3com rackmount UPS to rackmount server.

[Pherret]

Yes!! Ive got a rack in my basement.. Unfortunatly the router/firewall/dhcp server is a mid tower lying sideways on a piece of plywood at the bottom of it. It was better than paying up for a rackmount case though.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/rack.jpg

So eventually we come uppon a dead superstack II 3com UPS. Relic did basic stuff to make sure it was actually dead and handed it off to me. It just wouldn't turn on at all let alone try to charge.

It appears to be about 1.5u thick (6.5cm or 2, 9/16") which makes it just the right height to stick a 60mm fan in it standing up, it slides under overhangs in the cassis with a tiny bit of room to spare.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/back.jpg

There is a battery "compartment" with a removable lid, which may make things interesting if I can do anything with it.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/batteries.jpg

And finally here are all the innards spewed on the floor.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/innardsout.jpg

It had a BEEFY transformer. The controller board itself doesn't actually seem to have anything visibly wrong with it. There a bunch of 12v, 10Aswitch relays behind the heatsinks which I may snag. The chassis and case cover are very stout! It is around 18-16 gauge steel with spot welds, no rivets! I definatly should not have any bowing or sagging problems. Even if I remove the crossbracing that is visible around the batteries.

So there it is. I don't plan on this mod to be too elaborate. There will only be as much hardware as a standard PC, maybe less. I got some of the parts together, and did some chassis prep work. Ill take some pics after I post this.

[KoZLop]

thats a cool mod. :)
I wish i had a broken hub or switch to play with.

[Pherret]

Here is the chassis. I pretty much stripped it down flat. I drilled out the spot welds and standoffs, which is why there are so many holes.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/chassis1.jpg

Took a pic of the outer casing and stuff. This shows the venting in the sides. The vent holes are squares that are pretty close together, I guess the camera fuzz makes them look round and small.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/case1.jpg

Here are the parts I have sofar.
Mobo: Abit VA-10 v1.3 micro atx. A new relic purchase for this
Proc: AMD XP 2500+ (I think..whatever relic tossed my way)
RAM: Samsung 512MB PC2700 with 3rd party alu heat spreader.

Cd: Sony black faceplate (If I remember correctly)
Hdd: Ehh... Whatever we find. It only needs to hold the OS and firewall software.
Fdd: No face plate /w black lid. If we decide we need one.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/hardware.jpg

I know, I know, Its a micro atx. :rolleyes: I wanted to have some configuration options. And by that point I didn't know what PSU I was going to put in it. Which I have recently decided on and ordered. I like the features on it, which are pretty standard I guess by now, but when you get a bit out of the loop, having audio fiber-out and 4 usb 2.0 onboard is pretty impressive.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/mobo.jpg

Some pics I forgot to take are with the motherboard set in the chassis to show the difference in size, and my little predicament with the extra nic needed.(It was too tall) You need 2 NICs with a firewall ofcourse.

Anyway, I have fixed most of my problems without getting any metal dust on my hands for it. It just takes some measuring, mental planning, and an attention to detail before anything even goes in.

Stuff I just ordered:
300watt 1u psu
2x Aopen NICs. The things are freaking tiny!
Logitec trackball because using a standard mouse in the confines of a rack is futile.

One last thing. As a side note I just got an assortment of rack rails from where I'm Co'oping. woohoo! Some are the roller arm type. I smell retractable keyboard rack tray.
Others would help maybe mount the little 12" lcd better.

[Pherret]

My final preplan issue is the heatsink. I only have about 45mm of room when factoring in the height of standoffs, pcb, and , socket. So I want probably a 40mm max hs height including fan.

Anyone have any ideas that would adiquatly cool a 2500+?

[Elledan]

I assume you've already taken a look at the VIA EPIA CL mini-ITX mainboard?

http://www.viavpsd.com/product/epia_cl_spec.jsp?motherboardId=181

Unless you need more power than the EPIA CL offers, it seems like the most logical choice.

[Pherret]

emm. We already purchased the motherboard, which we didn't want to pay $100 for (like the vias). We already had the proc as a spare so in total it was $60 for a mobo and proc that is probably more powerfull than any VIA setup. VIA definatly has its place, but I hope we can keep our pings low with this 2500+. We are currently running the firewall on a 1.4tbird I believe.

After talking it over with relic we have come up with 2 possible cooling solutions out of parts we already have or will soon have.
1) A 1u copper hs with an old 60mm delta "blacklable" fan to push some crazy air.
2) A tall hs (CAK-38 v2) with 2 40mm fans pushing air from the side. I will be getting some 5v 40s in a shipment that will hopefully do well at 7v ;)

[Pherret]

This thread seems to be getting a little stagnant. Im not sure if people just don't care much about rackmount stuff, it doesn't look like it is getting off to an exciting start, or it is just getting overshadowed by the various Doom 3 mods. Ill take some time to explain my reason for logging this work. Which, out of around 30+ cases Ive modified, Ive shown only 2-3 on the forum. And that was a long time ago.

In the old days (Im 20 so these were old days to me) there were BIG cases. There were server cases that were taller than you (well, I was a kid then). The geeks seek to shed their oppressive "desktops" in favor of the ultimate in 100+lb glorious server towers. And as server technology moves on, the old addage of bigger is better still live on today in pc enthusiests. Though it seems to be slowly fading away.

Server tech doesn't seem to be idolized as much nowadays because it is much more of an everyday occurance. No longer is it a lumbering beast that humms away behind closed doors of a large company

Rackmount is the current technology that is used in larger networks and server applications. I think that people still like the idea of rackmount parts, but are very deterred by prices. Any standard pc item's price will go up 400-500% of an "equivalent" rackmount item. You can get $20 mid tower that will work fine, but the cheapest rackmount cases I can find are around $100 with shipping. This causes the thought of a rackmount setup to be stopped before it even realy enters someone's head.

If you look around there are many possibilities to build a pretty cheap setup. Dumpster diving could yield some good possibilities. Ive just been lucky and gotten stuff before it hit the trash. You can find relatively cheap new rackmount bare boxes that you can modify to hold anything from a combination of little switches, hubs, routers, and maybe access points, to pc parts for a home file server. You can find some of these in Jameco's (http://jameco.com) catalog, but not online unfortunatly. Rack mount rails and brackets Id immagine arn't too pricy and you can mount stuff like monitors, keyboard trays, and why not? PC cases with them. There are many many possibilities... Thats what they designed it for!

And lastly the rack itself.
Ive seen some basic stands for ~$75, and those were tall, probably 8ft ones. I honestly don't know how many different sizes are easily accessable to purchase.

The case I am doing is going pretty cheaply. As for modding so far the only money I have put into it is for some taps and a tap wrench. I can't use them yet until I get the PSU though. Which may be today or tomarrow. (my packages are sitting at the fedex building waiting to be thrown on a truck for final delivery) The total price (component wise) will be far lower than probably anyone's pc they are using to read this. The thing I need to do though is keep everything relatively standard for quick and easy repair. If our firewall dies we are out of internet untill it is fixed. If anyone remembers my vcr mod they know I can shoehorn decased psus into tight spots. But resoldering is not my idea of quick and easy, that's pretty permanent. That may prevent this mod from being very spectacular, but its very practical.

Practicality is one very real use of pc modification.

[lowside67]

Feeling lonely? :p

I'm looking forward to some progress pics

[Pherret]

Woohoo! Stuff came in today!

The small 3com NICs we already had were slightly too big. As you can see...

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/tallnic.jpg

Here is one of the new ones (blue) compared to the old one. The red lines show how long the recular pci slot takes up. The 3com card was already small.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/nics.jpg

Here they are in the mobo. Im not sure if both will be put in or if the onboard will be used. Once the onboard gets blown its done, but cards you can replace. We have had alot of NICs blow in the past. I may put that RJ-45 protector to use (see the pic of back of case with fan) on the incoming wire.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/monics.jpg

Here's the new psu, a 300watt 1u. Its shiny :D. Got 4pin mobo and single serial ata power on it too.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/psu1.jpg

The fans on it have the flow director fins like the tornados :eek: Something tells me these are gonna spool up to around 10k.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/psu2.jpg

And here is the mock layout.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/layout1.jpg

Would ya believe it. Relic doesn't think there will be adiquate cooling, atleast with the cd-rom in there. He proposes leaving it out and putting more fans. The most he will need I guess, after initial installations, will be some front usbs to boot from a thumb drive or something. Hmm. That is tempting, less work and more cooling.

What do you guys think?

BTW you can find Relic mostly in the AMD and DC forums.

[edit] Also I hope to do some cutting tomarrow, at least to get the I/O plate in, then maybe drill and tap the mobo mounting holes.
I also realize that I screwed up editing the first pic, will change soon.[edit]

[ProphetSix]

I agree. You can boot from a USB thumb drive, or a USB CD-ROM if needed. You'll prolly never use it during normal use. With the network connections, once it's up, you can load from across the network if needed. Add more fans. (Maybe make a front USB port for emergencies???)

Also, what PSU is that, and do you have a link for it? Looking for a good 300W 1U myself right now. (Have you fired it up yet? Turbine loud, or just fan loud?)

[OKANG]

I agree that you probably need to add one intake and one exhaust fan. It's really not the components you're using, but the space you're putting them in. I recommend blower or crossflow-style fans. A crossflow fan would be a tight fit for the intake (~1U high), but I think you could put it above the HDD in the front. A blower could fit above the mobo between the cpu and agp slot in the back, or next to the mobo behind the CD-ROM. I'd keep the CD-ROM and maybe go with a laptop drive/adapter if neccessary.

[Pherret]

Here's everything. All from newegg.

1u 300watt psu (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-115&depa=1)
Tiny Aopen NIC (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=33-157-008&depa=1), Heh now its out of stock.
Logitech trackball (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=26-104-108&depa=1)

I have not tested the psu yet unfortunatly.

Im still undecided sofar about the cd-rom. I don't want to dump any more money into it or else a laptop drive would be next on the list. Ive got an allelectronics order comming in today with a few cooling possibilities.

[ProphetSix]

Thanks for the link on the PSU. (Bonus - it's from NewEgg!!! :D ) (I spend way too much money with those guys.)

Keep us updated... more pics too.

[tom61]

Where's this rack mount pictured at? It looks like a hole for a hot-water heater, but that's next to it.

[Pherret]

Where's this rack mount pictured at? It looks like a hole for a hot-water heater, but that's next to it.

It is in an enclosure that we built because we are walling up most of the basement. I don't know if we are planning to put a door there of some type. The back is open to vent hot fan air if we do put some sort of front cover.

I mounted the psu. I got pics, but im tired. See ya in 8 hrs. :p

[Pherret]

Here we go.

http://mods.lsg1.net/server/psuin2.jpg

I know I haven't sanded yet but damn, the camera realy makes that cut look like crap.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/psuin1.jpg

Ive got the back end mounted on some standoffs. The whole thing is raised a few mm off the bottom. Realy crappy pic taken way too close.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/psuin3.jpg

I plan on keeping it rack standard, meaning nothing but cables can occupy other Us in the rack... That makes cooling a little tricky. All external screws except for front and back will be countersunk.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/screws.jpg

Here is some of the more interesting stuff I got from allelectronics: Uncased squirl cage blower, 2x40mm 5v fans, nicke plated 2" handles, White toggling pushbuttons, 25mm fan, 2 in 1 on/off rockers with dpst momentary rockers.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/stuff.jpg

We'll see what happens tonight.

Im always forgetting something..
Yes the psu fans sound like a leaf blower. Atleast as far as 40mm fans go. Definatly not as loud as larger tornados or the 60mm black label.

[Pherret]

Can't update now, the pics didn't take on the server. I will have to wait until after work to get them on there.

[Pherret]

Update

I tried some new camera settings to see if th pics would be any better. It didn't seem to do much though.

Anyway, we were concerned with the northbridge, It had an older style small alu heatsink on it. We wanted to have this as stable as possible so we slapped a big (20 to 25mm thick) antec 40mm on it. There was already a northbridge fan plug on the board, which made me wonder about what other versions of this motherboard there were.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/north.jpg

Next comes our idea for cpu cooling. It looks like it means some buisness to me. I hope it won't be too loud :eek: eeh like we care about a loud firewall anyway.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/hsf.jpg

As for updates to the case, I got the motherboard mounted.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/moboin.jpg

The I/O plate went in pretty smoothly
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/moboin2.jpg

Most likely what is next is mounting the HDD, cutting some plug access to the NICs and make a hold down bracket for them.

[Veeb0rg]

damn thats pimp..

i gotta find me a busted 2u for my router/firewall

[XPCSniperXX]

Looking good there. I like how you modded that system to fit in that old busted UPS.

It looks like that mobo has onboard vid right? I checked Abits site and it says nothing about onboard video... :confused:

[Pherret]

Yeah, Its got onboard video. I haven't looked into the documentation enough to see what the specs are, but you don't need much to display a winXP desktop. Onboard is onboard, If ya want to game on a board the onboard is generally ignored and disabled anyway. For projects like this, though, it helps alot.

[XPCSniperXX]

Yeah, Its got onboard video. I haven't looked into the documentation enough to see what the specs are, but you don't need much to display a winXP desktop. Onboard is onboard, If ya want to game on a board the onboard is generally ignored and disabled anyway. For projects like this, though, it helps alot.

I am working on a mod for my shoutcast server. I have a work log up on the overclockers.com forums. I was using a VIA board but it wont boot anymore.. so I wanted a new mobo. I saw the opticle and thats sweet cuz I have opticle inputs on my stereo, but the board I get must have onboard vid. Thanks, I know I wouldnt ever think to game on onboard, lol.

[tom61]

but you don't need much to display a winXP desktop.

Hold it, I thought you said you were building a firewall... Not a 'Please hack me now and hard' box. :p I'd highly recommend using Smoothwall instead of Windows, don't worry, It's very easy to install, and free too!

[Atragon]

A random thought: Get one of the small single-system UPSs and hack it to fit in the case...

[Pherret]

Small update:

I got the Hdd mounted.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/hdd1.jpg

I hope it gets cooled well just bolted to the bottom like that. I may put some standoffs under there to raise it up.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/hdd2.jpg

I finally found some cheap laptop style cd-roms on e-bay. They are designed for 1u servers and already have the IDE/power breakout cards attached.

[Elledan]

Small update:

I got the Hdd mounted.
[IMG]http://mods.lsg1.net/server/hdd1.jpg[IMG]

I hope it gets cooled well just bolted to the bottom like that. I may put some standoffs under there to raise it up.
[IMG]http://mods.lsg1.net/server/hdd2.jpg[IMG]
Assuming the case is made from metal, it's best to attach the HDD directly to it, so that the case acts like a heatsink.

[Pherret]

There is not much actually touching the case metal, so there would be a nice well of hot air under it that a fan wouldn't be able to do much with.

[Veeb0rg]

pherret, next case u get like that, let me know, i'd like one.. i just don't want to bust up a good ups..

[Pherret]

Rather big update, well... atleast it was alot of work to me.

The cooling system has been built. It is composed of a bunch of brackets, hand made from ~22gauge galvy steel. That was alot of dremeling and drilling!
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/Cooling1.jpg

Here it is screwed to the case. The 60mm fans are different because I didn't have a second antec fan, which is the slightly slimmer one. It puts out quite a bit more air than the thicker nidec.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/cooling2.jpg

The top is sealed off by some foam glued to the top pannel of the case. I just didn't think it was quite exciting enough to take a pic of... like screws.. screws are much more exciting;) This all creates a chamber where the fans can make use of all available vent area on that side.

I was going to cut NIC access and things but my allelectronics order came without the nibbler. After uselessly calling their "customer service" number, I left a rather distrought e-mail. They replied by telling me their customer service hours and that they would have the nibbler sent out. I swear I called the customer service at least a half hour after their supposed open time (pacific time adjusted, they are in CA).

BTW I forsee the nibbler being useful for small holes, like the RJ-45 in the NIC, which is too small for the dremel to do.

[timetrap]

That's looking great - kind of like a poor man's laptop without the screen :). Where'd the steel come from?

[DRJ1014]

me want more updates this be interesting

me cant talk

[cgrant26]

Cool project man! I'm pretty much a n00b when it comes to advanced networking so could you explain why you need 2 NICs for a firewall system? All my guitar equipment is rack mount stuff and I've always thought it would be cool build a computer rack system. Especially considering that there are a variety of portable music equipment rack enclosures.
http://www.skbcases.com/product/pro_audio/rack_mount.html

[DRJ1014]

Cool project man! I'm pretty much a n00b when it comes to advanced networking so could you explain why you need 2 NICs for a firewall system? All my guitar equipment is rack mount stuff and I've always thought it would be cool build a computer rack system. Especially considering that there are a variety of portable music equipment rack enclosures.
http://www.skbcases.com/product/pro_audio/rack_mount.html
im wondering the same about the NIC

[Veeb0rg]

Cool project man! I'm pretty much a n00b when it comes to advanced networking so could you explain why you need 2 NICs for a firewall system? All my guitar equipment is rack mount stuff and I've always thought it would be cool build a computer rack system. Especially considering that there are a variety of portable music equipment rack enclosures.
http://www.skbcases.com/product/pro_audio/rack_mount.html

2 nic.. one for data in.. one for data out..

as for the musical enclosures.. most of them aren't deep enough to carry pc rackmount equipment.

[cgrant26]

Sorry if this is OT, but is there any kind of config (besides bridging) on a regular system to config NICs to do that? I've got like 5 or 6 extras laying around. Would be nice to put 1 or 2 to use.

I also just looked at my SKB and your modded UPS and I see what you mean about the depth not being enough. Oh well.

[ness1469]

I was going to cut NIC access and things but my allelectronics order came without the nibbler. After uselessly calling their "customer service" number, I left a rather distrought e-mail. They replied by telling me their customer service hours and that they would have the nibbler sent out. I swear I called the customer service at least a half hour after their supposed open time (pacific time adjusted, they are in CA).

BTW I forsee the nibbler being useful for small holes, like the RJ-45 in the NIC, which is too small for the dremel to do.


Be prepared to have a sore hand if you plan on using a nibbler for steel. OUCH. ;)

Nibblers are definately not made for anything more than small, simple jobs.

For a more "simple" mod I'm really loving this. Can't wait to see it completed.

[Pherret]

Yeah a firewall is a data filter. It prevents bad stuff from getting into your network. You have one NIC to take in the "raw" untouched info and filters out things that may harm the network and the computers on it. It then puts the ok stuff, the web page you are viewing ect, back out through the second NIC which is attached to the rest of your network.

Many times you find this in a firmware form, such as in a home router. You can do the same in software form, but you need a computer with the right components to run it properly. Doing this in software on a relitively small network allows you to have 1 do-it-all server box to run the firewall, dhcp, dns, maybe serve files, and all kinds of other things. And it is as easy to access as walking up to it, or virtual desktopping it I guess.

Firmware home units may do dhcp and dns too, but your options are not even close as when you are dealing with a pc as a base unit.

Firmware is probably faster though, in most cases, which keeps your gaming pings down. Someone who knows please correct me if Im wrong.

As far as the mod goes Ive got some good ideas for buttons and leds on the front plate. You know how most cdroms use parts of their front plate plastic as a spring to hold the button in place, Im thinking on similar terms. Other screw-on buttons would just look out of place, as the case will stay white.

That's looking great - kind of like a poor man's laptop without the screen :). Where'd the steel come from?
Its just some homedepot steel plate leftover from other mods.

[[M]aynard [M]cGuffin]

www.clarkconnect.org

DO NOT use windows XP. You would be FAR better off using a Linksys router (Hell, you'd be better off using a friggin belkin router.)

Mod's coming along very nicely, but using XP on that ruined it.

[GlobalFear]

XP firewall = Smoothwall box thats been kicked around the room, lit on fire, and torn to pieces by an A-10's main cannon.



Overall though this is a good idea and I like it.

[Pherret]

I believe we use a 3rd party program and just the os as an os. All I said was xp desktop.

Our current firewall is running on 98.

Posted by retardnewb: OAH NO DON'T USE 98 FIREWALL U WILL B H4X0RD 2 DEATH!!!

Anyway, Im currently trying to figure out the best way to get NIC access that looks good but still gets held down well. I got the case fans all wired up to a single 4pin and I may cut and solder the rpm wires to the correct lengths, because I can. Hopefully some pics later tonight.

[Pherret]

Update:

Finished up the cooling system. We couldn't get another antec, so we got 2 vantec thermaflows. I twisted the probe, which shorts the leads, and the fans are on full all the time. Now they are higher flow than the Antecs.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/cooling3.jpg

The NIC is in and held down. I did this with the nibbler... ouch. I wanted to get the screw up higher but the bit drifted a tad I guess.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/nicin.jpg

We got a tiny cheap powerable usb hub so I figured I would put it in. It just runs off of 5v. I hope I wired it correctly. I just matched up the colors.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/usb2.jpg

[Xipher]

Update:
We got a tiny cheap powerable usb hub so I figured I would put it in. It just runs off of 5v. I hope I wired it correctly. I just matched up the colors.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/usb2.jpg
Black is ground, Red is 5v, and Yellow is 12v, at least thats the standard on all the ATX PSU's I have used. The Black (ground wire) should be to the inside, and there is normally 2 but you only need one but they both would be to the inside of the connector. From the picture it looks alright, but I can't see where the notchs are in the connector to make sure.

[Pherret]

Oops I did a realy bad job of explaning that one.
I clipped and spliced the hub usb cable to the internal usb cable. Red, green, white and black all matched up from both cables. I hope it is a standard, because things can change easily.

The power molex was pulled from one of the fan power passthroughs I cut off of one of the 60mm fans. I merely pulled out the 12v and other gnd pin.

[Xipher]

Oops I did a realy bad job of explaning that one.
I clipped and spliced the hub usb cable to the internal usb cable. Red, green, white and black all matched up from both cables. I hope it is a standard, because things can change easily.

The power molex was pulled from one of the fan power passthroughs I cut off of one of the 60mm fans. I merely pulled out the 12v and other gnd pin.
oh that, yea most usb cables keep a standard color scheme.

[tom61]

Nice job on the NIC install. BTW, they're back in stock at NewEgg.

[Pherret]

Sorry about the wait guys, Ive been slowly progressing. The CD-roms come in today, so Ill probably take some pics of stuff and get em up later today.

The front plate is looking pretty ugly right now. I wanted to wait to post it until I already have it done and show the progress through it. Ill probably post what I have done up to tonight anyway.

[Pherret]

here we go:

First, we did some extensive research on how to make harddrives flatter.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/hddtrash1.jpg

Here's as low as this one would get.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/hddtrash2.jpg

It took us a while to perfect.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/hddtrash3.jpg
But in the end they wouldn't boot so we trashed the idea.

The cdroms are in. They come inside 2 different chassis portions. I pulled off the outer one, and left the smaller one on as it is more permanent and has well placed mounting screws. If you are familiar with laptop drives you will see this as a bit more "packaging" on them than normal.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/cd1.jpg

Here is what Ive done to the front plate so far: USB access is open and the button placements have been cut. The drive is in top for size, not placement.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/out1.jpg

And finally I have cut out the plate that will cover up the ugly portions. I have not made holes in it yet but I sat the power and reset buttons in their placements.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/out2.jpg

[Veeb0rg]

lookin pretty good man..

you're making me want to attempt this more and more.. :)

[R8DERHED5150]

Hellovan idea. We got a few of those laying around. Just might have to start a new project. Nice work you got goin there!

[qulAKle]

hehe thats a lot of harddrives lol.

[Phezult]

I need to find out when Syracuse University has their computer surplus sale; see if I can get some projects going.

This looks really sweet, love the compact idea. The only thing *I'd* change, being in an apartment, would be to ensure quiet fan operation.

I would presume the mobo is being screwed in place, did I miss that?

Keep up the good work!

J

[relic]

Where's the new pix?
Damn you're slow...I'm getting tired of this high ping crap. ;)
..and what's this crap about wanting to underclock it? Did you forget that this is the [H]?
:D

[Pherret]

I need to find out when Syracuse University has their computer surplus sale; see if I can get some projects going.

This looks really sweet, love the compact idea. The only thing *I'd* change, being in an apartment, would be to ensure quiet fan operation.

I would presume the mobo is being screwed in place, did I miss that?
J

As space constraints get tighter in case designs, quiet opperation becomes less and less possible. Air must move faster to get the same volumetric movement, and fast moving/higher pressure air = noise.

Also yes the mobo is held by 6 screws and stood off from the chassis by ~3/16" thick nonthreaded aluminum bushings. The screws go through the bushings and screw to the chassis.

Where's the new pix?
Damn you're slow...I'm getting tired of this high ping crap. ;)
..and what's this crap about wanting to underclock it? Did you forget that this is the [H]?
:D
Yeah Yeah.. I tried to post last night but there were forum issues. Damn you're whiny. They don't even know about the 2800+ yet anyway. (were gona put it in cause we have it and underclock/undervolt if necessary with that tiny hsf)

And here come the pix.

I got the front plate on and the buttons attached. I need to slap some labeling on there to get rid of all that blank space.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/out5.jpg

The buttons on the front push on some momentary "microswitches" on the pcb and give a nice sharp click when pushed from the front.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/out3.jpg

screwed in place... Pay no attention to the radioshack label. :p
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/out4.jpg

The rj-45 surge suppressor is relocated from the original placement where the mobo I/o Plate now resides. This is before the scew holes were tapped.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/surge1.jpg

And mounted afterwards
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/surge2.jpg

Now the back panel is done. The mod could basically be finished now if I don't put in the cd-rom, but of course I am required to now. I hope to atleast make the brackets tonight and, if Im lucky, get the front plate cut for it. Then I would be able to button it up and move on to proper peripheral mounting ;)

Sorry about the all the diferent pic sizes Im trying to be bandwidth conscious.

[tom61]

I like what you did for the front buttons, rather novel.

[theshadow27]

i love the design... you did a great job

i would get some rj45 connectors and some cat 5 and make the surge protector internal... like http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=801460 sortof

it would make it neater in the end

but great job

[Pherret]

I like what you did for the front buttons, rather novel.

All regular screw down buttons you can find are a combination of black red and silver, and rather non-large like. I felt this needed a bigaz power button, and one that matched the rest of the case. The powerbutton is realy a chopped down pot knob, and the reset button is a rounded and painted piece of the plastic cut from the front plate. I myself am quite amazed that it all actually worked out.

i love the design... you did a great job

i would get some rj45 connectors and some cat 5 and make the surge protector internal... like http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=801460 sortof

it would make it neater in the end

but great job

That guy still connected his NICs externally to the ports. Though, I see that you are only using that as an example

That would require soldering to the NIC to get the connector off and whatnot. Im trying to keep things pretty non-proprietary so things can be quickly swapped in and out if they die.

Thanks though guys for all the ideas and support. :)

And on to CD-Rom mounting.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/cd2.jpg

I dremeled at a frenzied pace to cut the brackets. They are a bit sloppy on the edges but the screw holes lined up better than any other hole has sofar. And no sharp edges.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/cd3.jpg
And its much more sturdy than it looks.

I also painted the back with the same textured white as the front cover plate. I gave it a single shot of clear to lessen the abrasiveness, where as the front plate got 2.
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/back2.jpg

All thats left for modification is to cut the slot in the bezel for the cd-rom to be accessed.

Nearly done? can't be! ;)

[Atragon]

Pherret, an interesting mod idea would be to find somewhere to stuff a mini-ups in there so you don't have to worry in a power outage that your router/firewall will go down. ;)

[Pherret]

1st pic, we already have 2: The white one on the right and a black one in the back. I believe the white one was just charging and not connected to anything.

[Atragon]

Ah, never mind then. :rolleyes:

[spidy]

Sweet mod :cool: . I'll have to try something like that for my servers. The smaller the box the better :D

[relic]

So, Pherret...
1.) What happens when you ignore the advice of you're older and wiser relic and forget to test the switches before installing them? :p

2.) Could you teach me how to install a HSF again? ;)



edit: Don't worry guys, he didn't fry anything....yet. :D

[relic]

It's running, everything works, and it looks hella like a 3Com UPS. ;)
Now if he'd just stop screwin' off, put it in the rack, and post the final pics....

[Pherret]

Ehem.. Looks hella like a 3com 1.5u server to me. :p

Does posting from the firewall count as an update?

Ill comment on the "issues" we had later.

I don't know what was plugging my ears when I heard the psu the first time. This sucker is loud. :eek:

[Blackdog]

Ever thought about for the HDD, since it looks like where you are mounting it that it'll have some space above it - of putting some sort of riser-styled brackets to mount it to, and putting a fan beneath it?

[Pherret]

Update

Here is the front pretty much all finished up. I hope I will get some labels on the cover plate. Just cuz
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/out6.jpg

The insides:
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/layout2.jpg

Test fit on the rack:
http://mods.lsg1.net/server/rack2.jpg

The "Issues":

-The hsf slid down the spring clip and made it ride on the edge of the core. Would auto-shutoff after about 3 seconds. Worked fine after reattachment.

-The buttons are the only ones I have seen that can be installed wrong. And I did just that, but for the record I did test to see what pins were what... I just forgot afterwards I guess.

[relic]

Ehem.. Looks hella like a 3com 1.5u server to me. :p


Word. :)

But it sounds more like an angry swarm of hornets packed into a riced-out lawn tractor.

[jcm44]

Very nice. I like how clean and simple it was all kept. Now if I only had a house... The nubmer of projects I want to do, doubles every day.

Nice wire management on the rack too.

[Pherret]

Sorry about the post cutoff. We finally got the firewall setup and running. Things got a little busy around here, and we procrastinated a bit.

The final word on why we went with a 3rd party program on an xp os is that the program we are using is certified up to level 3 firewall, where smoothwall is only certified up to level 2. What that exactly means I am not too sure about. Im not too knowledgable on firewalling, myself.

I realised that the roller rails I got for free were probably about 6in too long. Our rack is rather shallow, so to make any type of tray work It would have to stick out a few inches when closed.

Currently I am working on a 1u fileserver to hold a bunch of small stuff like drivers and various downloads. Its mostly a convenience item so I don't haveto scramble to backup stuff on cds and whatnot before I reload my system after an upgrade or something. Because we all know you always miss something anyway. Im just putting it together with a bunch of parts I had lying arround.

I will only have a 40gig in it but, like I said, It wonn't be holding very big files. I don't pirate movies and krap like that :p

[Scorpionjwp]

That looks very nice, very clean looking, good job!

[Smbusa11]

Sorry about the post cutoff. We finally got the firewall setup and running. Things got a little busy around here, and we procrastinated a bit.

The final word on why we went with a 3rd party program on an xp os is that the program we are using is certified up to level 3 firewall, where smoothwall is only certified up to level 2. What that exactly means I am not too sure about. Im not too knowledgable on firewalling, myself.


What is the name of that software?

[Pherret]

The software is Winrout, which was recently bought out by Kerio I believe.

As far as the file server goes, it is on the home stretch. I just finished the power connections and got it to post. Now all that is to solder up little bits like leds.

Ill try to remember to get some pics before it goes on the rack.

[anakin357]

Looks really nice, I like what you did to it. :)

[lentic]

Your making me rethink my idea of rackmounting both of my servers.... damn anyway love what u did came out really clean :D

[Pherret]

Damn.. I always forget to take pics. I already mounted the fileserver.

Sofar I have transfirred about 8-10 gigs of stuff over and thats nearly all I need right now.

I'm currently having fun with remote desktop, as I am posting from it now, and the only things connected to it is power and LAN ! :D

Oah yeah, thanks guys for all the kind words. :)