SuperMicro M28SACB 8-bay 2.5inch mobile rack - No drives recognized in Bios OR Win10 64

[Wilson S.]

SuperMicro M28SACB 8-bay 2.5inch mobile rack - No drives recognized in Bios OR Win10 64

Not certain if SSDs HDDs is the correct subcategory, or should have used motherboards, or enclosures since this issue involves ALL three.

I apologize if I am in the incorrect section.


Recently mounted a Supermicro M14TQC 4-bay mobile rack into my research rig using standard molex PWR and SATA data connections to an Asus X99 board with no issues whatsoever.

So now I'm attempting to do the same with a Supermicro M28SACB mobile rack into my workstation which uses an SFF-8643 connector and two molex PWR lines. OK, seemed simple enough, but no.

I must be missing some unknown here altogether, I thought copper wire was copper wire but the Supermicro cable I have SFF-8643 to 4 SATA is not feeding any data signal to the Asus motherboard SATA ports OR I need another component within the pathway OR maybe the mobile rack is DOA.

IF I were to guess, I believe the issue is my own brain and lack of experience with server connectors.

Any assistance is so very much appreciated.

 

[PigLover]

Are you using the correct cables? That rack requires a "reverse breakout cable". Most of the mini-SAS to SATA cables you'll find are "forward" breakout cables. Unlike most other cables you'll find in your systems, SFF-8643/8087/8088 to individual SATA/SAS have definite "directionality" to them.

 

[i386]

You probably havea sas to sata forward breakout cable (sata on backplane sside, sas on controller side).
You need a sas to sata reverse breakout cable (sas on backplane side, sata on controller side).

 

[Wilson S.]

I'm using this Supermicro CBL-SAST-0664 cable. So it's directional? OH Geeez, that's my issue, had NO idea. The cables I normally use are all bidirectional. My first encounter with SFF-8643

Supermicro Internal MiniSAS HD SFF-8643 to 4 SATA 20/20/20/20cm with Sideband 20cm Cable (CBL-SAST-0664)

Can I simply add the correct cable or do I need an add in card?

Sorry for the noob questions...

 

[PigLover]

The right cable should solve your problem.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Wilson S.]

This Supermicro cable is titled Reverse Breakout

Supermicro Internal Reverse Breakout Cross-Over MiniSAS HD to 4 SATA with sideband Cable 55/55/55/55/55cm (CBL-SAST-0631)

Will this cable work?

Looks the same as the one I have only longer, must be an internal difference. (scratching head)

 

[Wilson S.]

The Supermicro Reverse Breakout cables (2) will arrive on Tuesday. Really hope this works, been staring at the mobile rack wondering "how could I go so wrong?"

I was very surprised and happy the LEDs are red and blue, just like the 4-bay rack, looks so nice. The videos I saw of the 8-bay rack the LEDs were green and stayed on constantly, but it seems that was the older version non - SATA3 rack, not this newer sku.

If anyone needs help building a workstation using server and non-server parts, I have a good amount of experience with the "non-server" side of things, water cooling, Asus boards, Sorbothane hemisphere pump isolation, silicon grommet fan isolation, Aquaero 6 fan/pump control etc.