Rackmountable Chassis/Rack thoughts.

[Ishar]

First, i hope this is the appropriate area. It doesn't really seem like a general forums thread because its hardware related, but then again, its cases and crap, not actual hardware. hmm. lol.

eh. so. I want to rack mount my computers. (for aesthetic and space reasons) Been poking around a bit, so these are my thoughts, mostly shared because i think a few other people are thinking abut this as well. Thoughts are welcome, but theres not really a question, per sey.

i found this: http://3btech.net/chsost4urach.html ('http://3btech.net/chsost4urach.html') Its a 4U rack mountable case for 49 bucks. Free shipping too; so cool beans. 50 dollars per case is fairly affordable.

So, cases are attainable. hmm. now, we need a rack/cabinet. In between visits to eBay for a cheap rack thats in my area; i came across this website ('http://blog.deadlycomputer.com/2006/09/17/458/'), which is pretty cool; though theres some pretty obvious issues with how they go about it, theres some pretty obvious solutions to those too. (read the comments at the bottom, but in short, they use the front brackets on the case to bear the load, a better solution would be using angle iron to bear the load.)

I got one of the cases to see if hardware would fit, (I have an Asus Silent Square, and the thing is way too tall. but it fits. barely. if ya leave out the support beam for the cards. I like the case. Probably gonna go about getting enough of the cases and getting all my hardware moved over, then worry about getting a actual rack and cabinet. (figure i can just stack the cases until then) Unsure if i'm gonna take a stab at a DIY rack yet, but it has some appeal. It seems structurally sound, but then again they don't have it fully loaded. (but going with angel iron or shelves in lieu of actual rails would probably add to its structural integrity, as well.) Any engineers out there, lol? Probably easier to just wait for a cheap rack, lol.

/shrug. just my thoughts.

[Sarduci]

A 4U case is just a full tower case laying on it's side.... I've got a couple dozen at various locations doing just that....

2x4's, some scrap wood for shelves, some spare time and you're all done for hell of a lot cheaper than buy rackmount equipment. If you want to spend the money, feel free. Racks are really nice for setting up 5+ servers in the 4U range. 1U or 2U systems of any amount need racks of some fashion or they get really messy. 8U cases really have no bearing anymore outside of some DIY NAS or SAN.

Good luck with you new equipment! ../forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.png

[Wilbur]

First thing you need to do when you get your case is to strip out the shitty fans. Generally 4U cases come with the *LOUDEST FUCKING FANS IN THE WORLD*

[Gadzooks]

Gizmodo had this article for a linux cluster that someone built into an IKEA dresser:

http://gizmodo.com/394328/cheap-ikea-furniture-makes-one-hell-of-a-linux-cluster


Less elegant but would be fine in a closet or basement is to look for musicians getting rid of rack-mount flight cases. I've seen them go cheap on Craigslist. A lot of them have conditioned power supplies too.

[Ishar]

Eh, yeah, 4U is more or less a tower...but its actually a little less 'deep' than a standard tower is wide. which isnt a problem...unless you have a fan that only fits in your tower by virtue of an inch or so. hehe, with the 'support' bar removed from the case I linked, the stupid silent square ('http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?modelmenu=1&model=813&l1=16&l2=65&l3=0') is like, a millimeter from the top of the case. That was my only concern. Don't ask me why i have such a huge fan, I dont have the slightest clue; I think i bought it on a whim. (although, it is pretty quiet)

I considered just laying my towers on their side....but I have 7 machines, and 6 different cases. Eh. Their not uniform, and end up looking, i dunno, tacky, to me. Additionally, their all slightly different sizes and such. So i have this (silly) desire to get them into the same 'style' of case just for aesthetics. Coupled with the rack idea, 4u cases make sense.

That said, i bought one of those, it arrived, my hardware fit, and I like the case. The hard drive and cd rom bays are removable, theres plenty of slots for hard drives; and i don't really care about glowy spark lies anymore, so the black case with one green and one red light appeals to me. Eh, maybe i just buy crappy cases, but I've had waay too many cases where the hard drive and cd rom bays are not removable; its nice to have the option when installing things. Also, these things have a ton of hard drive bays, LOL. So, totally happy with the case. Also, I havent (yet) noticed the fans being loud yet. hmm. If i start hearing an overabundant of jets i'll be sure to check that first tho!

yeah, DIY rack out of wood is definitely an option. OTOH, i think constructing it out of metal like the deadly-computer guys did would look slightly snazzier. I need to price both options. Can always just buy the cases one at a time and stack them until I decide.

The cluster-in-an-ikea is totally insane. i imagine it must be a total PITA to work on tho. seems like you would have a hard time if say; the bottommost PSU died. Or a mobo in the center went bad. This is just me speculating from looking at what he did hehe. Tho it gives me ideas...maybe If i decide to 10box at some point in the future, and suddenly need 5-6 more cases, i'll try something similar. I used to think it would be cool to stick more than one computer (PSU, mobo, CPU, etc) inside a single box; but never could figure out a scheme that wouldn't be holy hell to service. Still, was a cool thing to look thru, am jealous tho...6 Quad cores, 8 gigs of ram each...seems like he put some serious money into that cluster.
Also, now im thinking it'd be cool to have my own cluster...mm. Something to do in the future when im bored, maybe.

never heard of a rack-mount flight cases; but i remember reading somewhere that musical equipment and computer racks use the same 19" specification, i take it tahts what you are talking about? (I know nothing about music or musical equipment.) hmm. oh well, time to Google =0

[sojolly]

These guys offer a number of sizes to choose from: http://www.startech.com/category/parts/cases/rackmount-cases/list.aspx

As was mentioned before the noise of rackmount cases is deafening when you get a whole rack full of them. I have 22 Dual Quad core servers in a rack at work that i use for a beowulf-ish cluster.

Sojolly

[Zite83]

Thanks for the link.. always looking for a cheap rack mount case/s Here is my set up.. I own a very old house but its well networked.. In my basement I have my M0n0wall computer which is that crappy white case one in the corner.. 250Mhz no fans.. I love it.. My D-vine computer case is my NAS server.. Was my home theater project computer, but that project died quick. So like every one has said just set up some 2x4s and you got yourself a good setup :P

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll35/zite83/P1010824.jpg
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll35/zite83/P1010825.jpg
Huh.. had that rotated on photobucket.. owell...

[Wilbur]

CRT! BOOOOO!