Hi everyone,
I am a small MSP and am planning a new TrueNAS server build for a client. The primary purpose for this will be for storage for local backups. It will replace an aging QNAP TS-469 Pro. I will iterate my situation below:
- QNAP TS-469Pro-RP (rackmount, 4 bay, 10.82TB capacity (4 x 3.64TB - Raid 5) , 9.31TB used
- New TrueNAS Build (Intended) - 2U Rackmount 8-Bay. Initial capacity 20 to 30 TB over 3 or 4 drives.
Leaving 4 to 5 bays open for later expansion. New motherboard (ASRock E3C242D4U or similar), Intel Xeon E-22xx or similar, 64GB (2 x 32GB mem), LSI-9211, WD-NAS 10TB 3.5 drives, etc.
Initial concerns:
My initial budget is around $2500.
I have been looking for a 2U 8-bay chassis, SAS2 or 3 / 6Gb or 12Gb Backplane with bays for 2 x 2.5 SSD for OS (or 1 x 3.5 - adaptable to 2 x 2.5), 500+ redundant power supply, etc. I have found some, ex: (Chenbro RM244, RM23608, etc…AIC RSC-2KT, Silverstone RM22-308, etc). Most chassis such as these end up around $700+ with Power supplies & rails, and availability is scarce and prices are increasing due to current world economic conditions. One supplier has told me prices have increase 25%+. I know I can find used cases and components on Ebay, etc. but I would rather go new if possible, especially since this is for client production machine. I can create a solution that is near to my budget +/- a few dollars.
2U Chassis Options (alternatives to finding new chassis such as above).
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Option 1
I have one retired Dell 2850 server. I was thinking about attempting to retro-fit it with the new components (MB, Processor, Mem, etc), maybe use existing PSs and replace as needed. I would have to replace the backplane, as current is SCSI. So question is has any of you done something similar and do you think it is a direction to be considered? -
Option 2
I am looking at options at techsupplydirect.com. I have seen Tom’s video on the Dell server, albeit much more dense than my config, but I might consider a newer Dell machine than my 2850, maybe something like a R730xd or similar, if I could find a combination that can support my budget.
I would definitely value your feedback on what I have presented above.
Thanks much!
Lonnie