Connecting WD My Book through ESATA vs. USB

  • Thread starter Thread starter bbbl67
  • Start date Start date
Interesting. Looks like your suspicion that the eSATA is not done right is correct.
Click to expand...

Its not likely to be done via a bridge tho, much more likely to be some ****up in the SATA/eSATA thats
allowing Everest to see that the drive does support SMART but not to get the actual data for some reason.
 
Yes, that is possible, but like I said, it would be a VERY unusual way to implement it.

Essentially because its a hell of lot easier to do a passthru for eSATA instead.
Click to expand...

It would be the easier thing to do, but perhaps the designers wanted
to make sure that somebody didn't try to attach via every interface on
the enclosure? Just because they had a cable for every interface,
someone might decide to attach all of them possibly even to a
different computer in some cases. If somebody tried to go via eSATA
and it was a direct passthru, while at the same time being connected
via Firewire and/or USB then there might be data corruption. With
eSATA a part of the same bridge as USB & FW, it can regulate
transactions.

Yousuf Khan
 
It would be the easier thing to do, but perhaps the designers wanted to make
sure that somebody didn't try to attach via every interface on the enclosure?
Click to expand...

They can still do that without bothering with a bridge for the eSATA.
Just because they had a cable for every interface, someone
might decide to attach all of them possibly even to a different
computer in some cases. If somebody tried to go via eSATA
and it was a direct passthru, while at the same time being connected
via Firewire and/or USB then there might be data corruption.
Click to expand...

Nope, its trivial to have the bridge not do anything from
the firewire and usb cables if the eSATA cable is active.
With eSATA a part of the same bridge as USB & FW, it can regulate transactions.
Click to expand...

It can even when the eSATA is done by passthru too.
 
Previously JcRabbit said:
My apologies for resurecting this old thread.
Click to expand...
Just wanted to confirm that a My Book connected via eSATA indeed does
NOT pass SMART data. It seems to be only able to pass the OK or FAIL
SMART status.
Click to expand...
I also believe Yousuf is right about the logic between the hard drive
and the eSata controler. When I first connected the MY Book Home Edition
1 TB via USB, the drive was identified as 'WDC10ACS... something', which
was the actual model of the drive inside the enclosure. However, when
connected via eSata the drive is identified by DLGDIAG as 'WD My Book
(IDE)'. Note also the IDE part in the name (I'm pretty sure, although
not certain, that the drive inside the My Book enclosure is a SATA drive
and not a PATA one). I have a mix of PATA and SATA drives on my system
and DLGDIAG correctly identifies SATA drives as SATA and PATA drives as
IDE.
Click to expand...
It really ****es me off that I am unable to read the temperature of the
drive when connected via eSATA.
Click to expand...

And this is a reall stupid design decision, at least for
people with a clue. Apparently there are far too few out
there....

Arno
 
Back
Top