I have been gradually obtaining HDD drives since 2021, and my drive numbers finally equate to something worthy of a proper RAID setup (albeit my drives are now old lol).
Using the Z440 Fractal Define 7XL Case Swap - I hope to create the following in TrueNAS (linked via 10GbE):
"Cache": 4TB RAID 0 (NVMes) Critical: 28TB RAIDZ2 pool (HDDs; Two Disk Parity)
Backup: 44TB RAIDZ2 pool (HDDs; Two Disk Parity) Critical: 7.5GB (LTO5 Ultrium Tapes)
The Z440 is at max capacity in all regards - and technically I am short at least 8x electrical lanes to complete the base setup.
The PCIe setup required to make this happen was going to be:
Slot 1: USB Type C adapter Slot 2: Intel X540-T2 10GbE NIC Slot 3: Riser to GTX 960 GPU Slot 4: HP H240 HBA Slot 5: Intel H240 HBA Slot 6: Empty PCI slot (for now lol).
However, this configuration meant I had to give up the HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro with 4x NVMes for quick transfers to TrueNAS. Instead - I removed the HP H240 HBA (it didn't work anyhow - not in IT mode) and I wound up short on some SATA ports (I have 17 SATA ports connected up right now; 24-27 were needed). So the HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro is back on Slot 5 (4x4x4x4x bifurcation).
---
Given that I have outgrown the Z440's capacity I should really look towards a motherboard with say, 6 PCIe 3.0 slots.
If only there were good workstation offerings with 6 PCIe slots that could be case swapped and that also uses the Broadwell Xeons...
...cough cough, HP Z840 Case Swap into the Fractal Define 7XL?
It's been in the works for a long time - and it might just happen sooner rather than later.
Stay Tuned!
------
💻 HSPEC DataBase (for parts, upgrades, video summaries and more):
RACERRRZ
It's been well over one year with the Z440 Case Swap and I think its reached its final form.
I have new videos in the works -
Z440 850W Platinum PSU upgrade +
Fractal Define 7XL HDD Fitment Guide (Take 2!) +
LTO Ultrium Tape Drive Backups!
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I have been gradually obtaining HDD drives since 2021, and my drive numbers finally equate to something worthy of a proper RAID setup (albeit my drives are now old lol).
Using the Z440 Fractal Define 7XL Case Swap - I hope to create the following in TrueNAS (linked via 10GbE):
Data on the Z8 G4:
Critical: 26TB (Scratch Disks + RAID 0 + RAID 1)
Backup: 25TB (Scratch Disks + RAID 0 + RAID 1)
To the Z440:
"Cache": 4TB RAID 0 (NVMes)
Critical: 28TB RAIDZ2 pool (HDDs; Two Disk Parity)
Backup: 44TB RAIDZ2 pool (HDDs; Two Disk Parity)
Critical: 7.5GB (LTO5 Ultrium Tapes)
The Z440 is at max capacity in all regards - and technically I am short at least 8x electrical lanes to complete the base setup.
The PCIe setup required to make this happen was going to be:
Slot 1: USB Type C adapter
Slot 2: Intel X540-T2 10GbE NIC
Slot 3: Riser to GTX 960 GPU
Slot 4: HP H240 HBA
Slot 5: Intel H240 HBA
Slot 6: Empty PCI slot (for now lol).
However, this configuration meant I had to give up the HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro with 4x NVMes for quick transfers to TrueNAS. Instead - I removed the HP H240 HBA (it didn't work anyhow - not in IT mode) and I wound up short on some SATA ports (I have 17 SATA ports connected up right now; 24-27 were needed). So the HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro is back on Slot 5 (4x4x4x4x bifurcation).
---
Given that I have outgrown the Z440's capacity I should really look towards a motherboard with say, 6 PCIe 3.0 slots.
If only there were good workstation offerings with 6 PCIe slots that could be case swapped and that also uses the Broadwell Xeons...
...cough cough, HP Z840 Case Swap into the Fractal Define 7XL?
It's been in the works for a long time - and it might just happen sooner rather than later.
Stay Tuned!
------
💻 HSPEC DataBase (for parts, upgrades, video summaries and more):
www.reddit.com/r/HSpecWorkstations/
💻 Discord Server link (Name: HSPEC Computing):
discord.gg/QmpMeE7Xfb
💻 CPU Paste GUIDE:
racerrrz.com/cpu_thermal_paste_guide/
🎯 Support:
buymeacoffee.com/RACERRRZ
#Z440, #truenas, #HP, #NAS, #HPWorkstation, #Computereducation, #Computer, #Gaming, #Gamingcomputer, #Homeserver, #zworkstation, #RACERRRZ
7 months ago | [YT] | 17