Hi just wondering does anyone use a type of USB enclosure for multiple drives?

 

My current setup only allows for 4 drives internally and I wanted to add another 4. The new 8TB drives I just purchased have their own enclosures, but i wanted ideally to have them in 1 central enclosure.

 

Don't have the dosh right now to build a new rig

 

Any thoughts?

Best would be an enclosure that provides an eSATA connection to each disk.

 

Next best would be an enclosure that has a port multiplier so you get multiple disks on an eSATA connection, but that can have a significant impact on performance.

 

Worst would be an enclosure that only provides USB connection. While Unraid does theoretically support USB array disks, many implementations of this idea can be very problematic, affecting performance, reliability, and troubleshooting.

12 minutes ago, reddevil said:

Don't have the dosh right now to build a new rig

In the long run a new rig would probably be cheaper

the issue is i know your right.....

 

i need to design the cheapest rig to fit 6 drives now but up to 8.... issue is everything needs to be changed i.e. case / mobo / processor / ram

 

sigh, looks like i have to start at the beginning...

48 minutes ago, trurl said:

Best would be an enclosure that provides an eSATA connection to each disk.

Best would be a SAS enclosure, unfortunately they are generally expensive, though some good deals can be found on used hardware, I bough a few 5 disk SAS enclosures for $50 each some time ago, individual eSata next best, IMO eSata with port multiplier and USB should really be avoided.