NASLite Network Attached Storage

I have a P2 400 with 230W pwr and 384 ram. I got 2 seagate 500 gb using a SIIG 4 channel sata controller. I am running naslite 2 CDD. It runs okay with this config. And I even had a 20gb pata running as well. I removed the 20gb and tried to add a seagate 750 gb sata. It stops at the sata controller bios screen and will boot no futher. Top of the screen says plug and play error. Do I need a bigger pwr suppy? Please help.

Have you tried this drive on the SATA card by itself? To check compatibility, detach all other drives from SATA card and PSU and boot. If this works, add drives one by one until a) machine falls over; or b) you've added all the drives.

If the PSU is a noname 230W, I would suggest that you replace it anyway. This may seem extravagant, but the basic philosophy is based on the fact that there is only one component that can destroy all others attached to it if it fails - the PSU. Also, cheap'n'cheerful power supplied sometimes quote their peak power rating rather than their continuous rating - also, power rating degrades with temperature - something to consider if you plan to leave the NAS on 24/7.

For PSU sizing, I use http://extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp - don't forget to consider future expansion as a decent PSU is an expensive item.

Thanks NickC. I tried the 750 gb drive alone and it will not post past the sata bios. Do you think it may be not enough pwr. Possibly an old motherboard but it handled the 500 gb drives okay. Unfortunately this cpu is an old dell optiplex gx1. They use a proprietary pwr supply with a unique 6 pin atx connector. I either have to get an adapter or a dell pwr supply.

vzlite:

Before you try anything further with the GX1 ... how about formatting the 750GB HDD on a WinXP to make sure there's no problem with the drive ?

Also: on these new drives they are frequently SATA II or Sata/300. But they also have a jumper to force them to SATA I or Sata/150. Make sure to check the HDD against what the controller card is capable of.

Georg

Well I was able to add a maxtor 300 gb sata with no problem. georg I am formating the 750 gb and I'll check the jumper to see if that makes a difference.

Well there was a problem with the maxtor sata 300gb and a maxtor sata 500gb I tried to add later. I was able to format, configure and mount the drives. But once I try to read or write to the drives naslite freezes. If I keep trying to access the said drive naslite crashes or stops responding. Could this be due to not enough power. Jumpers are all set to sata/150. And the 750 gb drive will not even post.

I just tried running the maxtor 500 gb by itself on the nasbox. It configures and mounts but naslite crashed after I tried to tx a file. I'm beginning to think my combination of components and naslite 2 do not like maxtor sata drives. I am avg about 15000 kB/s rx and 18000 kB/s tx to and from the seagate drives in my nasbox and my computer. I also have a maxtor drive in my computer that is only avg 6000 kB/s rx and 9000 kB/s tx to and from the seagate drives in my nasbox.

vzlite:

Looks like you're narrowing down (once again) to a power issue. The SATA controller may be getting marginal power through the PCI bus, and the Maxtors need just enough to cause the problem (during processing for burst data transfer for example). The controller (and NASLite) can be easily transfered temporarily to another motherboard for testing. And if that test proves there's otherwise nothing wrong with the SATA controller/Maxtor combination, then whether it is eventually worth the trouble (and cost) to replace the proprietary Dell PSU or purchase completely new (modern) hardware is up to you. Keep in mind that if Maxtors are marginal, that you are running a risk trusting valuable data to several Seagate drives, even if they seem to run without problems ... depending on how important the data is ... a little $ for new hardware might be wisely spent.

Georg