From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Jan Ceuleers Subject: Re: PMP 3726 problem? Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:44:32 +0100 Message-ID: <4D1E0870.3010101@computer.org> References: <4D1BDB10.803@hardwarefreak.com> <4D1DD305.1020701@hardwarefreak.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Return-path: Received: from mailrelay007.isp.belgacom.be ([195.238.6.173]:30968 "EHLO mailrelay007.isp.belgacom.be" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1753141Ab0LaQou (ORCPT ); Fri, 31 Dec 2010 11:44:50 -0500 Received: from [192.168.1.6] (wendy.xperim.be [192.168.1.6]) by zotac.xperim.be (8.14.3/8.14.3/Debian-9.1ubuntu1) with ESMTP id oBVGiWuU020362 for ; Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:44:37 +0100 In-Reply-To: <4D1DD305.1020701@hardwarefreak.com> Sender: linux-ide-owner@vger.kernel.org List-Id: linux-ide@vger.kernel.org To: linux-ide@vger.kernel.org On 31/12/10 13:56, Stan Hoeppner wrote: > Phill Jolliffe put forth on 12/30/2010 3:40 PM: >> I had avoided using the bundled card and used the mobo builtin esata + >> md sw raid as I need the single PCIe slot on my mobo for a graphics >> card. > > That's bad. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm pretty sure > you are screwed. According to Google results, which are slim pickens, > it seems the Intel H55 chipset does not support FIS based switching, > which means none of your mobo e/SATA ports will work with a PMP. But the H55 chipset supports six SATA ports. I've got the Zotac H55 mini-ITX mobo and have four SATA disks connected to it. So an option is to connect the individual disks straight to the motherboard. But not all H55 mobos make all six SATA ports directly available. And running multiple cables to the enclosure is ugly. And you'll probably want to get SATA to eSATA adapter assemblies and back again. This gets messy and expensive, and the cable management issues can contribute negatively to reliability as well. I speak from experience: my previous server had six disks in a separate enclosure, which were individually connected to the computer across two controllers. That's why I now switched to the Zotac H55-based mobo, which is housed in an enclosure that can also accommodate six disks. Much better from multiple viewpoints: cheaper, less messy, more reliable, etc. Jan