Using multiple hard drives externally with HD Controllers?

If I have machine A that has your OS and CD rom drives operating. And
have machine B that mainly has power and a hard drive controller to
controller multiple drives. Is there a way that I can plug machine B
into machine A using usb/ firewire?

I know there are usb file transfer cables, but I don't want to run an
OS in machine B, rather have it be a larger external hard drive.

Thanks for your input
hap

hap wrote:
> If I have machine A that has your OS and CD rom drives operating. And
> have machine B that mainly has power and a hard drive controller to
> controller multiple drives. Is there a way that I can plug machine B
> into machine A using usb/ firewire?
>
> I know there are usb file transfer cables, but I don't want to run an
> OS in machine B, rather have it be a larger external hard drive.

There will need to be some form of an operating system in B, if you want
to share its drives.

hap <hapyfishrmn@gmail.com> wrote:

> If I have machine A that has your OS and CD rom drives operating.
> And have machine B that mainly has power and a hard drive controller
> to controller multiple drives. Is there a way that I can plug machine B
> into machine A using usb/ firewire?

Yes, you can get USB/firewire bridges that can be added to
machine B and you dont need the controller in machine B.

> I know there are usb file transfer cables,
> but I don't want to run an OS in machine B,

Why not ? It doesnt have to be a fancy one.

> rather have it be a larger external hard drive.

"hap" <hapyfishrmn@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1162329145.607010.237100@m7g2000cwm.googlegro ups.com...
> If I have machine A that has your OS and CD rom drives operating. And
> have machine B that mainly has power and a hard drive controller to
> controller multiple drives. Is there a way that I can plug machine B
> into machine A using usb/ firewire?
>
> I know there are usb file transfer cables, but I don't want to run an
> OS in machine B, rather have it be a larger external hard drive.

You will need some kind of OS on B... even DOS or Linux with the right
software will do.

Ethernet will give the best connection. It is possible to do over firewire
as well. USB will require special cables and software.

hap wrote:
> If I have machine A that has your OS and CD rom drives operating. And
> have machine B that mainly has power and a hard drive controller to
> controller multiple drives. Is there a way that I can plug machine B
> into machine A using usb/ firewire?
>
> I know there are usb file transfer cables, but I don't want to run an
> OS in machine B, rather have it be a larger external hard drive.
>
> Thanks for your input
> hap
>

There is no way of joining the main bus of the two computers, in a
way that makes sense.

There are a whole variety of storage solutions.

1) Add an external drive enclosure to system A. It could be USB,
Firewire, or SATA connected. Some enclosures are dirt cheap.

2) Purchase a NAS. A NAS is an enclosure for a disk drive, and
it contains an entire computer. The NAS typically runs Linux
and supports connection to multiple computer types. Some of
them are reasonably cheap (the ones that hold a single drive).
And some are terribly expensive. The NAS is Ethernet connected.
The NAS can also be accessed by multiple computers.

http://www.tomsnetworking.com/nas/

3) There are some expansion chassis. They actually extend the
PCI bus to the second box. You can install a PCI disk controller
card in the expansion chassis, and then the expansion chassis
becomes a disk drive enclosure.

http://www.mobl.com/expansion/produc...lot/index.html

The cheapest solution is (1). If you don't have enough ports on
the back of your computer, you can purchase USB, Firewire, or
ESATA cards that can connect to multiple external enclosures.
ESATA would be the fastest connection method.

Paul

Thanks for all your replies. To "Rod Speed" you ask why not? about the
usb file tansfer cable. My original goal was to have a box (Machine B)
that was connected externally to Machine A via usb . firewire much like
how normal extranal enclosures are done today, but I wanted the
flexibility of adding multiple harddrives at my leisure.
Like a PC devoted to hard drive space that can be connected to Machine
A.

I am a little disappointed that I will have to implement some sort of
software installation, how do externals work. They have power coming in
to the hard drive controller which sends data out the usb/firewire
port, I just don't see why that couldn't be possible on a larger scale.

hap

hap <hapyfishrmn@gmail.com> wrote:

> To "Rod Speed" you ask why not? about the usb file tansfer cable.

No, I asked why not about not having an OS in that box.

> My original goal was to have a box (Machine B) that was
> connected externally to Machine A via usb . firewire much
> like how normal extranal enclosures are done today, but I
> wanted the flexibility of adding multiple harddrives at my leisure.

And you can do that with firewire and an OS in that box.

And with standard cat5 networking too, again with an OS in that box.

> Like a PC devoted to hard drive space that can be connected to Machine A.

Sure.

> I am a little disappointed that I will have to implement some
> sort of software installation, how do externals work.

They have a bridge between the USB/firewire and the drives.
No drive controller as such.

You can get those supporting more than one drive but
since you already have the motherboard and controller,
you get much more flexibility by adding an OS as well.

> They have power coming in to the hard drive controller
> which sends data out the usb/firewire port, I just don't
> see why that couldn't be possible on a larger scale.

It is, but you need a bridge that supports more than one drive.

They do exist but arent that common at all.

Thanks Rod,

I seem a little confused on the whole bridge thing but I think I am
slowly getting it. Do I have it correct in:
What I need to do is build a normal PC (with Case, Power Supply,
memory, motherboard, HD, & OS) and have a bridge between the
USB/firewire and the drives.

Any suggestions on the USB/firewire bridge (I assume its a hardware
piece)

or should I go with the NAS solution suggested above??

hap <hapyfishrmn@gmail.com> wrote:

> I seem a little confused on the whole bridge thing but
> I think I am slowly getting it. Do I have it correct in:

> What I need to do is build a normal PC (with Case,
> Power Supply, memory, motherboard, HD, & OS) and
> have a bridge between the USB/firewire and the drives.

Nope, you can EITHER have a normal PC (with Case,
Power Supply, memory, motherboard, HD, & OS)
OR
have a bridge between the USB/firewire and the drives.

> Any suggestions on the USB/firewire bridge

Fraid not, I prefer the first approach myself,
essentially because it give you a lot more flexibility.

> (I assume its a hardware piece)

Yes.

> or should I go with the NAS solution suggested above??

Yes, I prefer the NAS approach myself, because again you get
a lot more flexibility and can do SMART on the drives easily to
keep track of the drive temps etc. Thats much harder with a
bridge, you cant usually get any SMART data from the drives at all.

Thanks Rod,

I finally get what you are saying I found a SATA bridge here:
http://www.cooldrives.com/cosapomubrso.html and a full case here:
http://www.usb-ware.com/5-bay-esata-...-enclosure.htm

Do the drives show up in my computer as an external would?

hap <hapyfishrmn@gmail.com> wrote:

> I finally get what you are saying I found a SATA bridge here:
> http://www.cooldrives.com/cosapomubrso.html

Nar, that's a different animal, a port multiplier.

Here's an example
http://www.buffalotech.com/products/...&categoryid=17

> and a full case here:
> http://www.usb-ware.com/5-bay-esata-...-enclosure.htm

> Do the drives show up in my computer as an external would?

No, because its done with a port multiplier.