Re: boot from external usb hard drive ?


"Timothy Daniels" <TDaniels@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:HLydnXjBt5eKb4XZnZ2dnUVZ_sadnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Anna" wrote:

"Timothy Daniels" wrote:
SATA II cables can be longer, they're better shielded
against EMI, they attach more firmly, and their connectors
allow for protection of the signal pins from electrical static
discharge when plugging and unplugging. See the white
paper by Silicon Image:
http://www.sata-io.org/docs/External%20SATA%20WP%2011-09.pdf

*TimDaniels*


Tim:
To the best of my knowledge, the so-called SATA II signal/data
cables commercially available today incorporate a connector
(or connectors) that's specifically designed for a eSATA port
(note the "e" for "external"). Presumably, but not always, the cable will
have the additional
shielding called for in the specifications that you referenced.

AFAIK, the eSATA port is found on only a handful of
motherboards (the ASUS P5WD2 probably the most prominent
among them). I'm not aware of a single motherboard that
contains an *internal* eSATA connector. The general SATA signal/data
cable in use today is incompatible, of course, with
the eSATA port.
Anna


Thanks for the extra info. If I were a "modder", not having
an eSATA connector on a motherboard wouldn't stop me.
I do expect, though, that there will soon be adaptors for PC
expansion slots that interface between SATA and eSATA
cables for people who want to connect external SATA HDs.
You, as I recall, have already found such expansion adaptors
for SATA-to-SATA cables.

*TimDaniels*


Tim:
Yes, as we have previously discussed we are moving to using SATA hard drives
as external devices instead of using USB/Firewire external hard drives (at
least with respect to desktop PCs). The advantages in doing so are
considerable in that although the SATA drive is *physically* an external
device, i.e., it resides outside the computer case, the OS treats it as an
*internal* HD with all the advantages therein, to wit...
1. Performance-wise the *external* SATA HD is considerably superior to a
USB/FirewireEHD.
2. The OS can be *directly* installed (or cloned) to the external SATA HD
and it will be bootable.
3. It's "hot-pluggable" in virtually every case.
4. The *external* SATA HD can utilize the computer's power supply. There is
no need for an external PS.

What we've been using to facilitate the connections (data & power) between
the external SATA HD and the computer is simply installing the drive in a
removable tray (caddy) of a SATA mobile rack and running the SATA
signal/data cable to an available SATA connector on the motherboard and the
power cable to one of the computer's power supply connectors. So, in this
case it does mean you would have to snake the two cables from the drive to
the computer. We usually do it easily enough through the computer case I/O
backplane.

We have been using another device to facilitate matters - I believe that's
what you were referring to as an "expansion adapter". It's a simple &
inexpensive device that contains a SATA data port and a SATA power connector
and is simply fastened to an available slot on the computer's I/O backplane.
The data/power cables from the drive are connected to the device and the
device's interior data/power cables make the necessary connections within
the computer case.

And, of course, we've used the eSATA port (when available) for the
signal/data connection.
Anna


.

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