Does WHS support AHCI? SATA controllers?

[VirtualLarry]

Want to set up a WHS on an EP35C-DS3R, and use a couple of SI3114 PCI 4-port SATA controller cards (flashed with IDE bios). Unsure of whether or not the WHS installer will recognize those cards if flashed with IDE bios.

Was reading this, and it got me concerned:
http://social.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/whssoftware/thread/97f84ade-a30b-49d7-a7a3-cdf0e4e6a1bb/

Also wondering if I should have AHCI mode or IDE mode for the motherboard Intel and Jmicron controller. I'm guessing that it has to be set to IDE mode, but I was just curious.

Edit: One worry that I had, was that if I ever had to do a server re-install, I don't know if WHS needs to be able to see all of the data drives in order to re-import them into the pool. If it cannot see the drives on the SI3114 controllers, and loses the data, then I'll be SOL.

 

[RebateMonger]

If you have multiple types of disk controllers, if you don't load ALL the appropriate drivers at the time of the WHS re-install, then that'll probably be bad. WHS is going to need to see those disks to scan them, and it's going to do that BEFORE it comes up in Windows mode.

I don't have any way to play with it at the moment, but don't both the Vista-based and DOS-based installer portions of WHS have the option of installing multiple disk controller drivers? My recollection of the DOS version (XP-like installer) is that after installing the first disk driver, it asks, "Do you have any more drivers to install?".

 

[notposting]

RebateMonger, yeah it has that section where it lets you add the storage drivers.

Also, you wouldn't be SOL really--they are just NTFS volumes so the data would still be there and be readable on other computers.

 

[VirtualLarry]

RebateMonger, yeah it has that section where it lets you add the storage drivers.

Also, you wouldn't be SOL really--they are just NTFS volumes so the data would still be there and be readable on other computers.

Is there a way to manually re-import them into the data store?

For example, what happens if you add a USB external HD to the pool. Does it have to be turned on, plugged in, and accessable, when re-installing WHS in order for it to be added? Or can you just plug it in later on?

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm a little concerned, I went to the SiliconImage.com site and looked at the driver downloads for that card, and the older drivers that used to be available aren't there any more. The oldest driver for non-RAID support says "Vista" on it, not XP or Server 2003. I sure hope that works.

 

[RebateMonger]

I don't think I've ever used the Silicon Image 3114. I've used tons of 3112 and 3152.

I see what you mean about missing labelled Si3114 XP/2003 drivers. But if you open the Si3114.inf file for the 1.3.10.0 drivers ("Non-RAID 32-bit Windows driver for Vista"), it says:

; This INF file installs the Silicon Image Serial ATA non-Raid driver
; for the SiI 3114 controller on systems running Windows 98/ME,
; Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000/XP, Windows Server 2003,
; and Windows Vista.
;
; Copyright (C) 2003-2006 by Silicon Image, Inc.
; All rights reserved

Regarding AHCI/IDE drivers for your Intel controller, it shouldn't make any difference what you choose. Those drivers will only control the Intel controller. The Si-based card will be controlled by the Si drivers.

If you are concerned, you might want to toss one of the controllers onto a motherboard and try the drivers and maybe a WHS re-install, just in case. Other than the first steps which involve loading the disk controller drivers, iinstalling WHS is pretty much automatic, so you might as well test it now so you can sleep soundly.