Advice needed for a DIY ghetto RAID/DAS rig.

frishi

Honorable
Oct 17, 2013
2
0
10,510
Hi Tom's Hardware, I just registered on this website.

I am in the process of sourcing components to build a DAS and under an impossibly low budget of $300-$350.

A little context:
I already have a nice little HPDL360 as my home server, and it has 2 x 2TB SAS drives in RAID 0 already setup. Currently it holds and serves all my media. I have filled it to its maximum capacity. I could add another 2TB SAS drive; but I hope to accomplish my DIY project in the same price that I would pay for the SAS drive.

Also: Looks do not matter to me, the whole rig can live on styrofoam or whatever substrate I can get my hands on.

In the end, hopefully, I would have some room to add drives to my DIY rig without spending a crazy amount.

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So far, I scoured ebay for all of the following:

1. Legit DAS enclosures such as the ones from HP; they were never in the price range.

2. NAS enclosures, which were either too limited in upgrade options (always 2-bay, 4 bay) or never in my price range or both.

I know that for the power and options I am asking the budget is too limited. But I am a tinkerer and I want to build something, however ghetto, just to prove to myself that I can do it.

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That said, here is what I am thinking:

+ I am building a DIY RAID rig with a motherboard, PSU and a RAID controller.

+ Hook up 4 x 1TB HDD to the RAID controller in the DIY rig.

+ Install a P800 card in the DL360

+ connect the RAID controller of my rig to the DL360 via mini SAS cable.

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The biggest question I have is whether I need a RAID controller in the rig at all.
Can I just get an adapter like this one:

LSI SAS3801E 3Gb/s miniSAS Eight-Port Host Bus Adapter

http://bit.ly/H3atGb

And install this in the rig, connect my HDDs to the adapter; connect the adapter to the P800 via miniSAS ?

Just curious if you think this would work.

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My shopping list so far:

1. JetWay JM26GT4-LF Micro ATX AM2 Motherboard with 2.1GHz Athlon X2 and 2GB DDR2 http://www.ebay.com/itm/171140099397?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 (ALREADY PURCHASED)

2. 4 x 1TB Western Digital HDD (GOT THIS FOR FREE)

3. HP Smart Array P800 512MB SAS Raid Controller
http://www.ebay.com/itm/360635211300?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649


What do you guys think?
I humbly ask for your advise and look at this opportunity to educate myself while I build my absolutely ghetto RAID DAS rig.

Thank you!!
 
Solution
+ Install a P800 card in the DL360
This isn't going to work. The card is Pci-e and the server is PCI/Pci-x

Also, You don't need a motherbd, processor and ram for a DAS. You only need a powered HBA card which connects back thru to the servers raid card. Granted the easiest way to power an HBA is to use an old motherbd <grin>

popatim

Titan
Moderator
+ Install a P800 card in the DL360
This isn't going to work. The card is Pci-e and the server is PCI/Pci-x

Also, You don't need a motherbd, processor and ram for a DAS. You only need a powered HBA card which connects back thru to the servers raid card. Granted the easiest way to power an HBA is to use an old motherbd <grin>

 
Solution

frishi

Honorable
Oct 17, 2013
2
0
10,510


Thanks for your reply!

Regarding the P800, I am confused. This thread says it is possible:
http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/ProLiant-Servers-ML-DL-SL/P800-in-DL360-G5-Won-t-Fit/td-p/5897799#.UmBldWRgYyc

Even read HP's official quickspecs for DL360 G5 and P800 is listed as an optional upgrade.

Anyway, I think I can get away without using the P800. My modified plan is to purchase a RAID controller card and connect my HDDs to it.

Then connect my ghetto rig to the DL360 with an ethernet cable. The mobo has a gigabit ethernet card and I think if I serving files from the server + rig combo, my data transfer speeds are limited by the read/write speeds of the HDDs. (correct?)

So being the cheap person that I am,
I did get the motherboard/2GB/Athlon X2 combo for $50 :)
I will get a PSU for $30
I am looking for a RAID controller in the $40-$60 range.
I already have the HDDs

And I am set!!! (or am I?)

Thanks once again for the reply.