Add more HDDs to system based on ICH10R: PICe SATA controller vs SATA port muiltiplier

[Lev Serebryakov]

Hello, Dieterbsd.
You wrote 13 мая 2010 г., 19:12:19:

> How many more disks do you want to hook up?  How many PCIe slots
  Start from one, but add up to 4 in future (case's bays is finite too
:))
> are you willing to use for this, and how many lanes do they have?
  It is ASUS P5E-VM DO, so 1xPCIe x16, 1xPCIe x1, 2xPCI (it is server,
 so it have free PCIe x16 slot, no discrete video card)

> Better?  A controller can be faster, but uses up a slot.
> A port multiplier doesn't require a slot (although you can get
> one that does) but total throughput is limited by the uplink.
> Of course a x1 slot is also limited, and the controller might not
> be fast enough to max it out.
  It seems, that port multipliers are not sold in Russia at all. Noone
 have them in price lists, so now it is choice between controllers :)

> Almost everything with more than 1 port is going to claim to have RAID,
> even controllers costing under US$20.  I haven't heard of any 
> controllers that can't do JBOD.
  Yep, I see this now...

> Sil 3132 (PCIe-x1 2 SATA drives) cards work well with siis(4) driver.
> JMB363 (PCIe-x1 2 SATA drives + 1 PATA channel) cards work with ahci(4)
> driver.
> JMB363 is faster than Sil3132 but my Syba brand JMB363 cards have been
> trouble.
> Try a different brand.  Both 3132 and 363 are available on cards with 
> both internal and external connectors, with jumpers to route the signals to
> the  connector you wish to use.  A nice feature, just don't be fooled when it
> says "4 ports".
  It is good news, that JMB363 works, I was not sure about that.
  It  seems,  tht  SiI 3132 and JMB363-based cards is simplier to buy.
 But only 2 ports... Here are some marvell-baed 4-ports cards, but they
 will  be  supported  only bu ata(4), not by ahci(4), and hard-to-find
 too.

  All  external  enclosures are not option for me, due to limited shelf
 space :(

-- 
// Black Lion AKA Lev Serebryakov <lev at FreeBSD.org>