Ultra Short Depth (<= 12") Rack Mount Server Build

[j-s-s]

My use case is a remote office that has a 1Gbps network infrastructure supporting a few desktops. The fileserver is the primary function of this device but will also run a limited number of VMs and/or containers to support services at the edge. The storage requirements are <= 20TB. The rack space available is up to 3U but only has a 12" depth as the rack has a total depth of only 15", door to wall. I was happy to see iX Systems come out with Mini in a rack product but it is too deep (21") for my space constraints. I have reviewed the Hardware Build Guide as well as this forum to get a better understanding of what I should and should not consider.

That all said, this is what I am considering for my first build and am looking for feedback.

• PlinkUSA Mini-ITX, 9.84" Deep, 5.25" Open Bay Rackmount Chassis
• IcyDock ToughArmor Rugged 8 x 2.5" SAS/SATA HDD/SSD Moblie Rack Enclosure for 5.25" Bay (2 x Mini-SAS HD)
• SuperMicro M11SDV-4C-LN4F
• Nemix RAM 64GB (2x32GB) DDR4-2666 PC4-21300 RDIMM Server Memory

 

[j-s-s]

The previous message posted prematurely and I don't see a way to edit the it. Continuing the list.

• LSI 9211-8i P20
• BarraCuda 2.5" Hard Drive 5TB
• Still looking for the correct riser card

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[SwisherSweet]

Cool build. Was looking for something similar but with 3.5" drive for a shallow Samson rack. Good luck finding the correct riser card.

 

[Etorix]

All high capacity 2.5" HDDs are SMR. This is clearly stated in the Seagate datasheet you linked. So not suitable for ZFS.

Anyway, these 15 mm drives would not fit in the 7 mm IcyDock carriers.

Bad plan. You could make it work by going for (7 mm) SATA SSDs, and a 9300-8i HBA. But the easiest and cheapest way would be to go for 3.5" HDDs (CMR!): You only need four drives larger than 10 TB to reach your 20 TB target size with a sufficiently safe layout (raidz2 rather than striped mirrors). No expensive IcyDock. Can you find a suitably short chassis?

 

[j-s-s]

I determined these points about the drives in my testing. So, I have since found this chassis. But, they don't have a distributor in the US.
Perhaps, if others are interested, we would convince them to ship a bunch. They did want to know if I would buy through Amazon so they may just need to show interest.