Dell Dimension 9200 a/k/a XPS 410 a/k/a DXP061 works!


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The motherboard p/n is WG885.

 

General Motherboard Specs:

  • Intel P965 chipset
  • Intel ICH8R w/ 6 SATA ports
  • Intel 82566DC Gigabit Network Connection Onboard
  • PCI x1, x8 (x4 electrically) and x16 slots
  • 3 x PCI 32 bit
  • 4 x dual-channel 533-, 667-, and 800-MHz DDR2 (max 4gb)
  • BTX Form Factor
  • NO PATA
  • NO Onboard Video

 

My setup has:

  • Core 2 Duo E6300
  • 3gb RAM
  • 2 x 1.5TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 (1 is parity)
  • 1 x 1.5TB WD Green
  • 1 x Sans Digital MS2UT+B 2 bay RAID enclosure
  • 2 x 320GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (acting as cache in RAID 1 in enclosure)
  • 1gb Kingston DataTraveler 2.0 (flash)

 

Speed:

Oct 5 15:33:28 silo kernel: md: sync done. time=18609sec rate=78732K/sec

with the 2 data disks, one of which is 5400 RPM.

 

I've only been using the enclosure for a few days but everything seems stable.  Prior to using the enclosure, everything was stable. I haven't gone a month of uptime yet because I've only been running unRAID about that long and I'm always moving disks around or rebooting to verify a new go script.  No crashes as far as I can tell but perhaps there is something of concern in my sysinfo.  I'll post a clean sysinfo on my next boot.

 

Good:

This sort of Dell system has some good points.  Nearing 3 years old these are the types of machines you may be able to get for free or very cheap as businesses start to replace them.  6 SATA ports, gigE, room for 6 disks (2x5.25, 4x3.25), potential to add 3 pci express cards at varying speeds allows growth to 20 disks using long sata cables and external cases.

 

Bad:

The good is very good but the bad is pretty bad.  Putting 6 disks inside the case is difficult, cooling them even moreso.  Two disks are UPSIDE DOWN on the bottom of the case.  Perhaps the purpose was to allow the entire case to act as a heatsink for the drives?  All I see is heat  rising through the electronics on the bottom board of the HDD.  Installing the two disks on the bottom is easy and tooless.  One other spot below the external 3.25 bay is also easy to install into.  The other three bays, not so easy.  Dell has a really smooth quick release system that uses special screws that you install on your devices and then you slide the devices into place and they click in.  Problem is that the screws are not where the case expects them to be for a FDD on the HDD.  For a disk in the FDD spot, you slide it in and then you can fasten one standard screw to keep it in place.  Not terrible.  But it gets worse, I have the usual converter rails to mount HDD into 5.25 bays and some 5.25 fans that mount in a 5.25 bay.  Promising for the 2 top disks to be cool and locked down tight.  I was proud that I was able to rig it so that I could put disks in those bays, and when I did so, I couldn't snap the front cover back on.  The fans are meant to be in a totally open bay where you can slide them back as far as you need.  I am sure some better bay converters w/ fans that bolt match a typical ROM drive exist but I already have stuff that would be usable in the vast majority of cases one would buy off the shelf.

 

With the three disks in the system HDD temps are in the mid to high 30's with the case closed and the system doing very little but disks spun up.  I did most of my copying and parity checks with the side of the case off which did help temps.

 

BUT WAIT!  IT GETS WORSE.  I have a stable, fast enough system, with growth potential, for free.  I really just need a new case and p/s.  This system is build around the, now dead, BTX standard.  BTX cases are nearly impossible to come by.  I even have a Thermaltake Armor case that I can repurpose if needed.  It is, in theory ATX/BTX but requires a conversion kit for BTX.  That kit is pretty much unavailable everywhere as is any native BTX case with ample drive bays.

 

I have an old external enclosure i'll just hookup with long sata cables and see where I can get drive temps.  To keep growing I'll add one or two of these until a more permanent solution presents itself:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816111045. 

 

Summary:

For a small unraid setup, if you get this box for free or already have it and went to repurpose it, use it.  This box will work, electronically, very well.  If you can leave the side off the case, do so, I have seen that it keeps temps to tolerable levels.  If you can get something else I would suggest it.

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I had read that in the past and thought I needed a 1 month syslog which I didn't have.  I see now that is only for level 2.

 

Attached is a syslog from my last parity check.  Does the rebuild parity have to be in the same syslog as the parity check?  If so must the parity check follow a parity rebuild?

 

Added row to motherboard list with tested level TBD.

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