SAS SSDs and controller question

[ochadd]

I might have some SAS SSDs pulls from Dell servers and Equalogic SANs this year, 6 and 12 gbps drives. I'd like to try transplanting them into less critical machines that don't have SAS backplanes. Most of the solutions I've found appear to be rinky dink work around stuff. Can anyone recommend a straight forward way to add 15 mm thick 2.5" SAS drives to regular desktop style servers? The lack of 5.25 to 2x or 4x 2.5" drives makes me think I'm missing something.

The drives would be the likes of the SanDisk LB400M or HGST Ultrastar SSD1600MM.

These two solutions are the closest I've found. An internal conversion with molex power and an 8 pay SAS enclosure from a company I've never heard of. Thought I would use Dell H330 or H730p controllers.
newegg link
https://www.newegg.com/p/1UW-0038-00015?Description=sas drive enclosure&cm_re=sas_drive enclosure-_-9SIADZY9848166-_-Product&quicklink=true

 

[mwroobel]

I might have some SAS SSDs pulls from Dell servers and Equalogic SANs this year, 6 and 12 gbps drives. I'd like to try transplanting them into less critical machines that don't have SAS backplanes. Most of the solutions I've found appear to be rinky dink work around stuff. Can anyone recommend a straight forward way to add 15 mm thick 2.5" SAS drives to regular desktop style servers? The lack of 5.25 to 2x or 4x 2.5" drives makes me think I'm missing something.

The drives would be the likes of the SanDisk LB400M or HGST Ultrastar SSD1600MM.

These two solutions are the closest I've found. An internal conversion with molex power and an 8 pay SAS enclosure from a company I've never heard of. Thought I would use Dell H330 or H730p controllers.
newegg link
https://www.newegg.com/p/1UW-0038-00015?Description=sas drive enclosure&cm_re=sas_drive enclosure-_-9SIADZY9848166-_-Product&quicklink=true

Well, first of course you will need a SAS HBA. Unfortunately, most of the 4x/6x 2.5" to 5.25" adapters won't work for you because they usually top out at 9.5mm/11mm and won't accomodate your 15mm Z-Heights. You easy options are to go with an enclosure that has hotswap SAS trays already or to just screw them into a standard case and then run a SAS cable to them.

 

[Zedicus]

if low cost is the recommendation i would use that cable you have listed and jujt the cheapest single 2.5 to 3.5 adapter i could find. as long as your chassis has multiple 3.5 bays you can still run multiple drives that way. direct cable the drive into place, and be done with it.
also Dell H330 cards are fairly cheap for an HBA.

 

[ochadd]

Looks like this would work for the H330 to the : Newegg SFF 8644
This would be for the H730p: Newegg SFF 8643
Wouldn't have enough molex connectors for either one unless I split from spare SATA power. This is starting to sound like something I'd regret.

 

[UhClem]

Can anyone recommend a straight forward way to add 15 mm thick 2.5" SAS drives to regular desktop style servers? The lack of 5.25 to 2x or 4x 2.5" drives makes me think I'm missing something.

8x 2.5" SAS/SATA subsystem in 2 x 5.25" bays is sometimes available in the used/surplus scene for ~$100-150
e.g., Intel P/N #FUP8X25S3HSDK ... would take two simple/cheap SFF8643-to-SFF8643 cables from H730p

Good luck ...

 

[mwroobel]

Another option is one of the Supermicro boxes you can find ridiculously cheap. 24 hot swap SAS 2.5" slots with power supplies, trays, expander... Everything you need just drop a motherboard in. I generally see them for ~$150 plus shipping. Here is an example.

 

[Zedicus]

also, and hear me out, have you considered NOT doing this at all???
i know it seems like a good idea, but there is no off the shelf easy way to do this for a reason, it is not a move generally made in enterprise. all of the low cost ways to accomplish this seem kludgy, because they are.

 

[ochadd]

also, and hear me out, have you considered NOT doing this at all???
i know it seems like a good idea, but there is no off the shelf easy way to do this for a reason, it is not a move generally made in enterprise. all of the low cost ways to accomplish this seem kludgy, because they are.

I have considered it, as much now as ever. I'll never sell a storage device so if I don't use it, it gets shot and buried. This will be the first time I've retired a healthy set of SSDs and seems wrong to just destroy them.

 

[Zedicus]

after we destroy the plates or chips we take drives to the local metal recycler. with spinners there was a fair amount of metal, SSDs, not so much.

build a dedicated box and turn them into a SSD NAS and mine chia or filecoin.

 

[cdabc123]

If keep them. Get a cheap raid controller and just plug the drives in.

Build a ssd nas in a box and ignore how they look?