SATA card for Xserve

I had the SATA RAID card go out on an Xserve G5. The machine is out of warrenty and Apple want $499 for a new card. My question is:
Why can't I just put a much cheaper card (Adaptec, SIIG, etc.)
in the server? It is not going to be set up in any kind of RAID and only used for more experimental purposes.
Does anyone have any thoughts on my thinking?

I'm a tad late, but here's some additional information.
Essentially any G5 Tower Compatible SATA RAID card will work in the Xserve G5.
Between the drives and the logic-board, there is a 'drive interconnect board.' When you order an Xserve with the SATA RAID, Apple basically provide you with the RAID card and long SATA cables to plug into the interconnect board.
If you no longer require SATA RAID in your Xserve, you could plug the interconnect board directly into your logic-board and your Xserve would continue to function as normal.

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SATA Card for G5 Dual 1.8Ghz

I'm looking for an internal SATA card for my PowerMac G5 Dual 1.8Ghz. I've got a couple hard drives laying around that I wanted to RAID together with my Time Machine Backup drive. Instead of spending hours looking on Google, I figured I'd poll the masses.
Newegg.com has a ton but I want to make sure I get one that is compatible with my hardware.
Thanks in advance!

The only sure thing is the Firmtek Seritek cards.
They are also the only ones that support boot to the connected drives.
Native OS X support is also an important point.
Firmtek also provides excellent tech support
After that, Highpoint has compatibles, and non compatibles.
They don't support boot, and, but can perform well enough.
If you take the path less taken, and get a card that uses generic Silicon Images drivers, then OS X support, and successful use, is highly variable (to say the least).

Wanted: Apple Hardware RAID Card for Xserve G5

I have some questions regarding the original internal Apple Hardware RAID Card for an Xserve G5.
1) Does it support native hardware RAID level 5?
2) Does anyone know where I can find one of these cards? I can't even find them on eBay.
3) I heard this card is based on an LSI board. Which model? Has anyone had success using the non-Apple version of the same model board in an Xserve G5 with internal Apple Drive Modules?
4) How do you hook up this card? Do I put it in the PCI slot and move the SATA cables to it or does the presence of the card just automagically take over the drives?
Thanks for all your help!

I heard this card is based on an LSI board. Which model?
Camelot is correct that this card is based on (is) the LSI Logic MegaRAID SATA 150-4 card:
http://www.lsi.com/storagehome/products_home/internal_raid/megaraid_sata/megaraid_sata1504/index.html
However, it has custom Apple Firmware to support booting by a PPC Xserve G5 rather than a PC. Apple also provides a ported version of the LSI Logic "megaraid" program to manage the card.
There is a bug (well, at least one) in the Apple Firmware version that was fixed by LSI Logic in its PC version subsequent to Apple's branch off of the LSI Logic code tree for the firmware. Specifically, the card sometimes doesn't fully flush its write caches before it disconnects from the drive buses on graceful power down (doesn't happen on restart). Only known workaround is to turn off the write caches for all LUNs. I turned in a RADAR report (RADAR ID 4350243) under our support agreement back in November 2005, but no action since. I follow up every so often, but clearly this EOL product is not a priority.
Has anyone had success using the non-Apple version of the same model board in an Xserve G5 with internal Apple Drive Modules?
Won't work without the Apple firmware. Apple doesn't distribute the firmware. Been there, done that. Our Apple Hardware RAID card failed in an odd way shortly after installation - it still functioned as a RAID controller once booted from another drive, but you couldn't boot from it. believe that the firmware became corrupted, and that it could have been fixed by flashing the firmware using the "megaraid" program, but Apple Support didn't have a file to flash it with, so it was handled by an RMA exchange.
RAID 5 performance is degraded with the write caches off, but our load is not heavy. I guess you could script the turning off and flushing of the write caches prior to shutdown, and turn them back on again during the boot sequence, but you'd really have to be careful to handle things like restart to CD boot, etc. We value our data more than speed.
This was a very difficult bug to troubleshoot, because the RAID 5 made the mystery garbage blocks from space very hard to find repeatably. Finally came up with a repeatable test case. Fortunately, discovered while testing the Xserve prior to deployment, so no valuable data was lost.
Russ

Graphics Card for Xserv G5

Please help!
Apple can't.....
We have a G5 Xserv, that we desparately need a Graphics Card for. Apple say they can't supply it (their most useful suggestion was to buy one of the new core-duo machines as they ship with a graphics card as standard!).
Xserv G5
2GHz PowerPC G5
2GB DDR400 ECC SDRAM - 2x1GB
1000GB ADM (2x500GB Serial ATA)
I believe we need a PCI-X card?
Any ideas where I can get one or what the alternatives are? It can be a very basic card - nothing hardcore required in terms of graphics performance. If it could only draw the desktop in black and white, it would do!
Thoughts?
Xserv G5/2Ghz G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

The Radeon 7000 PCI card is based on the same GPU that Apple once shipped as the BTO Xserve video option - ATI RV100 - so it is worth a try.
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Hardware/DeveloperNotes/Servers/XserveG5/2Architecture/chapter_3_section7.html
Any basic ATI should be supported by the OS because ATI was Apple's default video provider for much of this time period.
Note that using a PCI video card will limit the speed of any PCI-X cards you also have installed, but that shouldn't effect your actual performance probably.
=Tod
G5/2.0x2, Dual XServes x2, XRAID, beige G3 501Mhz

VIDEO/SCREEN CARD FOR XSERVER G5

Does anyone please know what Video card I can install into an XServer to connect a monitor and where I might be able to buy one in the UK?
I have tried a few but none seem to work!
Thanks

Old Mac PCI video cards. All the way.
We have three XServe G5s at my office. We got none of them with the built-in video because I don't need to spend 100 bucks on a new card with all sorts of extra VRAM when I can get a used card for less than $20. All I need is basic video.
I went down to my local used mac store and bought 3 video cards for $15 a piece. These cards were formerly in Macs like the Blue and White G3 tower and the G4 towers (before they went AGP).
Just make sure you get cards that are 3.3V or universa PCIl. The 5V PCI cards from the pre-G3 days are not compatible with the XServe. AGP cards are not compatible either.
http://www.acme.com/builda_pc/pcitypes.html

Raid or internal sata card for my mac?

Hi People,
I have some problems with my internal sata ports and therefore I'm thinking about buying either a raid card (I want to run my two internal harddrives in raid0 so doing it hardware would not be a bad idea) or just a simple internal sata card. But I can't seam to find any products like that except for the raid card apple wants like 1400$ for which is way overkill for this little hack. This can be done for something like 80$ on PC, isen't it possible to get something for my powermac g5 quad that will work?
Thank you in advance.

Hi-
Replied to your other post. Check out the Firmtek line (PCI Express) at OWC (will ship worldwide):
http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Search.cfm?Criteria=SATA%20High%2DSpeed%20Contr oller%20Mac%20Cards&sort=a
For RAID, this Highpoint would set you up right:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Highpoint%20Technologies/RRAID2310/

SATA Card for G4 DA

I've got a PowerMac G4 533 DA and I'd like to put a large hard drive in it for storage. I'd like to know if you have to get a specifically labeled Mac compatible PCI SATA card or will others work (like for PCs). The Sonnet ones are just so expensive compared to essentially the same hardware for PCs. I do not need it to be bootable, this would only be for expanded storage over the tiny IDE drives already in use.
I am running Leopard on it after creating a custom Leopard disk to avoid the clock speed limitation (incase Leopard supports a wider variety of cards than Tiger).

You'd have to weigh up all the factors but you could also just get a large ATA/PATA drive and then get a software solution for the drive size limitations.
SpeedTools ATA Hi-Cap Support Driver: Allows the use of extended capacity ATA drives (drives greater than 128 Gigabytes in size) on older (Pre Mirrored Door) G4 and G3 Macintoshes running MacOS X versions 10.2 and later. http://www.speedtools2.com/ATA6.html
[Overdrive|http://mac.profusehost.net/overdrive/index.html] - free utility to use >128GB drives in old computers. Read warnings about beta releases in general.

Which E-SATA card for new Mac Pro??

I have the new Mac Pro 8-core 2.26GHz (Nehalem) and need to connect my two Western Digital drives via their E-SATA ports for video editing.
I bought a Sonnet Tempo card, having being led to believe this was one of the better cards, but sadly when I installed it, it didn't work. Careful reading of the small print on the Sonnet website informed me it wasn't actually compatible with the new MacPro.
Could someone recommend a E-SATA card (2 ports) for use with my system. I'm struggling to find one.
Cheers
Keith.

I have the new Mac Pro 8-core 2.26GHz (Nehalem) and need to connect my two Western Digital drives via their E-SATA ports for video editing.
Hi,
Unfortunately, the WD MyBook is not ideal for video editing. The enclosures use a bridge board that splits the connection between USB/FireWire/eSATA. This type of connection usually slows eSATA performance and is not compatible with all eSATA controllers. As a result, starting with the WD MyBook puts eSATA users at a disadvantage.
I agree with hatter that you would be better off with the Sonnet Tempo E4P and the FirmTek SeriTek/5PM. You could still use the WD MyBook as a backup device.
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/sonnet/mac-pro/
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/firmtek/5pm/
http://firmtek.stores.yahoo.net/sata5pm.html
FirmTek sells a 2-port card with the SeriTek/5PM, but as it is Silicon Image SiI3132 based, performance will be limited to approx. 135MB/sec. with a single cable. If a dual bay direct connect enclosure like the SeriTek/2EN2 is used the RAID 0 performance will be approximately 150MB/sec. when the volume is empty.
Moving up to the Sonnet Tempo E4P can provide 210MB/sec. write and 250MB/sec. read performance with the SeriTek/5PM and a multi-drive RAID 0 configuration.
Most users interested in video editing are looking for high performance. However, if you don't need a high performance RAID, a 2-port card like the SeriTek/2SE2-E will do the job.
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/firmtek/2se2e/
Have fun!

Sata Card for Dual 2.5 External Drives

Loking for a four port card that works with my G5 and have no idea what I need PCIX etc.
Looking to buy it here.
http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Search.cfm?Criteria=SATA%20High%2DSpeed%20Contr oller%20Mac%20Cards&sort=a&pg=2
Thanks in advance, tried to search but could not find an answer.

Hi Michele
If you have the first generation of dual 2.5GHz G5s, you have PCI-X. If you have the later model, you have PCIe (PCI Express). You can check which you have by launching System Profiler (from the Apple menu - About This Mac - More Info).
Check the "machine model".
PowerMac 7,3 - early G5 - PCI-X
PowerMac 11.2 - late G5 - PCIe
MacGurus has more information on SATA card compatibility here.
I've used two SATA cards - the Seritek 1VE4 was okay, and supports external booting, but has problems with some Seagate drives. I'm now using a Lycom 4-port card, which supports port multiplication (so you can hook up to 5 drives per port with enclosures that support the feature).
Good luck!
Matt

Asus USB3.0 + E-Sata card for 2.8 8-core?

I have a MacPro dual quad core 2.8 running 10.5.8. I'd like to add an e-sata card and more USB ports. I came across a dull-purpose ASUS u3s6 pci-e card that has 6G and USB 3.0 capability, but the Mac OSX is not listed in the compatible OS list. Has anyone used this card successfully without issues? Will it fit in my Mac? Thanks.

NewerTech has SATA III controller.
As always, MacSales is a good place to see what might be available, whether you like or buy there or not, check their listings.

Should I Get A PCI Sata Card For Internal Drives

I'm transferring Files from old G4 to a new G5 and it's taking forever. The sata drives seem to work slower. When I transfer the same way(Firewire)on my G4 it's much faster. Someone said to get a PCI sata card and hook up my internals to that instead of the factory connection. That it's faster that way. I'm going to have to burn to dvd and transfer that way, but it seems to defeat the purpose. Any suggestions are appreciated.
G5 Dual Core 2.0 with 2.5 GB and 2 250 Drives

Come to think of it, the last time I needed to transfer some media from my G4 to G5, the quickest and easiest way (mind you they are in separate rooms), was to pop out the G4 drive and use one of these cheap IDE USB adapters. Since the G5 is USB2, the process was pretty quick.
My guess about the G5 in target mode is there must be some kind of overhead, but the SATA is FAR and away faster than the FW connection between them, so a SATA card won't help.
Shane Ross and I are currently using "popsicle stick" internal RAIDs in our G5s. See this thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/click.jspa?searchID=-1&messageID=2162848
Patrick

PCI IDE or SATA Card for HD

I've got a 450Mhz B&W G3 and I'm looking to replace the hard drive because the 30 gig in it is really loud. I've done some searching through here and online, seems people are still recommending the ACARD AEC-6280M card. Finding a google result that isn't a few years old is difficult.
Is this still the only card anyone recommends? I won't be touching OS 8 or 9, and won't ever have anything older than 10.3 on the computer. I think $55 is too much to spend, and I wouldn't even recycle it in another computer in the future.
So my question is, are their any cheaper IDE cards that work? How about SATA, perhaps those are more Mac compatable? The PCI bus is a standardized bus, so is the lack of Mac support all to blame on Apple?

I don't think the Acard AEC-6260M supports 48-bit LBA, so there would be the same practical limit of using a 120 GB drive or smaller. Assuming that his G3-450 has the Rev. 2 motherboard, the onboard IDE controller can handle the same capacity drive. For pre-B&W G3 Macs, those cards are the best deal out there. As for hard drives, this Seagate 120 GB is also a good deal, assuming that they're able to replenish their stock. It's getting more difficult to find relatively small hard drives (less than 160 GBs) now, as the need for mega-sized drives to store audio and/or video files has become commonplace.

SATA card for P7N SLI-FI

I would like to add another SATA drive to my system -- What PCI or PCIE card do you recommend for my motherboard (P7N SLI-FI)
Both SATA ports that are on the board are taken with DVD drive & HD.
Thanks for your time

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/123967

Which PCI SATA card for B&W G3?

I just picked up a 400GB Seagate SATA drive and I would like to install it into my B&W G3. Does anyone have any recommendations on which SATA PCI card to buy? I have found prices from $22 to over $100. Most of those on the low end when you look at the specs always reference the minimum requirements for a PC, but nothing for a Mac.
If the card is PCI compliant, shouldn't it just be plug and play?

SIIG's SC-MP4A12 UltraATA 133/100 Pro is what I went with - should retail about 65-100$. Be careful with lower priced models as the bus speed may be lower (in my head, this being the speed at which data is transfered through the harddrive into the system and back. Slower might be OK but there's little point in getting a drive that you are at pains to get info to and from. And the card MUST be mac compatible - no it isn't just plug and play (I learned that the hard way assuming a Belkin would be since they make so much mac stuff). Others to look for include ACard. Also keep in mind there are serial ATA and ultra ATA cards - get a drive that matches the card and vice versa.
So far the SIIG card works but I'm having some hiccups and kernal panics (probably an addressing issue - it takes a bit longer to start up the computer as it looks for the OS across all the drives and something might be mismatched by me right now). Also, leave your OS-based drive attached/connected to the motherboard connection (though you can have back up startup disks attached to the IDE controller - that's another name for the card, right) since it looks there first on start-up it appears. Hope that helps.
Andy

PCIe SATA Cards for RAID for video: Seritek 2ME4-E vs Sonnet Tempo E4P

Hey Folks,
I'm just about to purchase bigger, faster RAID system for my video editing needs. I've already purchased 1TB Barracudas for the drives and I have decided on the Burly dual PM for the enclosure. http://www.burlystorage.com/ccp0-catshow/burlydualpm.html
The questions is which card? I've had a seritek 2 port card and also their expresscard for years without a problem. But some tests I've seen indicate that the Sonnet is a bit faster. Then again, I know that some people had problems with the firmware at least as recently as last spring.
What do people say? Hatter and Japamac, I'm hoping to hear from you.

FirmTek:
If you would like the ability to support port multiplier enclosures and 3rd party SMART applications, the FirmTek SeriTek/e6G would be my choice for a low cost 2-port 6G controller with these features. This card features hot swap and is also able to hot plug Oxford 936/946 based enclosures without the need for a restart. Installation is easy.
I use the SeriTek/e6G in the 2009 Mac Pro with Mac OS X 10.6.5. The PCIe 2.0 slots in the 2009 model provide optimized performance. >
http://www.firmtek.com/seritek/seritek-e6g/
You want a 4x or above card usually, one that has more bandwidth and performance, than those low end 1x 2-port cards that can't drive enough MB/sec to make using multiple drives / multiple enclosures.
Well, seeing you went with Seagate, not my cup of tea, I would have said WD Black Caviar 2TB drives instead.
Sonnet 4-port E4P is what I have used but it or its drivers may be an issue, totally unsure.
PM today is limited by today's drives. When it came out drives were slow by comparison, a mere 75MB/sec while today one drive can shovel 90-125MB/sec or half of what a PM can handle. You only get in real world about 250MB/sec maybe (overhead takes away from that 300MB/sec per port). That means while 6Gb is great, PM enclosures like FirmTek5PM need a new faster PM chip. Again, no idea where that is or when we will see it.
Maybe you should ask about SAS and be looking at even higher end RAID controllers from Areca perhaps.

SATA card for Xserve

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