SAS cable introduction

SAS cable introduction

First of all, it is necessary for us to distinguish the concept of "port" and "interface connector". The port of a hardware device is also called an interface, and its electrical signals are defined by the interface specification, and the number depends on the design of the control chip (Controller IC, also including RoC). But whether it is an interface or a port, it must rely on the representation of an entity - mainly pins and connectors, in order to play the role of connection and then form a data path. So there are interface connectors, which are always used in pairs: one on the hard drive, HBA, RAID card, or backplane that "snaps" together on the other end of the cable. As for which side is the "receptacle connector" (receptacle connector) and which side is the "plug connector" (plug connector), it depends on the specific connector specification.

The situation of SATA cables and connectors is relatively simple. One port corresponds to one interface connector, and the cable has only a single connection. SAS is different: it supports 4 wide links from the beginning, allowing up to 4 narrow ports (narrow links) to be aggregated into a wide port (wide port), and has developed a corresponding connector specification. In this way, there are at least two types of SAS interface connectors, plus the difference between inside and outside, various feasible combinations make the types of SAS cables as many as dozens. If you consider the changes in the shape of the interface connectors made by various computer manufacturers for wiring needs, then there are more types of SAS cables.