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From: Rod Speed on 9 Dec 2008 12:42
Yousuf Khan <bbbl67(a)yahoo.com> wrote
> Rod Speed wrote
>> Yousuf Khan <bbbl67(a)yahoo.com> wrote
>>> Rod Speed wrote

>>>> What are you trying to read the SMART data with ?

>>> The DLGDIAG utility that came with the MyBook.

>> Maybe it just a quirk of that. See if any of the standard tools can see the SMART data when eSATA connected.

> Well, the DLGDIAG util was able to read all of the SMART info from all of the other pre-existing internal hard disks,
> both IDE & SATA, not
> just from the MyBook. I believe WD supplies DLGDIAG even with its
> internal hard disks, not just with its external hard disk enclosures,
> so it would have to be able to handle both types of interfaces.

Yes, but unless you actually see what the standard tools see SMART
wise, you can be sure whether its some oddity of the hardware or just
that particular version of DLGDIAG thats producing that effect.

>>>>> This controller has more features when connected through USB (and maybe Firewire) than through ESATA.

>>>> It would be unusual for the eSATA connection to not be direct to the drive. Do you know what format the actual
>>>> internal drive is, SATA or PATA ?

>>> It's a relatively new model, built around 2007, so I assume internally it's likely a SATA.

>> Yeah, thats likely, but not absolutely guaranteed.

> Well, I don't know if it's relevant anyways. The SMART info should be available no matter if its internal interface
> was IDE, SATA, or even SCSI for that matter.

There is no SMART with SCSI, what is available is something quite different.

> The only reason it would not be directly available is if there is intelligence sitting in between.

And that is why I asked.

>>> As for whether eSATA connection direct to drive, I am thinking it's direct to interface controller rather than
>>> direct to drive.

>> I didnt mean electrically, I meant logically, in other words its
>> just passed straight thru when used in eSATA mode.

> Yeah, that's what I meant also. And that's what I also think isn't happening here: there is no straight passthru.

That would be a very unusual way to implement it if the drive itself is SATA.


From: bbbl67 on 10 Dec 2008 19:07
On Dec 9, 12:42 pm, "Rod Speed" <rod.speed....(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Yes, but unless you actually see what the standard tools see SMART
> wise, you can be sure whether its some oddity of the hardware or just
> that particular version of DLGDIAG thats producing that effect.

Well, which tools do you suggest? Freeware preferably.

> > Well, I don't know if it's relevant anyways. The SMART info should be available no matter if its internal interface
> > was IDE, SATA, or even SCSI for that matter.
>
> There is no SMART with SCSI, what is available is something quite different.

Well, I don't know one way or another about the SCSI SMART, so I'll
accede to your point.

> >> I didnt mean electrically, I meant logically, in other words its
> >> just passed straight thru when used in eSATA mode.
> > Yeah, that's what I meant also. And that's what I also think isn't happening here: there is no straight passthru.
>
> That would be a very unusual way to implement it if the drive itself is SATA.

It may be unusual, but it's not inconceivable. I think if WD is
planning to introduce a future My Book mini RAID array of some sort it
may need to virtualize all interfaces in this fashion. In this case, a
single eSATA connection might be in reality be a logical disk volume
rather than just a single disk.

Yousuf Khan
From: Rod Speed on 11 Dec 2008 03:34
bbbl67 <yjkhan(a)gmail.com> wrote
> Rod Speed <rod.speed....(a)gmail.com> wrote

>> Yes, but unless you actually see what the standard tools see SMART
>> wise, you can be sure whether its some oddity of the hardware or just
>> that particular version of DLGDIAG thats producing that effect.

> Well, which tools do you suggest? Freeware preferably.

I like Everest myself, mainly because the report is much more readable than most.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181

>>> Well, I don't know if it's relevant anyways. The SMART info should
>>> be available no matter if its internal interface was IDE, SATA, or
>>> even SCSI for that matter.

>> There is no SMART with SCSI, what is available is something quite different.

> Well, I don't know one way or another about the SCSI SMART, so I'll accede to your point.

>>>> I didnt mean electrically, I meant logically, in other words its
>>>> just passed straight thru when used in eSATA mode.
>>> Yeah, that's what I meant also. And that's what I also think isn't
>>> happening here: there is no straight passthru.

>> That would be a very unusual way to implement it if the drive itself is SATA.

> It may be unusual, but it's not inconceivable.

Sure, but I cant see why anyone would do it that way. What is the point ?

> I think if WD is planning to introduce a future My Book mini RAID array
> of some sort it may need to virtualize all interfaces in this fashion.

Makes much more sense to do it that way when its necessary given how
aggressively competitive that particular market is with single drive housings.

> In this case, a single eSATA connection might be in reality
> be a logical disk volume rather than just a single disk.

Sure, but that would make their single drive housings rather uncompetitive price wise.



From: Yousuf Khan on 11 Dec 2008 13:41
Rod Speed wrote:
> bbbl67 <yjkhan(a)gmail.com> wrote
>> Well, which tools do you suggest? Freeware preferably.
>
> I like Everest myself, mainly because the report is much more readable than most.
> http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181

I'll pass it along.

>> It may be unusual, but it's not inconceivable.
>
> Sure, but I cant see why anyone would do it that way. What is the point ?
>
>> I think if WD is planning to introduce a future My Book mini RAID array
>> of some sort it may need to virtualize all interfaces in this fashion.
>
> Makes much more sense to do it that way when its necessary given how
> aggressively competitive that particular market is with single drive housings.
>
>> In this case, a single eSATA connection might be in reality
>> be a logical disk volume rather than just a single disk.
>
> Sure, but that would make their single drive housings rather uncompetitive price wise.


Well, you made the point yourself, this enclosure has a tremendous
number of connection interfaces: USB, Firewire, and eSATA. Probably the
chip that handles all of these interfaces is the same whether you get a
single-drive enclosure or a multi-drive array?

Yousuf Khan
From: Rod Speed on 11 Dec 2008 13:52
Yousuf Khan <bbbl67(a)yahoo.com> wrote
> Rod Speed wrote
>> bbbl67 <yjkhan(a)gmail.com> wrote

>>> Well, which tools do you suggest? Freeware preferably.

>> I like Everest myself, mainly because the report is much more readable than most.
>> http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181

> I'll pass it along.

>>> It may be unusual, but it's not inconceivable.

>> Sure, but I cant see why anyone would do it that way. What is the point ?

>>> I think if WD is planning to introduce a future My Book mini RAID array of some sort it may need to virtualize all
>>> interfaces in this fashion.

>> Makes much more sense to do it that way when its necessary given how
>> aggressively competitive that particular market is with single drive housings.

>>> In this case, a single eSATA connection might be in reality
>>> be a logical disk volume rather than just a single disk.

>> Sure, but that would make their single drive housings rather uncompetitive price wise.

> Well, you made the point yourself, this enclosure has a tremendous
> number of connection interfaces: USB, Firewire, and eSATA. Probably
> the chip that handles all of these interfaces is the same whether you
> get a single-drive enclosure or a multi-drive array?

The point tho is that it makes more sense to just pass the SATA thru it than to do anything else.

The main market with that chip is still the single drive enclosures.


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