zfs discuss - Jan 2010 - PCI-E CF adapter?

I know this is slightly OT but folks discuss zfs compatible hardware
here all the time. :)

Has anyone used something like this combination?

<http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1346664>
<http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1854700>

It''d be nice to have externally accessible CF slots for my NAS.  I
can''t
put them into a drive bay because it''s Sun hardware and even if not,
any
hardware I''d use for a NAS would have hot plug drives -- the type of
SATA adapter that would fit into a 5-1/4" bay won''t fit properly
in
a hot plug type slot.

I want to boot from CF and save all the drive slots for actual storage.

-frank

On January 14, 2010 1:08:56 PM -0500 Frank Cusack <fcusack at fcusack.com>
wrote:
> I know this is slightly OT but folks discuss zfs compatible hardware
> here all the time. :)
>
> Has anyone used something like this combination?
>
> <http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1346664>
> <http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1854700>
>
> It''d be nice to have externally accessible CF slots for my NAS.
I couldn''t use the PCIe adapter as above, it is a full profile card.
I did find a low profile card for roughly twice as much, but no luck
in my server (x2270).  The BIOS does not recognize it as a device
I can boot from.  I didn''t go any further than that.

In the X2270 it''s not really useful anyway.  The latch mechanism
for the PCIe slot interferes with the extension of the ExpressCard
adapter.  It does just fit when you get the case all buttoned up,
but the EC retention mechanism is push-to-release and when you
insert the EC/CF card into the adapter, this pushes the EC card
adapter into the PCIe card, triggering its release.  Because
the PCIe latch on the server case interferes with the EC release,
you can''t actually eject the EC/CF adapter enough to subsequently
push it back in to lock it.  I know that''s all hard to understand
and it''s probably not worth anyone''s time to re-read it
closely.
Sorry about that.

I don''t have another machine with PCIe slots to try.  I''ll
just
stick with USB sticks I guess.  Since I''d avoid writing to the
CF anyway, it''s not much different.

-frank