Server Case Mod Progress

Author: jawapro
Date: Sun 26/08/2007 08:54 PM




  Just a normal server case?
  Not quite! - Open Presto!

Well - look at that! I’ve now got a Laptop hatch in the top of my server case. I might not have a laptop yet - but that’s besides the point. I’ve got a dead one from work (thanks!) and that’s the thing sitting there in the photo.

Anyway - I just thought I’d give you an update, seeing as there was so much discussion about it after my last post.

My Dad didn’t really understand why I was so keen on the whole laptop hatch idea in the first place, but he put a heap of work on Saturday (thanks!) and we managed to get a working Laptop Hatch going.

  Check out the spanner - you always need a big spanner!
  The Laptop Cradle section is now in place
  Here you can see the cradle section without a laptop in it (just a pair of pliers)
  And here it is, complete with a dead laptop!

Still needs some painting and tidying up - but apart from that and buying the actual laptop - that part of the case Mod is pretty much finished.

Need to try and work out how to make the locks work too.

But all in all - it was an extremely productive day.

I seemed to blow a UPS up though - but it was old and being thrown out anyway. It worked, but wasn’t able to hold charge - but now it wont turn on at all. I’m good at blowing things up lately.

And once again, thanks for all your help Dad. (and yes, he does read my blog occasionally)




Comments: 28

 

Comment: 1

Author: Nifen
Date: Sun 26/08/2007 08:09 AM




sounds like it could just be the battery.

They usually the first part that gives up on a UPS.

Actually i´ll need to buy one when i get back, im totally not used to turning off my pc in a storm, i just can´t bare the thought of doing that. UPS ALL THE WAY!

As for the laptop. I dont understand what your doing to do with it though? How will it help with the pc. will you remote desktop onto the server that way?
will there be another 2 pc´s inside?

looks good though, maybe you can help me with mine a bit when im back, as i dont think i´ve got as many tools as you!! :)

 

Comment: 2

Author: Nifen
Date: Sun 26/08/2007 08:09 AM




do you have a welder? Im not sure how to do this, but i´ve got a great idea of attaching the side pannels, ive been looking at the subways here in london a lot, they use little metal bits which stick out, and the next panel then have loads of holes in it which allow it to sit over them.

Hard to explain better to draw. But looks great and thought it would go well with a pc. IF i can work out best way to do it....

 

Comment: 3

Author: jawapro
Date: Mon 27/08/2007 08:09 AM




Glad to see you havent been listening when you´ve been posting in the other thread.

The Laptop is going to remote desktop into the server. But that leaves my gaming machine to be just for gaming. I dont even have to shut down the games to see what my server is doing.

And by using a seperate network card on the server, I should be able to get full speed between the laptop and the server - so my remote desktop should still be useable even when the server is being hammered by other traffic.

And there is only going to be one computer inside the case (apart from the laptop). I dont know why you´re thinking of two. That´s rather ridiculous.

The whole idea is that I can bring it in, plug in the power and network - and that´s all I need to do for the server. It´s ready to roll. No other screens. No needing to set up my gaming rig and using remote desktop - or using kmv with my main screen or anything like that.

Plus - I think the idea is cool. And that´s possibly the biggest reason I´m doing it after all.

 

Comment: 4

Author: jawapro
Date: Mon 27/08/2007 08:10 AM




Oh yes, and about the UPS. I knew the battery was pretty much stuffed - but I thought I´d see if it held any charge at all. But when I turned the power off, the UPS went dead. And not only did it not run on batteries, it wont turn on again now. It´s supposed to light up when running off power, and it dosnt do that now. I havent pulled it apart to see if there´s a fuse or something inside it - but for the moment it´s dead.

And Dad has a welder.

 

Comment: 5

Author: Nifen
Date: Mon 27/08/2007 08:27 PM




hmm 2 things, something wrong with your site, i often need to sign in twice to actually post anything.

Second thing, That case looks bloody huge from the outside but i just can´t work out the size inside. It looks the same size as just 1 case.

The thing is.. most server cases arn´t that big. Mainly they are the same size as your desktops. But with better gear in them. the only ones i´ve seen so large have 2 pc´s running inside. Then are then connected together.

Actually Most of the servers i work with are ether mini ATC cases or 1 to 2 U cases. Sometimes 4 U´s but they are clasified as bloody huge cases.

This case looks massive, but inside it ust looks small. 2 pc´s are better then 1. I´d be having 1 file sharing server and 1 gaming server. 4 nic´s 2 for for networking. 2 for different IP networking (like online networking)

Oh im blabbering. right anywy 1 pc i see. ok.

 

Comment: 6

Author: klutz
Date: Mon 27/08/2007 09:59 PM




In "case" you haven´t noticed, (pun intended) not only is the case the size of two standard cases but it has a metal piece between the two halves to mount a mobo on! One side is the computer the other side is other accesories! (Or will be!)

 

Comment: 7

Author: jawapro
Date: Mon 27/08/2007 10:05 PM




Accessories in this "case" refering to harddrives and UPSs and such things.

It is basically the size of two normal computers - so I could run two if I wanted to. But the whole point of me wanting this large case is to have room for all the extra stuff I wanted.

And I´ll try and get a photo of our main server at work. It´s larger than this case!

 

Comment: 8

Author: jawapro
Date: Tue 28/08/2007 06:22 PM




Nifen, let me show you somethig.

Ok - heres a photo of one of our servers at work. Its big!

 
Ok, see those three servers (after the white one)? Well they are the size of normal PCs (although longer).

So that makes the big black one about half as high again, and half as long again as a large PC case (like mine). And its more that 3 times as wide. So get three computer cases, sit them side by side, and this thing is still bigger!

Makes my server look rather small.

So while you´re right that most servers are more like normal PCs, not all are.

And I couldnt have added a laptop to the top of a normal PC sized one, now could I?

 

Comment: 9

Author: Nifen
Date: Tue 28/08/2007 07:44 PM




oh yes sorry my mistake. when i looked at the first picture, i could only see 1 part of the case. My eyes are tricking me. It looked like the same amount of space on a normal case. but what i was seeing was the motherboard tray in the middle. DRRRRR. (yes big clap for stoopid tom)

Ok you can all laugh now!

But then again, i can´t recall seeing one of those cases for years. I guess i´m used to only seeing rack mounted gear these days. Or maybe 2 stand alone system s 1 for exchange/storage and another for phone systems.

Sorry :(

 

Comment: 10

Author: jawapro
Date: Wed 29/08/2007 08:36 AM




I guessed thats where you went wrong.

And this particular server (mine, not works) was a PIII, so it´s not exactly current these days :)

And we´re going to be useing more and more rack mounted servers. We currently have a full rack, but it´s not a terribly big one. So we´re going to get more and use rack mounted servers. Or possibly get blades and go the full hog. And that big server is for a system that is currently being investigated to see if there is a better alternative, and if there is, it might mean that it will run on more standard hardware and thus a smaller server.

So what size harddrive are you going to put in your teeny little server? Mine is big enough that I can put in all my current drives, but if I have the money at the time, I might start from scratch and raid them. Downside there is, that if I use two sets of three (four for storage, 2 for redundancy) or even use them all as one raid system, it´ll mean that if I run out of space and need to make a raid of bigger disks, I´ll have to have somewhere else to run that raid to get the data off it and onto the new raid. Same with normal disks - but at least you can throw it into a standard pc and copy it off much easier. And you´ll be dealing with less data in a hit if you´re just using standalone drives.

And if I loose the data due to a crash, it´s a pain, but not exactly crucial.

 

Comment: 11

Author: Nifen
Date: Wed 29/08/2007 05:46 PM




good question, and im not sure. Mostly as i think this motherboard will only support 2 IDE, if it supports 4 IDE i might consider imaging them. But then again i´m not sure but i feel i´ll need a raid card or something, unless there is some sort of software which can be run on windows to do that?

If it can only support 2 hard drives i´ll be putting 2 USB ones in as well.
I would know this by now, but i´ve been off sick and my package i believe should be at work. so who knows what it will fit.

 

Comment: 12

Author: Nifen
Date: Wed 29/08/2007 05:46 PM




just a thought....

that must weigh a absolute ton!

Do i get to use my fork lift license to move it each month to lan?

oh and whats dead about the laptop? screen or components?

 

Comment: 13

Author: jawapro
Date: Wed 29/08/2007 05:46 PM




Lol - well its not heavy yet, but it dosnt have the UPS and things in it yet.

It wont be light - but it wont be too bad either. It´ll take up space in my car though. With that and my main system, I wont be able to give more than 1 person a lift.

And yes, Windows 2003 (and probably XP, I havent tried) can do a software RAID. Just go into management, choose the disks, and Mirror them. If you want a more complicated raid (2 for storage, one for redundancy etc) I´m not sure if it can do it or if you´d need another app. But it can be done by software, I´m pretty sure.

But I´m pretty sure your case cant hold 2 harddrives unless you change stuff.

 

Comment: 14

Author: jawapro
Date: Wed 29/08/2007 05:49 PM




Oh yeah, and the laptop wont turn on. Not sure where the fault lies - but it wont power up.

And if you´re going to suggest using the laptop screen as a monitor - it´s not easy. You need special hardware ($$$) and it´s not a simple mod. I looked into it earlier.

 

Comment: 15

Author: klutz
Date: Thu 30/08/2007 08:40 AM




Many recent motherboards can do bios/hardware raid! Means you dont have to trust windows to not bork your data

 

Comment: 16

Author: Nifen
Date: Thu 30/08/2007 08:41 AM




hi Klutz,

Yes i know that, but i´ll be using a P3 motherboard. I dont think raid is built onto them.

I´ll probably be using windows 2000, i´ll have to check what i need to raid them.

 

Comment: 17

Author: klutz
Date: Thu 30/08/2007 08:41 AM




i had missed that bit...

ps klutz strikes again, almost wiping jawapro´s avatars

 

Comment: 18

Author: jawapro
Date: Thu 30/08/2007 08:43 AM




No - Klutz strikes again AND wipes out all my avatars (on my new website).

Jawa is smart though. Jawa backs up all avatars before letting Klutz play with them.

I didnt realise your server was going to be so slow. Guess it dosnt matter too much if its only file serving.

 

Comment: 19

Author: Nifen
Date: Thu 30/08/2007 08:43 AM




exactly. only file server. just to keep lanners off my back :)

thats why it will be small also.

Also good temp design for a bigger project down the road :)

My main machine is for everything else. Games, movies watching and so on.

connecting to it will be via remote desktop. or maybe vnc, but i think remote desktop is actually faster.

(oh and Klutz, what i said before was with no emotion, just encase you thought i was being totally an ass when pointing out it was a p3 motherboard) When i read it again, i felt like i said it in an assy way :

 

Comment: 20

Author: jawapro
Date: Thu 30/08/2007 09:47 AM




Wow - another long thread, and not even a peep from Turkeybrain this time. Maybe he´s still annoyed that I got into the case when he couldnt.

Anyway, Remote Desktop is normally faster than VNC - but if your server is being hammered as a file server, it might not be able to give much bandwidth to a rd connection. Thats why my server will have a seperate network card linked straight to the laptop via a crossover, so it wont need to share bandwidth.

Or at least, that´s the idea.

I´ve found a lock that I can use to lock the laptop in place now. I just need to install it - and hopefully get matching ones for the rest of the case.

 

Comment: 21

Author: klutz
Date: Sat 01/09/2007 09:26 PM




Thats alright nifen...

Also my new box i´ve been modding is now operational:
Core 2 Duo E4400
1GB Ram
80GB SATA HDD
GeForce 8400 256 PCI-E

Not the most awesome computer in the world, but by far the most up with the time computer i´ve had since we bought the old 25mhz 486.

Anyway, you can see the mods here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ4fW-qHWIQ

 

Comment: 22

Author: Nifen
Date: Sat 01/09/2007 09:26 PM




geese what to say about that case mod..

Nice sticky tape job :) Recommendation, goto jaycar and pick up ether plastic or silver box, and some liquid nails to stick on the box.


what i´m mostly afraid of is how on earth to have all my holes in the right locations. And sizes need to be correct. I wish i had access to a decent workshop.

So far i´m thinking using aluminum L joints for the frame and errm like C joints for holding the 4 different levels together. Now thats the easy part, I´ll just cut and weld together, but the hard part is i want evenly spread holes about 5mm wide and spread across all joints maybe 5 cm´s apart.
then i need the aluminum to have the same, so it all slots together.

I think i´m choosing something quite hard specially as i dont have any equipment to do this. And i dont know how much aluminum actually costs.
Maybe i´ll choose another design for now. Using a pre-built aluminum case. but its all been done before :(

 

Comment: 23

Author: jawapro
Date: Mon 03/09/2007 02:23 PM




I think Klutz´s mod looks ok (I hadn't even noticed the duct tape before!).

But personally I´m not all that excited by the whole "Try-hard light" craze. Back when Tom (Nifen) was in the state, he was making cases that light up and had UV paint and things - and they just didnt excite me overly much.

But that´s largely because I normaly want to be able to sleep besides my computer, and I dont want to have to turn it off each night (like Zarth) to be able to sleep.

That said though, I can appreaciate lights when they look good.

And dont give up Tom - I´m sure you can find someone with the tools you need.

 

Comment: 24

Author: turkeybrain
Date: Tue 04/09/2007 08:06 AM




Hmm, I want to build a purely hand made case, but I don´t have the time at the moment. I would make it look good, but it would be thermally efficient before anything else. That would be my main aim.

And the reason I´m not saying too much is cos I don´t have time at the moment. Give me a week and I may be able to do better, but not yet!

A purely custom case is for me! Not sure where I would get the time though...

 

Comment: 25

Author: jawapro
Date: Tue 04/09/2007 10:32 AM




The Turkey speaks!

Personally I dont think I have the skill to start from scratch. I think I'll stick at modifying already interesting cases. At least for a while.

As far as case modding for me, visual is secondary (although important) as is thermal efficiency (if its too hot, add some more fans). The main thing for me is functionality. Hense the reason for this case being huge, self contained, etc etc.

Lol - I just had a crazy vision of a case made from ice. Talk about cooling power!

Let us know some of your plans when you have time Turkey.

JP

 

Comment: 26

Author: turkeybrain
Date: Tue 04/09/2007 05:55 PM




Yeah, I was kind of thinking something along the line of a carbon fibre case, but then I looked at the price. Talking to a friend, he reckoned it would cost me about $200 just for the outside paneling. Of course I would be running a steel chassis though, as otherwise there are static issues, or so I´ve heard.

I have the thought of some holey steel panelling now, but I´m really not sure. One thing that can be taken for granted (assuming I ever do bother to build one) is that it will be longer and probably wider than your average case, just because the extra width gives me some extra space for cooling, and the lengh means my HDDs will finally not overlap my motherboard!!!

Ah well, once I am a little more advanced I will let you all know my plans. But until then, TTFN.

And Jawa, see you on Saturday. Please bring all my hardware (and driver box with Win 2000 disk) back. I have already sold the AV capture cards and 2 of the HDDs, but that is all I plan on selling, at least locally. No more HDDs for sale from me!

And yes, it is incredible that a turkey can speak!

 

Comment: 27

Author: jawapro
Date: Tue 04/09/2007 09:14 PM




As you knew - my comment about talking Turkeys was because we´ve had a long thread here without you input (which is unusual). Terreth hasnt posted in a while either - probably too busy getting used to being married I guess.

Anyway - I´ll bring your stuff down to give you on Saturday. I assumed I´d get to keep the manual for the server - but I wont fight you over it if you really want it. But the CDs and things should go with the hardware - I agree. Do you want the PSU or do I get to keep that? I´ll probably get my own anyway - so I´m not fussed.

I´m not sure the video cards were capture cards. They appear to have standard graphic card output, not input, and they call themselves decoders. I assumed they were there to back up the graphics card and speed up graphics processing (for 3D video editing etc) but maybe I am wrong. I never looked them up.

And if you´re concerned about harddrives overlapping the motherboard, you could just get a larger standard case (like my gamming rig) - but a self built case would be definatly something to brag about. Cant wait to see your plans.

Rob

 

Comment: 28

Author: turkeybrain
Date: Sat 08/09/2007 07:47 PM




I will post some plans once I have finally got around to getting them drawn up. It may happen some time in the next two weeks. I´ll find some place to tell you where to find them. In fact, just look www.turkeybrain.com and they might make it. But not yet... I doubt it will be this week. (waiting to see if Jawapro will kill the address in this comment...)