ROCKPro64 with 16 ports SATA controller
#5
Pretty sure there is an 80% chance that card will work from the box. The resultant speed of all that individual sata control and stripe hashing means I haven't got a clue of performance.
Pretty sure the is an 100% chance that with a kernel recompile that card will work as the RK3399 has a complete root hub and there are quite a few PCIe configs that could be bumped to modules especially a kernel with debug ones.
I really don't know why we don't have in the packages a debug kernel and headers alternative for those who want to blaze a path without being so blind.

The card is basically a x4 to 4x x1 lane pcie packet switch with x4 marvell 9215 sata controllers on it.
Its just basically 4 cards in one and we know the Marvell card works well.

Strangely I have just been having a conversation that what we need is a PCIe x4 to 4x PCIe x1 packet switch as the actually packet switch silicon costs little more than the $15 bitminer ones you see on ebay.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-4-Ports-P...3442792757
Just the bandwidth on those sucks as 1 lane is split into 4 but the difference silicon wise is about $5 for the x4 lane to 4x x1.

We are in a strange position as the PC world with many slots doesn't apply value to a PCIe packet switch as they just use another slot.
Also with the advent of pcie4/5 who wants cheap automotive pcie2.0 packet switches.

I completely believe the ArmSoc SBC world absolutely needs a x4 to 4x x1 PCIe packet switch so that single card can be use with multiples of the common PCIe x1 cards we know work.
In the SBC embedded work we need dumb bios-less simple cards and we are onto a winner and its a problem because often we are excluded from pciex2/x4 cards because they are not as dumb and simple as their pciex1 brothers with the inclusion of bios or spi configs.

If that card has a bios or spi config then the answer is no, but for £160 as I have seen them on sale for its likely its just a standard PCIe packet switch which is near identical in operation to a network switch in operation.
They are seamless  operation and if it does have a bios there is very little it can control and you have been extremely unlucky.

The pcieroot hub and all pcie root hubs are a collection of lanes aggregated into a LAG (Link aggregation group) and apart from with networks you usually group ports to a LAG with PCIE you just separate a LAG into individual ports. Essentially the same transparent to the protocol layer but networks build into LAGs whilst a PCIe slot is a LAG that needs to be split to ports.

PINE!!! we need a PCIe x4 to 4x PCIe packet switch that can be used with multiples of any cheap PCIe x1 card from Sata, USB to Ethernet or whatever crazy idea you have.
That packet switch has a lot of value as it can be used in multiple configurations and negates the need for rare specialist cards like the above sata which purely because they are rare and specialist hold high cost.

There is another way to go and at first sounds a bit bat shit crazy but far less likely to have bios / spi config and work from the box.
At half the price of the sata card you can get a USB 4 port
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/4-port-s...ta-lp4-pow

or a 2 port for as cheap as $25 and use that with the x2 USB 3.0 that the RockPro64 comes with.

If your storage is for a Media server of large relatively static files then actually this is an extremely valid method and no less than Zraid2.

Set up SnapRaid with 2x parity disks put those on the RockPro64 ports split your data disks via 2x hubs and use OMV (Open Media Vault) SnapRaid & UnionFS to create an asynchronously applied parity system of a JBOD MergerFS volume.
https://michaelxander.com/diy-nas/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYkdPyCt5FU

Its a definate no to synchronous RAID of file server / database / web server use but for large static file stores its as good as any and actually is cheaper and less prone to hit the bios / spi config barrier of cards with internal setup function that likely do not have linux drivers.

PINE!!! we need a PCIe x4 to 4x PCIe x1 packet switch!!!
  Reply


Messages In This Thread
RE: ROCKPro64 with 16 ports SATA controller (88SE9215 + 4x - by stuartiannaylor - 07-31-2019, 04:35 PM

Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Powering on the Rockpro64 JPT223 1 826 09-24-2023, 12:23 PM
Last Post: hoarfrosty
  Which SATA card should I use my NAS server RAID5 Louysa 3 811 09-24-2023, 04:40 AM
Last Post: JPT223
  ROCKPro64 Battery Power Supply hoarfrosty 11 1,632 09-23-2023, 04:17 PM
Last Post: hoarfrosty
  SATA keeps crashing JPT223 1 474 09-21-2023, 10:52 PM
Last Post: tllim
  SATA hotplug not working? JPT223 0 385 09-15-2023, 04:20 AM
Last Post: JPT223
  Compatible PCIe Sata Controller spacebricker 1 1,501 02-06-2023, 10:03 AM
Last Post: diizzy
  Using RPI hat on RockPro64? misterc 0 798 12-16-2022, 02:05 PM
Last Post: misterc
  GPIO on the RockPro64 - all pins high? colinmarc 2 1,524 11-18-2022, 10:20 AM
Last Post: colinmarc
  ROCKPro64 DOA ajtravis 8 6,359 11-08-2022, 03:40 AM
Last Post: ajtravis
  RockPro64 not booting up mvicha@gmail.com 0 1,093 09-19-2022, 07:35 AM
Last Post: mvicha@gmail.com

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 2 Guest(s)