[Pc_Support] External SATA bracket ($9), external SATA enclosure/power ($35)

[Bryan J. Smith]

For a lot of you considering USB 2.0 or FireWire enclosures, which
are fine for occassional use, you've probably heard me state they are
not ideal for connecting to production servers -- especially if you
leave the devices on the systems for a period.

As such, I wanted to point out that External SATA brackets are only
$9, and external SATA enclosures/power are only $35 (aluminum for
$45).  You'll get much better performance and better reliability by
going with an external SATA than a USB/FireWire converter/enclosure.

The only other issue is hot-plugging, which can be solved by taking
the device off-line (e.g., rmmod the SATA's driver in Linux, or
setting up the device under hot-plug in Linux 2.6).

In any case, if you're plugging the drives around a lot, then maybe
USB or FireWire is better.  But if you're leaving the drives on the
system for awhile, or over the weekend, you might want to consider
these devices.

http://www.addonics.com/products/external_hdd/aeehdsa35.asp

Another option is some of the new solutions that are universal --
external SATA, USB, FireWire, even CardBus/CompactFlash -- although
they are more costly.

http://www.addonics.com/products/Saturn/aesed.asp


-- 
Bryan J. Smith     Professional, Technical Annoyance
b.j.smith at ieee.org      http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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*** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does ***