(Part 3) Top products from r/homelab

It means they can't be linked without replacing the backplane. Pedantic, yes, but worth pointing out. And yes, you got lucky - not quite lottery lucky, but quite lucky nonetheless. :)

/u/dboytim covered cascading; a lot of times the internal cable will go to an adapter in a PCI bay which will link to a Direct Attach Storage bay like the Dell MD1200 or Lenovo SA120.

Multipathing only works with SAS drives, so unless you're spending extra for disks, I probably wouldn't bother. Might be different if you were doing all-flash, but without that I would stick with a single cable from the backplane to the card. Note, the actual port you plug into matters, so double-check the manual and it'll tell you.

For the SATA ports, I've got a couple of these bays kicking around, and especially if you're going to do SSDs, they're great. Still work with 2.5" spinning disks, but make sure the fans in the chassis blow over them in that case. They're designed to rest on top of a motherboard's PCI or PCIe slots, but they're plenty stable with just the screw holding the bracket in place. Hardest part beyond that is getting power to the drives, which can be done with adapters off the backplane, or with a spare connector if your chassis' power board has one. (Mine does.)

Oh, speaking of fans, if your chassis is overly loud, check your power supply and look at swapping it out; you may have a good one already but a majority of the noise on SM chassis is the power supplies. You can get Gold-rated PWS-741P-1R power supplies which are nice and quiet for real cheap.

No one told me this when I started so I'll tell you:

I think we should specify here that "server rack" and "network rack" are built differently. If you want a rack for networking and just the 24 port switch and patch panel, you'd look at something like this. If you're wanting to eventually put a full-length server in, you'll need something like this instead the difference being that the second one is built to support the length and weight of a full server.

Keep in mind when you purchase a server you'll need to buy rails that attach to the rack for it. The server then sits in the extended rails, which slide back into the rack.

Startech makes pretty good stuff, IMO. I've seen them on here before. I have the four post rack that I linked to in the second post and it's served me well. The best thing you can do however, if you have the room, is to jump on craigslist and see if you can find an enterprise getting rid of their rack. Generally those are worth thousands new and the companies are selling them for $40, or something ridiculous like that. I didn't have access to a truck, so that's why I bought mine.

Note that with the large rack you can add networking equipment too, and can also get shelves to support things that aren't rackable.

For power you can either get a rackable UPS or power strip.

Hope this helps. Have fun.

I've really enjoyed lurking/learning in this community and decided to share what I've put together. I stumbled in here shortly after purchasing an R610 from savemyserver and the posts here have provided a lot of inspiration! Here's what my garage setup looks like:

On the Wall (Photo 1):
Two horizontal 2x4's attached to studs provide a foundation for the 4U wall-mount rack and the pegboard (which is suspended by screw hooks and swings out to provide access to the backside). Had the ISP install a new coax drop in the garage to feed the modem. Use a pair of ZyXel PLA5456's to get a wired connection to the top floor; the throughput is crap but I don't see much latency or jitter (photos 5 & 6) and it's a better experience overall than wifi in some parts of the house.

1. Juniper SRX210
   

• Used for labbing, currently unplugged
  
• On loan from employer
  

2. Ubiquiti AP-AC-LR
   
3. RaspberryPi 2 (in a cobbled custom-designed LEGO enclosure)
   

• Backup OpenVPN server (primary is a Pritunl VM)
  

4. Intel NUC
   

• Used to be my server before the R610 came along, now it's unplugged and waiting for another project
  

5. 4U Startech Wall-Mount Rack
   

• See details below
  

6. Seagate HDD
   
7. Seagate HDD
   
8. ActionTec MOCA Adapter
   

• For the TiVo, renting from ISP
  

9. Arris CM850 Cable Modem
   

• Renting from ISP
  

10. Dell XPS 630i
    

• Destined to be NAS/iSCSI datastore
  

11. APC UPS XS1500
    
    
    Rack Detail (Photo 2):
    Here are the details of the rack-mounted gear:
    
    
12. Dell PowerEdge R610
    

• VMWare ESXi host
  
• (2x) Intel Xeon E5645 2.40GHz Hexa Core Processors
  
• 64GB (8x8) PC3-10600R DDR3 RAM
  
• (4x) 140GB 10k SAS HDDs (RAID 10)
  
• 260GB 7200 SATA HDD
  
• 240GB SATA SSD
  

2. Cisco WS-C2960G-24TC-L
   

• Core switch
  
• On loan from employer
  

3. Juniper SRX340
   

• Core router, firewall
  
• On loan from employer
  
  
  Server Mount Detail (Photo 3):
  The server is resting loose on the 4U rack - the front is sandwiched between the wall and the Cisco switch while the rear is suspended by a wall-mounted 40 lb. hook (look for the orange prongs). The hook is mounted to a 2x4 and drilled into a wall stud (hidden by the server in photos). The only way it's going anywhere is a big earthquake, in which case I'll have bigger problems anyhow.
  
  
  Network Diagram (Photo 4):
  My day job is networking so that's the part I most care about when diagramming. I'm using a "router-on-a-stick" topology with a four gig LACP LAG connecting the router to the switch. The switch feeds all other equipment according to VLAN. The R610 uses one port each dedicated to management and iSCSI traffic (although I have yet to actually use the iSCSI part) with the other two ports LAG'd to the switch (although this LAG doesn't use LACP because I'm not using VDS). That LAG trunks the rest of the VLANs which terminate in individual port groups. I keep a separate vswitch and port group isolated to give me a spot to put interfaces where they can't hurt anybody.
  
  The SRX340 is the DHCP server, firewall, and DNS cache for all VLANs except VLAN-UNTRUST (which is the L2 domain connected to the cable modem, a DMZ of sorts; anything in it can get a WAN IP). Most subnets are split in half with the first /25 reserved for static clients and the second /25 handed out via DHCP. All subnets follow the 10.0.X.0/24 scheme, where X = VLAN ID, except for VLAN-MGMT because I like using 172.X.0.0/24's for loopbacks, tunnels, and other bits internal to the route engine.
  
  DNS is a little weird. It flows like this: [clients] > [SRX] > [PiHole VM] > [OpenDNS]. This provides local caching, ad blocking, and content filtering, in that order. Is it a little crazy to have three hops for DNS? Maybe. Could something like pfSense do all those things in one hop? Probably, but that wouldn't be anywhere near as fun! Besides, cold requests aren't so slow that I notice.
  
  At work I have the great benefit of access to a dedicated, separate test network that has its own ISP connection in addition to the corporate-managed network. The ERL is basically setup for dual-WAN (although really it's just static routing) so that traffic destined for my home's external address is routed out the test network (reducing the use of corporate resources) while all else gets passed to corporate (so I can still access what I need internally). A Pritunl VPN interface then gives me routes to my home's VLAN-MGMT, -TRUST, and -DEV so I can manage things while away. The ERL is connected to a small switch at my desk creating it's own little LAN into which I plug my work PC, other lab routers, etc.

This topic is asked frequently both here and /r/datahoarder but since I just did a bunch of research on the topic I'd be happy to share with you what I found.

• TRENDnet TEG-30284 $339
  
• TP-Link T1700G-28TQ $372
  
• Dell N1524 $399 (used via ebay)
  
• MikroTik CSS326-24G-2S for $225
  
• D-Link DGS-1510-28X $299 (link)
  
  There are even Quanta L6BM's up on ebay for $299.
  
  So I went with the D-Link and it's great. The web interface is snappy and it has a CLI. Plugged a Mellanox card into it via Twinax and it didn't complain at all. Great performance and easy to manage, oh and it uses 19 watts of power.

Are you needing cards in all devices or are any already 10Gb enabled? RJ45 or will SFP+ work too?
I went with a D-Link 1510-28X at my core switch for the 4 10Gb SFP+ that I am using one Broadcom dual 10Gb SFP+ to that and then to 2 QNAP TS-451x for a three device 10Gb network.

Good thing is there is an open box like new on Amazon for $199 versus $360-390 new. I am pretty sure this dropped from $299 in the last few days.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00MCZNW5G/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

Currently I am running all DAC between the QNAS boxes and the host with one between the QNAS boxes as all devices have 2 ports. So you could do that with cards down to $30-40 for single port as pulls.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-OF-2-MNPA19-XTR-MELLANOX-10GB-ETHERNET-NETWORK-INTERFACE-CARD/282092353923?epid=1604121398&hash=item41ae03b983:g:MzkAAOSwX3FaDIR7

I have used Cisco 10Gb Tek DAC cables so far and had good luck. So you are looking at a little over your $300 range with 4 cards $31x2, switch $200, and 4 DAC cables $17 a piece for $329.99, but you will have a good 24 port switch with under 18W power usage and a single fan.

Just make sure the cards support your OS/hardware. I paid $55 for pulled card for an HP that supported ESXi 5.5+

So when I originally moved in to my house last year, I set things up in a very temporary setup that became more permanent than I was hoping. I also had to bring another box home from my office when we moved locations and we no longer had a dedicated internet connection so I couldn't expose anything directly to the internet.

I've been looking at setups from everyone for a while now, getting ideas of what I needed and I finally settled on the following:

• NavePoint 4ft Open Frame 19" 22U 4-Post Network Server - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6JQO4A
  
• TP-Link 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BU0EKW
  
• Keystone panel - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F8NLZ4Z
  
• 2U shelf - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008X3JHJQ
  
• 1U shelf - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6JQYDG
  
• Rosewill 4U case (8 bay) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055EV30W
  
• Rosewill 4U case (6 bay) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07957B2VF
  
• 80mm quieter fans - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NTUJZ36
  
• 1U PDU - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075TQS7XC
  
• 1U Blank - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0779M2D96
  
• Velcro! - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E1Y5O6
  
• POE injectors - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NRF9GQO
  
  I don't intend on purchasing full sized rack mount servers as I just use desktop class hardware for the most part but I took the two systems that I had in desktop cases and put them in the Rosewill cases that I've seen a lot of people use and a coworker recently suggested them as well as he recent did a rack setup. Since I don't need full size servers, I decided to go with a 4 post "network" rack as I don't really need the extra depth. I'm just using a 1U blank to help stabilize the servers in the rack so they're not just hanging from the front.
  
  If anyone is looking to get some of the same components, I would say that the 1U shelves that I bought don't really work that well as I had to get creative with the brackets to make them work and they do extend out the back a bit but I knew they would do that when I purchased them, I just didn't realize I would have to flip around some brackets to make it work.
  
  My network is really basic so I went with a 24 port unmanaged gigabit switch. I did have to get some POE injectors for my 3 WAPs as I did have a 8 port switch that had built in POE before but I knew that 8 ports wasn't going to cut it and I wanted to go with a rack mount switch.
  
  Future plans are to replace the 3 regular PSUs with something rack mountable. Right now I have one PSU for each box and then the 3rd is for all of the network equipment. I'd also like to get a KVM but for right now I have HDMI cables ran to the side where I can easily switch them out and the keyboard I only plug into the front panels if I need it.

The protectli works well.
Here's the Amazon link
I bought the storage and RAM as a bundle, but an mSATA drive is what you want as the unit runs pretty warm. Keep it away from anything that is heat sensitive.

FreeNAS is great! It's been around for years, and ZFS is rock solid. I'm using the SSD as an L2ARC, and I've segregated all storage traffic to a separate subnet across two NICs on all servers, which makes a huge difference!

I do recommend finding a case that will keep the spinning drive noise to a minimum and putting money into RAM over a faster CPU.

oVirt works well. I'm not running the "self-hosted" engine. I tried it, but there's some glitch that prevented me from moving that VM from one host to another. I find that I don't need that flexibility anyway.

Its called the Unifi Dream Machine, but looks like its only "Early Access" at the moment, which basically means you'd be Beta testing, but I've only heard positive things, with people saying its a lot more powerful than the USG (specifically for using things such as the IPS).

But to answer you questions:

1. Correct, these are Layer-2 only, you need the USG/PFSense for the routing. Why do you need POE? The Unifi AP's come with a POE-Injector. Also, be aware the 16 Port switches have fans, which can generate noise, so you will probably want to stash it away (in a cupboard or garage etc).
   
   Personally, I do use POE, but I use their 8 Port Swich with 4 POE ports (their cheap-cheap version), along with this, I have their standard 8 port switch, see below:
   
   8 Port, with 4 POE: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-UniFi-Switch-Port-Enterprise/dp/B01MU3WUX1/
   
   8 Port, None POE: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-US-8-Managed-Desktop-Passthrough/dp/B01N362YPG/
   
   USG: https://www.amazon.co.uk/UBIQUITI-Networks-Security-Gateway-Router/dp/B00LV8YZLK/
   
   Cloud Key Controller: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ubiquiti-Networks-UC-CK-Stand-Alone-UniFi-Cloud-Key-Controller-BOXED/401859588968
   
   You don't need the last one, but I find it useful, as it gives you a physical device and it saves having to spin up a seperate VM or Rasperberry Pi for it.. And its pre-baked, you plug it in and go!
   
   

2. Yes. You could actually even do this with 1 NIC... Thats is what I do, I just put WAN onto a seperate VLAN... After all, its just another "security zone", just like each of you internal VLANs, the reason you use VLANs, is to control routing between them.. My Virgin Hub, plugs into a port, which is Untagged on VLAN-1000, has no other VLANs assigned, the only other place that has this VLAN is my Firewall VM.
   
   Some people will cry "danger", and they have a point, if you are not 100% confident in what you are doing, its better to use separate NICs for LAN and WAN. This also has another issue, if you've only got 1Gb NICs, and its carrying both LAN and WAN, you've got a bottleneck (On my servers, I use 10Gbe, so I don't have that issue).

Pretty much no power supply is going to have enough connectors for a substantial number of drives. That's hardly important, though. 4:1 or 5:1 splitters are cheap and easy to come by. (That one is $6.69 right now.)

Also, one of the advantages of using a chassis with a backplane is that it saves you dealing with an enormous wiring harness.

You may, however, eventually run into other limitations of your power supply. (This is unlikely with 15 drives and a 650W PSU, however.) For example, how many rails does your power supply have, and what are their individual maximum wattages? (3.5" hard drives primary draw from the 12V rails.) There may be less than the full 650W available to your hard drives.

You will also see large current spikes at boot, when all of the drives try to spin up at the same time. The machine may fail to boot if this draw exceeds the power supply's capacity (again, either on those particular rails or overall). This can be mitigated by using staggered spin-up, which requires either controller/OS support or MacGyvering. (One of the pins in the SATA connector tells the drive not to spin up immediately when power is applied.)

All of that having been said, though, unless you have other complaints about your PSU, a few cables is probably the right fix.

If you're dead set on replacing it, then you should be most interested in power supplies with high efficiency at the load that you expect. (Do some math but also take some measurements, and then look at the PSU's datasheet. The single efficiency number that will be advertised on the product's website or box assumes that it is almost fully loaded.) Power supplies are also differentiated by features like active PFC (power factor correction).

If you're looking for a specific suggestion, I've had good luck with the EarthWatts series.

Good luck!

Ubiquiti APs are straight-up the best you can get in that price range, as well as ranges above it. I've found that a single AC-Pro will be able to provide the same coverage that two lesser APs could when properly located.

If you like the Unifi control plane then yes the USG and switches make sense, although you will pay for it. Personally I like the greater control and flexibility of something like the EdgeRouter line, and the ER-X just rocks for smaller installations due to the price.

Honestly, I'd go with Cisco SG series switches. You can get them pretty much as big or as small as you want, they have both Web GUI and CLI, generally much more affordable compared to enterprise level switches, and they have POE capabilities as well.

If you are going to be using Proxmox or Untangle (my preference is Untangle) for a router/firewall, you really don't need the Edge Router, since they will fulfill your layer 3 needs. Instead, you can save that money and get a PoE enabled switch, probably with a lot more ports.

As far as hardware for Proxmox/Untangle, you can get something like this and have plenty of processing power for whatever ISP connection you have.

Thanks for the input. Yes there are coax wires unterminated behind a random blank box cover. I looked behind 4 before I found cat5 (in my office... lucky me). I'm going to speak to my super this week about a number of issues and I need to remember to ask him about this.

I don't think your hardware suggestion will work. I see that most of those models are rack units. I'm looking for something with a manageable size.

What do you think about this or this or this?

Thanks for the information! Appreciate it.

As for the router, is there any Cisco ASAs that can do gigabit for under 350$ or so (same price point of Edge Router 8 Pro)? I didn't even bother to look since I know Juniper, Cisco stuff is SO expensive.

As for the Edge Router equipment switching issue, I do remember reading that they do not have any type of hardware switching and it has to revert back to Software. For my use case, I'm not worried about that as I only need it for routing. I am going to be getting a GigE switch of some sort (ProCurve 2800 24 looks pretty decent) to deal with switching on LAN side.

Wasn't aware of the PoE issue with the Ubiquiti AP. I'll have to check into that. The Ubiquiti APs I was looking at were these: Ubiquiti Networks Unifi 802.11ac Dual-Radio PRO Access Point (UAP-AC-PRO-US) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PRO512/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4ihlybHTBGT1W

The specs on them show 802.11 AC which would mean they would have to have 1Gbps networks.

The cisco switch you mentioned I was looking into last night actually (when i ran across the ProCurve). That switch looked extremely good from a review stand point, but unfortunately it only has 10/100Mbps support, no GigE. I am wanting to keep everything at a minimum to GigE so that switch would be a no go for me.

Interesting about the CPUs pulling same power at idle, but makes sense. I was actually started looking at the Supermicro x9 stuff. Seems I can get a lot more bang for my buck. Only things I'm majorly concerned with is how quiet those systems are (or the lack of how quiet they are). It seems to be a LOT cheaper than the Dell 720/620 stuff.

If I can get a e5 series system for < 650 or so, I would be happy.

Thanks again for all the information/feedback.

I did get more than 4 drives installed, I have 4 in the hot swap bays and one SSD that is sitting inside the case that I run my windows server on. The SSD is just hooked up to a SATA port on the motherboard, as for power I bought a sata x1 -> sata x4 connector and I am using that to power the drive. The system treats it just like a normal drive at this point and it's working just like I want it to.

I bought a H700 on ebay for ~$100 and just swapped it out and it came with a new cable that just hooked up to the back on the backplate on the hot swap bays. Raid controller takes care of my 4x4TB drives set in raid 5 with ease, no issues there.

I think I hit all your questions, feel free to let me know if this is confusing.

I only see two items that are actually rack mountable. One thing to consider is a vertical wall mount bracket for the Netgear switch and patch panel. These brackets can be used horizontally as well, so you could even mount them to the bottom of one of the existing wooden shelves. Once the switch is taken care of, everything else can be mounted in a much shallower space.

If you want an enclosed wall mount cabinet, the Tripp Lite SRW12US and
Tripp Lite SRW10US both support a mounting depth of up to 20.5". If you go this route, make sure the antennas on the wireless APs are located where their signal isn't blocked.

For about $100, you can get the Tripp Lite SRWO8U22 2-post open frame "cabinet," or the Kendall Howard 2-post 8U rack. Both support up to 18" mounting depth.

The StarTech RK12OD desktop 2-post rack for $46.99 is an interesting alternative to normal racks. Due to the slope, you want to be sure any equipment on a cantilevered shelf is somehow prevented from sliding off. Just set the DS1813+ at the bottom, between the posts.

With any rack/cabinet, you're probably still going to need a couple of cantilever shelves to hold the non-rack mountable equipment. With an enclosed cabinet, you can use the bottom and top as shelves. You could even cheat and put some of the lighter items on the Netgear switch.

Also, be careful how you stack the equipment that wasn't designed to be rack mounted. A lot of it will vent the heat up instead of out the back.

Until you put an air duct in the closet itself, I doubt there will be much circulation in there. Be careful about putting all of the equipment up high because all of the hot air will be more or less trapped above the door louvers.

It really depends on your Internet speed.

The D525 is ancient tech. Serviceable as pfSense? Sure, but not for a lot of bandwidth and/or plugins. I mean, the J1900 or N3250 Qotom mini PCs will be twice as capable at almost half the cost. Skip the Supermicro.

The R210ii are really the sweet spot. More computing power than you really need, but only idling in the 20-30w range. The list is pretty long of cheap and capable R210iis.

I would probably get the R210ii, get an ODD drive bay and drop a tiny SSD in it. I still run my pfSense off a USB stick, but I don't have much logging happening.

Cyberpower or APC.

You're likely going to have to spend minimum $100 and have a size of at least 500W, and for three computers depending on the consumption, more like 750w. These usually come with the ability to power down a single computer.

These are the better "budget" brands of UPS units. Hopefully the unit has a voltage regulation feature for both dips and spikes.

Your electic bill will go up a bit, no matter what you do. Some are better than others.

What about something like this? Or even a half shelf like this if the server doesn't weigh much. Or something like this might work, you just need to support some of the weight so you don't tear your ears off.

You could also try to find a local place that would fab you something out of sheet metal. It would probably take them 10 minutes.

I have both my servers. An r810 and a r320 vertically mounted on their own vertical wall mount racks. Just make sure you hit the studs and you'll have no problems. If it's in the budget and you have space in your patch panel, think about installing at least five Ethernet drops just below or just beside the server. Makes for nice cable management. Shouldn't cost too much. I get most of my gear off Amazon in that regard.
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Mount-Patch-Panel-Bracket/dp/B001YHYVEY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=wall+mount+vertical+server+rack&qid=1570787721&sprefix=wall+mounted+vertical+ser&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Listed-10-Pack-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?keywords=keystone+jack&qid=1570787805&sprefix=keyst&sr=8-13

https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Betts-SC100RR-Carlon-Voltage/dp/B000W09PQI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=low+voltage+box&qid=1570787902&sprefix=low+voltage&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Keystone-Plate-6-Port-White/dp/B072BC45GZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?keywords=keystone+wall+plate&qid=1570787950&sprefix=keystone&sr=8-12

https://www.amazon.com/Choseal-Ethernet-ethernet-Computer-Shielded/dp/B07QC4XM2P/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=cat7+ethernet+cable+500ft+shielded&qid=1570788039&sprefix=cat7+ethernet+cable+500ft&sr=8-5#

I found and bought my cat7 cable from another location. Came on a spool. And was riser cable, meaning it had a braided shield around the foil shield like you see in coax cable. Good luck

I recently did some.

monoprice cat6a UTP 22awg CMR UL Listed, mono price keystones and patch panel cat6a UTP UL listed. Don't buy STP or foiled. Some area's code requires CMP for plenum run's. It's very expensive only buy to meet code.

If you're running a lot of wires I'd recommend the patch panel. If you secure it to something make sure that it can't move. One of the 4 post 20U+ racks secured down to something.

Layer3 isn't a requirement. It can speed things up by not needing to go to the router to be routed. You can run a lot of services on your router so passing traffic through it is not a bad thing. a switch with spf+ and a pfsense box with spf+ can get you 10G. 10G is overkill in most cases. Many 2+ switches have bonding. So you can do 2 or 4g that way.

unifi has a 16 port switch with POE. It's pricey. You can get 10G switches around that price. POE adds quite a bit of cost. If it's only for unifi access points you can inject power to them, there is no price difference for injectors. Buying an injector with many slots is an option too.

https://www.amazon.com/D-Link-Systems-SmartPro-Stackable-DGS-1510-20/dp/B00MCZNW5G?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-US-16-150W-UniFi-Switch/dp/B01E46ATQ0/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1540398551&sr=1-3&keywords=unifi+16+port+poe+switch

Well, you definitely don’t need anything that fancy. I would never recommend an ASA, especially for that one.

This guy can easily do gigabit. Though Mikrotik has a bit of a learning curve.

The ERXs can do gigabit as well, and can easily set up a DMZ.

If you have an old computer, you can also install VyOS/pfsense/opnsense. A DMZ is just a fairly straightforward firewall configuration.

That device does seem to be available: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQRHQW4

The device doesn't necessarily have to be PoE capable. You could always run a PoE splitter (if it's active PoE) with an ethernet 4G modem/router

Or you can just get a PoE router and a supported 4G dongle like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G6FJM8I

I run the ER-LITE at home and it's the best router I've ever owned. It's at almost 3 months uptime right now, and the only reason it's not 6 months is a power outage.

Edit: Seems like the software's still pretty limited. Check out the review at http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-UNIFI-SECURITY-GATEWAY/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=pd_sxp_f_r#customerReviews.

If you want something quick and easy, spend a bit more money and get these. Ive used versions of them before and they are super convenient.
(If your cabling comes into the box from the top, just install the plates upside-down so the cables dont bend in the box).

https://www.amazon.ca/Platinum-Tools-100010C-Connectors-Clamshell/dp/B000FI9VU2

https://www.eagleg.com/products/cat6-right-angle-keystone-coupler-white?variant=18620127543353

Yep it's a good deal, I actually considered buying a second one today. I did have an issue where I had to get them to adjust the price over chat now that I think about it so maybe there was something buddy with the item? Definitely worth the hassle. There's actually another one without sine wave but 1500va on right now as a lightning deal for $138. CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS 1500VA 900W AVR Mini-Tower https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000FBK3QK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qnAHxb692DZX8

As far as racks go, you can get a standard 45U rack pretty cheap off of ebay because companies surplus their old ones. I've looked for months for a cheap small one (16-25U) and haven't found one under $200 or so. As far as buying new, this is the best deal I've found (for a 4-post rack, which you want for servers as they get heavy and can tip with 2-posts):
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-SR4POST25-Cabinet-Capacity/dp/B004OB8T72/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416882880&sr=8-1&keywords=server+rack

/u/Cainlayder We purchased the exact boxes. Have had a few issues with them.

• Some advice, be careful with handling them they are like pizza boxes.
  
• Make sure all of the ram is properly seated.
  
• Go ahead and get the latest bios and IPMI firmware ready too on a dos disk and get IPMICFG from supermicro on their too so you can restore it to defaults.
  
• When you finally get into the IPMI webinterface make sure you set the IPMI Nic to independent.
  
• Also, you should go ahead and order the drive bay screws and rails if you plan to rack this.
  
• This unit doesn't come with rails. You may also want a front bezel to protect your drives from unwanted unlatching.
  
  The mobo takes DDR3 and it has a single power supply. I also recommend moving one of the fans to the left side of the server, the southbridge gets super fucking hot and will cause the fans to act sporadic. I found that by moving 1 of the fans over provides enough air flow to keep the southbridge cold and the cpu's cold too.
  
  The server isn't too loud if you change the fan from balanced to low. It's still loud but not something your neighbors will hear.
  
  Resources
  
  Mobo Site: http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/QPI/5500/X8DTU-F.cfm
  IPMI Firmware: http://www.supermicro.com/about/policies/disclaimer.cfm?url=/support/resources/getfile.aspx?ID=3242
  Bios: http://www.supermicro.com/about/policies/disclaimer.cfm?url=/support/resources/getfile.aspx?ID=1894
  IPMI CFG: http://www.supermicro.com/solutions/SMS_IPMI.cfm
  Drive Bay Screws: http://www.amazon.com/Supermicro-Screw-Label-3-5-Inch-MCP-410-00005-0N/dp/B00353EKR8
  Rails: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NWIP7A?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00
  Bezel: http://www.amazon.com/Supermicro-CSE-PTFB-813LB-Front-Bezel/dp/B002OFFC66

Lenovo ThinkServer SA120. 6 Gigabit. I got one and it works awesome. Pretty cheap brand new too.

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-70F10000UX-THINKSERVER-ATTACHED-HOT-SWAP/dp/B00LSQOY6G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496014402&sr=8-1&keywords=lenovo+sa120

For this test it's listed at the top of a chart. It's the AMD 990FX chipset's SATA controller.

(AMD supports port multiplication, intel does not.).

eSATA==SATA electrically, so there's no difference if you're not port multiplying.

> I am also looking for an esata enclusure but I don't care about noise or spin-down.

I've noticed some cheap ones on CL and whatnot. You do want 6Gb/s SATA though to the enclosure for speed reasons.

This is the enclosure the tests were run on: http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B003X26VV4

It will do spin down if commanded from the computer's OS, it will sleep or turn off (depending on your setting) if the host machine turns off.

eSATA works great, but USB 3.0 does not have UASP.

Here's a cheaper one if you're looking to use it for swapping: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817576013

There were also a bunch of sans digital towerraid 4-bays in the 60-70 range, but I don't see them right now.

How about $73?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YFJT29C

Depends on your perspective. For the features and performance, it is very definitely super cheap.

you can get cyberpower 1500va units for around $150. They are amazing products. this could very well be overkill but the price point is good and you have plenty of headroom for upgrades.

its not too bad, I have X550e I picked for $75.

You'll need this. http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-TU-S9-USB-Serial-Converter/dp/B0007T27H8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1459299559&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+to+serial

and this http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-TU-S9-USB-Serial-Converter/dp/B0007T27H8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1459299559&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+to+serial.

I'm not saying you "have" to buy these, but I used like 3 different serial cables and two different usb adapters. Until I got theses.
2.1 is easy 2.2 and 2.3 are a bit tricky they require you disable DNL if you use a CF card.

Battery backups aren't meant to keep your stuff running for an hour or two, they're for giving you a few minutes time in order to gracefully shut down your devices. If you want an hour or two you'll need to get a seriously overpowered UPS and at that point you're better off getting a generator. My 1500VA UPS gives me ~20 minutes with my ~225W load. Mine is a 1500VA Cyberpower UPS it's nice and I like it but it's not a rack mount, if that's what you want.

Best bet would be to build your own using one of these chassis from SuperMicro

Or go with a fullsize server and use a vertical wall mount like this

The best pic I have to explain would be this: https://www.server-racks.com/app/uploads/2011/01/wall-rack-servers4.jpg

But instead of using a metal frame like that, using this bracket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001YI0V7O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ah so you want to use some kinda physical enclosure then! Something like a Lenovo SA120 to put harddrives in and then connect to a HW RAID card and create your array , that makes sense now.

I see people using the Dell H200 card outside of Dell hardware for FreeNAS , however if you're using a HDD enclosure for the array how do you plan to interface with it? Do you plan to use SFF-8087 (internal) to SFF 8088 (external) cables (which do exist, just messy)? Or do you plan to get another RAID card with SFF-8088 to SFF-8088 (external SAS).


It really should just work, as long as its supported by the host OS or guest OS if its being passed to a VM it should work without a hitch, now depending on the RAID card you may have a second menu at POST/Boot to select the onboard RAID card + the new one to configure the array(s) in.

I have two or three of these. I've had one for a couple years and the others just over a year. Haven't had any problems with them and them seem solid.

I'm powering 5 old Hitachi 2TB drives and 3 WD 8TB reds.

StarTech 4X SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Al9OCbBR56GD1

This is kind of like when I first started out, I was rather excited about ez-rj45, but I soon learned they're not worth it.

The ends are expensive. You need the more expensive crimps. If you really want to spend money to save time, just buy patch cables. The only times I make my own ends anymore is if I'm making a custom connector (usually for ham radio) or if I need to run the cable through a small hole.

The one I have is OK haven't had any problems. I plan on getting a new one soon with larger capacity. Been looking at this one, CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS 1500VA 900W AVR Mini-Tower https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBK3QK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lrjvxbDWFYNKH

Depends on your ends. If you're using fancy Ez push through Cat 6's like: https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Tools-100010C-Connectors-Clamshell/dp/B000FI9VU2 Then I'd get the platinum tools one to match https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Tools-100054C-Clamshell-EZ-RJPRO/dp/B00939KFOU/ref=pd_sim_60_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00939KFOU&pd_rd_r=47RDY57AQH3AGVVSSR90&pd_rd_w=aewvk&pd_rd_wg=Fsm6F&psc=1&refRID=47RDY57AQH3AGVVSSR90 since it'll cut the cables off as you crimp.

Otherwise I'd go with Klein's. Their data cable stuff is very good.

There are a few internal bays in there. Also, if you want to go dual CPU and more memory, look into Z820 configs: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Z820-Enterprise-Workstation-16-Core-Dual-E5-2680-128GB-RAM/152596260219

For maxing out storage, I think the best you can do internally is 7 3.5" drives? 4 internal + 3 in an Icy Dock or similar: http://www.icydock.com/storage_buying_guide/hp_workstations/HP_Z820_Workstation_storage_buying_guide.pdf

If you wanted piles of storage, could connect a DAS device link the SA120: https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-70F10000UX-THINKSERVER-ATTACHED-HOT-SWAP/dp/B00LSQOY6G/

(Which needs an external SAS card, but can use something like a LSI SAS9200-8e for ~$50 from eBay)

Here is what I got going on (top to bottom, left to right):

I have my monitor and keyboard sitting on a lack side table
Then on top of my lack side table on casters (I could no longer find it on ikea for the link, not sure if they stopped selling them?) I have:

an AT&T MicroCell - which is awesome since my office (and this closet) is in the basement.

NETGEAR R6250 - which is used for guest Wi-Fi access only.

ieGeek USB LVM switch (behind the NETGEAR)

CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD UPS - Which is currently supporting only my 2 R710's for battery, the rest pictured for surge protection.

Then inside the lackrack:

Cablox Mini Cord Organizers stuck to the roof for clean cable management

Dell PowerConnect 5324 - 24 Port Gigabit

Dell R710 2x Xeon L5520, 32GB RAM, 8GB thumb, 120GB Samsung SSD, 6x2TB Seagate NAS HDD

• FreeNAS 9.10-Stable baremetal install on 8GB thumbdrive
  6x2TB in RaidZ2
  
  
• 120 SSD running on my plugins:
  
  
• Plex
  
  
• CouchPotato
  
  
• Sonarr
  
  
• SABnzbd
  
  
• Transmission
  
  Dell R710 2x Xeon E5530, 32GB RAM, 8GB thumb, 6x1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
  
  
• VMware ESXi 6 baremetal on the 8GB thumb
  
• Windows Server 2012 - DC, Primarily DNS and some other thingys
  
• Confluence
  
• Sophos UTM 9 - runs my entire lab and home network, FW and routing, etc.
  
• Splunk - DS, Indexers, SH (which will probably consolidate sometime)
  
• Syslog-ng
  
• Misc temporary build machines for learning stuffs.. Most recently OpenStacks
  
  edit: listing stuffs..

check out the trendnet Tu-S9.. Never had a problem with em and they work great with Cisco Checkpoint and Foritnet devices.. https://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-USB-RS-232-Serial-Converter/dp/B0007T27H8/

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeRouter-Advanced-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00YFJT29C/ref=pd_lpo_147_lp_t_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PH3HWRW8DG4W5PFPS7HV

I'm pretty sure these can be configured as firewalls.

http://www.forshee.me/2016/03/02/ubiquiti-edgerouter-lite-setup-part-2-firewall-setup.html

I got this PCI Slot 2.5" drive tray. It's worked great.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0080V73RE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

Would suggest you put it in a remote location such as the garage...run a couple of cat 6 data lines..and you can manage the server remotely.. much better thank keeping it in the same room you sleep...

throw it on one of these space saving wall rackmounts...

https://www.amazon.com/Startech-19-Inch-Vertical-Mountable-Server/dp/B001YI0V7O/ref=pd_day0_229_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Y9APSYGC4ZC962EXNBCH

Platinum tools makes something like that: Platinum Tools 100036 EZ-RJ45 Cat6 Strain Relief, (Clear). 50/Bag.(Pack of 50) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00939KKX6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gDjGAbZH3BZ0A

And: Platinum Tools 100010C EZ-RJ45 Cat 6+ Connectors, Clamshell, 50-Pieces https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FI9VU2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_mEjGAbCVFZD7F

But they have their own crimper that cuts off the excess wire. I've never used them but I know people who do and they like them.

There is no effective way of doing that with the HH3k. It's just a basic residential gateway.

You can get the same card off of Ebay like I did for $60-$90. I bought the DA2.

Previous to that I used a media converter to bypass the HH3000.

But you are still stuck 1gbps.


TP-Link MC220L Gigabit Media Converter, 1000Mbps RJ45 to 1000Mbps SFP Slot Supporting MiniGBIC modules, Chassis mountable https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B003CFATL0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zEmsDb74KKVGJ

If you are looking at making a custom driver for an SFP+ NIC you need to get specific cards. Read here for more info. https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r32230041-Internet-Bypassing-the-HH3K-up-to-2-5Gbps-using-a-BCM57810S-NIC~start=360#end

I'm tempted to get the Ubiquiti US16XG($800) or wait until Bell rolls out 5gbps service and upgrade their ONT to SFP+.

I recently dealt with Unifi G3 cameras and a 802.3af-only switch. My solution was to buy a load of passive POE injectors and these TP-Link POE splitters, saved 50% of the cost of buying Ubiquiti Instant-POE adapters.

Tripp Lite SR4POST25 25U 4-Post Open Frame Rack - Amazon

This works great, especially with the wheels.

Unless the Atom C line has been sorted out, I'd suggest a Celeron J3455 build as a decent perf/watt point. They're cheap and fairly powerful - I believe ASRock has one for ~$60. Tag a pcie dual nic card on, whatever for storage (unless you want squid), 2-4gb ram and you're good to go.

A lot of these low end SoC's and Pentiums are more than sufficient for pfSense. Compare them against a middle of the road core2duo as a benchmark for a basic pfSense box. Need VPN, Snort, Squid, whatever? hike it up accordingly.

E: here's a barebones box: https://www.amazon.com/Firewall-Micro-Appliance-Gigabit-Barebone/dp/B01GIVQI3M

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003CFATQK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003CFATQK

That's cheaper at $15 and offers selectable output of 5/9/12 volts, perfect for a fan. I used it with it's splitter counterpart to power a switch in a drop ceiling and it works great - I can't comment how well it works with a PoE switch, but it claims it is 802.3af compliant.

Personally, I'm a fan of Ubiquiti's EdgeRouters. Honestly, I haven't had any experience with other routers (minus crappy consumer grade Netgear and Buffalo), but the EdgeRouters can still do a lot.

It's got a full GUI, you can SSH, TELNET I believe, SNMP, etc.

Another option is to build your own with PfSense, which is very much in depth but it's got quite a learning curve (at least for me). If you're willing to put in the time and effort, this is the way to go.

Also, I'm sure you know this by now but these are only routers, you'll need a wireless AP to go with these.

Edgerouter:
https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeRouter-Advanced-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00YFJT29C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1511763952&sr=8-2&keywords=ubiquiti+edgerouter

PfSense:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrQrt8r_uYg
https://www.pfsense.org/

BOOM! i asked this same question not long ago! it's not loud but, it does have a fan. partial L3/L2. SFP+ ports can be used for routing and switching and not just stacking.

https://www.amazon.com/D-Link-Systems-SmartPro-Stackable-DGS-1510-28X/dp/B00MCZNW5G/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1484946167&sr=1-1&keywords=D-Link+DGS-1510-28X

https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1957956-looking-for-a-24-port-1gbps-w-4x-10bgps-sfp

Whatever is cheap on Amazon and has vents. Some are 4 post. Most are 2u like below.

StarTech 2U Universal Vented Rack Mount Cantilever Shelf for 19-Inch Server Racks - 16-Inch, Black (CABSHELFV) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008X3JHJQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CiSZzbP6YD3Q7

There is a box at the other end that splits it out into a regular power connector, pretty handy!

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Gigabit-Ethernet-Splitter-TL-PoE10R/dp/B003CFATQK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526833321&sr=8-1&keywords=tp+link+poe+splitter

It lets you select the voltage

This isn't from personal experience, but the people I've talked to suggested cyberpower emphatically until you are into the fairly high end units.

If you're looking into high end rack mount units, or the crazy refridgerator size units, APC is good. It looks like you're looking in the $150 range, in which case everything I have heard would suggest that APC is a poor choice.

Incidentally, it looks like you're looking into the nicer version of the one that I have: http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1500AVRLCD-Intelligent-1500VA-Mini-Tower/dp/B000FBK3QK/ref=pd_sim_e_3

Which has given me zero problems. I use it for my desktop, I intend to pick up another for my router/modem/file server in the near future. The software reckons that I have 24 minutes of battery and am currently using 186 watts.

Maybe something like this? It's powered by the J1900 platform everyone's been talking about.

Gigabyte Mini Barebone System

It includes a case, motherboard, and CPU. You'll need to provide your own RAM and a boot drive. You could then run an external USB drive to get your 1TB of storage.

If you think you might want to build your own router at some point, consider getting one with a few extra NICs so that you can run PFsense on it instead down the road:

ProtectCLI Firewall Micro Appliance

Yeah, depending on what equipment you're wanting to use it for, the size of the rack as well as max U height, you can get something along these lines:
https://smile.amazon.com/StarTech-Universal-Vented-Cantilever-19-Inch/dp/B008X3JHJQ

I can't really link to the exact ones I have as I got them out of the recycling pile.

Rosewill Server Rack, 19 Inch Desktop Open Frame Server Desk Rack Free Standing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y1CYL9G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5M0pDbRF69M8F

Thanks, we ended up going with a open frame at the end, this one

​

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Server-Desktop-Frame-Standing/dp/B06Y1CYL9G/ref=sr_1_17?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1550375554&sr=1-17&keywords=server+rack

This router is a bit of a curious case. It's designed for using 3G and LTE connections. The first thing you should do is get a usb serial and plug into the console port. Download MobaXTerm, it blows putty out of the water. Check your device manager and see what COM pot your adapter is on. Go back to MOBA and select sessions --> new session --> Serial. Sometimes it shows up as prolific. Wait for the router to boot. If you see a "Would you like to enter the initial configuration dialog y/n hit N. Type en and type sh ver. This will show the version of IOS. If it boots into rommon you're screwed as IOSes for this router aren't readily available. I'd HIGHLY suggest checking out Cisco's whitepapers on how this unit functions. The basics are still there, wan/lan. Try using it to set up your house to connect to the internet. Read about the overload command which is how NAT is done. This is also a great way to start getting familiar with the CLI.

Quick question, you seem like a knowledgeable person, why is this access point says US version at the end? does that mean it doesn't work outside the US ?

Something like this will work:
https://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-TU-S9-USB-Serial-Converter/dp/B0007T27H8?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/HDE-9-Pin-Serial-Ethernet-Console/dp/B00979DMSM/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1478907245&sr=1-2&keywords=serial+to+ethernet

While that is mostly true, POE splitters do exist (and are relatively cheap). Just remember that POE is designed to power relatively small devices that don't draw very much power.

I just bought the following. I put PFsense on it. Nice little box. I bought 8 gigs of RAM and a 120 gig SSD with it.




Firewall Micro Appliance With 4x Gbe Intel Lan Ports for PFSense barebones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GIVQI3M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0fIHxb55225FK

You'll probably be interested in these, then...

Are people liking e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-802-11ac-Dual-Radio-UAP-AC-PRO-US/dp/B015PRO512/ ?

If you are looking to protect yourself from a surge coming down a COAX line into your house/apartment. Go from RJ45 to fiber and back again, plus doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

I purchased this item: http://www.amazon.com/MC220L-Converter-1000Mbps-supporting-mountable/dp/B003CFATL0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1465059972&sr=1-1&keywords=TP-LINK+MC220L
Along with two SFP modules and a 1m cable to connect them as my HP 24 port switch has 2 SFP spots on it.

It goes modem (ISPs) --> TP Link convertor --> 1m fiber --> SFP switch --> rj45 switch --> firewall.

I have used this for about a year without any problems. I works well with the USB-3 interface.

https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-ProBox-HF2-SU3S2-SATA-Enclosure/dp/B003X26VV4

Something like this might work depending on your environment:

https://www.amazon.com/Startech-19-Inch-Vertical-Mountable-Server/dp/B001YHYVEY

this one looks exactly like the one I have. Way cheaper than the one you're looking at too.

These look like they'd work: http://smile.amazon.com/Supermicro-Screw-Label-3-5-Inch-MCP-410-00005-0N/dp/B00353EKR8?sa-no-redirect=1

I would go with an HP microserver. That should give you one internal SATA and 4 hot swap.

Or use an external JBOD like this: https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-ProBox-HF2-SU3S2-SATA-Enclosure/dp/B003X26VV4

I recommend using SATA power splitters.

Thank you for the link.

This won't work as they need to be mounted horizontally on a shelf for access to front USB ports. I also only have 4u of space to work with.

I'm looking for something like this, but with 100mm x 100mm holes: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-19-Inch-Universal-Cantilever-Cabinet/dp/B008X3JHJQ/

I think I'll just have to order a few different brands and measure the airflow cutouts.

Looks like a Rosewill 25U. I bought one recently.

Nevermind. I didn't finish reading all the comments. It's a StarTech

I actually bought one of those through Ali Express recently. Other than it being a giant pain in the arse to get a credit card to go through... it was a fine transaction.

You can get that unit on Amazon though.

I worked through this guide to set up the OS (not pfSense although pfSense is totally fine to use!)

It's a very niche market - no major vendor bothers to build such systems. If you want a pre-built brandname you might be better off getting a DAS enclosure like Lenovo SA120 instead.

2x
Ubiquiti Networks UAP-AC-Pro-E Access Point Single Unit New (No PoE Included in Box) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079DSW6XX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_WPbJBbD5YV67X

And an optional USG Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway (USG) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ENbJBbQHYAV21

D-Link dgs-1510-28x is a solid contender for those specs at $432.

You could wire up a couple Ubiquiti UAP-AC-PROs, no hardware controller (it's a free app that can be installed on any computer on the network). That's what I and most of my co-workers use for our houses.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PRO512/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_AP1cAbX642Q18

I haven't used the cables yet, but either my cable tester I had no issues with all but 1 of them. That was a fluke more related to the beverage being consumed whist making the cables, one of the conductors didn't make it all the way into the plug before it was crimped, or it pulled out a bit.

I do see what you mean though.

Edit: These are basically what they are. I had the ones with the strain relief pieces too.

Platinum Tools 100010C EZ-RJ45 Cat 6+ Connectors, Clamshell, 50-Pieces https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FI9VU2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Iz-OybE63REYG

I mean, the coat hangers are an inventive solution but why not just use one of these?

I bought a Mediasonic Probox a while back to use as a backup drive JBOD box. They have a 4-drive and an 8-drive model; I have the 4-drive box. It's been decent in my limited use case, which was to consolidate a bunch of small external HDDs in one big box so I didn't have to wrangle so many USB and power cables when I wanted to plug in an external backup. The drive slots are "half" trayless, in that there's a handle that attaches to the front screws of the drives but then the drive just slides in. I didn't find anything cheaper when I was looking around.

The disks are accessed as regular USB mass storage devices by default, each individually. SMART data is passed through with no issues.

I bought this rack - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OB8T72

It has adjustable depth and works fine for mounting servers.

Here's an example from Amazon. The reviews have some pictures of how it looks with servers mounted.

StarTech.com 4U Wall Mount Patch Panel Bracket - 19 inch Steel Vertical Mounting Bracket for Network and Data Equipment (RK419WALLV) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001YHYVEY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AQ5NDb56P4Q4B

These? They're 6 bucks on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00353EKR8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_xFh3xb9A9CMVD

That rack looked a little sketchy to me when I was shopping for a rack. I bought this one. at the time it was $50 cheaper on amazon.

There's a thread on DSL Reports discussing all this: https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31118482-Yes-you-CAN-bypass-the-HomeHub-3000

Most people there are using these: https://www.amazon.ca/TP-Link-MC220L-Converter-supporting-mountable/dp/B003CFATL0

One guy put it in his 10Gbit switch: https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31908145- and it synced at 2.5Gbit

With a 1Gbps switch there's no issue as it won't send more than 1.25Gbit (1Gbit after 8b/10b encoding is 1.25Gbit). What I would like to know is what happens in the 10Gbps switch case. Will it try sending at 2.5Gbps? Does the SFP ONT do some kind of flow control? I need to do more research.

Just bought supplies last night to implement this.

TP Link MC220L + SFP + fiber cable + Intel 1000 MF card.

I think everything together was around $80. Fiber NIC is compatible with pfSense. I found a Dell OEM card for $20 on eBay. Card shouldn't be a fake Intel.

I bought the multimode fiber SFP so both that and NIC have LC connections.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003CFATL0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1465823649&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=mc220l&dpPl=1&dpID=41QXjapF-WL&ref=plSrch

http://m.ebay.com/itm/201577163022

On a related note, are these components compatible?

• Multimode Duplex Fiber Optic Cable (62.5/125) - LC to LC
  
• TP-LINK MC220L Gigabit Media Converter
  
• Extreme Networks Summit X450e-48T which has a SFP (mini-GBIC) connector
  
• 2x GENUINE CISCO GLC-SX-MM
  
  I am not sure if all three bits will talk to each other.
  
  Thank you.
  
  edit: add the SFP I had in my shopping cart, but did not originally list

Definitely go fiber between structures to keep them electrically isolated. If your switches have SFP ports, you can eBay the modules for a couple bucks each. Otherwise a media converter for 1Gbe costs under $30, plus the SFP.

http://www.amazon.com/MC220L-Converter-1000Mbps-supporting-mountable/dp/B003CFATL0

Monoprice has 50m LC/LC cables for $50. On eBay you can find 100m cables for not much more. With pre-terminated cables you don't need any special tools or expertise, just be careful of extreme bends.

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10237&cs_id=1023704&p_id=11809&seq=1&format=2

Ethernet cables use thin wires which cause significant voltage drops over typical distances. For this reason, the designers of 802.3af Power over Ethernet chose 48V: higher input voltage results in more power getting to the device. Ubiquiti, Mikrotik, and others have their own nonstandard POE schemes but have generally agreed to send 15-24V – higher for longer runs, lower for very short runs. (Well, except for the Ubiquiti devices that require 48V because 24V just can't deliver the power required…)

Rather than hacking something together yourself at 5V, I would suggest this TP-Link kit. It includes a standard 802.3af injector and an 802.3af splitter, which can output 5V, 9V, or 12V onto a common DC barrel connector. You'll get gigabit Ethernet through it, it'll work over long distances (due to the higher transmission voltage), and it's standard POE.

I think this is a great deal at $20.

Cabling pro tip: get EZ heads and the specialized crimper. It's a little cost up front, but it'll make your cabling life so much easier.

For anyone looking, Startech has 1u - 6u vertical mounts. I can't think of anything that would keep you from mounting 2 of these vertically about 30" apart and putting rails between them. You could have your servers mounted in rails horizontally on the wall then.

https://www.amazon.com/Startech-19-Inch-Vertical-Mountable-Server/dp/B001YHYVEY/ref=s9_simh_gw_g147_i1_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=04YWHYY7Y2JJN649VF07&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=a6aaf593-1ba4-4f4e-bdcc-0febe090b8ed&pf_rd_i=desktop

If you really need it wall mounted, maybe vertical mount would be an option?

https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Vertical-Mount-Equipment-Bracket/dp/B001YI0V7O

You can get 24 of them for $5 (https://www.amazon.com/Supermicro-Screw-Label-3-5-Inch-MCP-410-00005-0N/dp/B00353EKR8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1537585457&sr=1-1&keywords=hard+drive+caddy+screws)

Unless you're somewhere exotic.

I have this 4 bay enclosure that I bought a while back: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B003X26VV4

As others have mentioned, everything has extra features these days.

What you are looking for is this sort of stuff, https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-ProBox-HF2-SU3S2-SATA-Enclosure/dp/B003X26VV4

Here is the mobile version of your link

I use this. They sell smaller versions too. Tripp Lite SR4POST25 25U 4-Post Open Frame Rack Cabinet Square Holes 1000lb Capacity https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OB8T72/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_dC2FwbVXH3B3N

• Gut the DVD, use this: https://www.amazon.com/Protronix-Optical-Drive-Universal-12-7mm/dp/B004XIU4T2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1476395723&sr=8-3&keywords=optical+2.5 and this http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Genuine-Dell-PowerEdge-R710-Optical-32-in-SATA-Cable-GP703-/111012881837?hash=item19d8e225ad:g:KwcAAOxy5P9RHQhC
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Syba-Slot-Tray-Mobile-SY-MRA25023/dp/B0080V73RE for the second ssd
  
  I think this will work.

Syba PCI Slot Tray Less Mobile Rack for 2.5" SATA III HDD/SSD (SY-MRA25023) $13.99ea on Amazon

I bought two of these. They come with the cable.


Lenovo 70F10000UX THINKSERVER SA120 DIRECT ATTACHED STORAGE,1 I/O MODULE,12 X 3.5IN ... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LSQOY6G/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_Sq9gzbXQAX3A8

So this ?

Get this Lenovo SA120

and this [SAS9200-8E](
https://www.amazon.com/SAS9200-8E-8PORT-Ext-Sata-Pcie/dp/B002QJZLCA)

Then you're set for an ESXi server with FreeNAS (SAS9200-8E passthrough) with 12 drives; only if you're up for spending a bit more.

Might check this out:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MCZNW5G/ref=twister_B010NPWBGW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00MCZNW5G/ref=asc_df_B00MCZNW5G32787560?smid=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&tag=pricewatch-21&linkCode=df0&creative=22502&creativeASIN=B00MCZNW5G&childASIN=B00MCZNW5G

Ubiquiti Edge Router lite ERL
My preference is the ERX as it's cheaper than ERL ERX

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeRouter-Advanced-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00YFJT29C - EdgeRouterX

The Unifi's are also on Amazon/newegg/etc

I'm talking about this one.

I can't seem to find it on ubiquiti's online store though

Also check this.

AP pro

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Server-Desktop-Frame-Standing/dp/B06Y1CYL9G

I got mine for about $180 - can’t remember where for the life of me.

One of these I think: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06Y1CYL9G/ref=psdcmw_11042141_t1_B004OB8T72?th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y1CYL9G/ - cheap(ish) 25U adjustable depth rack from Rosewill.

I dunno, these are pretty inexpensive.

https://www.amazon.ca/StarTech-com-19-Inch-Vertical-Equipment-RK219WALLV/dp/B001YI0V7O

but yeah, you're probably right. though, the LACK table is probably still cheaper.

This is the cable I used when setting it up. I just stuck a female-female null modem adapter on the end (had to remove the screws for it to fit)

For interfacing, I used a paid app on my Macbook. It's just called "Serial", it's got some nice features and UI.

Supermicro Screw Bag and Label for 24x Hot swap 3.5-Inch HDD Tray Cable (MCP-410-00005-0N), 100 pcs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00353EKR8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_AhiizbGXHC3Y0


Not sure if they are universal but i had to buy some for me R710.

• Drop one of these into your pci-e slot for use as your internal SSD?
  
  
• These pci hotswap bays plus a generic sata HBA.
  
  Few ways to easily move your 2.5" drives internally. Not sure if the r710 has a few sata headers onboard you can use.

You could get a couple of these:

https://www.amazon.com/SEDNA-Express-PCIe-SATA-Adapter/dp/B00FVXQO88

Or just some of these and rig up power cables and plug them into the motherboard:

https://www.startech.com/HDD/Mobile-Racks/25in-SATA-Removable-Hard-Drive-Bay-for-PC-Expansion-Slot~S25SLOTR

Or cheaper:

https://www.amazon.com/Slot-Tray-Less-Mobile-Rack/dp/B0080V73RE

Or two in one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IB6I43K/ref=pd_luc_rh_mrairec_01_01_t_img_lh?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

No link, but you can use a splitter for incompatible devices.

Edit: though why not link to that? Ie. https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Gigabit-Ethernet-Splitter-TL-PoE10R/dp/B003CFATQK .

Those are usually APC, Dell, HP, Cisco, etc - commercial grade stuff. StarTech and a few others make consumer and commercial grade products, so generally open racks, 25U, adjustable, rather than only bulletproof sturdy cage/door racks.

Here's the StarTech 25U one I have (I picked it up used off Kijiji though, $80)

Here's a similar one from Tripp-Lite, also 25U open. Don't usually see these in datacenters, because those are all 42U/45U, enclosed.

That being said, the StarTech rack is excellent, as it's adjustable depth, has casters, and a lower profile than something with front/back door + side panels. Depends on budget + needs. I'm in a condo, so having a 42U+ closed rack would be way overkill (and a pain to even get into the elevator...)

I am not familiar with Almond+. But I can tell you about QoS. Basically QoS on most devices (again never used an Almond+) allows you to tell the router who has the highest priority when handling data packets. By default a router will route packets as first in first out.


QoS matters when you have a really congested network and want to make sure that packets from computer/service X get routed first. This is frequently used in VoIP because when the packets are delayed too much the voice can be distorted and cause call quality issues.



As for router I am using a virtualized pfSense system and for my wireless access point I am using a UniFi-AC-PRO that I bought from Amazon.

Edited for grammar

Why not go with a Ubiquiti Security Gateway instead? It is even cheaper than that crappy linksys box.

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Security-Gateway-USG/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1527345700&sr=1-1&keywords=ubiquiti+security+gateway

PG&E starts at 11ish cents at the base tier and goes up to 41 cents at the highest based on how much you consume in a month. I don't really feel I use that much electricity, but it seems I do no matter how much darkness I live in (even with LED bulbs!).

I use https://www.amazon.com/Startech-19-Inch-Vertical-Mountable-Server/dp/B001YI0V7O

Have to have studs to mount it. Or at least a reallly sturdy wall.