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libata support for Adaptec 1205SA?

DISCUSSION Kevin P. Fleming 3 participants 3 messages Oct 3, 2003

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I need to add some SATA ports to a system, not RAID, just plain SATA ports. I've found the SIIG SC-SAT212 which is based on the Sil3112A chip, but may not fit in my low-profile case. There is also the Adaptec 1205SA which already is a low-profile card, but I can't seem to find any information on the 'net as to which chip it uses.

Does anyone here know, and more importantly, is libata ready to support it? I want to build a 6-drive SATA RAID using software RAID 5 (can't just the expense of a 3ware card for this application), so I need to add four ports to the two already present on an ICH5 on the motherboard.

#1 lore raw
Quoted 3 lines · Kevin P. Fleming

I need to add some SATA ports to a system, not RAID, just plain SATA ports. I've found the SIIG SC-SAT212 which is based on the Sil3112A chip, but may not fit in my low-profile case.

I just happen to have an SC-SAT212 sitting in front of me, as a
replacement for my Adaptec 1210SA which doesn't work in Linux. :(

The card is 64mm from the top edge to the bottom of the PCI pins,
and 56mm from the top edge to the edge of the "cutout" on the card (i.e. the top edge of the PCI slot). Bear in mind though that the SATA data cable is going to stick up at least 15mm beyond the top of the card.

Quoted 3 lines

There is also the Adaptec 1205SA which already is a low-profile card, but I can't seem to find any information on the 'net as to which chip it uses.

I don't know for certain, *but* the AAR-1210SA definitely uses the
SiI3112 chip (slightly mangled), and I'd be surprised if Adaptec used a different chip for the 1205SA. There's a picture of the 1210SA card on Adaptec's site which is just about good enough to see the shape of the word "SiI" on the chip surface -- there may be an equivalent picture for the 1205SA.

Bear in mind, though, that the 1210SA doesn't seem to play exactly
like other SiI3112 cards, and keeps dropping interrupts. This makes it effectively useless for anything practical. You may want to take this into account when thinking of Adaptec SATA kit.

Quoted 5 lines

Does anyone here know, and more importantly, is libata ready to support it? I want to build a 6-drive SATA RAID using software RAID 5 (can't just the expense of a 3ware card for this application), so I need to add four ports to the two already present on an ICH5 on the motherboard.

AFAIK, libata doesn't support SiI3112 yet. Jeff has promised it at
some point -- possibly as the next SATA chip to support.

Hugo.

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#2 lore raw
Quoted 3 lines · Hugo Mills

I don't know for certain, *but* the AAR-1210SA definitely uses the
SiI3112 chip (slightly mangled), and I'd be surprised if Adaptec used a different chip for the 1205SA. There's a picture of the 1210SA card

that's my suspicion too.

Quoted 5 lines
Quoted 1 line

Does anyone here know, and more importantly, is libata ready to support it? I want to build a 6-drive SATA RAID using software RAID 5 (can't just the expense of a 3ware card for this application), so I need to add four ports to the two already present on an ICH5 on the motherboard.

AFAIK, libata doesn't support SiI3112 yet. Jeff has promised it at
some point -- possibly as the next SATA chip to support.

The driver is posted in the latest snapshot, but it's only for developer use right now... need to acknowledge a few more interrupt events :)

Jeff