[Discuss] Many SATA drives
Daniel Feenberg
We would like to build a computer with many SATA drives, but NOT use a
hardware RAID controller (because we want to be able to move individual
drives to another system, connect them to a motherboard SATA port, and
have the original data available). Is there a way to get a non-RAID SATA
controller with 4 or more ports, or is there some way to find out if a
particular RAID controller will allow the drive geometry to pass through
without modification? Our initial experience with an LSI 8 port controller
was that it always messed with the drive, even if you didn't ask for any
RAID.
I am also thinking of "multiport" controllers but have similar worries
about them. For example the Syba controller used in the Backblaze pod is
very cheap and apparently supports 16 drives:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124027
This isn't the sort of information a salesperson or user manual will
cover, but perhaps someone has experience. If no one answers, I will
probaby just buy one and test it.
Daniel Feenberg
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Richard Pieri
option. It might not be set properly which may be the cause of your
experience.
I have a single Adaptec HBA in production. It's well-supported in the
Linux kernel and the disks on it have been just peachy.
--
Rich P.
Tom Metro
> Is there a way to get a non-RAID SATA
Isn't this a commodity with hundreds to choose from?
I've used several of these:
Rosewill RC-209 PCI SATA Controller Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816132006
4-port SATA controllers, but with a PCI interface it is long since
obsolete. (Or maybe not. I see they have a current version that is
likewise still PCI.)
A search at NewEgg turns shows a $45 SYBA SY-PCX40009 PCI-X SATA II,
the least expensive 4-port SATA II controller with PCI-X interface.
> ...or is there some way to find out if a particular RAID controller
> will allow the drive geometry to pass through without modification?
Look at the chipset used. The above controller, for example, uses
Silicon Image SiL3124 chipset. That'll not only tell you whether it is
hardware RAID or fake RAID, but also let you see if it is supported by
the driver you plan to use.
> For example the Syba controller used in the Backblaze pod is
> very cheap and apparently supports 16 drives:
>
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124027
As above, SIL3124 chipset.
http://www.siliconimage.com/products/product.aspx?pid=27
SiI3124 is a single-chip PCI or PCI-X to 4-port Serial ATA (SATA) host
controller that takes SATA performance and features to enterprise
levels.
So presumably the 8-port card just uses 2 of these chips. It'll show up
in 'lspci' as two separate devices, and you'll have two SATA buses.
> ...but perhaps someone has experience.
There should be plenty of info on the web about experiences with the
SIL3124 chipset and Linux.
With a lot of ports you may also be concerned about support for port
multipliers. They use them on the Backblaze project, so that should be a
good indication that this card is compatible, if this is the card they use.
-Tom
--
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/
Shirley Márquez Dúlcey
> Daniel Feenberg wrote:
>> Is there a way to get a non-RAID SATA
>> controller with 4 or more ports...
>
> Isn't this a commodity with hundreds to choose from?
>
> I've used several of these:
>
> Rosewill RC-209 PCI SATA Controller Card
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816132006
>
> 4-port SATA controllers, but with a PCI interface it is long since
> obsolete. (Or maybe not. I see they have a current version that is
> likewise still PCI.)
I imagine that PCI cards are actually the ones in highest demand; mostly
people are buying these to put SATA drives in old systems where the
motherboard doesn't have SATA ports.
Ward Vandewege
On Sun, Apr 01, 2012 at 06:34:42PM -0400, Daniel Feenberg wrote:
> We would like to build a computer with many SATA drives, but NOT use
> a hardware RAID controller (because we want to be able to move
> individual drives to another system, connect them to a motherboard
> SATA port, and have the original data available). Is there a way to
> get a non-RAID SATA controller with 4 or more ports, or is there
> some way to find out if a particular RAID controller will allow the
> drive geometry to pass through without modification? Our initial
> experience with an LSI 8 port controller was that it always messed
> with the drive, even if you didn't ask for any RAID.
Yes. The situation with hardware raid controllers has become quite
ridiculous. I do not understand how most of those companies are still in
business. Their products tend to be riddled with (firmware) bugs that make
largely unusable except in very specific configurations (which usually does
not include a very standard software raid setup on a Debian Squeeze, say).
That said, there are some multi-port SATA controllers out there that do not
get in the way. I recently came across this overview
which I found very useful.
Thanks,
Ward.
>
> I am also thinking of "multiport" controllers but have similar
> worries about them. For example the Syba controller used in the
> Backblaze pod is very cheap and apparently supports 16 drives:
>
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124027
>
> This isn't the sort of information a salesperson or user manual will
> cover, but perhaps someone has experience. If no one answers, I will
> probaby just buy one and test it.
>
> Daniel Feenberg
> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Dis...@blu.org
> http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
>
> !DSPAM:4f78d817148881825616748!
>
Ward Vandewege.
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