I've written a few times about my quest to build the ultimate home storage/server rig. But one issue was surprisingly vexing: What kind of case has room for a dozen or more hard disk drives? In this update, I'll talk about the various options as well as the one I ultimately picked: The NZXT H440 (and a Corsair power supply). 2017 Update: After owning and using this case … [Read more...] about 14 Drives For 14 Ports: A Case For FreeNAS
SanDisk
My FreeNAS Build: Supermicro X10SL7, Intel Haswell Xeon, ECC RAM
In my last post, I talked about my decision to build a FreeNAS box. Today I'm going to dive into the hardware I selected, starting with the motherboard, CPU, and memory. FreeNAS runs on any PC hardware, but building a reliable and scalable storage solution means picking higher-end components. I selected a Supermicro X10SL7 server-class motherboard with 14 (!) SAS/SATA ports … [Read more...] about My FreeNAS Build: Supermicro X10SL7, Intel Haswell Xeon, ECC RAM
Review: Cable Matters Ultra-Mini 4-Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Hub
I'm a big believer in USB 3.0, having come to rely on it as part of the Tech Field Day video production workflow. But I'm also a believer in traveling light and reducing clutter in my computer bag. That's why I'm thrilled about the Cable Matters Ultra-Mini 4-Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Hub! My 2012 Retina MacBook Pro is a real video production workhorse. The … [Read more...] about Review: Cable Matters Ultra-Mini 4-Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Hub
NexGen Storage is Back!
When NexGen Storage was acquired by Fusion-io, industry analysts scratched their heads and tried to figure out why the PCIe flash darling wanted them. But when flash maker SanDisk acquired Fusion-io, most assumed that was the end of ioControl (neé NexGen). Then something odd happened last week: SanDisk announced a spin-out of the surviving, thriving NexGen Storage. John Spiers … [Read more...] about NexGen Storage is Back!
The Rack Endgame: A New Storage Architecture For the Data Center
Although today’s enterprise storage arrays target "the fat middle" of the market, virtualized and distributed storage change everything. What form does enterprise storage take in the new data center? Think top-of-rack flash, bottom-of-rack capacity, and a whole world of new interconnects! Here's the Rack Endgame series: The Fat Middle: Today’s Enterprise Storage … [Read more...] about The Rack Endgame: A New Storage Architecture For the Data Center