What old datacenter gear can help a Mac mini server
A few datacenter racks are being shut down, and the remaining gear can be taken before it goes to ic waste. The available equipment includes a very large amount of storage, likely several of , plus U.2 drives and SAS SSDs. Most of the servers are Dell machines, which may be hard to reuse outside their original setup.
Some systems may contain Milan Epyc or Cascade Lake server chips, which could still be worth checking. Memory is also a high-priority item. A previous cleanup produced three new-in-box 5000VA UPS units, so backup power gear may also be valuable.
Top-of-rack switches and 25 gigabit or faster network cards are possible targets, but car space and pickup time are limited.
Key points
- Storage is the main target: , U.2 drives, and SAS SSDs are all mentioned.
- A UPS can protect a from sudden power loss.
- 25 gigabit or faster network cards may help if the home network can support them.
- Dell s may be less useful if they are hard to reuse outside their original setup.
- With limited space, parts that can support a Mac mini setup are more practical than full servers.