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Difficulty: MediumStorage Devices and Interfaces

A server technician is deploying storage controller cards and drive arrays for a enterprise workstation. The deployment involves both Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Serial ATA (SATA) storage drives. Which TWO of the following statements correctly describe the compatibility and operational characteristics of SAS and SATA storage interfaces? (Select TWO)

  1. SAS host bus adapters (HBAs) can accept and communicate with SATA hard drives using standard backplanes or adapter cables.Answer
  2. B
    Standard motherboard SATA host controllers can directly drive and recognize SAS hard drives without additional hardware.
  3. SAS interfaces support dual-porting for multipath redundancy, whereas SATA interfaces support only single-port connections.Answer
  4. D
    SATA data cables can plug directly into SAS drive interface connectors without physical keying interference.

Answer

SAS host bus adapters (HBAs) can accept and communicate with SATA hard drives, and SAS interfaces support dual-porting for multipath redundancy whereas SATA interfaces support only single-port connections.
The correct options accurately identify that SAS controllers support SATA drives via protocol tunneling, and that SAS drives offer enterprise dual-porting for redundant pathing while SATA is restricted to single-port connections.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate protocol backward compatibility between SAS and SATA controllers.
SAS controllers support Serial ATA Tunneling Protocol (STP), allowing SATA drives to work on SAS HBAs. However, native SATA controllers cannot command SAS drives.
Understanding signaling protocols determines host-to-drive interoperability.
2
Examine physical connector keying differences between SAS and SATA drives.
SAS drives have a continuous connector bridge between power and data contacts, blocking individual SATA data cables from attaching.
Physical keying prevents attaching incompatible host controllers to high-voltage or incompatible drives.
3
Analyze enterprise redundant features such as dual-porting.
SAS provides two physical data channels on its interface connector for high availability and failover, whereas SATA provides a single port channel.
Enterprise storage standards prioritize multipath connectivity for reliability.

Key Concept

SAS vs SATA Compatibility and Physical/Protocol Differences
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Topics

Storage Devices and Interfaces

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