New Build Hardware Questions

[mawatson115]

What i currently have:

Supermicro X9SRL-F
XEON E5-2680V2 10 CORE
8 x Samsung 16GB PC3L-12800R 2Rx4 DDR3-1600 ECC Registered Memory M393B2G70BH0-YK0
HP H220 6Gbps SAS PCI-E 3.0 HBA LSI 9207-8i P20 IT mode
I currently have 8 10TB WD Red drives on order but im leaning towards expanding it to 16 drives with ability to move to 24 later.

2 Questions i have are case and SAS expander card.

First i have found many cards on ebay that range around $15 but i want to make sure i get the correct card. Such as:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-46m0997-ServeRAID-Expansion-Adapter-16-port-SAS-Expander/192326557905

or

https://www.ebay.com/itm/487738-001...AOSw7FRWVeAo:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!29455!US!-1


Lastly and most obvious is a case to house it. Hot swap-able would be nice but not needed. I do believe i want a 24 Bay case so that does limit me to the 4u server chassis but all the ones i find on eBay are rather expensive and i would prefer one that uses normal ATX power supplies. Any suggestions you guys have? I really don't want to spend more than $300 for an empty shell with or without a back plane. This will mainly be used for a freenas plex server.

Something like this would work for now but i would really like to have the ability to expand later.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811147164


Thanks for your time.

 

[Chris Moore]

First i have found many cards on ebay that range around $15 but i want to make sure i get the correct card. Such as:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-46m0997-ServeRAID-Expansion-Adapter-16-port-SAS-Expander/192326557905

Not bad. I use two of those. You just need to ensure it is updated to the latest firmware to ensure it works properly.

or

https://www.ebay.com/itm/487738-001...AOSw7FRWVeAo:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!29455!US!-1

No. Not worth it. My opinion.

Something like this would work for now but i would really like to have the ability to expand later.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811147164

Not really a good option for a case. You will likely hate it, I did, and want to replace it which will mean spending even more money later. The following is a bit expensive, but it includes a hot-swap backplane with integrated SAS expander and hot-swap redundant power supplies. It is a better value, even though it is more initial investment:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro...x-TRAYS-NO-PWS-/382277186258?oid=172503817642

Sorry, on closer inspection of the listing, it doesn't include the power supplies, but it gives you an idea of what to look for and I know there are some available that do include the power supplies.

 

[Chris Moore]

Here is one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro...-W-X8DAH-F-BPN-SAS2-846EL1-RAILS/382243380103

Just snatch that system board out and put yours in. Sell the older board on eBay and get some of your money back.

 

[mawatson115]

Here is one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro...-W-X8DAH-F-BPN-SAS2-846EL1-RAILS/382243380103

Just snatch that system board out and put yours in. Sell the older board on eBay and get some of your money back.

Thanks Chris, that may work once i sell the board it comes with and my old power supply to recoup some of the cost.

Once last question, since that case does come with a back plane it is my understanding that the back plane is an expander card on its own so i would not need another is that correct? I just plug the back plane into my H220 SAS Controller? If so does this case normal come with that cable that runs between the back plane and the controller or is that purchased separately?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Chris Moore]

since that case does come with a back plane it is my understanding that the back plane is an expander card on its own so i would not need another is that correct?

Yes.

I just plug the back plane into my H220 SAS Controller?

Exactly.
So you will only need one SAS cable to connect between your existing SAS controller and the backplane.

If so does this case normal come with that cable that runs between the back plane and the controller or is that purchased separately?

I couldn't tell for sure, from the photos, if that chassis comes with one, but this is the type of cable you would need:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/15Inch-SFF...-Pin-Server-Hard-Disk-RAID-Cable/162274036831
That one is only 15 inches long, so it might be too short or just long enough, but it gives you the idea.
Here is one that is 19 inches and they come in a variety of sizes, you just need to ensure it is long enough.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-Cable...iPass-Mini-SAS-Double-Ended-Plug/163333715185

 

[Chris Moore]

PS. I looked back at the photo and it appears there is a cable, but the photo is dark and it is hard to make out the detail.

 

[mawatson115]

Thank you for your help Chris. I have decided to go with that 2nd listing you found. I messaged the seller and he is not only including the SAS cables but i was able to talk him down $60 which basically covered the shipping cost. It is a lot of money upfront but as you said it will be a great investment and last me a really long time. I was doing some looking around eBay and that back plane that is included is worth $250 on its own so the motherboard and back plane alone cost more then what i paid for entire case. I believe that is a pretty good deal.

Only thing i got left to do is get more drives and perhaps look into do 10GB networking down the road but i think ill wait on that for now.

Thanks again.

Mark