brought a sas hard drive in error - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2021, 05:54:13 am
content: hi all,like an idiot i brought a sas 2tb hdd in error,is there a way i can use it on mt mb that is sata?

author: Lindley
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2021, 09:58:45 am
content: If you have bought the drive in the last few days, presumably online, then you should have no problem in returning the drive, as its your entitlement, particularly as there is no way you could have used it.When returning the goods ensure its by a signed for insured service.WHICH - The Distance Selling Regulations state that your right to cancel an order starts from the moment you place your order, and doesn’t end until seven working days from the day after you receive your goods.

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2021, 10:13:47 am
content: Quote from: m3vuv on January 28, 2021, 05:54:13 amIf you put the exact part number here, we can check.Some of them, include SATA capabilities.Or check it out yourself.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 28, 2021, 10:27:32 am
content: Quote from: m3vuv on January 28, 2021, 05:54:13 amNo. SAS drives are not backwards compatible with SATA. SATA drives however are backwards compatible with SAS controllers and backplanes.

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2021, 10:29:48 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on January 28, 2021, 10:27:32 amNo, they can include BOTH.But, you need to very carefully check the disk drive part numbers. Because most DON'T support SATA.Example:Quotehttps://www.seagate.com/www-content/product-content/constellation-fam/constellation-es/constellation-es-3/en-us/docs/constellation-es-3-data-sheet-ds1769-1-1210us.pdfEven among that range, many don't have dual interfaces, only a select few.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2021, 03:29:32 pm
content: Quote from: MK14 on January 28, 2021, 10:29:48 amCan you point out which do, seeing as the datasheet doesn't?Hopefully you're not confusing dual SAS for multipath with having two different interfaces..

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2021, 06:26:31 pm
content: Sorry, I was mixed up, thanks for pointing it out. Previous posts striked out, as apparently wrong.What confused me, is the sales blurb, seemed to say "It has SAS and SATA interfaces", but they meant that you could get particular drives in that range with either SAS, or SATA interfaces, NOT both.Also, later in the data sheet, it says Interface: DUALBut on further research (I already knew this, but forgot, so I should have realized), dual actually means there are two SAS interfaces.But that is so that the HDDs, can be extra reliable, even if a disk controller (card) fails, as it can be connected to two.tl;drSAS drives, don't seem to work with/as SATA drives, I was mixed up.

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2021, 06:38:02 pm
content: Quote from: Monkeh on January 28, 2021, 03:29:32 pmThat is EXACTLY what I did (where I went wrong), sorry!

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 28, 2021, 06:51:26 pm
content: A mistake you only make once ;-)You can also get SATA to SAS interposer boards for some servers (I have a bunch from a Dell disk shelf) where it makes a SATA disk appear as a SAS drive, for buffering and dual-path access in larger backplanes, or if you're mixing SAS and SATA drives, but it only works one way.SAS is based on SCSI and does a whole bunch more stuff that the ATA standard (that SATA is based on) doesn't. Two different beasts with a very similar connector.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 09:08:53 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on January 28, 2021, 06:51:26 pmActive interposers such as the ones from Dell were only necessary on some older Dell servers and storage arrays from the early days of SATA and SAS (10-15 years ago) because back then a VD (Virtual Drive) could not consist of different types of drives (i.e. it had to be either all SATA or all SAS disks), so when manufacturers went with cheaper SATA drives (because they were still sufficient to completely max out the storage subsystem) the active interposer was necessary to make the drive appear as a SAS drive to the host controller (i.e. the physical interface could operate in SAS mode).Other than that, the active interposers had no purpose (even worse, they added another point of failure, and failures weren't exactly uncommon), and even for the few systems that were affected back then (i.e. the now ancient PowerEdge 2900 and 6900 servers, or the equally old MD1000 storage array) the ability to mix and match SAS and SATA drives without interposer was later added via firmware/software updates so the active interposers were no longer necessary.The only interposers that still exist are passive SAS-to-SATA interposers, and these are simple mechanical adapters that allow connecting SATA data cables and SATA power connectors to a SAS drive, which is necessary in many desktop workstations that use SAS controllers as the end connector is usually a SATA socket.QuoteNot really. Both are storage interfaces, and while SATA controllers don't work with SAS drives all SAS controllers as well as all SAS backplanes are compatible with SATA drives as per SAS standard.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 09:46:04 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on January 28, 2021, 06:04:16 amNot really. The price difference between the SATA and the SAS version of most enterprise-grade drives is somewhere between $10-$40, and has been for many years.QuoteSorry but that's nonsense.SAS isn't dead, as aren't hard drives which still have a much better price/TB ratio than flash (for example, a 18TB Ultrastar DC HC620 SAS is less than $600 while a slightly smaller 15.36TB Ultrastar DC SS840 SAS SSD costs in the region of $4,500), exist in larger capacities and on top of that are able to retain data for decades when unpowered while flash drives can only do so for somewhere between 6 months and 3 years.NVMe is great is speed and latency is important, but for everything else SAS is much better. Which is probably the reason why SAS isn't just found on hard drives but on SSDs as well, and why even new disks and SSDs come out with that interface. SAS is als still the standard interface for servers and most large capacity storage systems.As to SAS cards, the general recommendation is to go with LSI (or one of their OEM cards) or Adaptec controllers, which are not only reliable and widely supported but the older ones (3Gbps and 6Gbps SAS) can also be found for little money nowadays.The Roket 272x you mentioned seems to be based on a shitty Marvel MV9400 Series controller which was already a poor choice when it came to market somewhere around 2010. It's one of worst SAS controllers you can find. In general, I'd not recommend buying anything High-Point, considering that it's not really enterprise-grade hardware (lots of cheap-ass components just like that Marvel chip) and that their products aren't exactly known for their reliability.