So I've been looking for a decent NAS case for quite some time now that can push the limits on disk count. I've come across cases up to 8 drives or so, but these cases have a lot of wasted space internally, and are expensive, noisy and leave me wanting.
So, I've started putting together some ideas for a custom file storage focused case that can hold up to 16 3.5" drives. I'm a ZFS user and having 4 x 4 disk zvols in a quiet, compact form factor gives me the warm and fuzzies.
I've borrowed quite heavily from the backblaze concept of caddyless/trayless disk housing as I really don't see the need for mounting trays (too many screws for no real gain!).
My initial requirements are fairly straight forward:
The images below are an early attempt in sketchup, still tweaking and massaging the idea out of my brain. Looking to get some feedback and thoughts on possible modifications etc.
The design is far from complete, and is still in concept form. I'm aware I'm missing power supplies and there is no air-flow yet for the bottom compartment. Updates to come soon (I hope).
So, I've started putting together some ideas for a custom file storage focused case that can hold up to 16 3.5" drives. I'm a ZFS user and having 4 x 4 disk zvols in a quiet, compact form factor gives me the warm and fuzzies.
I've borrowed quite heavily from the backblaze concept of caddyless/trayless disk housing as I really don't see the need for mounting trays (too many screws for no real gain!).
My initial requirements are fairly straight forward:
- Hold up to 16 regular 3.5" drives
- Potentially hold 2 to 4 SSD drives for ZIL/Cache if needed. I have less of a need for this these days as my VM Host is SSD based and VM's no longer run off this platform.
- House a Mini-ITX motherboard
- Vertical "gravity assisted" drive bays
- Use of SAS or SATA backplanes to make drive swap-out easy
- Compact design that can fit on top of my IKEA Billy book case
- Incorporate dust filters and a positive pressure design to reduce dust intake, reducing overall maintenance
The images below are an early attempt in sketchup, still tweaking and massaging the idea out of my brain. Looking to get some feedback and thoughts on possible modifications etc.
The design is far from complete, and is still in concept form. I'm aware I'm missing power supplies and there is no air-flow yet for the bottom compartment. Updates to come soon (I hope).