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Looking to build and external RAID enclosure... Any Help?

jdl8422

jdl8422

macrumors 6502
Original poster
I am looking to build my own external RAID setup and have it function as another set of internal ones. Is it possible to buy a computer case and put in a raid card and a power source and just run SATA cables to my mac pro? sorry if it sounds stupid. Thanks
 
You might want to look into ATA over Ethernet, if you have a spare computer with a lot of SATA ports lying around - you could get higher throughput with port teaming. A couple of cheap Intel NICs might be good... I'm currently waiting on some, so I have yet to comment on AoEs effectiveness.
 
jdl8422 said:
I am looking to build my own external RAID setup and have it function as another set of internal ones. Is it possible to buy a computer case and put in a raid card and a power source and just run SATA cables to my mac pro? sorry if it sounds stupid. Thanks
Click to expand...

Doesn't sound stupid at all. In fact many companies do this for a living. Mostly this is best done via something called eSATA (where the "e" I guess stands for external).

An old computer case is a great idea! The PSU is already there and everything!
 
My main concern was exactly what do I need. Do I just need a RAID card and a power supply to power the hard drives? It just seemed like it was a little more advanced than that. I'm not completely lost on the subject, just never did it before. thanks for the help.
 
jdl8422 said:
My main concern was exactly what do I need. Do I just need a RAID card and a power supply to power the hard drives? It just seemed like it was a little more advanced than that. I'm not completely lost on the subject, just never did it before. thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

Nope, not really, it's pretty simple.

  • Hook up the power to all the drives in the old case.
  • Make sure the fans work and the PSU is adequate.
  • Install the RAID or SATA card in your Mac.
  • Buy and connect an Internal To External Port Bridge
    Here's one:
  • Maybe double up on this and put one in the old PC too
    to keep the cables and connections neat and tidy.
  • Then just run the data cables and turn on the power. 🙂
 
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