JBOD sas expansion - what to buy?

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steakman1971

Smack-Fu Master, in training
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  • #1
    I have a Supermicro server that has 12 drive bays - they are filled with 8TB drives. I am running unRaid on this system - I'd going to need more storage space. One option would be to replace all of the drives with higher capacity drives, but that would be expensive and a pain. I've been reading up about external JBOD storage. However, I'm not 100% sure what to buy.

    A device like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1546408636...TLm4j1wHFBiRy781I%3D|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:4429486

    That would give me 16 drive bays. My understanding is I would need an additional HBA card (I may not be using the correct terminology) installed in my current server. Plug the cables between the the storage expansion and the server.

    Any advice on what to look for and/or recommendations? The eBay listing I posted is probably overkill for me. It is just an example.

    My unRaid server is mostly used for a media server. It is for home use.
     
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    chalex

    Ars Legatus Legionis
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  • #3
    Yes, the "rectangular" ports on the back are the older kind, the newer kind are more square. So that old gear should be cheap and readily available. That will be "SAS2" vs "SAS3".

    Generally speaking any LSI card (aka SAS HBA) will work for you, just make sure it has the right kind of port and you have a matching cable.

    e.g. LSI SAS9207-8E and that connector is called "external sff-8088 mini-sas" and you'll need a male sff-8088 to male sff-8088 cable.

    The more square connector is newer and faster and called sff-8644, you don't need it; it's for SAS3.

    The old shelf like your ebay link will have two controllers (expanders?) with two ports each but you only need to connect one cable total; you just won't use the HA or multipath features. You can also daisy-chain multiple enclosures but then you'll need to follow the instructions for which ports to use for what.
     
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