Selecting Ingredients: Hardware
With the software selection out of the way, the next task is to pick the appropriate hardware for a server appliance. First, we need a case to house the components. A server appliance should be neither large nor loud.
For this Recipe, I went with an Aria Micro-ATX Cube Case from Antec. The $129 (MSRP) Aria is a cube-shaped case that, while little bigger than an Xbox, can still house several components. It measures just 7.9 inches high by 10.6 inches wide by 13.2 inches deep. The case weighs about 10 pounds, including its 300-watt power supply. It can house nearly any MicroATX-sized motherboard, and it offers an integrated 8-in-1 card reader (CF I/II, MS, MS Pro, SD, MMC and MicroDrive) on the front of the unit, along with two USB 2.0 Ports, two audio ports, and one IEEE 1394 Firewire port. The case also includes a low-speed, 120-mm fan that offers quiet cooling. Easy assembly is part of the design: Side and top panels are easy to remove, and the drives are accessed by a swing-up cage that greatly simplifies installation. In fact, the unit can house one external 5.25-inch drive and three internal 3.5-inch drives, yet still have enough space for four full-height PCI expansions.
Here's a look at both the outside and inside of this Antec case:
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