Norco 4020/4220 question

[ottozylch46]

I'm looking to eventually getting a Norco case in the near future to consolidate my drives into one server and need some help understanding SAS. Now, the 4020 attaches with SATA cables from the backplanes to the controller cards I would have in the motherboard. That I understand and is fairly straightforward.

Looking at the 4220, its backplane has five SFF-8087 Mini SAS connectors which will support up to twenty drives, or four drives per connector. This seems much better as it will eliminate much wiring if I understand it correctly. This cable flares out to four SATA connectors which can be plugged into the controller card, correct? Does it require four drives be connected at the same time or can drives be added one by one as needed?
In other words, I'm assuming that the SFF-8087 connector is good for one row of four drives in the case. Do all four bays need to be populated with drives for this to work?

This is simply for home use, no RAID or anything fancy. Just trying to get a better understanding of this equipment and if it applies to my situation or not.

Thanks much.

 

[EGOvoruhk]

You do not need to use all 4 devices. If you want even less clutter, use a controller card (and expander!) that has SFF-8087 inputs, that way you don't even have to bother with the flaring out of SATA cables

Also, if you have no need for a DVD-ROM, check out the RPC-4224

 

[Adidas4275]

the Supermicro MV8 is a PCIe 8x SAS card that works great with the 4220

i have a 4020 and i enjoy it.... it is nice and cool (supposedly cooler than the 4220) but i would love to have less cables...