Anyone know about Controller Chips on SATA to USB

[happydog500]

I was looking at a SATA to USB cord to install Linux from an external HD (also to get data off a drive if I need to). On the "best choice" a review said he uses it to boot from. He bought one that worked good. He bought two more, but said you can't boot from it.

He went on to say they changed the chipset inside the cord to one "black listed" as not working with Linux (NS1068).

This is shocking for me. A SATA to USB cord that works doing everything, except booting Linux?

If I want to buy a cord, I have to make sure what's inside is not 'black listed" in Linux? Geezs.

If you go to the store and buy a USB cord, how are you supposed to know what chip sets inside? Most of the time I don't see chipsets listed on websites either.

Is there anyone familiar with what the reviewer was talking about that can add more of an explanation?

What SATA to USB Cord has the ASM1153 controller that works in Linux?

(Review; BENFEI, SATA to USB cable, Amazon's choice)

[gittiest personITW]

Who is 'he'?
Is there anyone else on the internet that agrees with him?
Linux blacklisting hardware sounds a little dubious.

If you are willing to take a leap of faith, why not contact an Amazon seller, ask them.
If you then buy the cable from them and it doesn't do what they said it will do you can send it back.

It is more likely to be down to your chipset in your computer as to whether you can boot from the external hd using the USB but as you don't give any details it is hard to say.
Maybe look at the following link and follow number 5 and include some more detail on what you're trying to achieve.
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=83444

[AndyMH]

Two that I have bought with no issues:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

[Hoser Rob]

Who is 'he'?
Is there anyone else on the internet that agrees with him?
Linux blacklisting hardware sounds a little dubious.,,,

Agree, this is why I don't read most of thoe web reviews. They're just crap. Web articles are NOT vetted like those in more traditional print media are.

Frankly "blacklisting" Linux on something like this would be an idiotic wate of time and money. More likely there's some added feature o9f sorts that makes it non compliant with industry specs like IEEE.

[happydog500]

Thank you for the replys and links,

[Cobrin]

Best to just stick to traditional methods and use a usb flash drive. 8Gb drives are cheap and easy to make bootable media. Then you could continue to use the HDD to get other data from if need be without wasting the cable purchase.

[happydog500]

Looking into getting 128GB flash drive that is so small it can barley be seen outside of the plug.

Can't believe they can fit all that memory on such a little thing. Makes me think of all the waste in bigger ones. Hard to keep track of them tho, easier to lose.

[gittiest personITW]

Careful.
I have a couple of teeny tiny Sandisk drives and they heat up quite a lot (hot to the touch although that could be as little as 45C come to think of it) when being put through their paces. My other normal 'thumbdrive' types don't heat up anywhere near as much - or at least they are insulated enough so we don't feel the heat - not sure which.

[Petermint]

SATA to USB 2 bridge chips almost always work. USB 3 to SATA bridge chips are often USB 2 bridge chips with minor additions that work only in Windows because they created a special driver to work around the chip deficiencies. The most common symptom is random IO errors in USB 3 but they work in USB 2.

When the device is plugged in, you run the command lsusb to see the USB ID and search for the ID against linux or ubuntu.

The devices can also fail because they cannot carry enough current to supply the disk. In the case of a chip used in an enclosure, a shorter thicker cord may help.

The devices can fail because they do not understand UASP and other protocols. Your USB port might have two sockets but only the power to supply one disk.

Some listings on Amazon identify the chip. Some listings are full of complaints. A popular device might have a review or specifications mentioning the chip. Because the brands are like Apple and do not make anything, they just buy generic stuff and that can change from batch to batch. Buy from someone who accepts returns. Add a review of the product including the lsusb information.

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