we have these mini-SAS PCIe SATA III controllers. Mini-SAS enclosures seem to run about $500, but I can use a $10 mini-SAS-to-SATA adapter cable so then all I need is an external enclosure that provides SATA power and has a way to run the cables into the drives. Should work? Any suggestions?
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Sounds like a shopping/recommendation question, voted to close.– DanBigJul 12, 2012 at 18:42
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Yes, it's a question about whether such a product exists. If so, what is an example. If not why not. Where do these questions belong?– ChinasaurJul 12, 2012 at 19:12
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Agree. Question is about technical feasibility. Many admins often face questions like this.– TomTomJul 12, 2012 at 19:29
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Gotta love the summary judgement from the admins/bureaucrats. Always a good way to kill a community...– ChinasaurJul 14, 2012 at 0:55
1 Answer
Google tells me that they exist and can be purchased. Look for "SAS enclosure" and select something with the right connector - SFF-8470 (InfiniBand) is quite common but SFF-8086/7/8 (various mini-SAS) can be found too.
More cheaply, an "external disk array" (disk bays with power/SATA connectors) also exist.
Everything else will depend on your setup - ideally, get something rackmounted, running off your UPS, with a very neat cable connecting to your sever and hopefully it won't be accidentally pulled or lose power.
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Thanks, but I'm looking for a way more low-budget solution. As I mentioned in the question, mini-SAS enclosures are about $500, but a mini-SAS to SATA cable is $10. What I'm looking for is either a product that provides only power and you run your own data cables to the drives, or else a cheap product that can be hacked into filling this role. Jul 13, 2012 at 3:40
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@Chinasaur This is fast approaching shopping, but yes - e.g. techbuy.com.au/p/130033/HARD_DRIVE_-_EXTERNAL_STORAGE_TOWERS/…– AndrewJul 13, 2012 at 3:45
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Thanks again, basically I need the right terms to be searching for, then of course I will do my own shopping. The link is pretty close but it wants power input from a PSU. What I want is a small box for 4-8 drives with a wall wart. Jul 13, 2012 at 3:51