Turn a Poweredge T320 into a das for a T320 running Truenas

[GuRT.Yuri]

Anyone ever turned a Dell Poweredge T320 into a Das for another T320 running Truenas? Is it even possible? Im not worrued about it being proper or just hacking stuff together, I like making things work in a way different from normal. I also emjoy the challenge. Any help would be cool just so I know where to start. Thanks in advance and Ill update as I go.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Gut the case, install a SuperMicro JBOD board like the CSE-PTJBOD series, and run SAS cables to an external SFF-8087 to SFF-8088 bracket. Presto, tower style DAS.

 

[GuRT.Yuri]

Gut the case, install a SuperMicro JBOD board like the CSE-PTJBOD series, and run SAS cables to an external SFF-8087 to SFF-8088 bracket. Presto, tower style DAS.

Will I need a power distribution board or anything else? Is it plug and play? The T320 is the nonhot swap one. Is there any issues? Will the work with a T620/640 with the front hot swap bays? What sas expander is good? Should I get the Perc H810 or what other card can I use? Thanks in advance.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Will I need a power distribution board or anything else? Is it plug and play? The T320 is the nonhot swap one. Is there any issues? Will the work with a T620/640 with the front hot swap bays? What sas expander is good? Should I get the Perc H810 or what other card can I use? Thanks in advance.

You'd only want to remove the motherboard/CPU setup from your existing tower; anything related to power distribution or backplanes should be left intact.

There's minimal logic to the JBOD boards - basically just able to handle ATX power-on, provide power to a few fans, and the newest models have IPMI for out of band management.

Hotswap capable cases will work better, as they're likely to use SAS signalling all the way through the system (which has better tolerance for longer cable runs) - if your current T320 has individual ports for each drive (or they're expected to be wired in directly) then your last leg from the external-to-internal SAS bracket would need to be a forward breakout cable as well.

PERC H810 is fine, just needs to be flashed into an LSI 9200-8e.

Patrick from ServeTheHome has a two-part writeup on building a DIY JBOD using one of these boards.

SAS Expanders, Build Your Own JBOD DAS Enclosure and Save – Iteration 1

Guide to building your own low cost 4U JBOD DAS Enclosure using a HP SAS Expander to save money

www.servethehome.com

SAS Expanders, Build Your Own JBOD DAS Enclosure and Save – Iteration 2 – A Better Solution

An improved JBOD DAS Enclosure with HP SAS Expander with dedicated SAS Expander power board and room for second server

www.servethehome.com