Way back when I first got my EX470 the max was a 4bay eSata enclosure to hook up, giving me now 8TB of storage (or 16 total if you went with all 2tb disks). I'm at a point where I need to start swapping in some more 2tb disks but I was curious if that limitation had ever changed. Can I use one of those Sans Digital 8 bay eSata enclosures for instance?

Thanks,
Paul

No, the limitation is hardware, a 4-drive eSATA enclosure is the max. You can get a multi-drive USB enclosure.

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Alex Kuretz
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Can I use a multi-drive USB enclosure in addition to the eSata?

Sure, why wouldn't you be able to?

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Alex Kuretz
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I always thought there was a max of 4 extra drives on the ex470, whether it was USB or eSata. I've got 4 on eSata, I'd love to add at least a couple more with USB. Any suggestions on a good enclosure?

Windows Home Server has a 32-drive limit, hang as many as you want on there up to 32.

Sans Digital makes some popular enclosures, as does Icy Dock. I've got a review of the Icy Dock in the Reviews section of the site, though I primarily tested with eSATA for performance reasons.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6816111047
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817198044

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Alex Kuretz
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Thanks Alex, appreciate it.

If I start chaining USB is it going to completely kill performance? I guess at some point it makes better sense to just build a bigger, better box than the 470

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Alex Kuretz
Remote Notification: Monitoring and alerting for your Home Server via email, Twitter, text message, RSS, push notifications, and on your Mac desktop
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I have 3 EX470's running and the drives will not be what causes performance issues rather the EX470 itself. Having said that the question comes down to your needs. If your happy with the EX470 then I would not worry to much about the drives. If you determine you want something with more performance then the door is wide open to you only limited by your budget.

On another note any external enclosures you do purchase for your EX470 can be put to use on another server should the time come when you do deem it necessary to upgrade.

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