1) Is there anything I should look for/avoid concerning eBay listings?
2) I know most of these servers use SAS, can I just throw my 3.5in 6x6TB SATA WD Red hard drives into the slots and it'll work?
3) Is there anything I must do to avoid the RAID controller from screwing with these drives? (They contain a ZFS raidz2 volume on them, I'd prefer to keep it)
4) Can I manage installation of proxmox over a USB thumb drive using IPMI with nothing more than power/Ethernet cables? (I don't have a VGA display readily available)
5) Can I add more more SATA hard drives than there are hdd bays without extra hardware or Macgyvering an internal mount? (Apparently there are only 6 bays with 3.5 hdds)
No, there's no spare SATA spaces on this, if it's a CD drive version, you can just replace it with a dummy 2.5" drive.
Look into disk shelves with an LSI-9200-16e.
6) Are hdd caddys required? (I've noticed some eBay listings don't provide them)
7) Is there any other benefit to properly racking it other than ventilation/tidyness?
Eh, I don't agree with their premise...now racks are taking up unnecessary space?? Plenty of alternate 19" options out there. Mount a UDM pro to the wall with one of these.
That said, still a sexy-looking device.
You could probably get away with 2 1u Wall mounts and just make sure to align the rails. It isn’t going to be enclosed, but whatever.
If I was going to do something like that, I would probably go and get some cabinet grade plywood and stain or paint it, and run between the studs in my drywall just to make sure it can hold the weight, but depending on how heavy it is, you might be able to just use anchors.
StarTech RK119WALLV 1U 19-Inch Steel Vertical Wall Mount Equipment Rack Bracket (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001YHUX2I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_G2YCBbBFF9WAX
If your cabling needs work with it, you can use [vertical brackets](smile.amazon.com/StarTech-RK119WALLV-19-Inch-Vertical-Equipment/dp/B001YHUX2I) for the rack-mountable stuff, and non-rackable stuff generally has holes or slots to mount it to something, you can mount it directly to the sheetrock.
But, I much prefer using the wall-mounted racks. Non=rackmount stuff can still be put in them via cantilever shelves.
Pull all the stuff off the wall, and mount a board, then mount everything to the board. A 2'x4' (1/4 sheet) of 3/4" plywood should be perfect. For the UPS you can get brackets that will allow you to mount the normally rackmount device flat against the wall (like this). For something dense like a UPS, and in a home setting, that will work better than a wall mount rack.
For cable management, get the sticky 4 way zip tie tiedown things (like this). And put a short screw through the middle of it. The adhesive will never hold. Plan out all the cable paths beforehand.
It's tempting to use velcro on the power bricks. Don't. The heat will make the adhesive fail, and you're left with a sticky mess.
You want a 1u rack and a rack mounted power strip. I use:
StarTech.com 1U Wall Mount Patch Panel Bracket – 19 in – Steel - Vertical Mounting Bracket for Networking and Data Equipment (RK119WALLV),Black https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001YHUX2I/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_6NB92Z2XT1ZNY1M3QMNM?psc=1
CyberPower CPS1215RMS Basic PDU, 120V/15A, 12 Outlets, 15ft Power Cord, 1U Rackmount https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00077INZU/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_YHFPR08SF8GSSENSQGS8
Yup, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Mount-Patch-Panel-Bracket/dp/B001YHUX2I
Not used these myself, but these both are rated for over 100lbs.
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Mount-Patch-Panel-Bracket/dp/B001YHUX2I
https://www.amazon.com/Mofangtech-Heavy-Vertical-Mount-Bracket/dp/B082H7R6MH
I would consider adding additional wood stoppers under the server once it's properly mounted to reduce some of the weight on the ears/rails.
Of course be mindful of where your ports are and don't block the ones you need.
Something like a 1x4 in US terms should be thin enough to not block too much airflow as well.
You could vertically wall mount the UDM pro. It's pretty easy and very space efficient.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001YHUX2I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_7Y5CEDA7F4EBTBER9W8V
Dang those suckers are long. never seen such a thing
Here's another possibility if your idea doesn't pan out: https://smile.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Vertical-Mount-Patch-Bracket/dp/B001YHUX2I
Good luck.
Something like this might work for you. I would add wide washers to distribute the load more on sheet metal but I don't see any problem with it. https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Mount-Patch-Panel-Bracket/dp/B001YHUX2I/
what is the heat generated by those r710s? I was thinking of vertically mounting it https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001YHUX2I/
But my room is already decently warm.
any switch that can be rack mounted can be wall mounted. or, if you really want, you can get a wall hanging mount like this to hang any rackmounted stuff from the wall vertically.