Supermicro 826BE1C-R741JBOD Drive Enclosure — 12-Bay 2U JBOD Storage Expansion

Maximize your data capacity with a purpose-built storage backbone designed for enterprise workloads. The Supermicro 826BE1C-R741JBOD Drive Enclosure delivers dense 12-bay 3.5" storage in a rugged 2U rack-mountable chassis, providing an efficient and scalable solution for data centers, virtualization hosts, backup facilities, media libraries, and archival systems. Built for reliability and operational flexibility, this enclosure enables flexible JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) configurations that let you tailor storage density, performance, and data protection to your unique needs without the overhead of a traditional RAID array.

The 826BE1C-R741JBOD takes advantage of a compact form factor while offering expansive capacity. With 12 hot-swappable drive bays, administrators can expand storage rapidly to support growing datasets, large-scale backups, and high-throughput applications. In environments where uptime matters, the JBOD architecture gives you direct control over each disk, allowing you to optimize workload placement, drive health monitoring, and data paths at the host or storage controller level. This approach is ideal for organizations that require flexible storage provisioning and the ability to mix drive types, performance characteristics, and capacities across the same enclosure.

Designed for data centers and enterprise workloads, the enclosure is built to withstand the demands of continuous operation. The black finish and durable chassis harmonize with standard 19-inch racks, enabling seamless integration with existing infrastructure. The enclosure supports hot-swappable drives, enabling maintenance and drive upgrades without lengthy downtime—an essential feature for backup windows, cold data rebalancing, and capacity expansion in busy IT environments. Whether you’re expanding a single server, implementing a scalable storage pool, or adding capacity to a disaster recovery plan, this enclosure provides the foundation you need to scale confidently while maintaining control over data management strategies.

In addition to raw capacity, the 826BE1C-R741JBOD emphasizes compatibility and simplicity. Administrators can deploy a variety of 3.5" SAS or SATA drives and connect them to host controllers or storage arrays according to the business requirements. The non-RAID JBOD design means you’re not locked into a single redundancy scheme; instead, you can architect a bespoke data protection strategy, implement tiered storage, and tune performance by distributing workloads across multiple disks. For organizations prioritizing flexible data access and modular growth, this enclosure represents a smart, future-ready choice that scales with your data-centric operations.

• Dense 12 x 3.5" drive bays — The enclosure packs twelve 3.5-inch drive bays into a compact 2U footprint, enabling substantial capacity expansion without occupying additional rack space. This density makes it an excellent backbone for backup repositories, high-capacity archives, virtualization storage pools, and media workflows where every rack unit matters. By accommodating a large number of drives in a single chassis, you can consolidate storage resources and streamline management while maintaining straightforward scalability for future needs.
• 2U rack-mountable enclosure — Engineered for conventional data centers, the 2U form factor integrates cleanly into standard 19-inch racks. The rugged construction supports long-term reliability in demanding environments and provides predictable airflow paths to support cooling of dense drive configurations. Its rack compatibility simplifies integration with existing infrastructure, power distribution, and cabling, helping IT teams manage space and maintenance more efficiently.
• JBOD, non-RAID design for flexible data management — This enclosure emphasizes JBOD operation, giving you direct, per-drive access without a built-in RAID layer. By removing the RAID constraint, administrators gain granular control over where and how data is stored, enabling custom redundancy schemes and performance tuning at the host level. This approach is ideal for workloads that require flexible capacity allocation, data-scrubbing routines, or specialized storage topologies that benefit from fixed, independent disk behavior.
• Hot-swappable drive bays for simple maintenance — The drive bays are designed for hot-swapping, enabling drive replacement or upgrades without powering down the entire system. This capability reduces maintenance windows and downtime, which is critical for backup operations, archival tasks, or environment where data availability is paramount. The ease of hot swapping also supports proactive drive health management, allowing administrators to swap failing drives quickly and minimize the risk of data loss during operational hours.
• Flexible compatibility with enterprise storage ecosystems — Built to work across diverse storage architectures, the enclosure supports standard 3.5" SAS and SATA drives and can be integrated with various host controllers and storage arrays. This versatility makes it suitable for mixed-drive environments, tiered storage configurations, and scalable architectures that require a neutral, expandable storage backbone. It’s an adaptable solution for organizations pursuing gradual capacity growth, data protection strategy experimentation, and long-term investment protection.

Technical Details of Supermicro 826BE1C-R741JBOD

• Drive bays: 12 x 3.5" hot-swappable bays
• Form factor: 2U rack-mountable enclosure
• Color/finish: Black
• Operation mode: JBOD (non-RAID) capable for flexible data management
• Drive compatibility: Supports standard 3.5" SAS and SATA drives
• Mounting compatibility: Standard 19-inch rack installation with appropriate rails

How to install Supermicro 826BE1C-R741JBOD

• Plan your rack layout and ensure adequate cooling, airflow, and power capacity before installation to support twelve drives and a dense 2U chassis.
• Mount the enclosure into a standard 19-inch rack using approved rails and hardware; tighten mounting screws securely to minimize vibration and movement.
• Route and connect the backplane interfaces to your storage controller or JBOD expansion card with the appropriate SAS/SATA cables, following the enclosure’s service guide for pinouts and cable management guidelines.
• Install or populate the 12 x 3.5" drive bays with drives that meet your performance and capacity requirements. Ensure drives are properly seated in their sleds and recognized by the backplane during power-on self-test.
• Power up the enclosure and configure JBOD mode or prepare it for direct connection to a host controller. Verify drive visibility from the operating system, initialize any new disks, allocate storage, and set up your intended data path (direct attach, storage pool, or SAN/NAS connection) based on your deployment plan.

Frequently asked questions

• What does JBOD mean for this enclosure? JBOD stands for Just a Bunch Of Disks. It provides direct access to each drive without a preconfigured RAID array, giving you the flexibility to manage redundancy, performance, and capacity at the host or controller level.
• Can this enclosure be used in RAID environments? Yes, you can implement RAID at the host controller or storage array level. The enclosure itself is designed for non-RAID (JBOD) operation, but it can be incorporated into broader storage architectures that include RAID protection managed by the host system.
• How many drives does it hold? It accommodates 12 x 3.5" drives, delivering substantial storage density in a compact 2U chassis suitable for data centers and enterprise workloads.
• Is the enclosure hot-swappable? Yes. The drive bays are designed to be hot-swappable, allowing drive replacement or upgrades without powering down the system, which helps minimize downtime during maintenance or drive failures.
• What kinds of drives are supported? The enclosure supports standard 3.5" SAS and SATA drives, offering a flexible mix of performance and capacity options to fit diverse workload requirements.