Multi Channel IDE Controller Questions

[Psyker]

I am currently working on a file server that will have 16 5.75" bays, and will be filling at least 15 of them with removeable HDD bays.

That means I will be need the ability to run 16 HDDs or, 8 IDE channels, so I was looking at this http://www.softwareandstuff.com/CRD10119.html

Does any one have any experience with these, they sound pretty good, or is there a better one out there, preferrably for $100 or less?

 

[Ice Czar]

first off, thats a RAID card, and while it does support JBOD Just a Bunch of Disks, there are some drawbacks to that, and its not normally 2 drives per channel, but 1

second PATA and removable HDD trays can be problematic, I have them and they can work reliably but issues do occur, If I had it to do all over Id opt for the high reliability of SATA

SATA and the 7 Deadly Sins of Parallel ATA
ATA Not So Frequently Asked Questions

3ware SATA Escalade
3ware Escalade PATA

both available up to 12 channels
and hotswap trays are available for SATA

JBOD & JBOD again

 

[Psyker]

The problem is that i am trying to do this cheap, using drives that i can get for $.50 or less a gig, and I have yet to see SATA get that cheap, plus the drive bays cost more, along with the controller...

Thanks for the heads up on the 8 drives, not 16 thing. If i had read the thing i would have noticed.