eSATA Port Multiplier Support Has Been Discontinued 

For: RocketRAID 644L, RocketRAID 644LS, RocketRAID 642L, RocketRAID 4522

Port Multipliers were a novel development during the apogee of the SATA 3G, and early 6G eras, and typically enabled a single SATA channel to support 3 to 5 hard drives. In the past, this capability was ideal for SMB applications that required compact, mass storage expansion solutions.

However, they are no longer suitable for mainstream storage applications. Port Multiplier based solutions rely on outdated technology that is no longer well supported within the storage industry and was not designed for modern storage media. Port Multiplier solutions were not designed for use with today’s large hard disks; the bandwidth limitation (a single SATA connection) will struggle to accommodate the sheer volume of data transfer required by modern applications.

Due to the age of the technology, HighPoint no longer conducts compatibility testing with Port Multiplier devices. For this reason, we recommend several upgrade options for customers looking to replace aging port-multiplier solutions.

Recommended Upgrade Solution: 

RocketStor 6400 Series RAID Storage Enclosures

HighPoint manufactures the industry’s most comprehensive selection of SAS & SATA storage enclosures, and are ideal for nearly any DAS application, hardware or software platform, and budget. Available in four and eight-bay tower form factors,  and capable of directly supporting up to 128TB of storage capacity, RocketStor 6400 Series products can be purchased in any number of configurations, ranging from stand-alone drive enclosures and compact external RAID solutions, to complete turnkey storage devices.  

RocketStor 6400 Series Enclosures employ industry standard SFF-8088 interface, also known as Mini-SAS connectors, offer several advantages over eSATA cables. The connection is highly secure, and features a built-in locking mechanism. Each cable can accommodate 4 dedicated 6Gb/s SATA connections.

Click Here to learn more about HighPoint Mini-SAS Tower and Rackmount RAID Enclosures

Upgrade Recommendations for 4 Bay Port Multiplier Configurations

(RocketRAID 644L / 644LS / 642L) 

If you are currently using a HighPoint 4-Channel RAID controller with a 4-Bay port-multiplier enclosure, we recommend the RocketStor 6414AS, RocketStor 6414TS or RocketStor 6414VS:

Upgrade Recommendations for 5 or 8 Bay Port Multiplier Configurations

(RocketRAID 4522, RocketRAID 2722 / 2721 / 2711, RocketRAID 644L / 644LS / 642L)

If you are currently using an 8-Channel RAID controller with a 5 or 8-Bay port-multiplier enclosure, we recommend the RocketStor 6418AS or RocketStor 6418TS: