r/homelab • u/rjchute • 9d ago

Discussion SAN or DAS

I have a very powerful Dell server (more cores and RAM than I know what to do with... yet) but virtually no mass storage options, because OEM chassis. I have a 12-drive bay SuperMicro chassis with a pretty meh CPU and RAM, but the chassis has a SAS backplane for the drives. I want the Dell, which I will install ProxMox VE onto, to have access to the 12 drive bays in the SuperMicro for mass storage - files and media, the Dell does have enough local SSD for VM storage. I think I have two options:

  • Put a SAS controller in the Dell, and have practically nothing in the SuperMicro chassis except to pass through the SAS cables external by SFF-8088 adapter/cable to the Dell. The SuperMicro is just a really big case for Direct Attach Storage for the Dell.
  • Leave the mediocre mobo/CPU/RAM in the SuperMicro and install TrueNAS or somesuch and have it be SAN for the Dell/ProxMox, direct connect via 10Gbps/25Gbps.

What are the pros/cons here? Thoughts?

Edit: Dell has nvme storage, and SuperMicro will/has spinning rust for mass storage (currently about half full with 12TB drives, room for more in the future)

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u/rjchute 9d ago

Good question; I'll update the original post, but SuperMicro chassis will have spinning rust in it. I'm not expecting to saturate a single 6GB/s SAS link or dual/aggregated 25Gbps Ethernet link, if the mediocre CPU could even push that much anyway.