Connect HDD to Internal USB 3.0 as Cache or Docker Drive

[JMO]

Hi,

 

I am investigating the possibility of using my internal USB 3.0 header to add a couple of internal USB 3.0 HDD's. Basically plugging something like this in:

 

http://www.startech.com/Cables/USB-3.0/2-Port-Internal-USB-3-Motherboard-Header-Adapter-Cable~USB3SMBADAP6

 

After a bit of googling and browsing through the forums here, I have not turned up much recent information on this subject.

 

Can anybody advise if this can be done and offer any reasons for/against it?

 

My build is in my signature, I do have a free PCIe slot, so an expansion card is the obvious alternative to using USB 3.0. However, I am considering some other uses for that slot (if possible).

 

Cheers (and happy New Years!),

 

-JMO

 

EDIT: The purpose of the USB drives would be for a cache and/or docker. It would be interesting to setup up a Raid0 USB 3.0 array for cache...just because .

 

EDIT 2: " internal USB 3.0 HDD's" = essentially any 2.5" drive connected over a 'sata to USB3' cable (e.g. http://www.startech.com/HDD/Adapters/USB-3-SATA-adapter-cable-with-UASP~USB3S2SAT3CB)

[trurl]

While you can use USB drives for some things, unRAID will not actually manage (or mount) any USB devices for you, which means they cannot be used for cache or any of the array drives. You might be able to use them for docker data but not for the docker.img itself, and it is inconvenient even to use them for docker data because the docker service won't know about them when it starts.

 

See the Unassiged Devices plugin thread for an addon that helps with using USB drives. It will not help with the limitations I mentioned though.

[JMO]

I see.  That's a shame.

 

Thanks for the breakdown.

 

I have mounted devices outside of the array before,  using both  SNAP and Unassigned Devices. Be nice to get that extra little bit of functionality.

 

Thanks again.

 

[JMO]

While you can use USB drives for some things, unRAID will not actually manage (or mount) any USB devices for you, which means they cannot be used for cache or any of the array drives.

 

Are you aware of any likelihood that USB support might be added in the future, or is it more of a technical limitation?

 

USB 3.0 offers theoretical throughput of 5Gbps and 3.1 ups that to 10Gbps. Not to mention that USB 3.1 can delver up 100W of power of one cable. Now I'm not too sure about any extra overheads that might be involved when comparing USB to Sata III or Sata Express and NVMe drives (in terms of performance). However, USB seems to be less of the ugly duckling that it once was.

 

I really wanted to sit a couple of SSD's on my internal USB header, I'm still coming to terms with the shattering of my dream ;.

 

You might be able to use them for docker data but not for the docker.img itself, and it is inconvenient even to use them for docker data because the docker service won't know about them when it starts.

 

Is that a new limitation? For several months I was running my docker.img and docker data from an SSD I had mounted outside of my array with SNAP. It ran fine until the old and repurposed SSD died (damn you OCZ).

 

EDIT: Yeah, I did that with Sata drives, not USB drives....

 

[JMO]

I read that Unassigned Devices thread. Some good stuff in there. The Docker community is amazing.

 

So I have bought:

 

2 * StarTech USB3S2SAT3CB USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable w/ UASP (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812400542)

1 * Lian Li UC-01 USB 3.0 to 20-pin Adapter (http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/uc-01/)

 

I will post back how I get on.

[dlmh]

I read that Unassigned Devices thread. Some good stuff in there. The Docker community is amazing.

 

So I have bought:

 

2 * StarTech USB3S2SAT3CB USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable w/ UASP (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812400542)

1 * Lian Li UC-01 USB 3.0 to 20-pin Adapter (http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/uc-01/)

 

I will post back how I get on.

 

Have you got anything working since then? I'm interested in using a similar setup just for a cache disk, so I can have all my 6 SATA ports for array disks.

[mr-hexen]

I just upgraded my 2.5" cache drive (both laptop drives) from a 250GB to a 1TB. I mounted the 1TB drive in a USB 3.0 dock and mounted a  file system using unassigned devices. I had to format the 1TB drive from the command line though. I even precleared the drive to test it's relability using the USB 3.0 interface!

 

I think copied the cache drive contents to the new 1TB drive over USB 3.0. When complete I swapped the 250GB Sata drive for the 1TB drive and everything loaded up without issue.

 

One thing to note, I could not view smart data on the drive connected to the USB 3.0 port.

[ljm42]

Are you aware of any likelihood that USB support might be added in the future, or is it more of a technical limitation?

 

Looks like this was added to the 6.2 betas:

 

Version 6.2-beta18 2016-03-11

-----------------------------

...

- support NVMe storage devices assignable to array and cache/pool

- support USB storage devices assignable to array and cache/pool

 

edit:  aaand this was an old thread.

[JMO]

I read that Unassigned Devices thread. Some good stuff in there. The Docker community is amazing.

 

So I have bought:

 

2 * StarTech USB3S2SAT3CB USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable w/ UASP (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812400542)

1 * Lian Li UC-01 USB 3.0 to 20-pin Adapter (http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/uc-01/)

 

I will post back how I get on.

 

Have you got anything working since then? I'm interested in using a similar setup just for a cache disk, so I can have all my 6 SATA ports for array disks.

 

Using unassigned devices  I mounted a 120GB SSD to use a a Plex cahce, and that has been running fine for months. AS far as my unraid cahce, I've not had the time to bother with it, but I would like to get an ssd slotted in.