Mini Rack 003: ITX Dense Compute with external UPS

[geerlingguy]

Description: For this rack, I wanted to see how much compute I could cram into an 8U mini rack. I would likely add on a better network switch, but the idea is to use an external UPS so every rack space can be taken up with compute, while still allowing adequate airflow/cooling.

The two base units are Mini ITX cases from MyElectronics, which don't have room for a full PSU, so you'd likely use a PicoPSU or use boards that take direct 12V power input.

Above that is a mini ITX tray from DeskPi, holding a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 ITX board. And above that is another DeskPi tray, this time for dual SBC, which can also mount two 2.5" SSDs or HDDs below for storage.

Full parts list (I earn for qualifying purchases...):

• DeskPi RackMate T1: $150
• MyElectronics 10" 2U Mini ITX Case x2: $230 ($115 x2)
• DeskPi Super6C Clusterboard x2: $440 ($220 x2)
• Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 8GB x12: $960 ($80 x12)
• DeskPi 10" Mini ITX Shelf: $24
• Seaberry Mini ITX board for CM: N/A
• Nvidia Jetson Nano Developer Kit: $200
• Raspberry Pi 5 - 8GB: $80
• Netgear GS305P 5-port PoE+ Switch: $70
• DeskPi 12-port Keystone RJ45 0.5U Patch Panel: $23
• Monoprice Cat6A 10 pack Snagless RJ45 Cables: $17
• ECOFLOW River 2 Power Station: $220

Total cost (brand new, not including tax/shipping): $2,414

(Technically the cluster pictured above was run with mostly CM4, and only two CM5s that I have on hand... But if I wanted to go all out on this thing, I'd go with all CM5, or maybe Radxa or Orange Pi CM5, if my use case worked with the parts of those boards that are well supported.)

[taggart]

Ideally everything in the rack would be DC powered and the feed from the UPS DC, no sense in doing 2 conversions!
Most 19" telecomm gear is -48V DC. But for this emerging 10" ecosystem you are developing I think it should probably follow one of:

• USB power standards
• PoE standards
• what most SBCs are expecting (so ATX standards/5V/12V)

[FluffyPuppyKasey]

One of the things I'd be interested in seeing is what kind of hardware I could stuff into this. I'm thinking an ITX motherboard, a metric whack ton of NVMe storage, Ryzen 9 9950X, 96GB of RAM, etc. That system could be used for a bunch of VMs or something

[Darkflib]

@taggart I've been playing on putting a buck converter + mosfet + esp32-c3 on a small board so I can remotely power on/off devices while also being able to feed up to 36V to them (I need to source some other components for 48V) - TODO for later, expose the serial console.

Big advantage of doing it this way (at least for me) is that I can take power straight from my 24V battery bank connected to my panels. The per device buck converter also means that each device can have the voltage it wants and can have additional smoothing close to the device.

[KB3LZV]

Very much enjoying these projects. This happens to be one of the projects I am trying to do myself to go from office to onsite for events. I want the smaller rack, but I know I will run out of space. I just need to get everything laid out and then I shall share.

[StevenACoffman]

I think your ALFTEL Seaberry Mini ITX board for CM was CM4 only, right?

The DeskPi Super6C Clusterboard you list supports RPi CM4/CM5 in a single mini-itx, and then you mount the mini-itx in the rack, but I'm not seeing a solution for separate, individual CM5s mounted in a 10-inch rack.

In fact, this is all I can find anywhere on the internet: https://www.printables.com/model/1162354-raspberry-pi-cm-5-io-board-10-inch-rack-mount and that's only one RPi CM5 per 10-inch shelf.

[Fenrir784]

One of the things I'd be interested in seeing is what kind of hardware I could stuff into this. I'm thinking an ITX motherboard, a metric whack ton of NVMe storage, Ryzen 9 9950X, 96GB of RAM, etc. That system could be used for a bunch of VMs or something

I wait for Minisforum MS-A2 and MS-01 is already here. Planning to grab MS-A2 for my nas\torrent\docker all-in-one

[curtisspendlove]

One of the things I'd be interested in seeing is what kind of hardware I could stuff into this. I'm thinking an ITX motherboard, a metric whack ton of NVMe storage, Ryzen 9 9950X, 96GB of RAM, etc. That system could be used for a bunch of VMs or something

Feels like one of the problems with this, as usual for this sort of smaller rack, is powering it in a nice small package. I suppose we could find somewhere in this for a standard PSU…or maybe an SFF PSU.

I really want to cram a metric crap-ton of compute and small, fast storage in as well. And I almost want to mount a 4U version of the rack above this for monitor mounts, networking, and power. But power is heavy.

Spinning rust could be separate and mounted as a network file share.

But you could have a flash pool on here for mounting and giving to docker volumes or the like.

As usual, building one’s own whitebox storage is fun; BUT I wonder about sacrificing a 1U shelf to something like this:

https://nas.ugreen.com/products/ugreen-nasync-dxp480t-plus-nas-storage

Man…so many possibilities. :D

[KelvinHu]

One of the things I'd be interested in seeing is what kind of hardware I could stuff into this. I'm thinking an ITX motherboard, a metric whack ton of NVMe storage, Ryzen 9 9950X, 96GB of RAM, etc. That system could be used for a bunch of VMs or something

Feels like one of the problems with this, as usual for this sort of smaller rack, is powering it in a nice small package. I suppose we could find somewhere in this for a standard PSU…or maybe an SFF PSU.

I really want to cram a metric crap-ton of compute and small, fast storage in as well. And I almost want to mount a 4U version of the rack above this for monitor mounts, networking, and power. But power is heavy.

Spinning rust could be separate and mounted as a network file share.

But you could have a flash pool on here for mounting and giving to docker volumes or the like.

As usual, building one’s own whitebox storage is fun; BUT I wonder about sacrificing a 1U shelf to something like this:

https://nas.ugreen.com/products/ugreen-nasync-dxp480t-plus-nas-storage

Man…so many possibilities. :D

A possibility is using an Asustor Flashstor, fits 6 or 12 NVMe drives and has 2 10GbE ports; the Intel variant iirc has PCIe lane deficiencies compared to the AMD variant.

Edit:
The Intel is the older first generation, and the AMD one is the newer second generation

Intel: https://www.asustor.com/en-gb/product?p_id=80
AMD: https://www.asustor.com/en-gb/product?p_id=91

Edit2:
Damn the Gen 2 is just a bit taller than 1U and doesn't fit in the width wise.

[CPlusPlusFanboi]

Hello @geerlingguy,

I like this build. Before I ask you questions regarding this Mini Rack Server build, I will provide my background to provide clarity regarding my thought processes. I will be graduating with my B.H.S. Degree in Speech-Language Pathology, but I am taking a CompTIA A+ course to begin my Cybersecurity/Network Engineering path since my degree may be considered as useless without the Master's degree. Also, I completed a introductory college course for C++ as well as Calculus 1 to Calculus 3 and enjoyed them. Hopefully, this information can assist you regarding the thought processes behind my questions.

For my first question, do I need two Mini-ITX motherboards for this build? I intend to orient my homelab build around adding skillsets to a future resume and practice the skills that I hope to learn for the CompTIA Security+ Exam and the CompTIA Network+ Exam (Cisco's CCNA Exam MAY look better). As such, I would like to run one Mini-ITX ECC-oriented motherboard (unless two are necessary) with a Ryzen ECC-compatible CPU, HDD(s), SSD(s), and add networking components (switch(es), patch panel(s), router(s), modem(s), etc.). Additionally, I do not have the additional capital and time to invest in a 3D Printer. Based on my research, my build may look like a hybrid of your Mini Rack build and the build that was constructed by the YouTube creator "Hardware Haven."

I want to thank you, and other GitHub users, for taking the time to read this comment.

Best,
CPlusPlusFanboi