Why is this a bad idea for running RAID 1?
Hi,
My guess is this enclosure uses an Oxford 936 chip to create the quad interface. If that is the case, while this configuration provides nice compatibility it will have some limitations.
1. The Oxford Bridge tends to provide lower performance than a direct connect eSATA enclosure like the SeriTek/2EN2.
2. The Oxford 936 bridge is not supported by all SATA controllers. Based on my tests, the FirmTek/2SE2-E with driver 5.3.2 and controllers that utilize the Silicon Image driver are compatible. The HighPoint, Areca cards do not appear to be compatible with Oxford 936 and the Sonnet Marvell based driver does not yet support volumes over 2TB. In other words, Oxford 936 based enclosures will not be compatible with all eSATA controllers.
If you are looking for a faster hot swap dual bay eSATA enclosure that is compatible with most eSATA controllers the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 would be my choice.
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/firmtek/2en2/
If having a FireWire connection is more important than higher eSATA performance/eSATA compatibility an Oxford based quad interface enclosure would be my choice.
Have fun!