Use sata splitters in a software RAID setup?

Question

I'm looking at setting up NAS using FreeNAS. I'm working on a parts list that would be that NAS system. I'm looking at the MiniITX motherboard form factor for compact-ness. The big down side is that motherboards of that size only have 1 or 2 sata ports. Can I use sata (data) splitters to allow more drives to be connected with functioning software RAID? I understand that using splitters will reduce the throughput of each drive. Thanks!

Answer 1

While port multipliers do exist for SATA, however you have to purchase hardware to support it, if your motherboard does not.

On top of that, recent tests show that they are not safe for RAID environments.