My New Homemade DIY Server Rack

*Yes, I am well aware of my "umm" crutch when I monologue. Comments about it will be deleted and blocked from my channel.*
I recently picked up two new rack-mount servers (Dell PowerEdge 2950-III, 2x Quad Core E5450 @ 3.0GHz, 32GB RAM, 2x 146GB 15K SAS, PERC-6i, DRAC5), and I needed a home for them. I already had a 2 post 44U rack that I had got for free, but it would need to be cut to fit into the space I had in order to accommodate the servers. So I figured since I had to cut it anyway, I might as well do it right and make a 4 poster out of it. I was going to insert a picture of what the original rack looked like (it was a hot mess), but as a network tech I decided it would be pretty embarrassing. But anyways, for me to buy a rack this size would have cost me several hundred bucks. To build it cost me about $20 in lumber, $5 for a pound of screws, and $8 for the casters. As I said the original rack I got free, but you can buy a set of 20U rack rails for about $50 on ebay.
I cut the posts between the 22 and 23U, and then trimmed the bottom ends so they were the same length (the bottoms were longer after the cut since they had to also accommodate the base). I did this with a metal cutting blade in my chopsaw.
*** A word of warning - if you cut aluminum with a power saw, make sure there is NO LOOSE RUST ANYWHERE THE DUST IS THROWN - this includes if you have a dust collection system! Aluminum dust + iron rust = THERMITE! Once mixed it can be ignited by sparks, and once it starts burning there is no stopping it - and it will burn through basically anything. So just be careful!
I bought some 2x4's and cut them up to the correct lengths to build my frame, then put it all together with star-head deck screws (Just Say NO to stripped out Philips screws!!). All screw holes were pre-drilled and countersunk to prevent the wood from splitting. There are four 1 1/2" casters on the bottom, so it rolls around nicely. I used two swivel and two fixed, but in retrospect I should've just used all swivels. Once it was all assembled, I just screwed the rack pieces in place and loaded up all my gear!
If you are going to build a rack like this, MEASURE TWICE AND CUT ONCE! Make sure you freshen the milled ends, BEFORE you measure, make sure you mark your measurements accurately, and make sure you take the blade kerf width into account and cut in the right place. You don't want to get it all together and then find out it's crooked or your gear doesn't fit between the rack rails.
The gear is all explained in the video. I hope you enjoy!

[@LaserMasterLevi]

You know, if you wouldn't have put in the comments that you have the "umm" crutch, I probably wouldn't even noticed. I do it myself all the time, no worries mate!

[@MobileTaz]

LOL the ones that complain are the 1s tht do nthng but txt spk n cmntz and typer4 liiek thy r drujnkl or 10 yeers old.

[@terryrhuebottom]

Hey Don't feel bad about the "Umm" I constantly use "Dude" all the time and get called out for it. Everyone has their own particular idiosyncrasies.

[@The_Joker_]

It’s just a pause for thought, majority of people do the same in one way or another. If a viewer focuses on it and gets annoyed it’s their problem.

[@MobileTaz]

@glop lol No clue why I can't reply directly so I don't know if you'll get a notification.. But the actual name for it is a 'femtocell'. Airave is the name Sprint gives them. Basically it's a tiny cellular antenna that's designed to boost cell service inside your house when the regular tower signal is weak. I actually don't have it anymore as I changed carriers and my new one doesn't offer them.

[@halfglassfull]

on my home LAN, I am running 12 IP poe cameras plus wired and wireless devices for the family. I am just getting into Plex media and trying to tune my network but noticed alot of lag when trying to watch OTA through PLex, I figured I need to separate out my cameras at least to improve performance so wanted to learn more about VLANs, servers and DIY rack setups. Learned a lot from this video, would love to see how it all looks now (3 years on)...:-).

[@thewolfstu]

holy cow, great sound quality... for a second there I thought you were literally right next to me with my head phones on... it scared me a tad bit XD

[@lpseem3770]

That is super cool. I have one 2U unit that just sits on pieces of wooden mosaic and I want to change that. Wooden rack is a nice option for some serwers and switches.

[@dannyfinance]

You have a nice setup there. Thank you for sharing this video. Have a great day. 😊

[@mariesminutes]

LOL @ "Unless you _really_ like white noise" :D Love your commentary, great video!

[@alcampbell]

Awesome mad scientist setup in the basement. I liked the scanners also because i`m a ham and multiple scanner owner too. LOL. I`m into hobby electronics and computing and I also work as a final test technician in a factory. I`m just starting to get a linux server built and i`m getting a switch and a router to experiment and hack with. I hope you are still around and can post more equipment videos.

[@MobileTaz]

Thanks, and 73! O_^ Yeah I will post more eventually, just haven't had the time. I definitely have things I want to post about, like VMs, WDS (Windows Deployment Service), new file server and streaming computers, and I have an elaborate media/home theater system using Plex that I think people would enjoy seeing behind the scenes about. O_^

[@alcampbell]

Thanks for the reply. Ok then take your time and do your setup. I know how it goes with time. I have too many hobbies and then there is the job thing. I want to buy one of those weather radios just to fool around with, not for serious use because i`m in Southern California. No weather here LOL. My radio shack Pro 2050 scanner has a weather alert setting and i`ve played with the alarm on that, but its not the same as a weather radio.

[@QuadroNVS]

Nice DIY server rack. I have the dell Poweredge 2950 Gen 2 and I am also running VMware ESXi. I use it to play around with different OS's or Host based PBX's like Asterisk.

[@raheelhameed1]

Thanks for sharing! I really like your wooden rack.

[@ColtAshley]

Would definitely like to know more about the Lightweight os

[@PoeLemic]

I watched your video, and I am thankful you communicated such good knowledge. I plan to do a "Ghetto" DYI rack. Mine is not going to be in a YT video, so I can just make it look however way I want. I just care about functionality and ability to store all computers in one particular place. And, also, thank you for sharing about different cheaper options for switches and firewalls. Yes, I'm on a budget. I'm a student, so I'd like to learn lots of this stuff. So, all of your ideas are fabulous. And, one more thing -- I wish you'd make more videos and keep uploading content. Your ideas & viewpoints can really shape many others -- if you just get your Subscribers up. You'll never be LinusTechTips (of course), but you can be like ByteMyBits or the others. I watch BMB lots too. He's awesome & very good channel. Okay thanks for sharing with all of us.

[@BradMottram]

Nice tidy setup! A friend of mine sleeps with a 2950 and a IBM x3400 also a x3200. It's not about the cable management as long as it works your all! good i am not one for cable management.

[@mafia128]

how did you say that device is called on the top of your rack? aire for spread?

[@ElitesEngineering]

I have a 2950 behind me. I wish that it was quiet. I can't keep it on 24/7 sadly.

[@avibank]

Is the EMS/police scanner setup for fun or what? Good work btw.

[@MobileTaz]

Yeah basically.. Honestly the reason I set it up was completely selfish - so that I could listen to it without having to be in my truck. P25 digital scanners are obscenely expensive, and I just didn't have the money or desire to buy another one that's portable. So I started streaming it so I could listen to it on my phone. Since then I have gained a bunch of loyal listeners, even the local radio station's website links to it. www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/12639

[@dandy2157]

What do you use your servers for? I want a server but I'm not sure what i could do with it

[@PWingert1966]

I have a wikidocs app running on my server and I keep all my e-books on it. I also have a VPN key vault running on it. I have a VM with Linux on it and am running Citrix XEN for my hyper-visor. I am setting up Xen desktop to create virtual machines. If I have a friend over I usually spin up a fresh desktop on the server for her and she logs into it using her laptop. If she needs it after she leaves I keep it running nad she can log into it when she gets home or is at a coffee shop. My next project is to get an N-Vidia card (Specific to my HP DL60) and use it for CAD rendering. There are a couple of good ideas. When I get a second processor I am going to set up a database and use it for video storage and management using video management software. I also am using it as an image backup server for all my laptops and physical machines using Macrium reflect for the windows software imageing and Synctoy for data archiving. There are three more ideas and finally I am also looking at running a weather station and home automation using raspberry pi's with the server acting and central control. I have a security camera recording to the server. Enjoy.

[@MobileTaz]

One of the PowerEdges is basically off unless I need it to test something. The other one holds my ADDS (Active Directory Domain Services) server, my IP PBX phone system, my web server, and my Pi-Hole. Using VMWare ESXi, you don't have to dedicate the whole server to a single function. It can run as many "virtual machines" as your hardware and storage space can handle. Even though they are all running on the same physical machine, each VM appears like its own independent computer. The two on the bottom have been replaced. The old-school Compaq ran an audio streaming server connected to a police scanner (since replaced with a thin-client computer to save space and power), and the other was my media server, basically warehousing my music and movie collection. That has since been upgraded to a dual-CPU Xeon Quad Core (8 cores total) (from a paltry single core Athlon FX) so now it can handle high quality transcoding of multiple video streams with Plex so I can access my collection from anywhere.

[@frangoche6848]

i like this, because you doing your best attemp man.

[@shadowwrad]

omg i have the same firewall (i have all ethernet ports instead of just the ones on the left side) x5500e peak :D very fun firewall that is very powerfull. But how the hell did you silence it or are you running custom os? mine dosent have the rack ears any idea where i can find any?

[@MobileTaz]

+shadowwrad There's a utility called WGXepc that can control the Arm/Disarm LED and the fan speed. I am not sure if it works on 2.2, as the Wiki has not been updated and I have not updated mine to 2.2 yet, but I can tell you it works fine on 2.1.5. I have mine set at 40% with no adverse impact on the system temp. doc.pfsense.org/index.php/PfSense_on_Watchguard_Firebox#Controlling_hardware_with_WGXepc As far as rack ears, honestly good luck. They are non-standard, so you can't just take them off something else. In the Firebox thread on the pfSense forum someone had prototyped a set of plastic ones using a 3D printer, but I haven't seen any followup on them.

[@TrollingAround]

PE2950 - I cut the red wire on the fans and soldered inline 22 Ohm (2 watt) resistor - So much quieter!

[@MobileTaz]

Except you cant do that without tripping the monitor alarm, because it drops the RPM below failure threshold. The baseband management controller firmware has to be modified to change the thresholds, they are not user configurable.

[@TrollingAround]

Nope - 22 Ohm doesn't drop the RPM below the failure trip threshold - My server is running now no problems.

[@alvinjones6856]

Nice but you should prettify the wood with fretwork and cool carvings.... ;)

[@desmondbirch298]

Interesting video!!! :O) Has gotten my geek juices flowing, so to type!!! Just subscribed!! Kindest regards from England! :O)

[@stevereaver]

I see this and all I think about are the power bills! Nice setup though....

[@MobileTaz]

Electric bill gets written off as a business expense.. O_^ It isn't drawing all that much though anyway.. Everything in there is on a single 15A breaker, ultimately plugged into a single power strip/surge protector with a 7-10A breaker in it.. I don't have a Kill-A-Watt, so I don't know what exactly the whole thing's pulling, but I know my electric bill didn't go up by much when I installed the servers. Maybe $8-10 a month.. It's a small enough difference to make me consider self-hosting my website instead of paying Godaddy.

[@openaspace]

You have some fire suppression system?

[@MobileTaz]

No

[@sized4spills]

AMAZING setup! Really nice rack.

[@DitIsJo]

Nice server rack i like self made stuf

[@MobileTaz]

Thanks! :)

[@brandonedwards7166]

Why don't you use Vlan's instead of using several switches?

[@MobileTaz]

Basically for security purposes. I would only use VLANs in a trusted/low risk environment because they work via ARP, which has a myriad of security issues. There's two potential breach points in my network if I did it that way - which open me up to liability since I use it for business purposes.. I have a tenant who I allow to use my internet (TV and internet are included in his rent), and I also have two servers facing the WAN (one runs my website and the other runs my remote support handler). If someone were to get into the tenant's network (say, if he replaces the AP and doesn't secure the Wifi properly) or if someone hacks into one of the publicly accessible servers (my WAN IP gets port scanned hundreds of times a day from places like China and Russia), they could potentially use ARP poisoning or MAC flood to jump into my network if it were simply VLAN'ed. Using the Firebox at Layer 3 and keeping the networks isolated from each other at Layer 2, it's just one less thing I have to worry about.

[@israw]

What is the model # of the watchguard firebox you are using?

[@MobileTaz]

It's an X550e. These are still solid machines, and with a PicoPSU and a SpeedStep CPU swap only use about 35 watts. HOWEVER, the CPUs in them are 32 bit and therefore do not support the AES-NI (crypto) instruction set required to run pfSense 2.4. 2.3.x officially end-of-life, so it's not a viable option anymore. opnSense 32 bit is still supported and works fine on the Firebox.

[@israw]

@@MobileTaz can you replace the CPU on those fireboxes for a 64bit compatible CPU?

[@MobileTaz]

@@israw No, the motherboard only supports 32 bit. OpnSense is very similar to pfSense - as it was forked from pfSense a few years back. pfSense just chose to stop supporting the 32 bit version. There is no valid technical reason for this, other than they can't be bothered.

[@israw]

@@MobileTaz ok, i should keep looking for another solution then. Thank you.

[@MobileTaz]

@@israw As I said, OpnSense has a 32 bit option that is still actively supported, and is every bit as strong a firewall as pfSense (OpnSense forked from pfSense a few years ago). It will run fine on a Firebox.

[@The_Joker_]

1,000,000,000,000 hours of multimedia entertainment 30,000 hours to live 😧🚨😳

[@nickpstl]

Im confused you using the watchguard/pf sense to do all the routing?

[@MobileTaz]

STLGAMING Yup. The Firebox is basically a Pentium-M computer with four dedicated Gigabit NICs (the 8 port one is the same computer with an additional PCIeX8 4-port Gigabit card). PFSense is the software (running on FreeBSD) that actually does the routing and firewall functions. You can set it up in many ways. The ports can be on any combination of separate networks, or all on the same network (other than Port 1, which is WAN). You can have multiple/redundant WANs, you can set up separate WiFi networks - say, one with LAN access and one barricaded for public access, if you have a business or something, you can even create a 'captive portal' for customers (like McDonald's has, where you have to enter a code off your receipt), to keep them from abusing your network. It can do a TON of other things too, but the only other thing I have it set up to do is a VPN server (I can connect to my home network from anywhere and access my files/computers as if I was plugged right in). It's also a free way for me to secure my data while using free/public wifi.

[@nickpstl]

That's cool, don't you wish you had all them NIC's for the server running ESXi. That was a issue I had also, having to use one NIC as a management port sucks. Thanks for the response I always like seeing the different ways people build/manage their networks. P.S. Data rates on VPN sometime aren't the greatest so I would look for some other option if its big media files like movies.

[@MobileTaz]

STLGAMING I've never had an issue with the VPN (this is my own personal VPN, not one from a provider). For the most part I just use it to secure my wifi/browsing when I'm at a coffee shop or hotel or something. At a hotel I'd use it to stream videos.. I have a 10Mbps upstream, which is fine for most of the videos I'd stream (and honestly thats faster than you get downstream at a lot of public Wifi anyways, LOL). Most of my HD rips are MKV with 7-8Mbps bitrates (although some that I consider eye candy/reference - like Avatar, X-Men, Transformers, assorted Dreamworks/Pixar animateds, etc - are encoded higher). I've upgraded my file server since I did this video too - it's a lot beefier and I've started playing with Plex, which can transcode the videos smaller for remote streaming. I'll be doing a video on that shortly.

[@nickpstl]

Umm, because i've has issues with streaming to friends houses from my VPN of course my media server was using MS VPN. At times I would only get 100 Kbps. I have 5 Mbps up, and 40 down like the down matters, but the place I was at promised them 15 Mbps down. but they were lucky to get 12 Mbps on their best days. Maybe I should have used a linux server? P.S. I was able to get a better bit rate with http protocol.

[@MobileTaz]

+STLGAMING Yeah I don't know what's bottlenecking it, but the built in VPN server would be my prime suspect. If you use a decent router with DD-WRT or Tomato, I'd say set that up to be the VPN server and see what happens. What are the specs on the media server? Is it powerful enough to do transcoding and such (Passmark of say 2500 or higher) or is it just an old machine repurposed as a file server? If it's older, it's entirely possible that it's choking on the VPN encryption.

[@fearricepudding]

What rails are you using?

[@MobileTaz]

The "rails" (the drawer slides that the servers are mounted to) are the actual Dell rails that came with the servers. The rack "ears" (the metal parts attached to the wood which the rails mount to) are a 44U two post rack that I cut in half.

[@vladimereputin1747]

One question, why the hell did he make the side panels outta wood!?

[@MobileTaz]

Vladimere Putin umm why not? it's cheap and it does the job.

[@vladimereputin1747]

Yes, but wood is flammable and dose NOT transfer heat so well. I think it's a good server, but heat will be a problem.

[@MobileTaz]

Vladimere Putin it's an open frame rack you fucking moron.

[@vladimereputin1747]

You still have wood sides, that is still a hazard.

[@vladimereputin1747]

Geeze, I was only try to help and point something out. You could have just used some scrap metal poles instead, oh sorry, i forgot that they were jammed up your ass!

[@greenlordd]

Can't you just adjust the fan speed in the bios ??

[@MobileTaz]

Nope, the temp/speed curve is baked in, as are the low fan speed warning thresholds. There is a hack for these where you basically just install a resistor in-line with the +12v lines to the fans, but that drops the RPM below the warning threshold. So the BIOS itself needs to be modified to change the thresholds, otherwise it will constantly have a warning on the front LCD. Honestly they've been running so long now I don't even notice the noise anymore, LOL!

[@greenlordd]

Overengineered by Dell !! Had the same problem with my old EMC Centera sn3 and my HP's. I replaced my HP with Supermicro and my SAN with Netapp JBOD i don't regret it for a minute !! My electricity bill is considerably lower now lol !! the rest of the power hungry stuff is Cisco. can't replace them :/

[@RadiantWavesHub]

thank you. Nice video.

[@alslitter1918]

Thank you for a great video, you have done a great job and do not let the nay Sayers bug you!

[@ailthescamp6187]

Can you build a small server

[@MobileTaz]

Technically any computer can be a "server", it just depends on if it can handle the demands of what you want it to do. The silver computer at the bottom was a simple file server.. All it did was store music and video files. I cobbled it together from old parts I had laying around - the only new parts were the 8TB worth of drives. But it was an old Athlon FX CPU that PassMarked at like just under 500 - and it was enough for what I needed it to do. It did its job for close to 5 years, and it would still work, I just needed something more powerful to run Plex for transcoding remote video streams (versus just streaming it full-size over the LAN) The old Compaq was an even older dinosaur - a Pentium 4 Prescott core, but it worked just fine for audio streaming.

[@mrdeadlyprestige3321]

This looks like a arcade machine

[@ericbruce9502]

super messwire action video

[@skynetcybersystem3tech]

super.

[@llothar68]

Makes no sense to me. If i build something wooden i wouldn't go with the complicated 19" hole system just add a few wooden boards and put the stuff on it (At least as long as it is almost empty like your rack).

[@MobileTaz]

So what, are you suggesting holding the equipment to it with wood screws? What are you, stupid?

[@llothar68]

Just put it on a board and let gravity do its job. Uups wait, i remember the millions of articles written about computers suddenly falling from their desk, ... not.

[@MobileTaz]

+Lothar Scholz oh okay, you ARE stupid.

[@llothar68]

I lived long enough in Asia to know the difference between stupid western style overengineering and fullfilling requirements. You surely are the kind of IT guy who also uses ECC memory and choose Oracle and IBM.

[@JivanPal]

@@MobileTaz, legitimately, though, what would be the issue with just having wooden shelves? I honestly used to think racks worked by adding/removing metal sheets to act as shelves for the devices to sit on, and was quite surprised to find that devices mounted without rails are only screwed in at the front; shear stress is surely an issue there? Provided that the shelf can handle the weight of the device, what's the problem?

[@Murthy-o2o]

Can you tell me use of it and how can one use

[@thingyee1118]

Not sure what you where saying Ref teamviewer and wanting it well away from local network. Well if you using it to remote access your local network and you cant access it then does that not defeat the purpose? Also I presume you do this because teamviewer / similar tools only use passwords not public and private keys / certificates. Please expand upon what you meant there exactly. Anyway nice network. Yeah them Watch Guards running Pfsense are an awesome bit of kit. Looks like its the main router / firewall / VPN / DHCP server / DNS server for your network. Nice.

[@MobileTaz]

thingyee1118 I do computer repair as a business, and I offer remote help options. To do that, instead of using TeamViewer and its associated high licensing fee, I use software called SimpleHelp. Basically it is a backend running on one of my VM's that serves the same purpose as the TeamViewer servers. It listens for requests from customers computers running the client software and allows me to connect to them just like TeamViewer. But because of that it has to be exposed to the internet with those ports opened - so it can listen for those requests. If by chance someone finds an exploit in the server, it's best to have it on a completely separate LAN. If it were attached to the same LAN as the rest of my network, then potentially if someone exploits the server, they could get through to every other connected device. The Firebox is handling the routing and VPN. I have an Active Directory server (a VM running on the bottom Dell server) that handles DHCP and DNS.

[@thingyee1118]

MobileTaz I see now. I was not sure if you where running SimpleHelp for RAT (Remote Access Tool) to your own network so you could access it etc. Now I see it needs servers running as its a standalone role your own system and your using it to help others with remote assistance. Yes Its good practice to separate the servers / external facing servers on a isolated virtual LAN. I know pfsense has a built in Vlan for that purpose which I guess your using. Are you using the VPN to route all your traffic outbound or are you using it for remotely access your network. If the latter than I presume you have faith in OpenVPN (Which I hope your running) and you don't trust SimpleHelp as much. In terms of loop holes / exploits. Which is fair enough. KZbin did not notify me of your reply. Luckily I checked in.

[@MobileTaz]

+thingyee1118 LOL yeah youtube does that every now and then, I didn't get notified of this one either.. I use the VPN both ways (and yes, I do use OVPN). Basically for outbound I have a VPN endpoint in the Netherlands that I can funnel Netflix through in order to see content not available in the US (for example I just binged Better Call Saul, which is on EU Netflix but won't be in the US till Feb! :) ).. And then I can also connect inbound from my laptop and phone to secure my traffic when connected to public WiFi and also to access my media collection as if it were on a LAN.

[@thingyee1118]

Yep seems legit. OpenVPN is the best atm. Yes Netflix over VPN is safer than trying one of them dodgy DNS servers with reverse geo IP lookup spoofing. Keep producing them vids. DE thingyee1118

[@TheOki1987]

GRATRE JOOB

[@johnconnor7978]

Cable management is weak with this one.

[@dahmenator]

femtocell

[@lukewyn-harris5628]

You know when you were ranting around the 5 min mark about Poe injectors the switch uses the same principles and is just as likely to burn out cables, unless u have a really bad poe injector😛

[@MobileTaz]

Luke Wyn-Harris uh no. I was talking about "hack PoE", which is using the unused pairs in 100Base-T to send 5 or 12V DC voltage to a device. True industry standard 802.3af PoE uses 48V (higher voltage = lower current and less voltage drop on the cable) and is automatically power limited to 15W so the cable doesn't overload. It also rides on the wires seamlessly with data. On a true PoE switch, it doesn't matter whether the device you plug into a port is PoE or not. It will not harm the device. If you plug a gigabit device into a system that is supplying 12V on pins 4/5 and 7/8, you will fry it.

[@lukewyn-harris5628]

Yea sorry thought u meant something else

[@revadan]

scanner!

[@Nerdtality]

LOL

[@stevefoxcalimlim4800]

install a guimining for bitcoin while the server are running 24/7 to change back then you pay for the electric bills. no Problems..

[@MobileTaz]

stevefox calimlim Meh, the thought crossed my mind, but this is server hardware with integrated minimal GPU and like 16MB of VRAM. It's bottom of the barrel - hell it's in a hole 6 feet underneath the barrel - as far as mining hardware goes. It's good for maybe 10MHash, which will quadruple the power draw and might find me a block in what, 20 years? These days it's not worth it to mine without very efficient dedicated ASIC hardware because otherwise you'll never recoup what you're putting into it.

[@croquis24]

pfsense will run on almost evryting ppc mac, sparc , ibm ppc, u name it compatibility page :www.freebsd.org/releases/10.1R/hardware.html