I only require 24 ports, but I would prefer I have enough for dual-linking the controller to the expander, which brings me to 8x MiniSAS. I really only need to net 16 ports over the 8 I already have on board, in which case, the LSI SAS 9201-16i seems to be ideal. I just don't have any experience with it, nor can I find any real reviews.
If I skip the expander, and go with a bigger controller, then I also gain more bandwidth per disk.
Amazon is my go-to shop, but the problem is, I don't know what firmware revision I'll be getting from them, and I don't have access to the right card to update the firmware myself.
If I skip the expander, and go with a bigger controller, then I also gain more bandwidth per disk.
Amazon is my go-to shop, but the problem is, I don't know what firmware revision I'll be getting from them, and I don't have access to the right card to update the firmware myself.