8087 connector

[A.Hummel]

Hi 

 

I have accumulated a metric ass ton off hardware the last couple of years, and decided to make a server out of some of the parts I had sitting around collecting dust. I have build it in a InterTech 4U 4408 case which has 2x4 3'5 hotswap bays in the front, connected to a backplane running on molex power and a 8087 sas connector per 4 bays. 

 

My question what is the easiest way top connect the backplane to the motherboard? I had a couple of cables that has a sas connector in one end and splits in to what I believe is 4 SATA connectors (or a least visually identical to SATA connectors) can this be connected to the motherboards SATA ports, or do I need it to run through a RAID /HBA card to get it to work? 

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I don't feel like running out and buying things I don't need.     

[fabafaba]

If you have enough SATA ports on your motherboard, the simplest way to connect the drives is using a MiniSAS(SSF8087) to 4xSATA cable. You'll have to check the backplanes manual, but usually you can connect backplanes to SATA ports with a reverse breakout (OCR) cable.

[Windows7ge]

In theory that would work but I have not tested it. The only instance where I heard someone trying it they said it didn't work but I have no idea what their setup was or their circumstances. Those breakout cables should be SATA and in theory will connect to the backplane via the SFF-8087 just fine but let's get a second opinion or few @leadeater

[brwainer]

One thing to be aware of with 8087 to sata breakout cables (and similar cables) is that they are directional. A cable built to connect 8087 on a RAID/HBA card to 4x Sata drives is not the same as a cable built to connect Sata ports on a motherboard to an 8087 based backplane.

[A.Hummel]

Just tried to hookup the 36pin mini SAS cable to the backplane and the SATA ends of the cable to the motherboard and the disks are not showing up in the UEFI, so I guess the easy way is out of the picture, unless I am using the wrong kind of cable? 

 

The thing I dont really understand is that as far as I can see the controller cards people online suggests has two or more SAS connectors on them, so does that mean you will have to run a cable from the backplane to the controller card and from the card to the motherboards sata ports or are the disks picked up through the PCIe when using a sas controller? 

[brwainer]

22 minutes ago, A.Hummel said:

Just tried to hookup the 36pin mini SAS cable to the backplane and the SATA ends of the cable to the motherboard and the disks are not showing up in the UEFI, so I guess the easy way is out of the picture, unless I am using the wrong kind of cable?

You probably have a normal cable which is meant to go from an 8087 port on the HBA/RAID card to individual drives. You need a “reverse” cable which is less common. I have used this one for exactly what you are trying to do: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-50cm-SFF-8087-SATA-SAS8087S4R50/dp/B008KF73CA

 

25 minutes ago, A.Hummel said:

The thing I dont really understand is that as far as I can see the controller cards people online suggests has two or more SAS connectors on them, so does that mean you will have to run a cable from the backplane to the controller card and from the card to the motherboards sata ports or are the disks picked up through the PCIe when using a sas controller?

In this case you would use an 8087 to 8087 cable directly between the card and the backplane, and the drives’ data is transferred through the PCIe slot.

[A.Hummel]

Thanks man, I will give the reverse cable a shot

[A.Hummel]

14 minutes ago, brwainer said:

You probably have a normal cable which is meant to go from an 8087 port on the HBA/RAID card to individual drives. You need a “reverse” cable which is less common. I have used this one for exactly what you are trying to do: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-50cm-SFF-8087-SATA-SAS8087S4R50/dp/B008KF73CA

 

In this case you would use an 8087 to 8087 cable directly between the card and the backplane, and the drives’ data is transferred through the PCIe slot.

Actually I have a follow up question, as buying from Amazon is a bitch in my region I am looking at local retailers, and the brand the cables as OCR and OCF, which one would be the one corresponding to the one you linked?  

[brwainer]

39 minutes ago, A.Hummel said:

Actually I have a follow up question, as buying from Amazon is a bitch in my region I am looking at local retailers, and the brand the cables as OCR and OCF, which one would be the one corresponding to the one you linked?  

I would assume OCR means reverse and OCF means forward, but I have not seen those labels before. This brand seems to confirm that OCR means reverse: https://www.inline-info.com/en/products/cable/sas/5539/inline-sas-cable-mini-sas-sff8087-to-4x-sata-direct-ocr-0.5m

[RobbinM]

It might be obvious but remember that when using such a reverse cable to connect to a SATA raid controller, you can't use SAS disks in the backplane.

[A.Hummel]

I just Received the OCR cable today and plugged it all in, but I am still having the problem that the Bios is detecting the two Intel SSD but the 4 brand new seagate drives are not being recognized. 

 

The drives are spinning, but there is no activity LED, and in unraid the log is displaying SATA LINK DOWN? are there something very obvious I am missing? Cause I am kinda at a loss here. 

 

SATA config is set to AHCI in BIOS, Drives are spining and I have a 8087 connector in the backplane and 4 SATA connectors in the motherboard (OCR Cable)  

[A.Hummel]

Ran the disks bypassing the backplane, and they show up in BIOS, Theoretically the Backplane could by DOA? 

 

Or is it simply not possible to connect the disks to the motherboard using a OCR cable? It is an older gen consumer board so don't know if some feature is missing from it making it impossible?