[clug] Hard Disk selector - Any commercial variants?

steve jenkin sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au
Tue Mar 11 23:42:23 GMT 2008


Robert Edwards wrote on 12/3/08 9:25 AM:
> If you want to dual-boot, you can with a single drive. Better
> alternatives these days are to use virtualisation and to run one O/S
> inside of another. Also, with lots of cheap (second-hand) hardware
> available (give-aways etc.), running two completely separate systems
> is also viable in many situations.

Exactly right.
Most, but not all, the time, swapping disks is really the last thing you
want to do...
But for those times, it *has* to be another disk, not multi-boot or
virtualisation.

> If you want to be able to connect drives for other than booting
> purposes then the availability of USB (1/2) to SATA or IDE adapters
> makes connecting a second (or third etc.) drive externally compelling
> (hot-swap works etc.).

That was my point (some seemed to miss that).
Sometimes it has to be the real deal...
BTW, there was some confusion over SATA vs e-SATA (and hence support).
The only difference is the connector - electrically & protocol-wise they
are one and the same. e-SATA allows you to put drives in other cases/places.

Completely off topic, there is now 'SCSCI over SATA' (SAS - serial
attached SCSI). Electrically compatible with SATA and drives can be
'mixed' (but not on the same 'logical volume'). Does use higher
signalling voltages, but winds back when 'mixed'.
<http://serial-attached-scsi.com/>

Anyone bought or used SAS??
This page from 2006 suggests it is supported in linux kernels, but is
still to converge...
<http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Hardware/sas.html>

> So, from an electrical engineering point of view, I can't really see
> much point in this "selector" and can see many potential pit-falls.

Exactly.
I thought it a "Rough as Guts" solution. Interesting, but way too
dangerous for me ;-)

> There is probably a reason these are not readily available commercially.

Absolutely right! Good observation.

Thanks all for the replies.

>
> Cheers,
>
> Bob Edwards.


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