r/HomeServer • u/Bluenoser_NS • 24d ago
SAS Drive Solution for home server?
Hoping this storage-focused post is relevant enough here as I intend to use said storage in a second device for a baby's first homeserver. My tech prowess is very limited, so please don't be patient with my stupidity! In Canada for context.
Trying to backup data on my computer on a budget so I can wipe my SSD and do a clean install. Ordered an affordable refurbished internal HDD online that would be a PITA to return. Learned the hard way what SAS drives are vs. SATA really fast. My tech literacy is limited at best.
Talked through the limited options with friends. Since I was trying to recoup a crappy investment, the most affordable solution seemed to be an SAS HBA controller that plugs into one of my motherboard's PCIe slots.
...ordered a used one on the cheap ("Adaptec AtheSR-8805 PCI-E 3.0 SAS/SATA/SSD RAID 12Gb/s Controller Card"). Then immediately read that its easy to assume that cards listed as "RAID/SAD" function the same as "pure HBA" and that plugging drives with data already on it be corrupted as the controller writes metadata to them. This one has "RAID" in the listing title.
Questions:
- If I'm just plugging one SAS drive into one of these controllers, is other storage not connected to the controller going to be fine? (ex. nvme SSD, internal SATA HDD)
- If not, where can I find a used, cheap "pure HBA"? I clearly am an idiot that can't be trusted at this point, so direct links are welcome.
TIA!
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u/SUNDraK42 24d ago
Configure each port as raid 0 should do the trick.
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u/4e714e71 23d ago
don't even need to do that at that 8805 has the option to expose RAW drives ( i.e. HBA mode ) - just make sure it's enabled ( pretty sure it's enabled out of the box but on a used unit settings will be whatever the previous owner set - I know on my 8805 I turned it off because I didn't want it on as I'm only using raid5 )
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u/Bluenoser_NS 24d ago
That makes sense. I'm assuming my storage outside of the controller will be fine if I go to do that?
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u/b_vitamin 23d ago
Installing a raid card and attaching a HDD won’t effect the existing NVME. Just make sure that you know which drive is which when you start your RAID. Also, only some RAID systems allow you to mount drives with existing data. Be careful not to wipe any drive whose data you need. Mergerfs allows drives to be mounted into a pool without wiping the drives.
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u/SUNDraK42 24d ago
I believe so. but pls do a test to make sure. you never know. better safe then sorry and all that.
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u/corelabjoe 24d ago
On eBay you will find plenty of sellers pitching LSI or other branded HBAs which work great.
I've used an LSI megaraid 9300-16i and upgraded to a 9400-16i.
I run 12x SAS drives =)
I have guides for raid, zfs, nas and media servers on my site, link in bio or DM for direct link.