[rescue] 711 vs. 214 Sun Arrays

[Curtis H. Wilbar Jr.]

While I can not comment on the 214 RSM... I can say that the Multipack
enclosures are terrific.  You won't really hear the fans... but you will
hear the drives (but that is a constant with any drive enclosure (relatively)).

I have a 12 slot enclosure loaded with 12x9G 7200RPM drives that has been
running on my Solaris for X86 server at home since Oct 19, 2000.  I've never
had a drive problem with it.

I did have a system problem with it after about a year and a half which was
caused by the fact that the front mounted cooling fan in the ATX case was
blowing in the wrong direction... fighting the power supply fan.... once
some dust started to build up, the fact that reduced airflow was already
occuring due to the battling fans caused the temperature to risde and the
system became unstable....  Cleaned out the dust, fixed the fan direction
and it's been running fine since. :-)  I hate to admit it, but I think I
originally isntalled that fan ! (DOH !)

-- Curt

>From: "Loomis, Rip" <GILBERT.R.LOOMIS at saic.com>
>To: "'The Rescue List'" <rescue at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: RE: [rescue] 711 vs. 214 Sun Arrays
>Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 10:01:16 -0500 
>
>> I'm thinking about getting an array to use with my Ultra1.  
>> I'm considering both the 711 Ultra Multipack and the 214 RSM.
>>  I'm  particularly interested in the sound level.  I've heard
>> a 214 and it seems tolerable.  The fan in the 711 looks huge.  
>
>Huh?  I have a 3/4 loaded 711 in the same room as a 3/4 loaded
>RSM-214 shelf.  Absolutely *no* comparison in the sound level--
>the RSM-214 with both power supplies (on 120VAC power) sounds
>like a hovercraft even without disks.  The fan in the 711 sounds
>more like a low-power PC power supply...which it pretty much
>is.  I think that the 711 power supply is only rated for 135
>watts--which seemed a little surprising to me (I have the 12-slot)
>but it does work.
>
>The only advantages of an RSM 214 to me are:
>  - redundant power supplies, more alarms/blinkenlights
>  - HVD interface lets you put it further away from the
>    host computer (I have a 25' cable between mine and the
>    SS20 that serves as its front end)
>
>but you *can* get LVD U80 SCSI disks working in a 711 Multipak
>(which would give you much better usable bandwidth), while the
>RSM 214 will never be faster than 20MB/sec.  (Nope, don't try
>to use HVD-Ultra stuff in a 214...not a good idea.)
>
>  --Rip
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