(THE ISSUE HERE IS THE eSATA CONNECTOR (PORT) PROVIDED ON THE ASUS P5WD2
MOTHERBOARD. THIS CONNECTOR/PORT IS DESIGNED TO CONNECT TO A EXTERNAL SATA
HD. THE GREAT ADVANTAGE TO THIS DEVICE IS THAT THE SYSTEM TREATS THE
"EXTERNAL" SATA DRIVE AS AN INTERNAL ONE)

Mr. Ed:
See my inline responses...

<horsethattalks@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1134078799.942534.221920@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...
> >Anna said:
> >The information I provided was based on my experience
>>with this device, limited as it is. It wasn't theoretical.


> Hi Anna,
>
> Fantastic to hear from someone who walked the walk so to speak..
>
> Q1. Did you have "Enable write caching" ticked in the drive policies?
> Or isn't write caching an option for SATA devices? I would think if
> unplugging a cached drive things could get ugly..
An interesting question which I hadn't thought about. Actually there's no
"write caching" option available (in Device Manager) for the eSATA-connected
drive as there is for the internally-connected SATA drives. So far we
haven't run into any problems (that we're aware of) re connecting &
disconnecting the eSATA-connected drive while the system is in use. As I
previously mentioned, we've been using Hitachi, Samsung, and WD drives.

> Q2. Do you think changing the device usage to diabled before
> unplugging would be of any benefit?
Well, so far we've encountered no problems with "hot-plugging".


> Q3. Did you try hot plugging a drive without previously having a drive
> attached at boot? In other words adding a drive after boot-up?
Yes, and no problems whatsoever. It was identical as if you had connected a
USB device after bootup.

> Q4. What type of drive tray/caddie did you use? A backplane type
> where the drive connectors plug directly into the backplane or one
> where the drive is cable attached to the tray/caddie and the
> tray/caddie connector plugs into a matching connector in a drawer?
If you've come across some of my previous posts, you'll know that we're
strong proponents of equipping one's desktop computer with removable hard
drives (preferably two) in their (so-called) mobile racks. We've been using
this hardware arrangement for a number of years now because we find enormous
advantages in this hardware configuration in terms of its flexibility and
the peace of mind it gives to the user at a rather modest additional cost.
So what we've been doing up to now is using one of our mobile rack's
removable trays (or caddy) to contain the SATA drive connected to the eSATA
port. Actually, there's no particular reason why one would need to do so.
You could just as well plop the drive in a cigar box or even use it bare.
Note that since you can (and presumably will) use your computer's power
supply to power the "external" SATA drive, there's no need for an external
PS. Not the most elegant way to house the drive, to be sure, but the
simplicity (not to say zero additional cost!) is appealing, no?

> Q5. Re Q4.. When un-plugging the tray/caddie does it appear that
> power is first disconnected and then the interface cable or sorta both
> at the same time? From my reading of the spec when attaching the drive
> - interface should be attached first, then power; when disconnecting -
> power should be removed first then the interface.
We were curious about this too. It doesn't seem to make any difference
whether you first disconnect the SATA signal/data cable first or the power
cable. We've alternated the connects/disconnects many times and haven't
encountered any problems so far involving data corruption or damage to the
drive - again, none that we're aware of. But the specification you mention
referring to these connects/disconnects seems sensible.

> Cheers,
> Mr.Ed

Ed:
Thanks for raising these questions. They're most pertinent and I was remiss
in not addressing these issues in my previous postings re this subject. I'm
glad you've given me the opportunity to do so now.

I would think that more & more motherboards are going to be equipped with an
eSATA port (perhaps even multiple ports). I only hope they will also provide
a power connector adjacent to the eSATA port so that it would allow one to
use the computer's power supply and directly run a power cable to the
external SATA port. Unfortunately, ASUS did not provide such a connection so
it's necessary to snake a power cable through some opening in the computer
case to do so. Simple enough to do, of course, but again, not exactly an
elegant way of doing things.

And think of the advantage of having one's laptop/notebook equipped with an
eSATA port. Finally, a user will enjoy the advantage of having another
BOOTABLE hard drive instantly available outside his or her computer.
Anna