Lenovo ThinkServer TS140
Intel C226 server chipset (5 x SATA, Gb NIC, USB3, ECC)
Intel AMT 9 remote management
Intel Core i3-4330 (Specified as a 4130, but who am I to complain about a free upgrade?)
16 GB ECC memory (4x4 GB, 32 GB max)
Storage: 28 TB : 1 x 12 TB, 2 x 8 TB in a single pool of single vdevs.
Boot Drive: Small SSD
Usage: Backups, Personal files, and MultiMedia.
Notes:
- Lenovo's drive cages are grossly overpriced and ruin the value proposition of the TS140. I wouldn't bother with them as you can easily hack three drives into the upper drive area.
- To use the out-of-band remote admin features (Intel's AMT, not IPMI) you have C to have a Xeon CPU.
As needed:
LSI SAS3041E-R PCIe 4x SATA/SAS controller flashed to IT mode (2 TB HDD limited)
Vantec UGT-ST310R PCI SATA controller as needed. (Hey, sometimes you gotta use what you have laying around.)
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Netgear ReadyNAS 4200 v2 (12 hot-swap 3.5" drive bays) (Supermicro OEM)
Redundant dual 1U PSUs replaced with SFX PSU that just squeezes in. (By the previous owner, it's very quiet.)
I've added an 80 mm fan at the rear of the case to compensate for the lack of an external-facing PSU fan.
OEM Supermicro X8SI6-F
No Realtek RTL8201N PHY / WPCM450 Server BMC IPMI 2.0
Firmware flashed to plain Supermicro
Xeon X3450 (No VMs for me.)
32 GB ECC memory (4x8 GB, 32 GB max)
LSI 2008 embedded SATA/SAS II controller flashed to IT mode - 2 mini SAS SSF-8087 ports for 8 SATA/SAS drives
6 Intel SATA ports
Dell H200 SATA/SAS controller flashed to IT mode - 2 Mini SAS SFF-8087 for 8 SATA/SAS drives
Boot drives: mirrored 2 x 16 GB Apacer SSDs
Internal bays:
12 x 2 TB
Two external 4x hot swap cages using a separate PSU:
2 x 4 x 2 TB
Total: 20 x 2 TB RAIDZ3 -> 31 TB usable
Usage: Backup of the primary server. It's usually turned off to save energy.
