44TB Server

[ERDrPC]

Hey Crew,

Vidabox is its own home automation company based on windows. However, they make a 5U 44TB (24 drive) RACK24 server which I believe can be used with any home automation setup (hopefully C4). It has the disc backup software and metadata gathering automated. I believe you have to add AnyDVD HD yourself. It can be setup RAID 1/5/6 on top of WHS. I'm concerned about a RAID 6 in this environment with 24 possible drives only having 2 drives for redundancy.

http://www.vidabox.com/products_rack24.php

I'm sure a DYI server could be done for cheaper but having something that just works and where they can remote-in to update & fix is appealing. I was planning dual QNAP TS-809U-RP each set-up as RAID 6. Each has room for 8 drives but using RAID 6, two would be used for redundancy in case of failure. 12 TB total.

Then using 3 or 4 Dune 3.0 bases to pull content off of the server and distributing it would be awesome. Hopefully, 2.0 will allow for custom GUI similar to Mediabroswer or My movies instead of only the album art view.

I'd like to hear from the dealers out there to gauge their opinion of integrating a beast like the RACK24. If the dune can pull the content then integrating the metadata should be no issue, right?

After some more browsing, Vidabox advertises that systems such as Crestron/AMX/HAI can access their systems using IP or RS232 control using Autonomic Home MCS-EX. Now I'm not sure if this is intended to be used to control their own media extenders (separate product - they don't support .iso,.mkv., ifo...etc) or if it would be required to control their server when using any media player (Dune, Niveus, Netgear). I wonder if our C4 programmers can take their IP protocols and adapt them to C4. Maybe it's not even needed if I plan on using the Dune to pull and deliver content ???

I would want to integrate this into a C4 installation.

Cheers

[maxspivak]

This beast looks sexy. I can only imagine though how much noise 24 drives + accompanying fans would make.

[spugh]

no kidding Max. I guess maybe you can factor in using it as a spaceheater/griddle in your house to justify the cost >;-)

[ILoveC4]

no kidding Max. I guess maybe you can factor in using it as a spaceheater/griddle in your house to justify the cost >;-)

Put it in the kitchen under the countertop and use that part of the countertop as a warming pad.

[spugh]

Great idea... I like how you think, lol. I was halfway kidding, but I should start a new thread about rack equipment and thermal management/recovery. I've had most of my gear in the master bedroom for the past couple of years and the 30% of the gear that stays on all the time (couple of Tivos, home theater PC, 3 home theater UPSs, couple of laptops, etc.) literally heated that room for most of the Winter. When I relocate everything to a centralized closet on the first floor, I want to take advantage of that heat and have Y-shaped ventilation system to vent the heat back into the living space in the Winter and switch a baffle to vent it into the garage in the Summer. Anyone else do something similar?

[ILoveC4]

Great idea... I like how you think, lol. I was halfway kidding, but I should start a new thread about rack equipment and thermal management/recovery. I've had most of my gear in the master bedroom for the past couple of years and the 30% of the gear that stays on all the time (couple of Tivos, home theater PC, 3 home theater UPSs, couple of laptops, etc.) literally heated that room for most of the Winter. When I relocate everything to a centralized closet on the first floor, I want to take advantage of that heat and have Y-shaped ventilation system to vent the heat back into the living space in the Winter and switch a baffle to vent it into the garage in the Summer. Anyone else do something similar?

That's a great idea. All my stuff is in the basement, so getting it in the garage would be a challenge, but I could get it outside...

[spugh]

I thought about venting outside, or directly down through the floor into a huge crawl space under the house. After everything is installed and powered on, I'll have to figure out what the temperature of the exhaust air will be. I figured if I am pulling inside air at 72-75 degrees in the summer, it will probably be less that 80ish degrees when it is exhausted from the rack enclosure. That would be less than the ambient temp in the non-climate controlled (but insulated) garage during the hottest days of Summer. Any little bit of free (well, already paid-for) conditioned air shouldn't be a bad thing.