This is 99% a hardware question.
I am currently running Win 7 Pro 64 bit on an Asus Z97 Pro mobo with an i7-4790K CPU, and 32 GB RAM. My C: system drive is a Samsung 840 Pro 256 GB SSD. Plus an optical drive , two 3TB data drives , and two external 4TB backup storage drives.
I am very interested in what I have read concerning Win 8.1 "Storage Spaces" feature. It appears to be similar to RAID. I understand that there is no upper limit to the number of physical HDDs to be utilized within the Storage Spaces feature.
If I were to install Win 8.1 OS to gain the Storage Spaces feature; I have, in my main (1st tower) PC, four (other) 3TB SATA HDDs which I can re-purpose to use under the Storage Spaces feature.
I have no rack-mount capability. I am limited to my work space and tower PC cases. I strive to incorporate several low noise fans, etc per tower case. I have a closed loop CPU cooler on my i7-4790K.
I have on hand:
1. a spare Lian-Li tower designed to accommodate 12 to 16 3.5 in HDDs
2. a spare 750 watt PSU
3. six spare 3TB SATA HDDs (in addition to the four in my main tower case)
The big Q is How do I provide hardware-wise for installation of additional HDDs to periodically expand the volume of the Storage Spaces .
I briefly considered the eSATA Port Multiplier approach , but I learned this is impractical.
So, if I place the second tower case, with the six SATA HDDs, immediately adjacent to my main first tower case with its mobo, OS, and four re-purposed HDDs; what hardware do I need to connect everything ?
Of course I could easily relocate the four re-purposed HDDs from the first tower case into the second tower case along with the six additional HDDs.
How do I acquire SATA ports for the six to sixteen HDDs in the second tower case? What cabling is needed between the two tower cases? What hardware is needed in the first tower case for connectivity to the second tower case? All of this configuration intended to be utilized in the Storage Spaces feature.
Have Fun!
I am currently running Win 7 Pro 64 bit on an Asus Z97 Pro mobo with an i7-4790K CPU, and 32 GB RAM. My C: system drive is a Samsung 840 Pro 256 GB SSD. Plus an optical drive , two 3TB data drives , and two external 4TB backup storage drives.
I am very interested in what I have read concerning Win 8.1 "Storage Spaces" feature. It appears to be similar to RAID. I understand that there is no upper limit to the number of physical HDDs to be utilized within the Storage Spaces feature.
If I were to install Win 8.1 OS to gain the Storage Spaces feature; I have, in my main (1st tower) PC, four (other) 3TB SATA HDDs which I can re-purpose to use under the Storage Spaces feature.
I have no rack-mount capability. I am limited to my work space and tower PC cases. I strive to incorporate several low noise fans, etc per tower case. I have a closed loop CPU cooler on my i7-4790K.
I have on hand:
1. a spare Lian-Li tower designed to accommodate 12 to 16 3.5 in HDDs
2. a spare 750 watt PSU
3. six spare 3TB SATA HDDs (in addition to the four in my main tower case)
The big Q is How do I provide hardware-wise for installation of additional HDDs to periodically expand the volume of the Storage Spaces .
I briefly considered the eSATA Port Multiplier approach , but I learned this is impractical.
So, if I place the second tower case, with the six SATA HDDs, immediately adjacent to my main first tower case with its mobo, OS, and four re-purposed HDDs; what hardware do I need to connect everything ?
Of course I could easily relocate the four re-purposed HDDs from the first tower case into the second tower case along with the six additional HDDs.
How do I acquire SATA ports for the six to sixteen HDDs in the second tower case? What cabling is needed between the two tower cases? What hardware is needed in the first tower case for connectivity to the second tower case? All of this configuration intended to be utilized in the Storage Spaces feature.
Have Fun!