19" Racks for home...

[rvassar]

Enclosing it with plywood + fans + doors + hinges etc would cost more.

Actually I need some advanced noise abatement. I don't think the wall mount commercial offerings are going to go where I need, but thank you.

I live in a new neighborhood, with houses under construction all around me. I've got a query in with the construction site manager, asking if I can pick thru some scrap piles for 2x4 scraps. They end up hauling them off in dumpster's anyway, and pay by weight. So as long as I wait till he says its ok, it's a win-win... I'm going to check with the local Fry's this weekend, and see if they have the rails in a format I can use.

 

[joeinaz]

Found one on eBay... $400 plus $250 for shipping! I can buy a new Dell T30 for $549.

They do look nice though.

It depends what you are looking for. The Dell T30 supports 4 Disks; if all you ever need are 4 disks, that still may be an expensive solution. I have 3 different FreeNAS systems which hold between 10 and 12 disks (all removable without touching cables) and I would likely sell one for less than $600.

 

[joeinaz]

What size are you looking for?

Here are a few 12U options that are not too highly priced. You'd have to research a bit into each to make sure it has all the features you want, like casters, glass door vs metal doors + most importantly the depth you would need based on the depth of your deepest piece of equipment.

1. https://www.ebay.com/itm/12U-19-Wal...689865?hash=item41e0850b89:g:yZYAAOSwUwla4Nja
2. https://www.ebay.com/p/Raising-8u-S...g-and-Data-System/2212762420?iid=152682399938
3. https://www.ebay.com/p/12u-Wall-Mou...-Glass-Door-black/9008557274?iid=352200813402
4. https://www.ebay.com/itm/12U-Wallmo...Network-Rack-Locking-Glass-Door-/182871721061
5. https://www.ebay.com/itm/StarTech-1...404305&hash=item5b4142c120:g:N~cAAOSweEFbESww
6. https://www.ebay.com/itm/12U-Wall-M...255100?hash=item1edf5a497c:g:1iIAAOSw-H1a3za0
7. https://www.ebay.com/itm/12U-Wall-M...hash=item41e261472e:m:mA_1b0ehKILVsXOU5CWEomQ

I didn't order them by price, but they range from $79.99 - $202.99. After $200 though, I feel you can build your own and get better configuration based on depth you want and the height you want.

It cost me about $121.74 to build my own 4-post open rack. This included the square-hole uprights + lumber + pocket screws + supplies(glue, screws etc). Other than the uprights ($90 for 16U 4-posts), everything else was in single digits.

Enclosing it with plywood + fans + doors + hinges etc would cost more.

Be careful as those "data" cabinets are generally designed for switches and "short depth" servers. One of the enclosures shown has a depth of 22". While this is fine for a typical switch, typical datacenter servers or storage devices are usually more than 2 feet deep. Also server cabling may be a challenge with some "wall mount" enclosures which may not allow for cables to travel properly do to a sealed rear area.

As for a 4 post open rack, it is an inexpensive solution if you don't have to be concerned with the noise or esthetics of an open rack. In my case, my wife might complain about both...

 

[rvassar]

Be careful as those "data" cabinets are generally designed for switches and "short depth" servers. One of the enclosures shown has a depth of 22". While this is fine for a typical switch, typical datacenter servers or storage devices are usually more than 2 feet deep.

Add to this, there's no universal standard. I think Dell is generally ~27 - 28 inches, and I think Sun may have gone as deep as 30. Not sure about HPE & IBM kit, but I'm less familiar with those, and unlikely to acquire any.

 

[joeinaz]

The IBM "kit" is a serious chassis that is more than 32" deep. Ours housed a BladeCenter S, a UPS and Disk storage unit. Loaded with 7 servers, switches and 12 disks, it weighted in excess of 400 lbs. It was "office quiet" unless a fan or power failed. It was configured so that only 3 cables came out the back; one power cable from the UPS and 2 ethernet cables.

 

[PhilipS]

If the T30 is anything like the prior gen T20

I've worked on both - they are the same - just updated board in the T30. They are essentially desktop systems with a server chipset in them. Airflow around the drive area is not good and drive temps will be high unless you make modifications. The case fan spins too slow at idle, and the only BIOS option is to run the fan full speed all the time, which is noisy. I taped all the extra holes so all the inlet air is in front of the drives to keep the drives below 40.

 

[Linkman]

I've worked on both - they are the same - just updated board in the T30. They are essentially desktop systems with a server chipset in them. Airflow around the drive area is not good and drive temps will be high unless you make modifications. The case fan spins too slow at idle, and the only BIOS option is to run the fan full speed all the time, which is noisy. I taped all the extra holes so all the inlet air is in front of the drives to keep the drives below 40.

I am currently using a 32GB RAM / Xeon CPU Dell T20 as my desktop - I added an inexpensive sound card, and the Xeon processor graphics are plenty for the 2D desktop manager and software development IDEs I use. Prior to being my desktop, it was in use as a server with two HDDs in the lower bays, and an SSD above. I added an 80mm fan behind the two lower drive bays, which cured all temp issues I noticed.