Best way to add multiple HDD connections to a motherboard?

[AudioDoctor]

9 minutes ago, Jud said:

 

You can block the objectionable stuff from these sites with the Vivaldi browser and Privacy Badger. Kind of having your cake and eating it too.  Unless of course you find them objectionable in their totality. 🙂

 

Newegg sold me a fake power supply from china when I ordered a real one from the USA instead. They then refused to do anything about it. So I no longer deal with them. 

 

I object to Amazon on moral grounds and refuse to do business with them and eBay is just asking to be scammed, imo.

 

I already run AdGuard Home on my Netgate device running PFSense software. It blocks all kinds of things, and now Newegg as well.

[AudioDoctor]

On the other hand, Microcenter has never done me wrong. Neither has B&H Photo and Video.

[Jud]

29 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

On the other hand, Microcenter has never done me wrong. Neither has B&H Photo and Video.

Me neither. OTOH, I‘ve purchased most of the components for several computer builds from Newegg and been very happy.

[AudioDoctor]

6 minutes ago, Jud said:

Me neither. OTOH, I‘ve purchased most of the components for several computer builds from Newegg and been very happy.

 

Until that incident, I had not had a problem with Newegg either. That they refused to do anything about it was the final nail in the coffin.

[jabbr]

23 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

SO basically, I need this, unless I want to figure out how to flash one.

https://www.pc-pitstop.com/9305-24i

Yeah you can do this. Each SFF-8643 port on the card plugs into a cable that splits off to 4 SAS drives. So then you want trayless carriers for the HDDs and then you mount all of these into your big case https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1604492-REG/istarusa_bpn_sea340hd_black_3x5_25_to_4x3_5_12gb_s.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=CjwKCAiAioifBhAXEiwApzCztu56S2uUQ7Zx3K-D_wd7s_5HIW6McYRXCoSXauRHsfhxBLkqToONYxoCWmEQAvD_BwE...

 

its doable but its a bit of work and expense and when you add all of it up, you can compare to https://www.pc-pitstop.com/15bay-12g-sas-expander-enclosure which connects to the server with a SAS3 cable and you only need 4E SAS3 card. Ok its only 15 bays but you can daisy chain the enclosures. For me, personally this was an easier option and what I do.

[AudioDoctor]

Or each cable splits into 8 SATA drives and I put them in the case normally...

[yamamoto2002]

22 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

Or each cable splits into 8 SATA drives and I put them in the case normally...

I think a Mini-SASand Mini-SAS HD cable can connect 4 SATA drives and needs port multiplier or SAS expander to connect 8 drives. Latest Slim-SAS 8i can connect 8 SATA drives.

[AudioDoctor]

In my research I found this card and this cable are operable together

 

https://www.pc-pitstop.com/broadcom-hba-9500-16i-tri-mode-storage-adapter-05-50077-02-2

 

https://www.diliving.com/SlimSAS-X8-to-8-SATA-SFF-8654-74P-to-8-SATA-7P-SlimSAS-Host-RAID-to-SATA-Target-HD-85CM-Cable-p3247776.html

 

There are also cables that break out to 4 SATA drives with the same slimSAS connector at the other end.

[yamamoto2002]

8 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

In my research I found this card and this cable are operable together

 

https://www.pc-pitstop.com/broadcom-hba-9500-16i-tri-mode-storage-adapter-05-50077-02-2

 

https://www.diliving.com/SlimSAS-X8-to-8-SATA-SFF-8654-74P-to-8-SATA-7P-SlimSAS-Host-RAID-to-SATA-Target-HD-85CM-Cable-p3247776.html

 

There are also cables that break out to 4 SATA drives with the same slimSAS connector at the other end.

The Broadcom card on the picture mates 4 SFF-8643 connectors and it is Mini SAS HD and it is not SlimSAS

 

Edit: It seems the picture shows different product and 9500-16i has SlimSAS 8i connector...

[AudioDoctor]

19 minutes ago, yamamoto2002 said:

The Broadcom card on the picture mates 4 SFF-8643 connectors and it is Mini SAS HD and it is not SlimSAS

 

Edit: It seems the picture shows different product and 9500-16i has SlimSAS 8i connector...

 

 

 

edit: It is good to know that the picture is not what is listed in the specs, thanks.

[AudioDoctor]

Or this cable from the same vendor:  https://www.pc-pitstop.com/1m-sff-8654-to-8-x-sata-cable-without-sideband

 

[yamamoto2002]

Yeah, sideband connector goes to nowhere so it is better without it

 

Edit: both cables do not have sideband cable, so difference is the length, I think cheaper one is better.

[AudioDoctor]

5 minutes ago, yamamoto2002 said:

Yeah, sideband connector goes to nowhere so it is better without it

 

Edit: both cables do not have sideband cable, so difference is the length, I think cheaper one is better

 

The cables look identical to me.

 

$18.88  https://www.diliving.com/SlimSAS-X8-to-8-SATA-SFF-8654-74P-to-8-SATA-7P-SlimSAS-Host-RAID-to-SATA-Target-HD-85CM-Cable-p3247776.html

 

$79.99  https://www.pc-pitstop.com/1m-sff-8654-to-8-x-sata-cable-without-sideband

[yamamoto2002]

First one is 0.85 meter and second one is 1 meter. Functionality should be the same.

 

[Jud]

On 2/6/2023 at 2:43 PM, AudioDoctor said:

 

This one does not include a raid controller, according to the first link shared by David above, and therefore does not need to be flashed into a different mode to turn that function off. 

 

Second, I am not going to be using TrueNAS, rather Ubuntu Server. TrueNAS is incapable of running Minimserver. I am keeping my TrueNAS device as pure backup, local and offsite.

 

I think the way you intend to do it will be much less aggravation for you, but just in case anyone is ever researching this topic again, I ran across this thread regarding a tutorial from the Minimserver developer on the Minimserver forums (linked the last page from late 2022 so we know the information is fairly current): https://forum.minimserver.com/showthread.php?tid=2891&page=13

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, Jud said:

 

I think the way you intend to do it will be much less aggravation for you, but just in case anyone is ever researching this topic again, I ran across this thread regarding a tutorial from the Minimserver developer on the Minimserver forums (linked the last page from late 2022 so we know the information is fairly current): https://forum.minimserver.com/showthread.php?tid=2891&page=13

 

That's what made me not want to try and run Minimserver on TrueNAS.

[Jud]

7 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

That's what made me not want to try and run Minimserver on TrueNAS.

I think it’s either increasing age, deja vu, or both that have changed my attitude from “I’m up to the challenge!” to “Seems like more trouble than it’s worth,” when I read a thread like that.

[AudioDoctor]

Plans are changing due to the difficulty of tracking down DDR5 ECC RAM right now. Looks like i'll step down to a 5600 or 5700x and DDR4 ECC ram, a different motherboard. This means I'll need a separate, cheap, gpu as well as a 10G card.

 

If I plug an NVME into a different computer, install Ubuntu Server on it, and then put it in the machine and boot it, will it work with no GPU and allow me to SSH into it as I normally would to administer it?

[Jud]

12 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

Plans are changing due to the difficulty of tracking down DDR5 ECC RAM right now. Looks like i'll step down to a 5600 or 5700x and DDR4 ECC ram, a different motherboard. This means I'll need a separate, cheap, gpu as well as a 10G card.

 

If I plug an NVME into a different computer, install Ubuntu Server on it, and then put it in the machine and boot it, will it work with no GPU and allow me to SSH into it as I normally would to administer it?

 

If you have sshd running on the Ubuntu Server you have installed (I haven't used Server, guessing it comes with sshd included), and if the NVMe/Server is indeed the drive/OS you're booting from (as you'd ensure from the BIOS/EFI), then I see no reason why it shouldn't work.  Why don't you try it out as a test with a spare drive if possible, not only to be sure it works, but to get accustomed to the drill?

[jabbr]

On 2/7/2023 at 5:04 PM, AudioDoctor said:

Or each cable splits into 8 SATA drives and I put them in the case normally...

Well each card uses different cables but yes with a "16i" (for internal) card you can connect 16 drives internally ... the issue is that when you want to exchange a drive, do you have to go into the case and remove the mounting screws to remove the drive from the tray, or do you want a trayless enclosure where you can easily swap drives.

[jabbr]

13 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

Plans are changing due to the difficulty of tracking down DDR5 ECC RAM right now. Looks like i'll step down to a 5600 or 5700x and DDR4 ECC ram, a different motherboard. This means I'll need a separate, cheap, gpu as well as a 10G card.

 

If I plug an NVME into a different computer, install Ubuntu Server on it, and then put it in the machine and boot it, will it work with no GPU and allow me to SSH into it as I normally would to administer it?

That is exactly what I do except that with NVME drives you want this adapter: https://www.pc-pitstop.com/broadcom-p411w-32p-x16-pcie-nvme-switch-adapter-board-05-50054-00

 

and go for the ConnectX-4 series (25G) because ConnectX-3 isn't still supported: https://www.fs.com/products/119650.html

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, jabbr said:

That is exactly what I do except that with NVME drives you want this adapter: https://www.pc-pitstop.com/broadcom-p411w-32p-x16-pcie-nvme-switch-adapter-board-05-50054-00

 

and go for the ConnectX-4 series (25G) because ConnectX-3 isn't still supported: https://www.fs.com/products/119650.html

 

Is there a reason I can't plug the NVME into an open slot on the motherboard in my PC and do it that way?

 

Does the Mellanox card operate at 10G as well the 25G?

[AudioDoctor]

2 hours ago, Jud said:

 

If you have sshd running on the Ubuntu Server you have installed (I haven't used Server, guessing it comes with sshd included), and if the NVMe/Server is indeed the drive/OS you're booting from (as you'd ensure from the BIOS/EFI), then I see no reason why it shouldn't work.  Why don't you try it out as a test with a spare drive if possible, not only to be sure it works, but to get accustomed to the drill?

 

When installing server it gives the option to install SSH and set it up so it works when the machine boots.

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

Is there a reason I can't plug the NVME into an open slot on the motherboard in my PC and do it that way?

 

Does the Mellanox card operate at 10G as well the 25G?

 

Quoting myself here, I saw the specs for the card and yes it does indeed run at 10G. However, does a 25GbE SFP slot require a different transceiver than a 10GbE or are they the same? Will a 10GbE transceiver work in the 25GbE slot? If I need identical transceivers at both ends, will the 25GbE transceiver work at the 10GbE switch sip slot?

 

I am truly out beyond all my previously acquired knowledge here.

[AudioDoctor]

On 2/7/2023 at 3:57 PM, jabbr said:

Yeah you can do this. Each SFF-8643 port on the card plugs into a cable that splits off to 4 SAS drives. So then you want trayless carriers for the HDDs and then you mount all of these into your big case https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1604492-REG/istarusa_bpn_sea340hd_black_3x5_25_to_4x3_5_12gb_s.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=CjwKCAiAioifBhAXEiwApzCztu56S2uUQ7Zx3K-D_wd7s_5HIW6McYRXCoSXauRHsfhxBLkqToONYxoCWmEQAvD_BwE...

 

its doable but its a bit of work and expense and when you add all of it up, you can compare to https://www.pc-pitstop.com/15bay-12g-sas-expander-enclosure which connects to the server with a SAS3 cable and you only need 4E SAS3 card. Ok its only 15 bays but you can daisy chain the enclosures. For me, personally this was an easier option and what I do.

 

 

Those drive cages look like the biggest pain in the ass I can imagine. I was just going to put 12 drives on 12 drive trays in the case, just as Fractal shows on their website, and then plug 6 each into the two connections on the SAS HBA card. I talked to Puget Systems about this and they stopped offering those cages because they were such a pain to work with.

 

How often do you replace a drive or two? I am working on the assumption maybe once or twice a year at most.