Question about raid expanders

[Draugauth]

What are they, how do they work, and what sort of reliability is there with them?

Just curious for when I'm ready to take my server past the 24 drives the current controller can handle (Highpoint Rocketraid 3560)

 

[mwroobel]

You can do a search for SAS Expanders and read up on that http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_attached_SCSI . SAS Expanders are only compatible with SAS HBAs. Your RocketRaid 3560 unfortunately is not a SAS HBA, it is just SATA. The 3560 has 3 onboard chained 88SX6081 Marvell controllers, which are 8 port SATA2 controllers and unfortunately this makes it not compatible with a SAS Expander.

 

[Draugauth]

Ah good to know. Thank you!