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Looking for a good case for a RAID Array

B

BigDish

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 16, 2002
Messages
215
OK, I have my current RAID Array full (7x200 GB Drives in RAID 5) and am starting to toy with the idea of a second RAID array. There's two ways I can see to go about this:
1. IDE to FiberChannel array. Something sort of like http://www.attotech.com/diamond/vclass.html?PHPSESSID=d6ca84c7c2d526c1480fde08e9593908 but without the pricetag. Even used I can't afford that. Unfortunately most of the stuff like that I see is SCSI and SCSI drives are too small/expensive/loud. Anyone know of anything similar, but much cheaper?

2. Build another linux box (what I did for the first RAID Array) with another 3Ware card. This time I would want to go SATA, as it's the future and the wiring for that many PATA drives is a nightmare.
I've had a couple drive failures in my current array, and changing the drives is a pain, so I think I would like to go to drives in hot-swap sleds. I'm looking for a case that would be well suited to this. So far I found the SuperMicro SC743T-645 Chassis (http://www.supermicro.com/products/chassis/4U/743/SC743T-645.cfm) which looks like it costs about $450 with a power supply - not exactly cheap, but I think I could stomache it. Anything better/cheaper or anything comparable even - I don't know of any other companies making cases similar to that.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
If you're thinking of going SATA, just hit up the "Accessories - Hard Drive" area at Newegg and check out the 5-disk SATA cages there.

I got an Enlight-8721 for the mail server at work that houses two 36GB Raptors in a RAID 1 array along with three 250GB WD's and it works great. The hot-swap feature works just like it does in a SCSI environment. Newegg does not seem to stock that particular unit but I'm sure the Supermicro variant would serve you just as well.

You can add that cage into any case you want. Say if you got a Coolermaster Stacker case, three of those Supermicro cages and the drives to fill it, and then took out the USB/Firewire bay and floppy bay from the case you could potentially cram 15 drives in that case rather than spend $450 on a case you really don't need.

My $.02.
 
Unfortunately, I'm looking to hold at least 7, probably 8 drives. If I buy two of those units plus a case, I'm spending more than the case I linked earlier :-(
 
Look into a coolermaster stacker and buying an addition 4 drive cage for it, each cage has it's own fan. You could have a total of 3 cages and a cd rom for 12 harddrives and your optical stuff.
 
How about using something like this external drive tank to house the actual drives and port your data over to it with a few of these backplates (i'm sure there are others of higher number per plate somewhere) to route your data lines? might be a little more expensive for these bits here, but this way, you don't have to set up a whole new machine for it, just pipe it to your current box, which should save you some $ in the long run.

Just a thought.
 
defakto said:
Look into a coolermaster stacker and buying an addition 4 drive cage for it, each cage has it's own fan. You could have a total of 3 cages and a cd rom for 12 harddrives and your optical stuff.
Click to expand...
I think This is what he is talking about...
 
What about the Lian Li PC-V2100. It has twelve slide out bays that are easily accessible from the side. I think they have another just like it that costs a little more (but I don't think it looks as nice).
 
http://stores.ebay.com/CalPCsystems

these guys seem to have lots of items that work for mass storage, i have a 3 bay 5 drive i got from them waiting on more disks, but there are several 3 drive 2 bay systems for sale.

and every once in a while, i've seen raid hotswap type cases.

just another shopper looking for ya.

QM
 
The Coolermaster Stacker is one of the 2 cases at the top of my list, that and the Silverstone TJ06.
 
My suggestion would be to get a CM stacker and stick a bunch of Vantec Hot-Swap SATA things in it. They've got lcd readout on temp and a fan so they're pretty funky overall.
 
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