Building Your FreeNAS, unRAID, or Windows Home Server NAS Device with ICY DOCK
Generally, you would need to have some background about building (DIY) PC’s and how to work with them. But, we’ll talk about what you will need to build your system. The main components other than what is normally required (e.g. motherboard, CPU, RAM, etc) would be a RAID card and hot swappable hard drive storage enclosures. You may need 36TB or only 12TB of storage but either way, you would want to have a space saving and hot swappable cage that adds an extra 3.5” hard drive slot per two 5.25” slots. As you add to your collection, you may also need to expand your storage so using a 3.5” hot swap enclosure allows you to easily add new drives as needed. If your drive fails, you would want to have a way to easily swap drives as most RAID arrays from the mentioned operating systems cannot tolerate more than one drive that has failed. So, being able to replace your drive quickly is your best option to not lose all of your data.
Now that we know this, we need to learn what variations of 3.5” hot swap cages are available. Many of the available cages do the essentials of storing your drives but may not have a good quality construction, design, cooling, and features specific for your NAS server such as drive monitoring or pluggable external options. It’s important to have these features as doing everything possible to prevent a hard drive failure is as important to plan in case one does happen. Fortunately, our, FatCage, FlexCage, and DataCage Classic series each posses a unique design for different situations to help you improve the reliability of your drives and tailored for specific uses.
Learn More: ICY-Tips: Build a DIY FreeNAS, unRAID and WHS NAS Media Center with ICY DOCK Hard Drive Cage Module
FatCage Series
This series is specifically tailored for the best cooling performance while provide simple yet reliable design. The chassis is specifically designed to provide highly optimized airflow with larger cut outs in key locations on the circuit board and uses the largest cooling fan of all three series of 92mm (for MB155SP-B). If your target is to build a efficient, economical, and cool NAS, the FatCage is your choice.
Unique Features
- SATA 6Gbps compatible
- Fan speed control jumper (MB155SP-B only)
- Removable rear cooling fan with compatibility with other 80mm fans
- (92mm with the MB155SP-B)
- Enhanced direct air flow design – Shuts offmost vents while adding larger ventilation slots on the backplane PCB.
- Space saving to fit multiple drives: 3 drives in 2 x 5.25” bays /4 or 5 drives in 3 x 5.25” bays
- Lightweight aluminum body construction for durability and heat dissipation
- Unique EZ-Tray design for internal drive security, exchangeability, expandability and maintenance capabilities. Compatible with DataCage Classic, ICYBento & ICYCube series
- ICY DOCK 3 year warranty equivalent tohard drive manufacturer warranty to ensure
maximum reliability and long life
Product Page Links
FatCage MB153SP-B Product Page
FatCage MB154SP-B Product Page
FatCage MB155SP-B Product Page
FlexCage Series
This series is specifically tailored for ultra fast tool-less hard drive installation, along with individual control & manage of each of your hard drives. Each slot includes power buttons to control power to your drive. Meanwhile, a fan control switch allows changes from automatic, high performance, or silent operation modes. Furthermore, FlexCage has front USB 3.0 hub that allows you easily connect additional external storage devices to your NAS via lightning USB 3.0 speed. If you are looking to build a JBOD type NAS, with ability to turn off any unused drives, or quick swap hard drives without tool. FlexCage is your best bet.
Unique Features
- SATA 6Gbps compatible
- Fan control switch with High, Low, or Smart cooling settings
- Unique tray-less design for tool-less drive installation
- Multi-locking door latches to prevent accidental drive ejection
- Individual power buttons for each drive
- USB 3.0 hub for easy access for external devices
- Space saving to fit multiple drives: 3 drives in 2 x 5.25” bays / 4 or 5 drives in 3 x 5.25” bays
- Lightweight aluminum body construction for durability and heat dissipation
- Removable rear cooling fan and compatibility with other 80mm fans
- ICY DOCK 3 year warranty equivalent to hard drive manufacturer warranty to ensure
maximum reliability and long life
Product Page Links
FlexCage MB973SP-1B Product Page (Bare Server Version)
FlexCage MB973SP-2B Product Page (USB 3.0 hub, Fan Control & Power Button)
FlexCage MB974SP-2B Product Page (USB 3.0 hub, Fan Control & Power Button)
FlexCage MB975SP-B Product Page (Fan Control & Power Button)
DataCage Classic Series
The DateCage Classic is designed for advanced drive environment management. It is the only hard drive rack with such advanced monitoring system in the industry. The DataCage Classic allows you to monitor every possible status including: drive power, drive activity, drive overheat, drive failure and fan fail status. This proven classic features the core functionalities of an enterprise class hot swap hard drive rack with exclusive features for outstanding reliability.
Unique Features
- SATA 6Gbps Compatible
- Standalone advanced environment monitoring system built internally w/ visual LED & audio indicators for power, access, hard drive & fan failure and selectable overheat alert
- 3 level temperature threshold settings of 45° C, 55° C, and 65° C
- Space saving to fit multiple drives: 3 drives in 2 x 5.25” bays / 4 or 5 drives in 3 x 5.25” bays
- Lightweight aluminum body construction for durability and heat dissipation
- Unique EZ-Tray design for internal drive security, exchangeability, expandability
and maintenance capabilities.
- Compatible with DataCage Classic, ICYBento & ICYCube serials
- Detachable Rear 80mm cooling fan
- ICY DOCK 3 year warranty equivalent to hard drive manufacturer warranty to ensure
maximum reliability and long life
Product Page Links
DataCage Classic MB453IPF-B (SAS/SATA) Product Page
DataCage Classic MB453SPF-B (SATA) Product Page
DataCage Classic MB454SPF-B (SATA) Product Page
DataCage Classic MB455SPF-B (SATA) Product Page