Mac Pro eSata Snow Leopard

I have a Mac Pro:

Model Identifier: MacPro1,1 Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon

I was using a cheap eSata PCIe card that used the sii3132 drivers to run an Edgestore DAS200 under Leopard and all was well.

Apparently Snow Leopard doesn't like the drivers, so rather than risk my Data I'm now running the DAS200 via USB.

I wonder if anyone can recommend from personal experience a reasonably priced (UK available) PCIe eSATA card that is compatible with Snow Leopard?

Boldfish

Posted 2009-09-07T06:44:27.710

Reputation: 21

Answers

Why don't you just get an eSATA bracket and pull it to one of the SATA connectors in your Mac Pro? Much more elegant, much better, and no need to worry about driver support.

eSATA bracket

If you really must have an eSATA PCI-E card for any reason... then good recommendations are from FirmTek (which doesn't use the Sil3132 chipset). Firmtek, who writes their own drivers, have pledged support for 10.6.

caliban

Posted 2009-09-07T06:44:27.710

Reputation: 18 979

Latest Firmtek drivers support SL. Find them here : http://firmtek.com/download/

– caliban – 2009-09-07T07:23:51.030

Been looking at that, will it work with an external raid box like the DAS200?

I'm wondering if the chipset in the DAS200 box will cause issues. Reading the Sonnet technical information I'm starting to wonder. – Boldfish – 2009-09-07T08:00:15.310

It shouldn't be a problem if it is an oxford chipset. – caliban – 2009-09-07T08:44:09.980

I recall having problems on my MacBook Pro when I upgraded it to 4MB it kept KP'ing whenever I used the eSATA express card and the drivers leopard didn't like - at that time I reverted to the SiI3132 Base drivers - 1.1.9 http://www.siliconimage.com/support/searchresults.aspx?pid=32&cat=3

and that cured the problem. I'm currently experimenting with that driver on my Mac Pro with Leopard. Seems okay so far. if you see no more comments, assume it's the fix. ;)

– Boldfish – 2009-09-07T09:56:51.533

Bonne chance! Hope it works for you. – caliban – 2009-09-07T10:01:56.453

of course, where I typed Leopard I meant Snow Leopard...

So far so good - disk transfers are happening fine, all seems to be okay, sleep and wake also fine.

fingers crossed. – Boldfish – 2009-09-07T10:27:09.663

oh well, seem not.

it failed a Time Machine backup with undisclosed error and in th emiddle of a drive repair (as suggested by time machine) promptly Kernel Panicked.

Back to USB connection for a while then...

:( – Boldfish – 2009-09-07T11:26:05.410

oh dear, that sucks. try getting a bracket, or putting the TM drive straight into your Mac Pro for the time being. – caliban – 2009-09-07T12:24:21.433

mac pro is full at the moment - two drives in a RAID for data one for Snow Leopard and my Original Leopard drive.

The external is so I can take work and copies of data with me - it was all automated, so I could leave quite quickly...

I need a rethink or a UK supplier of Firmtek cards – Boldfish – 2009-09-08T10:06:56.423

http://www.siliconimage.com/support/searchresults.aspx?pid=32&cat=3

An updated 3132 driver seems to have cured the problem.

for me, with my generic PCIe card and the DAS200 at least.

I have yet to try it with the express card, but I'm optimistic.

Boldfish

Posted 2009-09-07T06:44:27.710

Reputation: 21

I had also problem with a Sli3132 card (laCie 2E). Lacie has released updated drivers but they didn't work. (doesn´t crash the computer as the old drivers did, but the card was never found).

I tried STLAB A-350 (about 30€), which uses a jmicron chipset and that worked fine even though STLAB doesn´t specify any mac support. Didn't need to install any driver, it just worked after installation :-)

This on a macpro 3.1 with mac os x 10.6.1

Tobias

Posted 2009-09-07T06:44:27.710

Reputation: