G-Speed eS (with RAID Controller card) via e-sata card to thunderbolt enclosure?

[Chris Murphy]

I’m not really understanding this. You are presently using two G-Speed eS, and the RAID card is the G-Technology HighPoint Rocket SATA 3Gbps 4-Port PCI Express x4 eSATA RAID Controller? You want to put that card into a Thunderbolt->PCIe enclosure so you can continue to run the existing RAID5 array? I think you need to ask G-Technology what they think of this. I’d like to think it’ll work.

But then you’re asking about other RAID cards than the one you apparently have already and I don’t understand that part. Realize that every RAID implementation is different, the metadata written to disk and the layout can even be different. They’re not inherently mutually compatible. There is an SNIA defined format called DDF (Disk Data Format) that some manufacturers may be using, namely LSI. I don’t know if either card you have or want to use are supporting DDF. And even if they do both support DDF, there are a lot of ways they can differ so I’d just be really cautious – make sure the backup is recent before you begin.

[Colin Mcquillan]

Hello Chris –

To clarify – I currently have two G-Speed es units stripped together into a single RAID 5 configuration using the 4 port esata RAID controller card that shipped with it.

I will be upgrading my Mac Pro to the new turbine once it ships – and hoping I can still use this drive stack and not have to scrap it to buy a new one! If I have to re-stripe it, so be it – all of my data is backed up.

If it does work with the external enclosure – this would also open up the possibility of mounting it to my Macbook Pro as well – Bonus!

I am hoping someone one out there has successfully mounted the card and the gspeed es units with an external PCI to Thunderbolt box.

If the card is not compatible with the external enclosures – then I am open to explore other options such as the alternatives I listed in the hopes I can use the gspeed es stacks.

Colin McQuillan
Vancouver, B.C.

[Chris Murphy]

I can’t speak to the compatibility of these combinations. But I’d make sure you test it, including pulling a drive and making sure it actually rebuilds. And don’t forget to do periodic scrubs.

[Gene Gilbert]

Hi Colin,

Thanks for your post. Your G-SPEED eS can be used with a Thunderbolt adapter as long as the HBA card is Thunderbolt-aware. As it turns out, the RAID card that shipped with your G-SPEED eS is the RocketRaid 2314, which is NOT Thunderbolt-aware. You could use a card such as the 644L, which is TB-aware, and as it is a Highpoint product, the RAIDset should be compatible. This way you could leave the 2314 card in your current MacPro, install the 644L in a Thunderbolt expansion chassis to use with your RAID5 array, and you would be able to move the RAID between the two systems. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Gene Gilbert
g-technology.com