[Discuss] Many SATA drives

[tmetro-blu at vl.com (Tom Metro)]

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.)

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/