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Massive 720TB JBOD Disk Array, 4U Supermicro CSE846 Server Chassis Build

66.6K views· 1,417 likes· 27:23· Jan 6, 2023

🛍️ Products Mentioned (11)

Featured Products: (affiliate links) Supermicro CSE-846 Chassis... https://ebay.us/WQACmF HGST Drives... https://amzn.to/4eWfoYI More Drives...! https://amzn.to/3Yffgfz Supermicro SAS Backplane... https://ebay.us/Eiiq5B Lenovo SAS Expander... https://ebay.us/i93erx SFF8087 Breakout Cables... https://amzn.to/3jTBKCu SFF8088 Case Bracket... https://ebay.us/yYeONR PCIe Power Board... https://amzn.to/3CnfJST Fan PWM Controller... https://amzn.to/3GIOEMi PSU 24 Pin Extension... https://amzn.to/3WPmSDH PSU 8 Pin Extension... https://amzn.to/3XdMNVr I've taken a Supermicro CSE-846 4U server case and packed 720TB of storage inside. In addition to the 24 front-facing bays it came with, I built out an additional 16 drives inside the case. The entire setup cost less than $11/TB and only consumes ~320W at the wall. Great deal and very efficient! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:23 Supermicro Chassis 01:26 18TB Hard Drives 02:16 The Build Plan 02:59 SAS Backplanes 04:14 Hard Drive Mounting 06:14 Drive Layout & Cooling 07:14 SFF8088 Input Bracket 08:05 Lenovo SAS Expander 09:26 Powering the Drives 11:44 Custom Power Cabling 14:16 SAS Connections 15:04 Fan Cooling 16:15 Initial Power-On 17:10 Fan Power & Control 17:35 Rack Installation 18:11 Full Startup Test 18:38 Mounting the Drives 20:03 Cooling Check/Changes 21:33 Power Consumption 22:08 Cost/Parts Breakdown 26:41 Conclusions Contact Info: Business email is lithiumsolardiy@gmail.com. I am not available for personal project questions or consultation. Disclaimers and Statements: ► I receive a small commission on purchases made using my affiliated links shared the video description and comments section. The views and opinions expressed here are my own, unbiased, and not influenced by this commission in any way.

About This Video

In this build I took a Supermicro CSE-846 4U chassis and turned it into a JBOD disk shelf with 40 total drives for about 720TB raw. The case starts with 24 front bays, and then I added another 16 drives inside the chassis using simple aluminum channel from Lowe’s and a pair of inexpensive backplanes. I walk through the whole plan, how I mounted the drive “blocks,” how I handled SAS cabling, and how I brought an external SFF-8088 connection out the back so it can live in the rack like a proper disk shelf. A big part of this video is the practical sysadmin stuff: powering a lot of disks safely, and keeping them cool. I used a Lenovo SAS expander that only needs power (not PCIe data), so I fed it with a cheap PCIe riser power board. For drive power I built a harness using ATX/CPU extension cables so I didn’t have to cut the expensive Supermicro PDU wiring, and I double/triple checked every pin because one mistake can destroy thousands of dollars in drives. I also covered airflow, drive temps (I saw up to ~44°C before tweaks), and power draw—about ~330W steady-state at the wall, roughly 8.25W per drive for the whole shelf. Finally, I break down cost: about $7,901 for ~720TB (under $11/TB) and why shopping for the chassis and parts matters more than people think.

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