Going the SAS Storage Way

SAS Appliances And Enclosures

Adaptec Storage Enclosure 335SAS

The 335SAS is a four-drive enclosure for SAS or SATA drives, but it must be connected to a SAS controller. Thanks to an attached 120 mm fan, the drives will always be sufficiently ventilated. Two Molex connectors are required to provide power to the enclosure.

Adaptec includes an I2C cable that can be used to manage the enclosure via a suitable SATA controller. However, this is not possible with SAS drives. An additional LED cable is used to support drive activity signaling, but again, for SATA only. An internal quad link SAS cable is part of the package, so linking the enclosure to your controller will only require this cable. Should you want to attach single SATA, drives you can use the SAS to SATA fanout cable.

At a SRP of $369, the 335SAS is not a bargain. But it does offer a decent environment for hard drives that you want to remain reliable.