Technical Resources - www.45drives.com/wiki/

45 Drives is dedicated to supporting the community that is growing around Backblaze-inspired storage pods and open-design computing. Thus we host a wiki that is both a repository of technical information, as well as a discussion forum.

Are you looking for technical information? Then just browse the wiki. There is no need to create an account to just look.

Do you have information to share? Experience with open-source software has demonstrated the power of voluntary collaboration, and we believe that a community could replicate this experience with open-design hardware. Do you have an OS you've tested? A hardware mod you've tried? Have you found one type of drive that works better than another? We encourage you to share your ideas with our community through our Wiki page. Check out our link on how to contribute or email us at info@45drives.com.

www.45drives.com/wiki/

• How do I order?
  Simply email us at info@45drives.com, or call us at 1 (866) 849-3911. One of our super-friendly sales staff will help you.
• What is Protocase's relationship with Backblaze
  Protocase worked for Backblaze in the development of the Backblaze Storage Pod. The companies have no other formal affiliation, other than that Protocase is a happy Backblaze backup service customer.
• What if I have questions?
  View our contact information at the top of the page. We love to provide customer service.
• Do you ship outside North America and the UK?
  Absolutely, the open-source storage community is very international, and we have made a number of shipments to Continental Europe, Russia, Africa, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand. Shipment is usually by international courier. It is generally expensive (these are large enclosures!) but not prohibitive.
  
  A fully assembled unit (including redundant units) measures 36" x 24" x 12" and weighs 70 lbs. An enclosure only unit measures 30" x 24" x 12" and weighs 46 lbs. To receive a shipping estimate please contact our sales team.
• Why do you sell the pods without hard drives?
  There are numerous vendors who sell hard drives at very compeitive prices. Storage drives are the largest single cost in a backblaze storage pod, and in fact are more expensive than the everything else combined. Thus we felt that by offering assembled and tested Pods without harddrives, you could get the best of both worlds: greatly reduced hassle compared to sourcing all the components separately, and still minimize your cost.

• Will you customize an enclosure for me?
  Absolutely, we build them from scratch for you, so we can do any customization that you wish. However, extra charges will apply, depending on the extent of customization. You can choose from the minor customizations below, and also we can build basically anything that you can design.

  Custom color-Custom Color from Protocase powdercoat color list. There will be a flat setup charge of $135 per order for stock custom colors. We can accommodate requests for fully custom colors that are not in our stock list, contact us for details and costs.

  Custom Logo-We can remove the Backblaze logo at no cost. However if you choose to replace the logo with your company logo there is a charge of $80 for a cutout logo, or we can supply custom silkscreening if we are provided with artwork. The cost for custom silkscreening for each color-side is a one-time, $40 setup fee, plus screen production fee of $30 each time you order.

• What is the lead time?
  Standard & Redundant Pods - tested and assembled
  Lead time is 10 - 11 business days to ship from our factory
  
  Enclosures Only
  Lead time is 2 - 3 business days to ship from our factory
  
  Customized Pods
  Lead times will vary. Contact our sales team for details.
• What redundancies are built into the system beyond RAID-6 in the storage drive array?
  Based on overwhelming customer demand, 45 drives now offers redundant boot drives, as well as power supplies.
  Visit our Enhanced Redundancy Pod page for more details.