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Are You Looking For A Less Expensive Norco 4220 / 4224 Alternative? - Page 5

post #121 of 1476
6/11/12 at 5:52am
Thread Starter 
Figured I post this in case anyone else wants to flash the bios of their motherboard.... and doesn't have a floppy drive!

If you have a USB jump drive you are set:

There is a utility to turn your USB drive into a 3.5 floppy is right here:

http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=197

At the top of the page is the file (win98boot) you will need to make the usb drive bootable.

Here is a quick youtube clip to show how easy it is to make a bootable usb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9f0J7OxW7c&feature=related the link in the description is dead... use the links I've provided to download the software and boot files.


Once you have done this... just drag your bios utility and firmware to the usb... You will then have to set the bios to boot from the USB ... then run the bios executable form the c:> prompt.
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post #122 of 1476
6/11/12 at 5:30pm
Litlgi,

Don't forget to let us know what your modifications for the new one end up being. Also, you gave us the power consumption when you were doing a pre-clear. How about at normal state?
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post #123 of 1476
6/11/12 at 5:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JGFreeh View Post

I'll make you a deal; if the parts work, I'll disclose my sources. If they don't, you don't have to worry about it smile.gif

Did they work? Where did you get them?
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post #124 of 1476
6/11/12 at 5:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Litlgi74 View Post

Figured I post this in case anyone else wants to flash the bios of their motherboard.... and doesn't have a floppy drive!
If you have a USB jump drive you are set:
There is a utility to turn your USB drive into a 3.5 floppy is right here:
http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=197
At the top of the page is the file (win98boot) you will need to make the usb drive bootable.
Here is a quick youtube clip to show how easy it is to make a bootable usb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9f0J7OxW7c&feature=related the link in the description is dead... use the links I've provided to download the software and boot files.
Once you have done this... just drag your bios utility and firmware to the usb... You will then have to set the bios to boot from the USB ... then run the bios executable form the c:> prompt.

Thanks for this. It will definitely be helpful!!!
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post #125 of 1476
6/11/12 at 7:42pm
Just ordered one on ebay thanks to the OP for putting us on this sweet deal.
Edited by iad002 - 6/12/12 at 8:08am
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post #126 of 1476
6/11/12 at 8:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by iad002 View Post

Just ordered one one ebay thanks to the OP for putting us on this sweet deal.

If you make any... make sure you post photos and or details of your mods.
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post #127 of 1476
6/12/12 at 12:38pm
I just ordered a Xeon version of this server to add to my other two 40TB (each..smile.gif ) UnRAID servers. I really don't need another server at this point, but I just couldn't pass up the deal. And besides, I can't let Killroy be the only one with 120 TB of storage...biggrin.gif

I am not going to work really hard to quiet the beast, as I have a storage room out of ear's reach where my servers reside, but like the Norco boxes, I will quiet this one down to reasonable levels.

Thanks to everyone contributing to this thread and especially Litlgi74 for letting us know about this great deal as well as providing tips and advice on modding the box and updating all of the drivers, BIOS, etc.

I'm sure I will be back with questions, especially concerning the 3 redundant PSUs.

Thanks again!
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post #128 of 1476
6/12/12 at 1:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Sorel View Post

And besides, I can't let Killroy be the only one with 120 TB of storage...biggrin.gif

Damn... that sounds like a challenge. I may have to buy another one just to make sure you don't catch up...wink.gif
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post #129 of 1476
6/13/12 at 3:40pm
I just bought one, along with the 3 pack of 3ware 9500S RAID cards. Other than throwing it into my server rack, I don't think I'll be doing any customizing.
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post #130 of 1476
6/13/12 at 5:55pm
Question for anybody else who's upgrading the Opterons and going duals -- what heatsink fan option are you going with?

All the Dynatron socket F options seem ridiculously loud. And the Noctua options seem like overkill, both in terms of expense and degree of cooling.
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post #131 of 1476
6/13/12 at 11:05pm
What is the weight and dimensions of this monster?
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post #132 of 1476
6/13/12 at 11:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nilsga View Post

What is the weight and dimensions of this monster?

Weighs about 70-74lbs and the dimensions are almost identical to that of the Norco 4224
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post #133 of 1476
6/14/12 at 5:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by nilsga View Post

What is the weight and dimensions of this monster?
It gets considerably lighter, once mods are made and all the excess, metal, psus, fans, and screws are removed! biggrin.gif
Edited by Litlgi74 - 6/14/12 at 5:51am
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post #134 of 1476
6/15/12 at 10:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JGFreeh View Post

Well, I jumped on it. I have some plans for the system, and will post with updates. I was able to find an actual AIC back window for ATX motherboard and ATX Power supply. Thank you very much for posting the actual brands of the components, as it helped me get some degree of comfort that the back plates would fit the case. I'll post as soon as I figure out if the plates fit.
Very excited to start this project. smile.gif

Quote:
Originally Posted by Litlgi74 View Post

Where, Who, How Much? I looked for quite some time... even called AIC. They said they didn't make a back window that would work!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JGFreeh View Post

I'll make you a deal; if the parts work, I'll disclose my sources. If they don't, you don't have to worry about it smile.gif
Quote:
Originally Posted by rsmclay View Post

Did they work? Where did you get them?


Any update on this?
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post #135 of 1476
6/15/12 at 8:12pm
Server came today--what a beast! Wasn't actually as loud as I though it would be (if you've ever heard Sun Sparc servers you know loud) with the stock cooling.

One problem though--3 of my backplanes have busted LEDs (physically damaged) frown.gif

Gonna contact TAMS to see if they can do anything for me.
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post #136 of 1476
6/16/12 at 7:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Z-95 View Post

One problem though--3 of my backplanes have busted LEDs (physically damaged) frown.gif
Gonna contact TAMS to see if they can do anything for me.

Sorry to hear about the damage to your server...

I don't doubt that TAMS will take care of you... They are a stand up company.
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post #137 of 1476
6/16/12 at 10:52am
Just bought one. Can this be rack mounted? I'm assuming the rack would need rails?
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post #138 of 1476
6/16/12 at 10:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mo0sic View Post

Just bought one. Can this be rack mounted? I'm assuming the rack would need rails?

Yes, it can be rack mounted and you will need the outer rails if your case comes with the inner rails. If it does not then you will need both but I am sure you will get the inner ones.
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post #139 of 1476
6/17/12 at 7:15pm
Mine arrived. Lordy but do those back panel fans push some air.

Mine had two rails on each side, but only the case portion, not the rack slide. Don't know if the slide can be purchased alone. It's a beast so it's no surprise to see the case having a double set of rails.

On standby it pulls 9 watts. Powered up with just one power supply it's 211 watts (no SATA drives in it yet). All three PSUs installed and it maxes at 270W. I'm sure drives will add to that.

I've ordered the Norco internal fan wall, and preferences on 120mm fans?

The power supply fans have a bit of annoying whirr. The interesting news is their fan power connectors are exposed at the plug-end of the power supply. Is there any documentation on the connector that's used for this kind of power supply? I'm wondering if the connector has the fans on it and whether they might be controllable externally.

Mine seems to default to emitting a power supply alarm when powered up, even with all three PSUs installed. I can silence it with button on the back, but I'm wondering why it alarms. Is there a jumper or something that controls the number of default PSUs it has installed?

Does anyone have detailed manuals on this case?
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post #140 of 1476
6/17/12 at 7:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wkearney99 View Post

Mine arrived. Lordy but do those back panel fans push some air.
Mine had two rails on each side, but only the case portion, not the rack slide. Don't know if the slide can be purchased alone. It's a beast so it's no surprise to see the case having a double set of rails.
On standby it pulls 9 watts. Powered up with just one power supply it's 211 watts (no SATA drives in it yet). All three PSUs installed and it maxes at 270W. I'm sure drives will add to that.
I've ordered the Norco internal fan wall, and preferences on 120mm fans?
The power supply fans have a bit of annoying whirr. The interesting news is their fan power connectors are exposed at the plug-end of the power supply. Is there any documentation on the connector that's used for this kind of power supply? I'm wondering if the connector has the fans on it and whether they might be controllable externally.
Mine seems to default to emitting a power supply alarm when powered up, even with all three PSUs installed. I can silence it with button on the back, but I'm wondering why it alarms. Is there a jumper or something that controls the number of default PSUs it has installed?
Does anyone have detailed manuals on this case?

The alarm shouldn't be going if all three PSUs are installed and connected to outlets--are all three showing a green light? The 3-pin fan connectors inside the PSUs have a mirrored pinout vs. standard 3-pin fan connections as far as I've been able to tell. Probably not worth putting much money into modifying those considering how horribly inefficient the PSUs are compared with something more modern.

I've not come across a source for the outer rails, but would be very interested in those if they can be had for under $40 (a set of generic rails can be had for about $35 shipped).
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post #141 of 1476
6/17/12 at 8:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcturkey View Post

The alarm shouldn't be going if all three PSUs are installed and connected to outlets--are all three showing a green light? The 3-pin fan connectors inside the PSUs have a mirrored pinout vs. standard 3-pin fan connections as far as I've been able to tell. Probably not worth putting much money into modifying those considering how horribly inefficient the PSUs are compared with something more modern.
Does anything more modern still fit in that same socket? I'm not opposed to yanking them out and re-doing the whole back panel. But I wouldn't mind saving myself from that work. I don't "need" redundant power supplies but wouldn't mind having it.
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post #142 of 1476
6/18/12 at 5:38am
I've read through all the posts, but it's not clear to me if I can swap the motherboard without doing any modifications? I have a server with a Supermicro X9SCM, and would like to use it with this case instead.
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post #143 of 1476
6/18/12 at 6:32am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by nilsga View Post

I've read through all the posts, but it's not clear to me if I can swap the motherboard without doing any modifications? I have a server with a Supermicro X9SCM, and would like to use it with this case instead.

Not sure why you wouldn't be able to use the X9SCM... It's jus a Micro ATX vs ATX. The motherboard holes are in the same spots... GO FOR IT!
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post #144 of 1476
6/18/12 at 6:43am
The one in there is an extended ATX, which means it's bigger than would fit in a lot of other cases. That's good because it means the case is going to be large enough for just about any standard board you could throw at it. The back panel has standard positions for the connector panel and slots.
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post #145 of 1476
6/18/12 at 7:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nilsga View Post

I've read through all the posts, but it's not clear to me if I can swap the motherboard without doing any modifications? I have a server with a Supermicro X9SCM, and would like to use it with this case instead.

The only reason the OP had to modify his was because he took the screaming power supplies out and replaced them with a standard ATX power supply and motherboard. Doing this necessitated removing the motherboard panel and mounting new standoffs to the floor of the case itself.If you keep the power supplies and everything else the same, the motherboard should be a straightforward swap. The motherboard standoffs may need to be moved to accommodate the micro atx format, but that's easy.
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post #146 of 1476
6/18/12 at 7:11am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JGFreeh View Post

The only reason the OP had to modify his was because he took the screaming power supplies out and replaced them with a standard ATX power supply and motherboard. Doing this necessitated removing the motherboard panel and mounting new standoffs to the floor of the case itself.If you keep the power supplies and everything else the same, the motherboard should be a straightforward swap. The motherboard standoffs may need to be moved to accommodate the micro atx format, but that's easy.

Exactly... well except for a few things... biggrin.gif

I didn't replace my motherboard... I was just one of the first ones to get an AMD instead of an Intel. Also, the original motherboard standoffs are not the screw in type and can not be moved.

Other than possibly needing to swap the I/O plate... I still think the Micro ATX will fit into the case perfectly without any modifications.
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post #147 of 1476
6/18/12 at 7:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TViewer2000 View Post

Any update on this?

No update. Seems like I'm going to go for the Norco solution, like the OP did.
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post #148 of 1476
6/18/12 at 10:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JGFreeh View Post

No update. Seems like I'm going to go for the Norco solution, like the OP did.

Well that stinks!!! I was hoping you found something that would work. Good thing I ordered two back windows from Norco.
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post #149 of 1476
6/18/12 at 2:58pm
Well I couldn't resist and bought another one for spare parts/possible future project biggrin.gif

Only one left (of the 2GHz variety)--better jump now if you want it!

Edit: It's gone.
Edited by Z-95 - 6/18/12 at 3:29pm
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post #150 of 1476
6/18/12 at 5:14pm
Thread Starter 
All the servers on eBay are gone!?!?! Wow.. that was quick.

If you missed out on one of these incredible machines... not to worry!

I just spoke with Jason from TAMSolutions... They have quite a few more servers coming in the next few weeks... A few hundred more to be precise!

Unfortunately... at this time, there are no specs available... but I will let you know as soon as I know. biggrin.gif

So if you would like to be one of the first to get your hands on their new stock... Give them a call at 801-796-1696 or email them at jdye@tamsolutions.com they will gladly put your name on the list for the next available units.
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