This is my main file server. Over time it has been built in many forms, but this will most likely be the final one (at least for the near future).
This server is built from scratch by me and represents one of my biggest hardware trainings. This final form was a real challenge because it is quite difficult to build a server with such proportions from components that are meant to be used in home and simple desktops.
Challenges
The motherboard
The biggest challenge was related to the motherboard. It supports 4 SATA 2 hard disks from the factory, and I wanted a server with at least 3 times more disks. Besides this aspect, I wanted at least some disks to be faster, because I had a whole storage plan in mind. Some areas could be slow, because I was thinking of using them strictly as a backup for rarely accessed information, but other areas had to be fast, at least with SATA 3. I had to be able to apply RAID on all these disks, because my server had to be a stable solution for both temporary file storage and long-term safekeeping of files. How did I solve the problem? Adapters! All kinds of adapters.
SATA controllers / adapters:
| Id | Name | Interface | Ports |
| SC1 | Motherboard integrated SATA 2 controller | Onboard | 4 x SATA II |
| SC2 | SIL PCI 4 Ports | PCI | 4 x SATA I |
| SC3 | PCIe 4 Ports | PCIe | 4 x SATA III |
| SC4 | PCIe 2 Ports | PCIe | 2 x SATA III |
| SC5 | SATA Port Multiplier 5 Ports | SATA III | 5 x SATA III |
Legend
PCI: Peripheral Component Interconnect
PCIe: Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
SATA: Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
Diagrams
All the connections through which the motherboard was able to support many more disks are the following:
In the end, I succeeded! 17 functional disks on a motherboard that only supports 4 by default.
The PSU (Power Supply Unit)
The server's power supply was the second challenge. In order not to take risks of causing damage to the disks, I calculated the power needed for so many disks and bought a new power supply. Later, I ran into a similar situation as above. The power supply didn't have as many connections as I needed, so... adapters.
The case
I had some luck with the case, but not enough. I had the case from another project, it was dedicated to servers and supports a relatively large number of hard disks, 8 to be exact. But I wanted more!
Having this large case and enough free 5.2" slots, I applied the same solution as before and started looking for adapters. I found exactly what I needed (two adapters from 3.5" to 2.5" and two adapters from 5.2" to 3.5"), I improvised a little their clamping system and... done. The case now has slots for 22 disks, some 3.5 inches and others 2.5 inches in size.
Final thoughts
After all this work, my file server is perfectly functional with 17 disks and with all the initially established plan completely finished. Moreover, it also has 5 more free slots in the case and an unoccupied SATA port. With another small SATA adapter, I can add a few more disks 😅.