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Sata rack leads?

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  • SATA
  • Connection
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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July 3, 2013 4:58:26 AM

Hi

I've just acquired an 8 bay sata rack. I assumed it would connect via USB but it doesn't. There are 2 strange ports in the back. i think i need an SAS cable (or 2?) but what does the other end of that plug into?

I took a couple of pics
http://tinypic.com/r/2ebe7g3/5



Thank in advance

More about : sata rack leads

July 3, 2013 7:13:20 AM


A Serial Attached SCSI controller card or appropriate motherboard/backplane with external connection.

There are internal and external SAS devices each with designated cabling. Additionally, with the controller card option you should verify two external SAS 4-port connections.

Or, you could buy a new 8-bay 'eSATA' solution (possibly with a controller card if your motherboard does not have two eSATA connections) for around $200.

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July 3, 2013 3:36:04 PM

Wisecracker said:

A Serial Attached SCSI controller card or appropriate motherboard/backplane with external connection.

There are internal and external SAS devices each with designated cabling. Additionally, with the controller card option you should verify two external SAS 4-port connections.

Or, you could buy a new 8-bay 'eSATA' solution (possibly with a controller card if your motherboard does not have two eSATA connections) for around $200.



Thank you Wisecracker.

Am I right in thinking my rack is currently sas then?

It looks like the esata route might be cheaper. Sorry to ask such basic question but what exactly do I need to buy to do this. Searching for esata controllers just brings up the card I'll need for my motherboard. What should I be searching for to replace the sas in the array?
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July 5, 2013 4:01:53 PM


Here are 2 8-Bay eSATA external enclosures -- they go on-sale quite often for less than $200.

I've used both models in various forms with great success in JBOD, though the PCIe controller cards ain't all that, and are typically slow with long boot times.

That's why motherboards with 2 x eSATA on-board are great! :)  Many varieties of the AMD x90-FX motherboards come with 'em.

Otherwise, you may consider an eSATA PCI bracket with 2 x external eSATA ports. They'll work just dandy with an 8-bay enclosure if you have enabled SATA AHCI with the proper *.inf drivers ... which is necessary for the OS to recognize the 'port multiplier' function.


Edit: forgot the bracket link!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...



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July 5, 2013 4:19:07 PM

Wisecracker said:

Here are 2 8-Bay eSATA external enclosures -- they go on-sale quite often for less than $200.

I've used both models in various forms with great success in JBOD, though the PCIe controller cards ain't all that, and are typically slow with long boot times.

That's why motherboards with 2 x eSATA on-board are great! :)  Many varieties of the AMD x90-FX motherboards come with 'em.

Otherwise, you may consider an eSATA PCI bracket with 2 x external eSATA ports. They'll work just dandy with an 8-bay enclosure if you have enabled SATA AHCI with the proper *.inf drivers ... which is necessary for the OS to recognize the 'port multiplier' function.


Edit: forgot the bracket link!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...





Thanks for replying

Aha, ok, so you are saying bin the whole of the sas rack I just bought and buy a new esata rack and controller (unless my m board already has esata connections)! I gotcha.

Is there no way to just bin the sas controller in the rack and replace it with an esata version?


If I went the sas route and kept the rack as is would any sas controller card and cable be compatible with my rack or are they proprietary?
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July 5, 2013 4:43:57 PM


I don't know ... you need to verify the cable connections between the two.

Your issues are more related to the cost of SAS HDDs. They're high :) 

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July 5, 2013 5:24:56 PM

Wisecracker said:

I don't know ... you need to verify the cable connections between the two.

Your issues are more related to the cost of SAS HDDs. They're high :) 



Oh, verifying cable connections is a bit above my pay grade! :( 

SAS HDDs are not an issue. It takes standard SATA HDDs. The racks have been replaced with startech hot swap removable bays.

I think my issue is identifying the rack's sas controller. There are no markings on it and I've looked all over the case for a clue to the manufacturer but came up empty.

If I can't do that I guess an option is to replace the rack's controller with either another sas or an esata. That way I can be sure of what I need on my computer but I can't seem to locate where to buy that end of the hardware?
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