Compact 12-16 bay enclosure/cases?

[ShimadaRiku]

Don't want rack mount size. Are there any "compact" hotswap cases like these to build? Closest thing I have seen is a Silverstone DS380 which I currently use, but it is only 8 bays.

Can Freenas be installed on these qnap/synology units?

If not, can I buy a broken unit, gut it and install compatible parts or some how mod it?

Has anyone 3D printed a case fitted 3in5 hotswap bays?

 

[Inxsible]

If not, can I buy a broken unit, gut it and install compatible parts or some how mod it?

Not sure about every synology/qnap case out there, but if it uses a standard MB size (most likely a mini-ITX) then you can surely gut it and install your own. However some cases at least, have proprietary form-factors for the boards and you will never be able to find the same form-factor boards unless you buy their own boards which kinda defeats the purpose here.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Regardless of how you stack them, a chassis with sixteen hotswap LFF bays is not going to be "compact" in terms of front surface area.

The cheaper QNAP and Synology 12/16-bay units all use ARM processors, which will not work with FreeNAS (although you might be able to shoehorn another OS with ZFS support onto them)

The QNAP/Synology units that have x86 processors are significantly higher priced - think "$2000 and up, without drives", based on a glance at NewEgg USA - than you would be able to build yourself based on a Supermicro 3U/4U chassis, and they'll be similarly sized as well. They also seem to cap out at 32GB of RAM, which I would consider "a good place to start" for a large modern ZFS server. ;)

 

[ShimadaRiku]

Regardless of how you stack them, a chassis with sixteen hotswap LFF bays is not going to be "compact" in terms of front surface area.

you would be able to build yourself based on a Supermicro 3U/4U chassis, and they'll be similarly sized as well. ;)

Currently using a Silverstone ds380 packed with 8x HDD & 4x SSD. Super compact, barely any open space, fits perfectly on my shelf and easy to transport.

3U/4U rackmount like Rosewill RSV-L4500 or L4412 has a lot of empty space inside which makes it 35% larger by volume compared to a Qnap TS-1685. Plus it's form factor is too deep for my living arrangement.

I'm considering buying a 2nd ds380 case but unsure how I would connect them together as one.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Depth (and noise) is certainly a valid concern. You won't really find a shallow 16-bay rackmount.

I'm considering buying a 2nd ds380 case but unsure how I would connect them together as one.

Use something like the Supermicro CSE-PTJBOD-CB1 for power control:



And a dual SFF-8088 to SFF-8087 adapter bracket:



Use forward SAS-to-SATA breakout cables in the second unit, add a dual-port external HBA in the first, cable them together, and you're all set. (Theoretically. You might be at or close to the SATA cable length limitations by the time you go from host HBA -> external -> adapter -> breakout -> drive)

 

[joeinaz]

I have currently have a twelve (3.5") disk full tower listed on eBay however it is a complete solution just needing disk drives. The bays allow for removal of the disks without having to disconnect any wires. In addition to space for 12 disks, there are also two 5.25" bays with would allow for 3 additional 3.5" disks. The system has a SAS expander card so the addition of more disks only requires a cable and not an additional controller. Next week I will list a mid-tower with a capacity of 10 disks which are removable from the front panel. This system includes an x10 motherboard, CPU and memory. Finally, I have a 3rd system which uses the Antec 900 mid-tower case and has 12 disks all accessible from the front panel. It is the system I use for my current FreeNAS solution but I may be convinced to part with it since I cam across an x9 motherboard I bought for less than $70.

 

[CraigD]

You can jam 16 drives in the Antec 900 case, it has 9 5.25" bays, bend some tabs, buy 3x 5 in 3 cages or hot swap bays, buy a PCIe drive hanger

Sure the drive on the hanger will run hotter than the rest but you get 16 drive a single case

Have Fun

 

[ShimadaRiku]

Depth (and noise) is certainly a valid concern. You won't really find a shallow 16-bay rackmount.



Use something like the Supermicro CSE-PTJBOD-CB1 for power control:

View attachment 32813

So I would need to manually power each enclosure individually?

And a dual SFF-8088 to SFF-8087 adapter bracket:

View attachment 32814

Use forward SAS-to-SATA breakout cables in the second unit, add a dual-port external HBA in the first, cable them together, and you're all set. (Theoretically. You might be at or close to the SATA cable length limitations by the time you go from host HBA -> external -> adapter -> breakout -> drive)

My E3C224D4I-14S motherboard has integrated LSI 2308 with 2x mini-SAS ports which I use breakout cables to connect the 8x HDD drive cage. I'm assuming I would need to get a SAS expander like the HP one with external sff-8088?

 

[HoneyBadger]

So I would need to manually power each enclosure individually?

Yes, you'd still need a PSU in the second DS380. Adding this board would basically turn your second DS380 into a JBOD chassis with its own separate power control. You could wire the power button to jump the pins on the PSU, but the SuperMicro board gives you some fan headers and a better method of control.

My E3C224D4I-14S motherboard has integrated LSI 2308 with 2x mini-SAS ports which I use breakout cables to connect the 8x HDD drive cage. I'm assuming I would need to get a SAS expander like the HP one with external sff-8088?

If you want to use the 2308 onboard controller for all devices ports yes; however regardless of your choice you'll still need the 8088-8087 convertor in the second chassis.

The thought of the full-tower cases like the Antec 900 and a number of 3x5.25" to 5x3.5" bay adapters also might fit the use case better and wouldn't require the cross-chassis cabling. Internals of that case will still look like spaghetti though with the number of breakout cables in play.

 

[ShimadaRiku]

The thought of the full-tower cases like the Antec 900 and a number of 3x5.25" to 5x3.5" bay adapters also might fit the use case better and wouldn't require the cross-chassis cabling. Internals of that case will still look like spaghetti though with the number of breakout cables in play.

Antec 900 & Rosewill L4500 are about the same size. Too deep/wide for me.

Though I did come across a nice looking 3D printed case that is almost perfect.

https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/what-about-a-3d-printed-mini-itx-nas-case.74979/

The right column houses drives. If I can modify or print my own i'll make it so the left side also hold drives. Maybe it would be easier for me to just try to print a case which can hold 3x5.25 cages or make one out of extrusion tubes or cardboard lol.

 

[joeinaz]

Yes, you'd still need a PSU in the second DS380. Adding this board would basically turn your second DS380 into a JBOD chassis with its own separate power control. You could wire the power button to jump the pins on the PSU, but the SuperMicro board gives you some fan headers and a better method of control.


If you want to use the 2308 onboard controller for all devices ports yes; however regardless of your choice you'll still need the 8088-8087 convertor in the second chassis.

The thought of the full-tower cases like the Antec 900 and a number of 3x5.25" to 5x3.5" bay adapters also might fit the use case better and wouldn't require the cross-chassis cabling. Internals of that case will still look like spaghetti though with the number of breakout cables in play.

My Antec 900 is more of a mid-tower versus my Lian-Li A76 which is a full tower. The Antec 900 is an older case and after the three 4 disk enclosures are installed, there is very little room and no easy way to manage cables. The one good thing about the 900 is because of the short distance between the disk backplanes and the controllers, it is possible to use short SAS and power cables. The 900 also has a large number of big fans for its size. The Lian-Li on the other hand is a full tower with modern cable management considerations built into the case. While the disk backplanes are further away and and require longer power and SAS connections, the cables are easily routed through to the other side of the server.

The challenges of putting a large number of 3.5" disks are heat, cabling and noise. Smaller cases tend to magnify these issues.

 

[marte_91]

View attachment 32805 View attachment 32804 View attachment 32806

Don't want rack mount size. Are there any "compact" hotswap cases like these to build? Closest thing I have seen is a Silverstone DS380 which I currently use, but it is only 8 bays.

Can Freenas be installed on these qnap/synology units?

If not, can I buy a broken unit, gut it and install compatible parts or some how mod it?

Has anyone 3D printed a case fitted 3in5 hotswap bays?

Unfortunately, qnap uses custom backplane and controller,

the only way i see this being successful is to get a HBA with 16 ports something like LSI SAS 9300-16I, you can get it for about 80 US, this is a full size card, will only fit on the right side slot, however you can try for a LSI 9400-16i, they a re a bit more expensive, but smaller size and less heat generated, you also have to replace the PSU, the only thing special about the qnap PSU in this model is a 20 pin connector used to send power to the back plane and HDD's, a 500w SFX power supply will fit in the same space of the Qnap proprietary PSU, the rest of the connectors on the QNAP psu are standard ATX (24pin main connector, 6 and 8 pin PCIe power, and CPU power), alternately you can re wire the custom backplane connector to sata power connectors, but between connectors and wire, an SFX psu is about 60 for a 550w.

 

[jafin]

Not "exactly" compact, but generic 12 bay https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005827664752.html
there are also quite a few 8 bays as well https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004540711069.html
I cannot comment on quality as I have not used either.

 

[somethingweird]

https://45homelab.com/ HL45 - lookings interesting 15 bays.