DELL EMC Unity Drives - connect drive to laptop

[MDRZ]

Hi to everyone
I want to check SMART data of my DELL EMC Unity Drives. how can I connect the drive to my laptop or PC to detect the drive?
Thanks

[hdsentinel]

Hi,

You'd need to use a SAS HBA controller card where you can connect the actual disk drive.

Hard Disk Sentinel supports SAS drives at all and SAS HBAs / SAS RAID controllers so should be no problem to detect/report status, health, power on time, temperature and other status/statistical information (as provided by the drive).
You can also use the Disk menu -> Surface test functions in Hard Disk Sentinel to diagnose with read/write tests, to reveal and fix possible problems too.

There are some USB -> SAS converters / docking stations on the market.
These are NOT RECOMMENDED.
These USB -> SAS converters allow reading/writing the disk drive (so the surface test functions can be used) but these DO NOT allow checking the real S.M.A.R.T. status / health / temperature values: the USB -> SAS device may provide "fake" (fixed) status information which is completely independent from the actual drive status.

So you'd definitely need a SAS HBA with appropriate cable.

(ps. I answered in e-mail also)

[MDRZ]

thank you.
the drive will connect to PC (not server), yes?

Is below card OK?
https://www.silverstonetek.com/en/product/info/expansion-cards/ECS05/

[hdsentinel]

Yes, probably this will work. I did not yet test this card personally but there are lots of SAS controllers with similar chipsets so this should be good too.
No need to have a server, you can use in any PC with free PCI express slot.