SAS SFF disk with E200i controller

[Thomas_VDB]

Hi,

We have a proliant ML350 G5 with SAS LFF drive bay, controlled by an RAID E200i controller.
I have 2 SAS SFF disks (non hot swappable).
Is there any way to connect one or both of these disks with this server? E.g. I've raid that there are 2 ports on the E200i controller. Can I connect one of these drives directly to it?
If it is possible to connect them, I'd still have to find a way to fit the disks mechanically.

[marcus1234]

thomas


look it can be done
http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12475_na/12475_na.html

click the tab in the link storage it shows how


now as you are new to the forums

This is how we thank each other in the forum

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/helptips.do?#33

Enjoy:)

[Thomas_VDB]

Hi,

Thanks for your answer, but I'm still not clear about it.
The Proliant ML350 G5 server comes in 2 editions : one with a 6-slot bay for 3.5" SAS drives (LFF = large form factor), or with a 8-slot bay for 2.5" drives (SFF = small).
We have the LFF edition, and I would like to use one or both my SFF drives that I have lying around. But as your link also points out : its either SFF or LFF.
But I was hoping because the RAID controller has 2 ports, I could link a drive to the unused port...

[marcus1234]

yes you can

[Thomas_VDB]

Great! Could you tell me how? What cabling or adapter that I need?

[Thomas_VDB]

Bump.

Hi, I still do not know how to attach my spare SAS drives to the E200i controller. Can anyone help me?

[TTr]

> I'd still have to find a way to fit the disks mechanically.
Officially this is not supported so you will be on your own if you do this.

You need to convert the SFF disks to LFF using something like this. http://www.provantage.com/cru-dataport-5220-0000-02~7CRUD114.htm (search some more you may find a cheaper bracket adapter)
Now you have a 3.5 "bare" disk unit, you still need the LFF slot bracket to put the disk in the LFF slot. Check if you can use the slot fillers as LFF brackets. (or are they useless plastic fillers?)

[TTr]

Again, you are on your own if you do this, it is not a supportable disk configuration.

If you are thinking about putting the SFF drives in the removable media bays (at the top) you will have to use one of the E200 connections. There are two E200 cables and each cable is a 4-port cable that conencts to 4 drives at the drive cage. Unplug the one that points to the empty slots. Look at midde of page 65 of http://bizsupport.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00708990/c00708990.pdf one cable is for drives 1-4 the other for drives 5-8. This is for 8 SFF drives, the LFF is probably similar.

Then you would need a fan-out cable from the 4-port connector on the E200 to the 1-port connector on the drives. Each drive would need its own power connector as well.

Search online for "SFF-8484 to SFF-8482", I bought one last year for $30.

[Thomas_VDB]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply and suggestions!
Our LFF bay (6-slot) is completely occupied: 2x 72GB drive, 2x 145GB drive, 2x 300GB drive.
There are no fixed drives in the removable drive bays.

The 2 spare SFF 300GB drives that I have are 492620-B21.

I understand that there must be empty slot in the LFF to be able to use fixed drives in the removable drives bays.

What would now be the easiest way to use them in our server?
I am thinking : remove the 2x 72GB hotswap drives, and use their casing for the SFF drives with the adapter that you proposed. Will this work? Are the connections the same?

Thanks again!
Thomas.

[TTr]

Replacing the 72GB drives would be the way to go. As for the connectors, the description of this bracket claims that it is "designed specifically...backplanes". It mentions backplanes so I would assume that the connectors of the 2.5" disk/3.5" bracket would line-up with the connectors of the 3.5" slot. To verify it, you need to compare the 2.5"disk/3.5" bracket with a full size 3.5" SAS or SATA disk and see if the connectors are all the way on one side and at the bottom (or top) as shown in the bracket picture. The connector type is definitely the same, it is the position of it you need to check. To me it looks like it will fit in the slot if you use the 72GB slot bracket.