2Ux2 Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What Motherboards work in a 2Ux2 case?

A: Any motherboard that meets the MicroATX standard will fit. In addition, you normally want a built-in VGA and NIC on the motherboard. Many boards fit these requirements.

Manufacturer	Socket	Part	Web
MSI	370	6368L	link
Asus	370	TUSI-M	link
ASUS	478	P4BGL-VM	link
Intel	478	D845GRGL	link
Gigabyte	478	GA-8I845GVM-RZ	link
Gigabyte	478	GA-8VM533	link

Q: Without a floppy or CD, how do you install an OS?

A: You can easily install most modern operating systems with an external USB floppy and FTP site, or with a USB CD-ROM alone. You can also use one of those handy "thumb" drives. All new motherboard BIOS software supports USB booting. Remember, the purpose of the 2Ux2 chassis is to save money. We omit anything that isn't used every day. The floppy and CD is in that category.

Q: Are you limited to two disk drives?

A: No. There is room for up to 4 disk drives in the box. Normally this is 2+2, but you can also install 3+1 or even 4+0. If you use the thinner 5/8" drives, you can easily install 6 disk drives in the box, although the current chassis does not have mounting holes drilled for this configuration . If you are willing to kluge a bit with some extra hardware, 8 drives can be made to fit.

Q: Can you have PCI expansion cards?

A: No. There is no provision for mounting PCI cards.

Q: Can you have more than one Ethernet Network Interface?

A: Yes. We have set up systems with as many as three network interfaces using USB 2.0 Network Adapters. Many inexpensive USB 2.0 adapters are just as fast (maybe faster) than many PCI NIC cards. Think out of the box!!

Q: Is cooling a problem in a 2Ux2 Case?

A: No. Quite the contrary, cooling is much less of a problem in a 2Ux2 case than it would be in a pair of 1U cases. There are several reasons for this.

One reason is the height. Thin 1U cases require low-profile parts. That means you can't use a manufacturer approved "thick" thermal solution for the CPU. In a 2Ux2 case, genuine Intel coolers can be used right out of the box.

Another reason why 2Ux2 cases are cooler than 1U cases has to do with fan area. An 80mm fan like we use in a 2Ux2 system has four times the area of the 40mm fans you will find in a 1U case. That means that a 1U case needs four fans to equal the fan area of a 2Ux2 case.

Q: How do I connect the front panel wires to my motherboard?

A: It's a shame that motherboards are all different with regard to where the connections are for switches and LED's. We provide connection blocks on colored wires to make the connection to the motherboard. Refer to your motherboard to see where these must connect to. Remeber LED's must be connected with the right polarity. If the LED doesn't illuminate one way, try turning the connector around.

The color code for the new 2Ux2 front panel wiring is as follows:

FRONT

BRN-RED	Power Switch
ONG-YEL	Power LED
GRN-BLU	Hard Disk LED
VIO-GRY	Reset Switch

REAR

WHT-BLK	Power Switch
ONG-YEL	Power LED
BRN-RED	Hard Disk LED
GRN-BLU	Reset Switch

Q: How do you mount a 2Ux2 case in a rack?

A: The way we typically mount these on telco relay racks is with a cantilever shelf under a stack. You can stack up as many as 20 (the case sides are quite strong, but we don't recommend stacking more than 10 without another shelf. If you don't know where to get shelves, I can give you links. Two shelves for a 40U rack is what we use for a full rack installation.

The front flange on the 2Ux2 case bolts directly to the rack uprights. The flange is strong, but it's not good to let the boxes "droop" off the front flange long term, so a cantilever shelf is definitely needed. This setup is no different than any other kind of 2U or 1U rack mount case on relay racks.

If you want to use these boxes with some other mounting scheme (e.g. cabinet slides) we can make appropriate modifications. Factory made and tapped mounting holes are not a problem.

Q: How do you work on the innards of 2Ux2 systems in a rack?

A: It's easy if you use our trick. We recommend not installing lids on any but the top box in a rack. That way, to work on a front system in one of the middle boxes, pull that box out only half way from the rack. To work on a rear system, pull a box or two above the one you want to work on half way out of the rack. This is actually easier than working on normal single system boxes where the part may be spread out over the entire chassis. With a 2Ux2 case, you know your parts are only in half the space.

Q: Do you ship internationally?

A: Yes, but customs issues are handled by the customer.

Q: Can I get AMD/SCSI/RAID/VIA... ?

A: Yes, yes, yes. We will build up a 2Ux2 case with any available parts that you want. Custom designs are not a problem.

Q: What payment options do you offer?

A: Within the USA, we accept major Credit Cards and PayPal. Anywhere we accept Cash or MO in US funds, bank wire, e-gold.com or princesscard.com electronic payments.