Acquired old Gateway E-9525-R, issue with raid

[twizt3dkitty]

So I acquired an old Gateway server (E-9525-R) that I would like to re-purpose into strictly a plex server / seedbox.  I was going to install windows 10 (yea I know its older, but its server grade, it should run fine.  I have licenses to 10 pro.  My list of programs would literally be teamviewer, plex, qbittorrent, and firefox (just to have a decent browser).  I would also remove all the windows 10 bloat and all that other jazz.

 

My issue is the raid and backplane.  I am very new to all this, but the backplane has 6 sas/sata 3.5 slots (which I would fill with 6 2tb drives)  Don't ask but I have about 16 2tb drives laying around my house. The backplane only has one 8087 port on it and the raid card is an LSI with two 8087 ports so I know that means it is 8 channel.  I thought perhaps my backplane had an expander built in somehow, but when I am running "webbios" the raid configuration program from post, I can only see 4/6 drives.  I am able to make them a volume and adjust the boot settings and proceed to install windows fine if only using 4/6 drives.  (I set up raid0 for now, my goal is performance and capacity, I dont care about redundancy on this box)  When windows finally boots it is only able to see 2tb on the c drive... should I create separate volumes perhaps?  also and i guess most importantly... how the heck do I get access to my other two drives???  I would think that I need another cable to connect to ports 4-7 on the lsi controller (0-3 are used now) but my backplane doesnt have any other outputs.  I know Im not much help without model numbers, but the server is a gateway e9525r 2u rack mount, everything in it is stock, nothing additional.

 

Any advice is appreciated.

[Electronics Wizardy]

14 minutes ago, twizt3dkitty said:

I was going to install windows 10 (yea I know its older, but its server grade, it should run fine.  I have licenses to 10 pro.  My list of programs would

literally be teamviewer, plex, qbittorrent, and firefox (just to have a decent browser).  I would also remove all the windows 10 bloat and all that other jazz.

Why not run linux, all of those programs run on linux and then there is no bloat and normally more secure.

 

14 minutes ago, twizt3dkitty said:

Gateway server (E-9525-R)

RIP powerbill, thats not gonna be cheap to run

 

15 minutes ago, twizt3dkitty said:

hen windows finally boots it is only able to see 2tb on the c drive... should I create separate volumes perhaps? 

MBR limit, make more virtual voumes.

 

15 minutes ago, twizt3dkitty said:

also and i guess most importantly... how the heck do I get access to my other two drives???

pic of the backplane you may need anouther cable.

[twizt3dkitty]

37 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Why not run linux, all of those programs run on linux and then there is no bloat and normally more secure.

 

RIP powerbill, thats not gonna be cheap to run

 

MBR limit, make more virtual voumes.

 

pic of the backplane you may need anouther cable.

 

I considered linux as i have an incredible pbx box im building too, i just like windows i suppose, im very limited w my linux knowledge.  I forgot about the mbr, ill need to see if i can create a gpt partition.

 

Pictures attached.

[Electronics Wizardy]

So that has a sas expander in it, it spits the 4 into 6.

 

What drives are you using?

[twizt3dkitty]

3 wd green, 3 seagate video 3.5.  All 2tb.  I also have some seagate pipelines laying around.  I have also tried swapping drives all over the place, it only ever reads 4 of whatever i use.

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, twizt3dkitty said:

3 wd green, 3 seagate video 3.5.  All 2tb.  I also have some seagate pipelines laying around.  I have also tried swapping drives all over the place, it only ever reads 4 of whatever i use.

I have some of those green power drives and they don't like to be picked up by my raid card. IDK if thats a issue here.

 

Seems like some weird raid card issue. Might need sas drives or somethin else. Id probably just get a external sas enclosure if you want more drives.

[twizt3dkitty]

3 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

I have some of those green power drives and they don't like to be picked up by my raid card. IDK if thats a issue here.

 

Seems like some weird raid card issue. Might need sas drives or somethin else. Id probably just get a external sas enclosure if you want more drives.

 

Well thats depressing, i got 10 different servers for 500usd with a 42u rack and this is the only one with 3.5 drives

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, twizt3dkitty said:

 

Well thats depressing, i got 10 different servers for 500usd with a 42u rack and this is the only one with 3.5 drives

YOU GOT 10 OF THESE?

 

Can you return? Why not get one got one?

[twizt3dkitty]

10 random servers, they arnt all gateways, theres some ibms and a sunfire too.  Came with some switches and stuff too.  No returns, craigslist.  I can part it all out as is and come out ontop if i choose too.  The issue is shipping.

[Electronics Wizardy]

4 minutes ago, twizt3dkitty said:

10 random servers, they arnt all gateways, theres some ibms and a sunfire too.  Came with some switches and stuff too.  No returns, craigslist.  I can part it all out as is and come out ontop if i choose too.  The issue is shipping.

anything new in there? If its all around that age, then its almost useless now.

[twizt3dkitty]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

anything new in there? If its all around that age, then its almost useless now.

Its all old, but for what im doing not a big deal.  Its all home use. The sunfire looks to fetch around 1000 on ebay.

[twizt3dkitty]

5 minutes ago, twizt3dkitty said:

Its all old, but for what im doing not a big deal.  Its all home use. The sunfire looks to fetch around 1000 on ebay.

Are these pictures of any help to what is going on?  Enclosure 248 never has any disks.

[Electronics Wizardy]

5 minutes ago, twizt3dkitty said:

Its all old, but for what im doing not a big deal.  Its all home use. The sunfire looks to fetch around 1000 on ebay.

problem is power usage, if you care about your power bill there pretty bad.

 

And the cpus are missing features that makes them annoying to do things like vms and newer programs

[twizt3dkitty]

3 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

problem is power usage, if you care about your power bill there pretty bad.

 

And the cpus are missing features that makes them annoying to do things like vms and newer programs

Yea i may rip out all the controllers and other stuff and try to sell some cards and ram.  This had an encryption card of some sort in it.  Theres some really wierd stuff.  Im getting these all 3rd hand and theres no back story.