SCSI Help

ChrisD.

ChrisD.

ChrisD.

Man of Honour
Joined
20 Sep 2006
Posts
36,366
Right, I can get SCSI drives through work FOC, thought I could put a couple into RAID0 and have them as my OS drives.

Which card/cables would I need to get to make this work? The drives are Ultra320 80 pin. Not looking for something ridiculously expensive...

Got a PCI Adaptec AIC 3860Q here if that could be used; but I don't think it's got RAID on it? Any other little bits I'd need like power adaptors etc?

Basically just need a list of what's needed (my current spec in sig) with eveything included apart from the drives. BTW the one's from work are all 15k HP drives, most are 74GB but some are 150GB and I've spotted a few 300GB ones.

Finally, would I notice a difference? Apps, games and WinRAR stuff wise...
 
Last edited:
Thanks. I'll have a dig around, should be able to find some cables. Was thinking of a Dell Perc card, which one would I need that won't bottleneck? Is it a PCIe one or PCI-X?

Already seen the adaptors for sale for a reasonable price.
 
Right so the PCI-X is server only (mainly), new GFX cards go in PCIe, so what's the little one? Is that not PCI-X as well? Or am I completely confused... Seen a LSI MegaRAID 8308ELP, and it has the little connector?

Sorry for the questions, I'm learning it all here!
 
Last edited:
Am I reading an article wrong or can the Dell Perc do SATA as well as RAID? Also, how would the Dell handle 3 X HP 150GB 15K drives in RAID5?

And finally for quick transfer I take it I'd be limited to the Dell Perc in PCIe form?
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the help mate. Sounds quite daunting with all the cables, adaptors and cards. Is is worth it in the end? Not sure how much the drives normally go for but I just thought that with the drives being FOC it would be. I've got a choice, can get two 146GB, two 74GB or two 35GB, or even all if I really wanted.

Is there no cheaper solution for sub £100 for the controller card?

Thanks for all the help, really appreciated by the way.
 
They are the 15k drives. As for noise, I'm used to four Raptors whirring away so I don't think SCSI drives would bother me. Plus I've got 4 120 mm fans, the WC is for overclocking not noise limitation. PC is used for watching films, gaming and browsing and 9/10 I've got something or other booming through the speakers!

I guess my main reason for wanting to do this is that it's something I've never done before and I enjoy messing around. SCSI is something that's always interested me, but whenever someone has suggested doing it I always used to hide behind my Raptors!

I think I'll keep an eye out for a Dell Perc card, I have plenty of friends who are network admins so one of them might be able to get hold of one on the cheap. I think I'll buy the Ultra 320 cable and adapters in preparation.

Is there anything you can think off that I might need to know; finally are they easy to get an OS onto them once everything is in the PC?
 
Well I've decided I'm going to do this. I was originally going to get two more 640AAKS drives and run four in RAID 5, but for the same price I can get a working Perc card from ebay. I think the SCSI option will be better, especially the storage difference won't be too large.

I've found some Ultra 320 cables on the bay for about £15, the adapters aren't too expensive and the drives, as before, are FOC. Just got to keep my eye out for a Dell Perc PCIe card now. Just a quick reiteration for myself, can I use both the little PCIe card types and the long GFX type ones?
 
Right I have a choice of the following two:

Dell PERC5e PERC 5e SAS PCI-E 256MB Controller w/BBU

DELL PERC 5i SAS RAID 256MB SCSI PCI EXPRESS CARD + KIT

Which is the better choice and will they both work? lol

If the card can run SCSI drives and my SATA drives that'll be a bonus.

Both about the £100 mark.
 
Last edited:
PCI Express Ultra320 SCSI Single-Channel SCSI Adapter, Low Profile LSI20320IE

Code: 
  Type
	

 
	

  SCSI-Ultra320; PCI-Express-x4; Int:68, Ext:68VHD

 

LSI PCI Express host bus adapters provide high-availability, scalability, and are compatible with the newest workstations and servers. The LSI20320IE adapter features internal and external Ultra320 SCSI channels that allow data transfer rates of 320MB/s. Supporting up to 15 devices for a flexible, fault-tolerant solution, this adapter is ideal for entry-level to enterprise servers and high-performance workstations with PCI Express slots.

The LSI20320IE delivers the speed and bandwidth required by today’s data intensive storage applications, such as data mining, internet, email, graphics, audio editing, database servers, scientific simulation and video streaming. It is ideal for connecting to tape drives and libraries for back-up, disk drives, JBODs, RAID arrays and other SCSI peripherals.

Features

    * Ultra320 SCSI
    * PCI Express x4 lanes
    * Low-profile MD-2 small form-factor design
    * Fusion-MPTTM architecture
    * Allows up to 15 internal or external physical devices
    * SureLINKTM domain validation optimizes device connections
    * Supports all major Operating Systems


Benefits

    * 320MB/s data transfer rates
    * High-bandwidth serial PCI Express host interface (2.0 GB/s full-duplex)
    * Ideal for 1U/2U rack servers
    * Thinner divers improve performance (up to 100,000 I/Os per sec)
    * Outstanding flexibility for Ultra320 & legacy device connectivity
    * Exceptional data reliability and signal quality

Will that work? :confused:

EDIT it's not got RAID has it!
 
Last edited:
Four 146GB 15,000 rpm HP drives in my possesion, fully tested....

Now just trying to find a cheap Dell Perc... not an easy task! Should be ordering all the little bits shortly, ie cable and 68/80 pin adaptors.

I might bodge one of the server HDD rack things, put a fan or two in it and run the SCSI drives in a hot swap style next to my PC with a cable linking it to the card to save on space and ribbon cables. Hmm, project mehtinks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom