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Building a home server. Please help, DC!
lotusrootstarch:
Quick one: how do we connect one 4x Multilane bridge to 10 SATA drives, isn't there a shortage of 6x? :)
4wd:
Quick one: how do we connect one 4x Multilane bridge to 10 SATA drives, isn't there a shortage of 6x? :)
-lotusrootstarch (September 08, 2011, 10:52 PM)
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Fourth item on the list ;) (Will actually give you the capacity for 12 drives.)
Just for a laugh: 1 x WD 2TB SAS drive is ~$250 @ Newegg.
lotusrootstarch:
Ah... makes sense... there's an onboard host SATA port. :Thmbsup:
superboyac:
4wd, thanks for your posts above. I have to study them this week. But I have a question, maybe you or lotus can help:
I've read that if I get a sas controller card for whatever box I end up using, that the controller is compatible with sata drives. Is this true, and are there any bad side effects of doing this? I like the sas controller with sata drives because the sas controller will allow me to have fewer cables, and the sata drives are way more convenient to buy and use vs sas drives, which i'm not really interested in. Also, the total cost in the end is not that different. So I like the sas way, and you've posted addonics' clever sata setup. I've always like addonics, but you're setup seems to be a little more complicated and more cable-y than what I'm picturing in a sas setup. Any thoughts on that?
4wd:
4wd, thanks for your posts above. I have to study them this week. But I have a question, maybe you or lotus can help:
I've read that if I get a sas controller card for whatever box I end up using, that the controller is compatible with sata drives. Is this true, and are there any bad side effects of doing this? I like the sas controller with sata drives because the sas controller will allow me to have fewer cables, and the sata drives are way more convenient to buy and use vs sas drives, which i'm not really interested in. Also, the total cost in the end is not that different. So I like the sas way, and you've posted addonics' clever sata setup. I've always like addonics, but you're setup seems to be a little more complicated and more cable-y than what I'm picturing in a sas setup. Any thoughts on that?-superboyac (September 11, 2011, 06:37 PM)
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Yes, an SAS controller can run SATA HDDs - check out the HP SC08Ge 8-port SAS PCI Express Controller.
...provides support for both 3Gb SAS and 1.5Gb SATA devices.
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I have no idea whether SATA port multipliers will work off of a SAS host controller I'm going to err on the side of caution and say they won't.
Stoic' probably the best guy to ask about this stuff...him being a HP tech and all :D
Regarding the external cables: Infiniband cables are used for the connections, see Wikipedia for SASw and Infinibandw. If you can't use port multipliers then you'll need more Infiniband cables. If you can use port multipliers then it's conceivably one (1) cable per twenty (20) SATA HDDs, (assuming a four (4) port SATA compatible host at the PC end).
Addendum: Plus you'll need some way to break out from the storage box' Infiniband input to individual SATA connectors, so possibly an Infiniband socket to SAS plug adapter, then something like this.
OOPPSS! To answer your final question: Number of cables will be the same or more using SAS controllers, (due ambiguity of port multiplier suitability).
Please NOTE: Nothing I'm saying in my above posts was in any way designed to push you towards Addonics products or even SATA/SAS. Their site just happens to have all the stuff to put together what you wanted without jumping all over the place.
As I said previously, SJ, 40Hz or f0dder, (sorry if I've missed someone), are probably the best people to ask about the suitability of what I proposed.
Added addendum: If you have 4 spare Intel SATA ports on your motherboard, (or will be making a total of 4 available by moving HDDs to the external enclosure), then a slightly different setup as follows:
1x Storage Rack DA base unit with ATX power supply @ $355
2x Disk Array 5SA (black bezel) @ $129
1x 4X Multilane bridge for SATA controller @ $29
1x 3M Infiniband cable @ $85
2x 5X1 Internal SATA Port Multiplier @ $62
1x 4X Multilane bridge for SATA storage @ $29
---------
$880
You save on the cost of the controller by using the Intel SATA ports, (ICH9+ Southbridge support port multipliers IIRC).
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