UnRaid SSD Array For VMs [ESX TrueNAS] - Ft. Silvestone

SilverStone SDP11: https://amzn.to/3fFQLGl SilverStone ECS07: https://amzn.to/3WC63fP Today we’re taking a look at expanding the storage in my Threadripper UnRaid server. I use my UnRaid server as my main bulk media backup and video storage server as well as for software and ISO storage. I’ve been wanting to build some VMs and even virtualize VMware ESX on my UnRAID server for a while now. In order to do this though, I needed a storage array dedicated to virtual machineusage in order to make sure the performance was good. I do have an NVMe cache drive but my NAS is always busy in terms of file transfers, PC back ups, and I do run a few dockers on this NVMe cache drive as well. As for my drive connectivity, the motherboard I am using is an AsRock X399M with 8 SATA ports on the motherboard. This is actually a very good amount of SATA ports for a motherboard despite it being a micro atx but, I already used all 8 of these ports for the main hard drive array. Now I could have bought a PCI express HBA or raid card to flash into IT mode to give me those extra SATA ports for another SSD array but I worked with SilverStone to send over the SDP11 and the ECS07. 🔥 Cool Stuff on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3B6Gqru 🔥🔥 The SDP11 is a nifty adapter that fits into a 3.5inch drive bay which gives you the slots for up to four m.2 SATA SSDs. This is an efficient way to use the limited 3.5inch drive bays in my server for an all SSD array. The IcyDock adapters I used in my TrueNas for example, only allow two standard 2.5inch SSDs per 3.5inch hard drive bay. The adapter does require x1 SATA data cable for each SSD used but it saves on total SATA power connections only requiring x1 SATA power connection for all four drives. For UnRaid servers such as mine and probably yours, this is a really cool little device. Now, back to my lack of available SATA ports on my motherboard. I can’t connect any of these M.2 SATA drives. Here’s where the SilverStone ECS07 comes in. The ECS07 is a SATA controller built on an M.2 PCB which connects to your system with an otherwise unused M.2 interface. On my X399M Threadripper motherboard, I had x1 left over M.2 slot which was unused. A lot of consumer motherboards that I see people using in UnRaid servers also have extra unused M.2 ports. Why not turn these empty M.2 slots into a few extra SATA ports? So with the SDP11 and the ECS07 I’ve just added an additional 4 total usable M.2 SATA connections with x1 leftover SATA port for another project. These SilverStone accessories really came in handy for this project, I’ve only consumed x1 of my 3.5inch hard drive bays which means I can keep shucking western digital drives to grow the main array out but, I can still have my normal NVMe cache drive AND I can have another SATA SSD array just for virtual machines or in my case, another whole instance of VMware ESXi for my Homelab. Looking for parts? Check out the links below for part searches and a sample Gaming PC Build! Build list: AMD Ryzen 7700X: https://amzn.to/3CaOSZq ASRock X670E PG Lightning: https://amzn.to/3RzAjEg G.Skill DDR5 5600CL36: https://amzn.to/3M8DS3b ThermalRight PA120: https://amzn.to/3fMSoSb MSI RTX 3060Ti: https://amzn.to/3CbhxgH be quiet! Pure Base 500DX: https://amzn.to/3SIfnfM be quiet! Pure Power 11 FM: https://amzn.to/3fNZl5p Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4.0: https://amzn.to/3fJHAEf Intel Gaming PC Build list: i5-12600k: https://amzn.to/3xFu9ug Gigabyte z690 Gaming X (DDR4): https://amzn.to/3xwWPpk G.Skill 32GB DDR4: https://amzn.to/3Qv4r4p be quiet! Dark Rock 4: https://amzn.to/3yP8Jgk be quiet! Pure Base 500DX: https://amzn.to/3zJ4N1r be quiet Pure Power 11 FM 850W PSU: https://amzn.to/3zMZGx3 EVGA RTX 3060 12GB: https://amzn.to/3N8dwNr WD SN 850 1TB SSD: https://amzn.to/3Ob5W6o More Cool Tech Stuff: http://bit.ly/SamsTechStuff PC Builds: http://bit.ly/PC-Builds-STS Homelab / Mini Data Center: http://bit.ly/HomeLab-STS Component Reviews: http://bit.ly/Reviews-STS Good Stuff on Amazon 👍👍 Don't Have Amazon Prime Yet? Try It FREE for 30 Days! https://amzn.to/38uBmSo Try Audible Plus: https://amzn.to/38xeW2y Give The Gift Of Audible: https://amzn.to/3bAU2Sd Try Audible Premium Plus and Get Up to TWO FREE Audiobooks: https://amzn.to/3exCecr Don't Have That Kindle Membership Yet? Learn More Here: https://amzn.to/2OsCyyB Check Out Amazon Prime Music Here: https://amzn.to/3l7v8wA Social: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamsTechStuff Facebook: https://facebook.com/SamsTechStuff Website: http://samstechstuff.com Amazon links in this description and in the comments section may be Affiliate links. These links help support the channel and are free for you to use. When you buy something on Amazon, a small percentage is paid to the channel. This helps me reinvest in new hardware and equipment to keep making more higher quality videos.