I have an old computer cabinet in my basement that where I run a Mac mini with a bunch of disks for backup and media server. It’s also where my cable line comes in. The wiring in it had gotten a bit messy so I decided to do some spring cleaning and make it a bit neater.
I started with a patch panel for all the incoming wiring runs. Then added a bunch of short patch cables to connect to the switch. I like to hardwire any connections I can, particularly to interconnect my Eeros. I use ugly green Cat6 cable because I was given a 1,000’ spool free.
Second shelf has the Mini, DVD drive, OWC JBOD enclosure with 2x8tb and 2x4tb drives. There’s also a WD drive in the back that’s a clone of one of the drives in the cabinet. Cable modem on the right which will hopefully will be replaced this year. We’re getting two different fiber providers in our community.
Finally, for overkill, I have a 27" Thunderbolt Display. I’ve had it for years and wasn’t using it as I had switched to an iMac. The rheostat to the left of the drive array is the fan controller for a pair of muffing fans to keep the cabinet cool when closed up.
Not shown in the bottom is a UPS for all the gear. On the back of the cabinet is a large power strip that’s plugged into the UPS. My primary Eero sits on top of the cabinet
The JBOD enclosure has one drive for CCC backups from the other Macs in the house. Another for all our media - books, music, and video. A Time Machine drive for TM backups from the other Macs, and a spare drive if I just need some apace for something. The Media and CCC drives are backed up to Backblaze.
I lucked out on finding the cabinet at our local Habitat for Humanity Restore for $39.
