Bought SAS drives by accident, and need advice how to use them.

[mornelourens17]

Hi All!

So, as my title states, I was blind enough to buy the cheapest drives I could find back in November and ended up with buying two 14TB EXOS SAS drives from Loot without noticing that their interface is SAS, and not SATA. It was only until two months later when I tried to install them in my little NAS, that I realized this mistake. One of the drives also has a tiny dent on the body, which I also only realized when I removed them from the packaging this past Friday.

So due to the fact that I took two months to open them for the first time, and to report the dent, Loot is not willing to help me swop them for some SATAIII drivers (or Credit). I understand this, business is business, and the reason for the thread is not to point fingers at Loot, just merely to explain my situation.

What I'm looking to get out of this thread, is guidance so that I would be able to use these drives, even if its within my own Rig, just as storage. I'm trying to find a solution that wont cost me an arm and a kidney just to get them to a point where I can utilize the storage.

Thanks in advance!

 

[eyetac]

Best and most affordable solution would be this:

SAS3041E Array Card,LSI SAS3041E-HP 4-Port SAS Card for HP Version 433906-001 405272-004 4-Port SAS RAID

Specifications: Model: LSI SAS3041E-HP 4-port SAS card Version: for HP version Code: 433906-001 405272-004 Interface: 4-port SAS RAID Core Processing Chip : LSISAS1064E Number of independent channels: 4 channels Data transfer speed: up to 1000MB/s Operating system: Support all major operating...

pclinkshop.com

If you don't have any slots available, I know some boards have SAS ports built in, might be an option to sell your board and get another as a backup plan.

 

[eyetac]

or.. SAS to Sata Adaptors
Some smart okes out there

SFF-8482 SAS Hard Disk to SATA 22 pin Hard Disk Drive Connector HDD Adapter Converter for Motherboar | bidorbuy.co.za

Buy SFF-8482 SAS Hard Disk to SATA 22 pin Hard Disk Drive Connector HDD Adapter Converter for Motherboar for R160.00

www.bidorbuy.co.za

 

[Nick555]

your best bet would to probably get a raid card that supports sas drives pop it in a pc and use them like that, just be aware that not all raid cards come with the cables they sometimes sold separately

 

[Nick555]

or.. SAS to Sata Adaptors
Some smart okes out there

SFF-8482 SAS Hard Disk to SATA 22 pin Hard Disk Drive Connector HDD Adapter Converter for Motherboar | bidorbuy.co.za

Buy SFF-8482 SAS Hard Disk to SATA 22 pin Hard Disk Drive Connector HDD Adapter Converter for Motherboar for R160.00

www.bidorbuy.co.za

these are very cool but the motherboard has to support sas drives in the bios or there is a chance it wont work

 

[eyetac]

these are very cool but the motherboard has to support sas drives in the bios or there is a chance it wont work

This is true.
You can't plug SAS into Sata, but you can plug Sata into a sas controller.

 

[Oops!!!]

This is true.
You can't plug SAS into Sata, but you can plug Sata into a sas controller.

and its for a NAS, so the drives wont fit into their caddys with those on...

 

[eyetac]

He said he doesn't mind putting them in his rig, bud.
Just wants to be able to use the drive space.

and its for a NAS, so the drives wont fit into their caddys with those on...

 

[mornelourens17]

Sjoe, you people are quite quick on the keyboards, I like that!

He said he doesn't mind putting them in his rig, bud.
Just wants to be able to use the drive space.

This is correct, I have made peace that I will be buying other drives in the coming future for the NAS, once I recover from this stupid mistake, But for now, I simply don't want the storage space to go to waste.

Best and most affordable solution would be this:

SAS3041E Array Card,LSI SAS3041E-HP 4-Port SAS Card for HP Version 433906-001 405272-004 4-Port SAS RAID

Specifications: Model: LSI SAS3041E-HP 4-port SAS card Version: for HP version Code: 433906-001 405272-004 Interface: 4-port SAS RAID Core Processing Chip : LSISAS1064E Number of independent channels: 4 channels Data transfer speed: up to 1000MB/s Operating system: Support all major operating...

pclinkshop.com

If you don't have any slots available, I know some boards have SAS ports built in, might be an option to sell your board and get another as a backup plan.

Would something like this controller work as a plug and play solution. Storage in general is not really my forte, (which is obvious as we can see the kind of mistakes I make). I did see this controller when searching online for solutions, but saw that it mentions " for HP version Code: 433906-001 405272-004". Not sure what that means but seems proprietary or locked to specific hardware/software. A further search to find the same controller on Amazon, and I come across this: " Supports for SAS/SATA hard drives with capacity less than 3T. "

So I assume I am out of luck with this specific unit.

 

[PsyWulf]

Sometimes a cheapie controller and cables float about in the R800 range on the forum,thats about your best bet
Or trade with someone who can handle SAS drives

Sent from my F1 using Tapatalk

 

[mornelourens17]

Sometimes a cheapie controller and cables float about in the R800 range on the forum,thats about your best bet
Or trade with someone who can handle SAS drives

Sent from my F1 using Tapatalk

Thank you for the info.

Looking at current, readily available controllers, it does not seem like I would pick one up somewhere for fairly cheap, (and in a reasonable timeframe) with the ability to handle 14TB Capacity so I think I will go for the alternative idea of trying to trade someone for SATAIII drives, most likely of smaller capacity.

 

[Nick555]

so i would check if your motherboard supports sas first and maybe order one of these adapters @eyetac linked to, to test in your desktop and see if it works before you trade down ,just my 10 cents

 

[solz]

i would buy cheapest converted and test, if works great or not pif or sell on.
you can also look at enclosures that support sas drives

2.5" 3.5" 2 Bay SAS SATA NAS DiskStation Case USB2.0 USB3.0 Hard Drive Enclosure Network Home Storage Server Chassis with Lock

Only US$117.99, buy best 2.5

www.banggood.com

 

[orioncinema]

i would buy cheapest converted and test, if works great or not pif or sell on.
you can also look at enclosures that support sas drives

2.5" 3.5" 2 Bay SAS SATA NAS DiskStation Case USB2.0 USB3.0 Hard Drive Enclosure Network Home Storage Server Chassis with Lock

Only US$117.99, buy best 2.5

www.banggood.com

If you examine the images of the interface on that link, there is only a Sata adapter, no SAS adapter.

@mornelourens17 i am in the same boat as you are, i bought a 16TB Seagate SAS drive that i cant use. I do not mind if someone can let me plug in, load all 16TB, then i put this drive away in cold storage as Ijust need to salvage the space. Also willing to swap someone for a Sata 14tb in exchange for a SAS 16tb - sounds like a deal, right? Let me know if you do come right and I will try whatever option you try

 

[solz]

If you examine the images of the interface on that link, there is only a Sata adapter, no SAS adapter.

@mornelourens17 i am in the same boat as you are, i bought a 16TB Seagate SAS drive that i cant use. I do not mind if someone can let me plug in, load all 16TB, then i put this drive away in cold storage as Ijust need to salvage the space. Also willing to swap someone for a Sata 14tb in exchange for a SAS 16tb - sounds like a deal, right? Let me know if you do come right and I will try whatever option you try

Don't think you'll see much in those pics, the connector is inside mostliky fixed at the back where the drive bays slide in. Same as one I had and sold a while back. SAS takes both sata and SAS, where sata con only takes sata.

If you want to just load your stuff on the SAS drive might be able to help you, but do note that a copy to fill 16tb will take some time it ain't going to run like ssd...

 

[orioncinema]

@solz that would be really helpful, I am based in Johannesburg and if by the end of this month no one is interested in purchasing my 16TB SAS, I hope the offer still remains then

 

[solz]

Just hit me up and if I'm free we can definitly still get it done