is the Silicon Image SATA driver limited to 4 units?

is there no way to use a card with 6 SATA ports in addition
to the sam440ep onboard 4 ports of SATA?

optionally using such a card for SATA on a sam460?

Would the U-Boot firmware require to boot off only
one of the first 4 ports found?

Would the extra two ports simply remain missing?

I would simply like to have this clear before I finish
purchasing a sam440 or sam460

as I have the option to run a full set of SATA devices
filling the onboard port set of a sam440 or using
this card and also add an optical drive or two.

I just want to be clear whether such a card is worth the
purchase for use with any of the samantha boards

--EDIT--
The Url as requested...
Ascent Tech Ltd NZ

Not sure, Maybe if it uses the same chip as the others that are supported?
Atleast the sil3114,3112 and 3512 are working. Thats all i know about that.
What devices do you want to add, since you'd lke to have so many sata ports?

you can find a Sata card with 6 ports, normally 2 of those are eSata, and only 4 work at a time.

the silicon image chips that work with OS4 have max 4 ports active at once. this is not a driver limit.

do you have a link to the card you are on about?

This card uses normal Silicon Image SiI3114 chip and supports only four drives at once.
I think you can set some jumpers to set two ports as eSATA or internal but you will never be able to use all six ports at once.

Ciao, Alfred

Okay...then I will want to find a 4port SATA card,
no point in my buying a sam440 or sam460 and not being
able to use more than 4 ports without it being 2 chips


Then this controller would be more the type of thing I am
after for a sam460... but I would like to find the PCI
equivalent even if 4 ports internal
Ascent Technology Ltd NZ

Quote:
That card uses an SiI3132 chip according to the manufacturer's specification page. I don't think that will work with any of the OS4 drivers. And anyway, it is a 2 channel card; like the other one mentioned earlier, it has each port available as SATA or eSATA, but you can only use two at a time.

Best regards,

Niels

The 3112 support 2 ports. The 3114 support 4 ports. These are hardware limitations. The drivers support 2 and 4 ports just fine.

Would multiple cards provide extra units?

regardless of PCI or PCI-Express bus usage?

and to my knowledge the PCI Express Bus complex shows
as an extended form of PCI,

I'm definitely going to test this theory by getting
more than one sam and the appropriate cards :)

I have 6 sata ports in my sam flex but I did it the easy way and just installed a 3512 card. Do not get a 3114 card and try for 8 ports because the sams uboot disables the onboard 3114 if it finds another 3114 card installed.