SG series switches. You can get them pretty much as big or as small as you want, they have both Web GUI and CLI, generally much more affordable compared to enterprise level switches, and they have POE capabilities as well.

If you are going to be using Proxmox or Untangle (my preference is Untangle) for a router/firewall, you really don't need the Edge Router, since they will fulfill your layer 3 needs. Instead, you can save that money and get a PoE enabled switch, probably with a lot more ports.

As far as hardware for Proxmox/Untangle, you can get something like this and have plenty of processing power for whatever ISP connection you have.

Are you looking for rackmount? You aren't likely to find anything with 120-140mm fan support. Most rackmounts have tiny, but loud fast spinning fans.

It's not supermicro, or rackmount, but something like this might work well. Can hold 8 x 3.5 drives, and also has space for 4x 2.5" drives inside. The only thing it doesn't have is ATX PSU support. It needs a SFX power supply.

Silverstone DS380

If you need Rackmount, maybe take a look at some Norco cass. This 4U Norco case might fit the bill. You'd just need to get some adaptors to put in the 2.5" drives.

Just ran across this over the last week or so.

https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-AIRPLATE-Thermostat-Cabinets/dp/B00QFWWZQO/ref=pd_sim_147_9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5TWZCRRD4P8NBJN6H98X

Its expandable to handle like 6 fans, moves like 200ft^3/min, but more importantly it is temp controlled. Clean, fairly inexpensive.

As far as design - pull in from bottom, push out from top. If you're using a closet, either slide the shelves away from the back wall or port them to allow air exchange all the way. (pro tip, use mesh / perf shelves to allow the air to rise)

i appreciate you answer: after digging around i come up to some good HW i would like you to rate it:

​

CPU:

Intel Matching Pair Xeon E5-2670 Eight Cores Processors 2.60GHz 20MB Smart Cache 8.00 GT/S QPI TDP 115W SR0KX BX80621E52670

​

MB:

ASRock Motherboard ATX DDR3 1066 Intel LGA 2011 EP2C602-4L/D16

*On board 4 port ethernet

*SW raid

*14 sata ports (MIX speed)

​

RAM:

Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3/DDR3L 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) DR x8 ECC UDIMM 240-Pin Memory - CT2KIT102472BD160B

​

CPU cooler:

2x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo

​

PSU:



EVGA Supernova 750 G3, 80 Plus Gold 750W, Fully Modular,

​

Fans:

EZDIY-FAB 12cm 120mm 200CFM 4000RPM CPU

​

Case:



http://www.coolermaster.com/case/ultra-tower/cosmos-2/

or

http://phanteks.com/Enthoo-Primo.html

​

Hypervisor:

Proxmox

​

​

​

As per your questions



>we might not share the same definition of cloud

rsync if you know it running raid 1

​

> depending on how much transcoding you need to do and the number of concurrent streams, you'll want a sufficiently new processor and/or a GPU

i don't think i will use transcoding i will just stream 1080P



what are you going to do here? It doesn't really give hints on the power you'll need

I might host a website or a DB for my app

​

​

thanks alot for your time

good god, use a keystone based system. They are so much easier to work with. Get a keystone based patch panel like this and then get as many cat6 keystones as you need. These will also be what goes behind the wall plates. Way easier to work with, way easier to rearrange, and way easier to add later.

Thanks for the input. Yes there are coax wires unterminated behind a random blank box cover. I looked behind 4 before I found cat5 (in my office... lucky me). I'm going to speak to my super this week about a number of issues and I need to remember to ask him about this.

I don't think your hardware suggestion will work. I see that most of those models are rack units. I'm looking for something with a manageable size.

What do you think about this or this or this?

I just went through this (literally bought parts last night).

TS140 - $220 shipped (was $200 last night =/ )

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301528584683

16GB (2x8GB) Crucial DDR3L 1600 ECC UDIMM - $170

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008EMA5VU/ref=pe_385040_127745480_TE_item

1TB Western Digital RE4 7200RPM HDD (refurbished) - $37

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003SANWI6/ref=pe_385040_127745480_TE_item

240GB OCZ Arc 100 SSD - $45

http://slickdeals.net/f/7698125-ocz-arc-100-series-240gb-ssd-with-mcafee-multiaccess-bundle-24-99-after-90-mir-s-h?v=1

Brand new and quite performant (especially considering the price)

Intel EXPI9402PTBLK Pro/1000 (2port GbE NIC) - $40-70

Ebay or Amazon, I got a used one off Ebay for $40 Shipped.

---------
Lastly, you can get $100 gift credit from amazon for applying for 2 credit cards if you're approved. One requires you to be an amazon prime member.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for your credit, I don't recommend debt. =)

After all is said and done, mail in rebates etc. I will have spent $405.

I purchased 2 of the WD drives, if you purchase none you will be at $331 $351 (stupid overnight price change) with credit app gift-credit.

Finally you can sell the included 4GB memory stick for about $50, which technically gets you under $300.

----------
If this can be done cheaper, its a steal.

Note: The i3-4330 does not support VT-D. It is a low power hyper threaded dual core with decent performance. I plan to sell it for $120-130 and purchase an i5-4440s for $150-160 to get 4 cores and VT-D.

Edited for things.

What he said: heavy stuff up top makes it easier to tip over.

Generally, if they are only 12-18ish inches deep and don't come with rails, then they're fine with being on two posts.

If you are still uncomfortable for whatever reason feel free to buy some 4-post shelves.

Even 2-post shelves are usually rated for 50#, some for 100#.

Edit:To secure the Yamaha receivers, I might consider unscrewing the feet and drilling some holes in a rack shelf or rails to bolt into the same. This way everything can be secure if you have to move the rack around.

Edit 2: Lastly, and I'm sure you know this, some of these receivers call for 30cm of space above for proper ventilation: they're not designed for rack mount. So I would mount some fans on the back and close any excess open slots to pull air across the top of the devices.

Yeah. Their racks are pricey for what they are and I dislike their functionality where it looks like the USB and Ethernet ports of the RPi are internal (based on the switch in this diagram) to the chassis.

I agree the PoE hats make it nice and clean in terms of cable management but this type of splitter is a wonderful, cheaper replacement that doesn't block the GPIO pins.

I did get more than 4 drives installed, I have 4 in the hot swap bays and one SSD that is sitting inside the case that I run my windows server on. The SSD is just hooked up to a SATA port on the motherboard, as for power I bought a sata x1 -> sata x4 connector and I am using that to power the drive. The system treats it just like a normal drive at this point and it's working just like I want it to.

I bought a H700 on ebay for ~$100 and just swapped it out and it came with a new cable that just hooked up to the back on the backplate on the hot swap bays. Raid controller takes care of my 4x4TB drives set in raid 5 with ease, no issues there.

I think I hit all your questions, feel free to let me know if this is confusing.

I only see two items that are actually rack mountable. One thing to consider is a vertical wall mount bracket for the Netgear switch and patch panel. These brackets can be used horizontally as well, so you could even mount them to the bottom of one of the existing wooden shelves. Once the switch is taken care of, everything else can be mounted in a much shallower space.

If you want an enclosed wall mount cabinet, the Tripp Lite SRW12US and
Tripp Lite SRW10US both support a mounting depth of up to 20.5". If you go this route, make sure the antennas on the wireless APs are located where their signal isn't blocked.

For about $100, you can get the Tripp Lite SRWO8U22 2-post open frame "cabinet," or the Kendall Howard 2-post 8U rack. Both support up to 18" mounting depth.

The StarTech RK12OD desktop 2-post rack for $46.99 is an interesting alternative to normal racks. Due to the slope, you want to be sure any equipment on a cantilevered shelf is somehow prevented from sliding off. Just set the DS1813+ at the bottom, between the posts.

With any rack/cabinet, you're probably still going to need a couple of cantilever shelves to hold the non-rack mountable equipment. With an enclosed cabinet, you can use the bottom and top as shelves. You could even cheat and put some of the lighter items on the Netgear switch.

Also, be careful how you stack the equipment that wasn't designed to be rack mounted. A lot of it will vent the heat up instead of out the back.

Until you put an air duct in the closet itself, I doubt there will be much circulation in there. Be careful about putting all of the equipment up high because all of the hot air will be more or less trapped above the door louvers.

It really depends on your Internet speed.

The D525 is ancient tech. Serviceable as pfSense? Sure, but not for a lot of bandwidth and/or plugins. I mean, the J1900 or N3250 Qotom mini PCs will be twice as capable at almost half the cost. Skip the Supermicro.

The R210ii are really the sweet spot. More computing power than you really need, but only idling in the 20-30w range. The list is pretty long of cheap and capable R210iis.

I would probably get the R210ii, get an ODD drive bay and drop a tiny SSD in it. I still run my pfSense off a USB stick, but I don't have much logging happening.

What about something like this? Or even a half shelf like this if the server doesn't weigh much. Or something like this might work, you just need to support some of the weight so you don't tear your ears off.

You could also try to find a local place that would fab you something out of sheet metal. It would probably take them 10 minutes.

If you don't mind going the pre-owned (read: Used) route, the Juniper EX2200 is quite a good option. This one in particular comes with 48 ports and full manageability (IIRC L2+?) for around $100 - and did I mention that it's a real enterprise-grade switch too?

But if you'd prefer something new and more easily manageable, either go with netgear stuff, or this TP-Link managed switch , or the HP 1920-8G . They're all solid options :)

I have both my servers. An r810 and a r320 vertically mounted on their own vertical wall mount racks. Just make sure you hit the studs and you'll have no problems. If it's in the budget and you have space in your patch panel, think about installing at least five Ethernet drops just below or just beside the server. Makes for nice cable management. Shouldn't cost too much. I get most of my gear off Amazon in that regard.
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Mount-Patch-Panel-Bracket/dp/B001YHYVEY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=wall+mount+vertical+server+rack&qid=1570787721&sprefix=wall+mounted+vertical+ser&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Listed-10-Pack-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?keywords=keystone+jack&qid=1570787805&sprefix=keyst&sr=8-13

https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Betts-SC100RR-Carlon-Voltage/dp/B000W09PQI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=low+voltage+box&qid=1570787902&sprefix=low+voltage&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Keystone-Plate-6-Port-White/dp/B072BC45GZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?keywords=keystone+wall+plate&qid=1570787950&sprefix=keystone&sr=8-12

https://www.amazon.com/Choseal-Ethernet-ethernet-Computer-Shielded/dp/B07QC4XM2P/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=cat7+ethernet+cable+500ft+shielded&qid=1570788039&sprefix=cat7+ethernet+cable+500ft&sr=8-5#

I found and bought my cat7 cable from another location. Came on a spool. And was riser cable, meaning it had a braided shield around the foil shield like you see in coax cable. Good luck

Do you have a TV console/cabinet that you could hide it all in? Or perhaps even building your own TV console? Something like this console for starters. Then add a 2U of rack rails for the Unifi switch. Or more and add a rack shelf, depending on your equipment. And finally, put an AC Infinity Airplate T7 fan unit for air intake or exhaust.

I built this entertainment center for a friend, but could have easily changed the dimensions for standard 19" rack equipment. The cabinet door fronts are mesh, and my friend opted to install just normal 120mm fans in the rear.

8/14/22U

I bought this when I moved into my house a month ago. Hung it up in the garage on a couple of studs and have all my ISP stuff the patch panel and tv stuff sitting in it. No sag. I do plan on changing my pedestal server into a 4u case and putting it in there as well. According to TrippLite it can support up to 150lbs.

I bought some 3/4" lags and washers to make sure it was good and snug.

Hope it helps!

You're right, the fans make the noise. If I buy the Xeon, do I also get a good fan? Or would you suggest buying a better fan right away?

I updated the post a little bit:

• ASRock E3C226D2I https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00G9TZHSQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• Intel Core i3-4170 https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00VHKZ6I8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• Kingston KVR16E11/8 https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B008LMNXS0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  The Xeon would be Haswell too, but I need to take a closer look what the motherboard supports.

I recently did some.

monoprice cat6a UTP 22awg CMR UL Listed, mono price keystones and patch panel cat6a UTP UL listed. Don't buy STP or foiled. Some area's code requires CMP for plenum run's. It's very expensive only buy to meet code.

If you're running a lot of wires I'd recommend the patch panel. If you secure it to something make sure that it can't move. One of the 4 post 20U+ racks secured down to something.

Layer3 isn't a requirement. It can speed things up by not needing to go to the router to be routed. You can run a lot of services on your router so passing traffic through it is not a bad thing. a switch with spf+ and a pfsense box with spf+ can get you 10G. 10G is overkill in most cases. Many 2+ switches have bonding. So you can do 2 or 4g that way.

unifi has a 16 port switch with POE. It's pricey. You can get 10G switches around that price. POE adds quite a bit of cost. If it's only for unifi access points you can inject power to them, there is no price difference for injectors. Buying an injector with many slots is an option too.

https://www.amazon.com/D-Link-Systems-SmartPro-Stackable-DGS-1510-20/dp/B00MCZNW5G?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-US-16-150W-UniFi-Switch/dp/B01E46ATQ0/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1540398551&sr=1-3&keywords=unifi+16+port+poe+switch

Well, you definitely don’t need anything that fancy. I would never recommend an ASA, especially for that one.

This guy can easily do gigabit. Though Mikrotik has a bit of a learning curve.

The ERXs can do gigabit as well, and can easily set up a DMZ.

If you have an old computer, you can also install VyOS/pfsense/opnsense. A DMZ is just a fairly straightforward firewall configuration.

I run the ER-LITE at home and it's the best router I've ever owned. It's at almost 3 months uptime right now, and the only reason it's not 6 months is a power outage.

Edit: Seems like the software's still pretty limited. Check out the review at http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-UNIFI-SECURITY-GATEWAY/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=pd_sxp_f_r#customerReviews.

So basically, you can't pass through some of the drives in the controller, it's all or nothing with PCI passthrough

what i did for my esxi+freenas+r710 setup is:

1. Install ESXI onto a USB thumbdrive I plugged into the internal USB slot. (booted the installer from another usb drive)
   
2. Buy small (only needs to be large enough to fit FreeNAS VM Image ) SSD and put it in one of these
   
3. Set my SSD to be the primary ESXI datastore, and then install the FreeNAS VM onto that SSD datastore.
   
4. Pass through the entire drive controller to this FreeNAS VM
   
5. Create volume using all of the drives in the drive bay, and then use FreeNAS normally :)
   
6. I also mount a FreeNAS share back in ESXI so I can store larger VMs on FreeNAS (they just won't boot unless freenas is running)
   
   If you wanted to use those drives in your bay, you'd have to get a second controller, and only pass one of the controllers over to freenas

Yeah! I've been using THESE for my 1st / 2nd / 3rd generation Raspberry Pi's, hopefully the new ones take up less space / are easier to manage cables for. (Note: they work well with my UniFi PoE switches)

>One of these.

>One of these.

>And a regular 2.5" SATA SSD. I'm assuming you don't actually use an optical drive.

Taken from here. Credit to u/Dstanding.

If you already have the DVD drive installed you won't need to buy the cable. I just bought 2 of these, and they work perfectly in my R510 and R710.

How about $73?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YFJT29C

Depends on your perspective. For the features and performance, it is very definitely super cheap.

I have a ML10 v2, running NAS4Free on it for data storage and as a VM Host.

Needed more memory for the VMs, best deal I could find:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LMNXS0/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apap_zntvJSQBlYqls not cheap but it now runs like a top

Not sure if it'll work or not but these are what I use in my Supermicro caddies for SSD's and they are great quality and line up perfectly..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3QFKNS/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=A2Y9R0VEAYJBWE&psc=1

Best bet would be to build your own using one of these chassis from SuperMicro

Or go with a fullsize server and use a vertical wall mount like this

I have two or three of these. I've had one for a couple years and the others just over a year. Haven't had any problems with them and them seem solid.

I'm powering 5 old Hitachi 2TB drives and 3 WD 8TB reds.

StarTech 4X SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Al9OCbBR56GD1

Yeah the easiest way is to replace the dvd drive with something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B004XIU4T2

For what kind of outlet/amperage?

I've got two of these and they work great, but if you can use a 30A one you could find some much better deals on eBay for used enterprise ones.

Do you like the Tripp Lite rack? All the reviews I read on Amazon seem to say it's not very sturdy and needs some modifications to make it stable/strong. Would you agree?

I bought these two and it worked great

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072JVT02/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075ZPGV1H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

alot of depends on available $$ for the project, and design goals.
how much do you want to spend?
how much free RU space in the rack do you have
how wife-agro does it need to be/avoid?
heat/noise considerations.

example 1. this plus a mini itx board build. small lower power, quiet, reasonably modifiable.
example 2. i went this route netapp ds4243 disk shelf hooked up to a 2u supermicro machine. gives me 36 drive slots. pretty much the other way around, big, more power, uses 6U. after boot, its not very loud, a gentle hum. the disk shelf i got off ebay for around $100, plus another $50 i think for the drive caddies. there are 2U models from just about every major vendor like dell, hp, lenovo.

example 3. something in-between. a mid-tower case, 8+ internal drive spots, plus maybe 3 5.25 inch external slots that can be converted to 5 3.5 inch drive bays. any choice of cpu/mobo driven by price/power considerations.

i would shy away from the dl360 G5. its way old.
spare 1u chassis, just the case, or a whole server? if just the case, could build that out with a mini itx type board or some x9 based supermicro board, throw in a decent lsi card and roll.

Yes, it would be $180 instead of $140.

> Server Investment: $1,740

Using ECC RAM here would add 2.3% to the total cost of this build. In exchange, the resulting server would have a memory subsystem that you can trust to either a) return the correct information or b) halt the system.

Along with this, if you're willing to spend a little bit of money you could consider getting a basic rack mount PDU like Tripplite PDU which might allow you to consolidate all the power closer to the source and let you route/bundle it a bit cleaner - instead of having all the wires reaching back to the bottom of the rack.

>https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/8h9rdd/built\_my\_first\_rack/

On Amazon - AC Infinity Vented Cantilever 2U Universal Rack Shelf, for 19” equipment racks. Heavy-Duty 2.4mm Cold Rolled Steel, 100lbs Capacity. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C9L3K18/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LQG7Ab7SMH2JA


It's the best looking one I found and doesn't bend at all. Just watch your mounting depth. They come in a few different depths.

A few manufacturers make cases kind of like it but nothing as nice/complete. They are also generally very expensive since demand for them is seemingly low.

Silver stone makes a few, like https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-Mini-ITX-Computer-DS380B/dp/B00IAELTAI

Chenbro used to make NAS cases, not sure if they do any longer. Nice, but expensive.

u-nas has some nice cases too

I think Sans digital has a 4 bay ITX case too.

I personally like Cable Matters brand. I currently have a normal 24 port, but if I were to redo it, I'd get a 24 port keystone one. Easier to install and move ports as needed!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0072JVT02/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_P9UTDbA6P4DCF

Same here! They have these POE micro USB splitters that split off 5v and Ethernet for like $10 bucks. I was thinking about integrating the adapter into the sled and have keyhole jacks in the back that the sled connects to. Power and Ethernet in one connection!

Link for PoE adapter:UCTRONICS IEEE 802.3af Micro USB Active PoE Splitter Power Over Ethernet 48V to 5V 2.4A for Tablets, Dropcam or Raspberry Pi (48V to 5V 2.4A) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MDLUSE7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nD4RCb22AX9KB

I run one of these on my Pi3 and it works like a champ

I am pretty sure /u/synk2 is correct. I have these UDIMM modules in my T20.

Edit: Formatting

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeRouter-Advanced-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00YFJT29C/ref=pd_lpo_147_lp_t_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PH3HWRW8DG4W5PFPS7HV

I'm pretty sure these can be configured as firewalls.

http://www.forshee.me/2016/03/02/ubiquiti-edgerouter-lite-setup-part-2-firewall-setup.html

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XXDHPEU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Been using this for the past few weeks for a Dell R715. Works great.

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Technology-ValueRAM-Workstation-KVR16E11/dp/B008LMNXS0
I'm using these modules. Working perfectly.

They are not "so expensive". Look:
normal patch panel-$37
and the Keystone patch panel-$19

This implies the "keystones" included in the integrated patch panel cost $18 for 24 of them, or $0.75 a piece.

Actual keystones-$27 or $1.08 per keystone.

So, the Keystones + Keystone Patch Panel is $7.92 more expensive than the integrated patch panel. This is easily worth the cost. If I want to move a terminated cable, I just release the keystone and move it. Now think of the integrated patch panel.

Edit: formatting.

In order to use FreeNAS with ESXi, you need to have another drive, not connected to the hba, that you can use as your datastore for your FreeNAS VM. It can't be a USB drive, so you will have to find another way to do it. I bought this to put my SSD in and it worked great.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XIU4T2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ok, I found these which seem to be reasonably priced:
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Technology-ValueRAM-Workstation-KVR16E11/dp/B008LMNXS0

Which should tick the box on the QVL: Kingston KVR16E11/8 - 8GB ECC. My RMA is good for 15 days. So I'll have these to my place on Saturday and then I'll get to checking everything out.

It's plugged in to the mainboard at the bottom (in the front). I recommend an adapter like this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XIU4T2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Unless the Atom C line has been sorted out, I'd suggest a Celeron J3455 build as a decent perf/watt point. They're cheap and fairly powerful - I believe ASRock has one for ~$60. Tag a pcie dual nic card on, whatever for storage (unless you want squid), 2-4gb ram and you're good to go.

A lot of these low end SoC's and Pentiums are more than sufficient for pfSense. Compare them against a middle of the road core2duo as a benchmark for a basic pfSense box. Need VPN, Snort, Squid, whatever? hike it up accordingly.

E: here's a barebones box: https://www.amazon.com/Firewall-Micro-Appliance-Gigabit-Barebone/dp/B01GIVQI3M

It may be worth having a look at something like this to add to the cabinet, if you don't already have airflow.

​

https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-AIRPLATE-Thermostat-Cabinets/dp/B00QFWWZQO/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=media+fan&qid=1555601924&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Dell Tower Server, T620 [ 100 lbs ] that I wish to mount inside a 4post, square hole server rack.

Will these work ?

https://www.amazon.com/NavePoint-Mount-4-Post-Shelf-Depth/dp/B00XXDHPEU/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1537471248&sr=8-13&keywords=2u+adjustable+shelf

as they can extend to cover the 30" depth of the Dell T620 or is something heavier duty required

Had to do this for a half dozen Supermicro LFF trays. Already had the trays, and going the Supermicro route would’ve cost 3x as much as unfortunately Supermicro doesn’t sell directly in/to Australia and resellers kinda gouge you.

Grabbed these, been really happy with the quality. In case it’s not obvious, the drive goes in the centre and connects to the PCB, then it has the SATA connector on the outside.

EDIT - FYI not sure about SAS with these, none of my SFF drives (SSD’s for the most part) are SAS. Uhh and brain is fried, cannot for the life of me figure out the connectors in my head right now.

Protronix SATA Optical Bay 2nd Hard Drive Caddy, Universal for 12.7mm CD/DVD Drive Slot (for SSD and HDD) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XIU4T2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Cu0PDbJQHHWZ4

The ssd I'm using is an adata su-800 128gb since it's just for the OS and a couple of applications. Lol make sure the SATA port is enabled in the bios. It took me a bit to realize I didnt enable the right one

If you have 3.5" carriers these work great: General 2.5" SSD to 3.5" SATA Hard Disk Drive HDD Adapter Caddy Tray CAGE Hot Swap Plug https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3QFKNS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GAOzDbS2JD8P4

Though, not the cheapest option...

Personally, I'm a fan of Ubiquiti's EdgeRouters. Honestly, I haven't had any experience with other routers (minus crappy consumer grade Netgear and Buffalo), but the EdgeRouters can still do a lot.

It's got a full GUI, you can SSH, TELNET I believe, SNMP, etc.

Another option is to build your own with PfSense, which is very much in depth but it's got quite a learning curve (at least for me). If you're willing to put in the time and effort, this is the way to go.

Also, I'm sure you know this by now but these are only routers, you'll need a wireless AP to go with these.

Edgerouter:
https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeRouter-Advanced-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00YFJT29C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1511763952&sr=8-2&keywords=ubiquiti+edgerouter

PfSense:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrQrt8r_uYg
https://www.pfsense.org/

BOOM! i asked this same question not long ago! it's not loud but, it does have a fan. partial L3/L2. SFP+ ports can be used for routing and switching and not just stacking.

https://www.amazon.com/D-Link-Systems-SmartPro-Stackable-DGS-1510-28X/dp/B00MCZNW5G/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1484946167&sr=1-1&keywords=D-Link+DGS-1510-28X

https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1957956-looking-for-a-24-port-1gbps-w-4x-10bgps-sfp

Whatever is cheap on Amazon and has vents. Some are 4 post. Most are 2u like below.

StarTech 2U Universal Vented Rack Mount Cantilever Shelf for 19-Inch Server Racks - 16-Inch, Black (CABSHELFV) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008X3JHJQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CiSZzbP6YD3Q7

Maybe something like this? It's powered by the J1900 platform everyone's been talking about.

Gigabyte Mini Barebone System

It includes a case, motherboard, and CPU. You'll need to provide your own RAM and a boot drive. You could then run an external USB drive to get your 1TB of storage.

If you think you might want to build your own router at some point, consider getting one with a few extra NICs so that you can run PFsense on it instead down the road:

ProtectCLI Firewall Micro Appliance

Yeah, depending on what equipment you're wanting to use it for, the size of the rack as well as max U height, you can get something along these lines:
https://smile.amazon.com/StarTech-Universal-Vented-Cantilever-19-Inch/dp/B008X3JHJQ

I can't really link to the exact ones I have as I got them out of the recycling pile.

Thanks! It’s this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QFWWZQO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4ZODCbTSWEAT7

With an extra one of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009CO543S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_k1ODCbPRY9JMD

Bought the white face plates for all three.

We just did this for some r710's.. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XIU4T2

Takes the place of the DVD. It's very good.

Thanks, but I already ordered one off of amazon.

this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006B834/

> KVR16E11K4/32

There is Approved RAM for FreeNAS?

I was going to suggest looking at a pair of these and shave $50 off your total.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008EMA5VU/ref=pe_385040_30332200_TE_item

I just bought the following. I put PFsense on it. Nice little box. I bought 8 gigs of RAM and a 120 gig SSD with it.




Firewall Micro Appliance With 4x Gbe Intel Lan Ports for PFSense barebones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GIVQI3M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0fIHxb55225FK

I'm a fan of the GS108E of the TP-LINK of the same never had problems with either.

TP-LINK of the 308

You'll probably be interested in these, then...

well, it claims to be smart! This is the switch.

​

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Ethernet-Unmanaged-Replacement-TL-SG108E/dp/B00K4DS5KU

​

It has a default IP but its on my network with DHCP so I don't know how to log into it.

Something like this might work depending on your environment:

https://www.amazon.com/Startech-19-Inch-Vertical-Mountable-Server/dp/B001YHYVEY

this one looks exactly like the one I have. Way cheaper than the one you're looking at too.

You can use DVD sata cable. There are converters that convert mini sata to regular sata
Something like this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XIU4T2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1&th=1

Check out something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0072JVT02/

I recommend using SATA power splitters.

Thank you for the link.

This won't work as they need to be mounted horizontally on a shelf for access to front USB ports. I also only have 4u of space to work with.

I'm looking for something like this, but with 100mm x 100mm holes: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-19-Inch-Universal-Cantilever-Cabinet/dp/B008X3JHJQ/

I think I'll just have to order a few different brands and measure the airflow cutouts.

I'm installing a rackmount UPS soon too and I plan on using the shelf below. It supports up to 200 lbs which should be more than enough for your model.

NavePoint 1U Rack Mount 4-Post Shelf Rail Full Depth - 33.5" deep https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XXDHPEU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_JoIKAbPKRTFYZ

I actually bought one of those through Ali Express recently. Other than it being a giant pain in the arse to get a credit card to go through... it was a fine transaction.

You can get that unit on Amazon though.

I worked through this guide to set up the OS (not pfSense although pfSense is totally fine to use!)

2x
Ubiquiti Networks UAP-AC-Pro-E Access Point Single Unit New (No PoE Included in Box) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079DSW6XX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_WPbJBbD5YV67X

And an optional USG Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway (USG) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ENbJBbQHYAV21

I didn't get enough either. You can see I stuck a few in the divider between the mobo and drives so I knew which ones went there. I'll check today and let you know, I have a really good (labeled) bolt collection so I should be able to figure it out.

Rackmounting- I just mounted these rails and slide it in on that.

Damn. I was hoping to save some money but I guess not this time. I picked up 2 sets of Crucial CT2KIT102472BD160B. Do you think they will work?

The chromecast adapter is just a usb Ethernet adapter though right (doesn't actually have poe?)? Curious why people are using that vs any other usb ethernet adapter, is it because it happens to have the microusb jack so no usb adapter needed?

Its too bad nobody makes a ENC28J60 with poe power on the board, those can be had for a couple dollars if you are willing to wait for it from china and are common to pair with a pi zero so lots of info available.

Here is a true 48v poe to 5v adapter you can use with the chromcast adapter or the enc28j60: https://www.amazon.com/UCTRONICS-802-3af-Splitter-Ethernet-Raspberry/dp/B01MDLUSE7

D-Link dgs-1510-28x is a solid contender for those specs at $432.

I purchased one of these for a project. Seemed to work well with the pi.

UCTRONICS IEEE 802.3af Micro USB... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDLUSE7?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

You have a 3D printer that can print 19” wide? Nice, but if you have that kind of money, by a proper keystone patch panel for $22.


Cable Matters Rack or Wall Mount 24-Port Cat6, Cat 6 Keystone Patch Panel (Blank Patch Panel) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0072JVT02/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5r-1DbRJD5D9Z

I mean, the coat hangers are an inventive solution but why not just use one of these?

What about this? It says it suports up to 100 pounds each which is more than enough

https://www.amazon.ca/AC-Infinity-Cantilever-Universal-Heavy-Duty/dp/B01C9L3K18/ref=pd_sim_267_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=05M32TV9VHAJA3FB2BBQ

The room is in a closed crawlspace and no pets or anything will be in there. Also, we don't plan to add more RAM or make any changes in the future so being able to slide it in and out is not a problem.

Those storage arrays look cool but we really only need 4 slots of the r710 plus 4 other slots.

The company doesn't make rails, so would that shelf cantilever thing work too?

Here's an example from Amazon. The reviews have some pictures of how it looks with servers mounted.

StarTech.com 4U Wall Mount Patch Panel Bracket - 19 inch Steel Vertical Mounting Bracket for Network and Data Equipment (RK419WALLV) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001YHYVEY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AQ5NDb56P4Q4B

This little guy is pricey and gets great reviews. I’ve always wanted to get one. Just waiting for my readynas to die.

This is not an affiliate link.

SilverStone Technology Premium Mini-ITX/DTX Small Form Factor NAS Computer Case, Black (DS380B) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IAELTAI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EqGwDbW0J6SYK

Cable Matters Rack or Wall Mount... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0072JVT02?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Cable Matters Rack or Wall Mount 24-Port Cat6 /Cat 6 Keystone Patch Panel

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072JVT02/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

New Tripp Lite Rackmount Network-Grade PDU Power Strip, 12 Right Angle Outlets Wide-Spaced, 15A, 15ft Cord w/ 5-15P Plug (RS1215-RA) - Price: $45.96 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006B834/ref=asc_df_B00006B8345157357/

For anyone looking, Startech has 1u - 6u vertical mounts. I can't think of anything that would keep you from mounting 2 of these vertically about 30" apart and putting rails between them. You could have your servers mounted in rails horizontally on the wall then.

https://www.amazon.com/Startech-19-Inch-Vertical-Mountable-Server/dp/B001YHYVEY/ref=s9_simh_gw_g147_i1_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=04YWHYY7Y2JJN649VF07&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=a6aaf593-1ba4-4f4e-bdcc-0febe090b8ed&pf_rd_i=desktop

In my R710s my boot drives use an DVD-drive-to-2.5" adapter and are connected to the onboard SATA. R610 should be able to do the same thing.

These have been my go-to.

• Gut the DVD, use this: https://www.amazon.com/Protronix-Optical-Drive-Universal-12-7mm/dp/B004XIU4T2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1476395723&sr=8-3&keywords=optical+2.5 and this http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Genuine-Dell-PowerEdge-R710-Optical-32-in-SATA-Cable-GP703-/111012881837?hash=item19d8e225ad:g:KwcAAOxy5P9RHQhC
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Syba-Slot-Tray-Mobile-SY-MRA25023/dp/B0080V73RE for the second ssd
  
  I think this will work.

This is what you need: https://www.amazon.com/Protronix-Optical-Drive-Universal-12-7mm/dp/B004XIU4T2

I used some crucial ECC Memory (2x8GB), and it worked for me when I was using an ML10: http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-DDR3L-1600MT-PC3-12800-CT2KIT102472BD160B-CT2CP102472BD160B/dp/B008EMA5VU/ref=pd_bxgy_147_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1AKVY288E3Z2MAR4XY7N
The specs on the kingston ram look similar, so it should work, afik.

I put 32gb of this into mine.

Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3/DDR3L-1600MT/s (PC3-12800) DR x8 ECC UDIMM Server Memory CT2KIT102472BD160B/CT2CP102472BD160B https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008EMA5VU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_sFerxb3YVSP50

Otherwise you can hit up eBay if you don't mind buying used.

I've buy this one for my SSD : https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00F3QFKNS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's how it look and rack in a Dell R710

This one does, I have 3 of them. Only draw back is you must use a Windows utility to configure them.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K4DS5KU/ref=twister_B06XDLVVF6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

tp-link

You could pick up 2 of these for basic usage and they are New for $30 : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K4DS5KU/ref=twister_B06XDLVVF6?th=1

Might check this out:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MCZNW5G/ref=twister_B010NPWBGW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00MCZNW5G/ref=asc_df_B00MCZNW5G32787560?smid=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&tag=pricewatch-21&linkCode=df0&creative=22502&creativeASIN=B00MCZNW5G&childASIN=B00MCZNW5G

4x of these will set you back only $120.

Ubiquiti Edge Router lite ERL
My preference is the ERX as it's cheaper than ERL ERX

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeRouter-Advanced-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00YFJT29C - EdgeRouterX

The Unifi's are also on Amazon/newegg/etc

I have three different kinds of shelves in there, all 2 post but rated for 40-60lbs

Printers: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006HRKE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
UPS: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C9L3K18/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Modem: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C9KYUG8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Each node / R-Pi / SBC gets one of these: https://www.amazon.com/UCTRONICS-802-3af-Splitter-Ethernet-Raspberry/dp/B01MDLUSE7/

These, and a PoE switch: https://www.amazon.com/UCTRONICS-802-3af-Splitter-Ethernet-Raspberry/dp/B01MDLUSE7

This is what I use in my Enclosure which do the trick.




Cable Matters Rack or Wall Mount 24-Port Cat6 /Cat 6 Keystone Patch Panel (Blank Patch Panel) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0072JVT02/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_oYEOCbG39EJ6




With these




[UL Listed] VCE 25-Pack CAT6 RJ45 Keystone Jack Inline Coupler-Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075ZPGV1H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_b2EOCbYDXVKVG

I just use these, http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Mount-24-Port-Keystone/dp/B0072JVT02/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1464459440&sr=8-5&keywords=24+port+patch+panel
does the trick for me

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Mount-24-Port-Keystone/dp/B0072JVT02/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538702683&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=cable+matters+24+port+keystone+patch+panel

I do need to add fans to it at somepoint. I'm thinking mount them on the left side to exhaust air from the back. And maybe one on the rack because my modem gets Brett warm.

The slim CD-Rom drive can be removed, and a hard drive carrier installed in its place.

https://www.amazon.com/Protronix-Optical-Drive-Universal-12-7mm/dp/B004XIU4T2

If you need just simple features (vlans, port mirror, etc) hard to beat $30 http://amzn.com/B00K4DS5KU

Why not go with a Ubiquiti Security Gateway instead? It is even cheaper than that crappy linksys box.

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Security-Gateway-USG/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1527345700&sr=1-1&keywords=ubiquiti+security+gateway

R210ii has 1GB NICs (two) and you can add a PCI-e (dual 10GB NIC -> https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-DP-N-0JM42W-10GB-DUAL-PORT-NIC-SERVER-ADAPTER/273534355669?epid=1426370513&hash=item3fafeb08d5:g:q2gAAOSwC8Zb2Lsx:rk:3:pf:1&frcectupt=true)

An R310 can do quad 3.5" Hard Drives (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-PowerEdge-R310-3-06GHz-Quad-Core-Xeon-X3480-32GB-DDR3-RAM-NO-HDD-RAID/183503660932?hash=item2ab9aba784:g:T4wAAOSwg65b0gxN:sc:ShippingMethodStandard!33175!US!-1:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true) and you can alternatively get an R410 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-PowerEdge-R410-Xeon-L5520-2-26GHz-32GB-RAM-NO-HDD/192705614327?_trkparms=aid%3D555017%26algo%3DPL.CASSINI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D54338%26meid%3Dbdccbc35ce7b470b8af32bbb2aa7c182%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26%26itm%3D192705614327&_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226) you can swap the CD drive for a 2.5" SSD adapter (https://www.amazon.com/Protronix-Optical-Drive-Universal-12-7mm/dp/B004XIU4T2)

Some ideas (highly contingent upon the angles you’re shooting and level of detail required):

Low detail: Build a rack-sized box, paint black, glue on some front panels such as https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Front-Bezel-PowerEdge-Server/dp/B00VRW998Y and throw some blinky LEDs behind.

More detail: pick up some empty server chassis, again blinky LEDs.

Grab some patch panels e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Mount-24-Port-Keystone/dp/B0072JVT02/ and put a bunch of short Ethernet cords between random ports.