zfs discuss - Aug 2009 - Connect couple of SATA JBODs to one storage server

Can somebody help me with this?

I''d like to convert old storage servers into JBODs for zfs storage to
use them as pools for backups. There are sata drives in it, and they have
backplane. Right now there are 8 ports hardware raid cards in it.

What cables/converters do I need for this? 
What card should I use in a storage server to connect many sata? Is this one ok?

http://www.adaptec.com/en-US/products/Controllers/Hardware/sata/performance/SAS-5805/

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Roman
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This message posted from opensolaris.org

Roman, are you saying you want to install OpenSolaris on your old servers, or
make the servers look like an external JBOD array, that another server will then
connect to?
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This message posted from opensolaris.org

This non-raid sas controller is $199 and is based on the LSI SAS 1068.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Networking_Communication/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=310-8285&~lt=popup&~ck=TopSellers

What kind of chassis do these drives currently reside in? Does the backplane
have a sata connector for each drive, or does it have a sas backplane [i.e. one
SFF 8087 for every four drive slots]?
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This message posted from opensolaris.org

> Roman, are you saying you want to install OpenSolaris
> on your old servers, or make the servers look like an
> external JBOD array, that another server will then
> connect to?
No, JBOD is JBOD, just an external enclosure, disks+internal/external connectors

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Roman
-- 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

> This non-raid sas controller is $199 and is based on
> the LSI SAS 1068.
> 
> http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Networking
> _Communication/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=0
> 4&sku=310-8285&~lt=popup&~ck=TopSellers
Why Dell? Isn''t it cheaper to go with LSI itself?
> What kind of chassis do these drives currently reside
> in? Does the backplane have a sata connector for each
> drive, or does it have a sas backplane [i.e. one SFF
> 8087 for every four drive slots]?
I have standalones sata on backplane, it means I need sff8087 -
http://www.3ware.com/images-sas/CBL-SFF8087OCF-10M.jpg

Then I need external adapter
http://www.pc-pitstop.com/sas_cables_adapters/AD8788-4.asp
>From adapter I use SFF-8088 cable:
http://www.pc-pitstop.com/sas_cables_adapters/8888-1M.asp

The same cable connects JBOD to another JBOD.

There is even a set, just exactly for 12 disk chassis I have:
http://www.pc-pitstop.com/sata_enclosures/acc-msclb3.asp

So, the question remains about HBA.
Is this one can be used? Probably not because of internal SAS?

http://www.pc-pitstop.com/sas_controllers/adp5805.asp

--
Roman
-- 
This message posted from opensolaris.org