(As usual) ... inaccuracies in the article:
[*:dab638ca0e]The article implies that port multipliers are an eSATA-specific feature. This is not true, port multipliers can be used on any SATA connection, internal/external, SATA/eSATA if the controller supports them.
[*:dab638ca0e]The description of the SAFE modes should not call the individualized sections of the RAID "partitions". A partition is a term used to describe a section of a device that contains a file system. The individualized RAID areas are not partitions, since they have nothing to do with the file system, but instead operate at the underlying virtualization layer. They are properly called "logical drives" or "containers".
[*:dab638ca0e]The auto drive locking mode/feature appears to be somewhat of a misnomer. The security is reliant on the SIL57xx device to prevent access to the drive. Removing the drive from the external enclosure and connecting it internally to a different computer will probably bypass the security. I see nowhere that the SIL57xx devices do full drive encryption, which means the data would then be fully accessible.
[*:dab638ca0e]Average read access time graph is meaningless. You're comparing external devices that use 3.5" drives against your SIL units which use 2.5" drives. The comparison is apples and oranges.
[*:dab638ca0e]Read and write transfer rate graph is almost as meaningless. Multiple things vary across the devices (different interfaces, different drives, different controllers). The comparison means virtually nothing unless all variables are held constant except the one you're testing. Since the article is focusing on the logic embedded in the external controller, all tests should have been performed with the same drive and the same interface, varying only the external enclosure/controller. This is basic scientific method, which appears to have been thrown out the window here.
[*:dab638ca0e]Nowhere in the article is it mentioned that virtualization of storage across multiple drives increases risk of data loss. If you operate these drives in BIG or FAST modes, risk increases proportional to the number of drives used, just like RAID 0. In BIG mode, some data can usually be recovered from the non-failed drives with a drive recovery program like GetDataBack, but nevertheless users will likely not understand the risk they're taking with their data. Especially now that the risk has been extended to external drives, which are subject to more shock, riskier electrical environments, and external cases which are notorious for overheating.
As storage needs increase, better solutions need to be found to ensure data integrity while offering better storage management. SIL's solution here is not ideal in my mind, but perhaps at least RAID 1 is better than nothing.