Promise Drive Enclosure – 12Gb/s SAS Host Interface, 3U Rack-Mountable

Designed for professional data centers, media studios, and demanding enterprise environments, the Promise Drive Enclosure delivers expansive storage with a robust, scalable 12Gb/s SAS host interface. With 16 hot-swappable bays in a compact 3U rack-mountable chassis, this enclosure is purpose-built to grow your storage footprint without sacrificing reliability or performance. Whether you’re expanding a server room, building a high-capacity backup solution, or provisioning a media editing suite, this Promise enclosure combines JBOD versatility with an enterprise-grade backbone for dependable, flexible storage expansion.

• The Promise Drive Enclosure provides a turnkey, scalable storage expansion path with 16 x HDD bays in a 3U rack-mountable frame, making it an ideal backbone for data-intensive workloads. Its 12Gb/s SAS host interface ensures high-bandwidth connectivity to your server or storage controller, enabling fast data transfer and efficient throughput across all drive bays. In Non-RAID JBOD mode, you can present each drive to the host as an independent unit, giving software-defined storage teams precise control over tiering and data placement while maintaining simplicity and direct access to every disk.
• Designed for reliability and uptime, the enclosure supports hot-swappable hard drives and front-access bays for quick maintenance without powering down critical systems. This means you can replace a failed drive with minimal interruption to operations, perform ongoing capacity expansion, and maintain a continuous data workflow—an essential capability in video production pipelines, backup archives, and surveillance environments where downtime is costly.
• With exhaustive compatibility and flexible deployment, the Promise enclosure accommodates a wide range of 3.5-inch SAS/SATA drives, ensuring you can tailor storage density and performance to your exact needs. The JBOD configuration lets you leverage software RAID, filesystems, or virtualized storage layers on your host while the enclosure remains a simple, reliable carrier for your disks. This level of flexibility makes it easy to adapt to evolving workloads and business requirements.
• Built for rack-ready integration, the 3U form factor aligns with standard 19-inch racks, maximizing space efficiency in server rooms and data centers. The chassis includes front-panel indicators and accessible drive bays, streamlining system monitoring and maintenance. Whether you’re deploying multiple enclosures in a row or pairing one with a high-performance SAS controller, the 3U design ensures clean cable management and straightforward expansion as demand grows.
• Operational efficiency and performance are enhanced by thoughtful engineering that minimizes latency and sustains throughput across all 16 bays. The 12Gb/s SAS host interface provides ample bandwidth to support data-intensive tasks, while the non-RAID JBOD setup eliminates the performance overhead of RAID processing on the enclosure itself. This lets your host-based controller or software-defined storage stack optimize data layout, replication, and fault tolerance according to your unique architecture.

Technical Details of Promise Drive Enclosure

• Model: Promise Drive Enclosure with 12Gb/s SAS host interface
• Host interface: 12Gb/s SAS compatible
• Bays: 16 x 3.5-inch drive bays
• Form factor: 3U rack-mountable chassis for standard 19-inch racks
• Drive mode: Non-RAID JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) mode for direct pass-through to the host
• Drive type support: Supports SAS/SATA 3.5-inch hard drives (compatibility varies by SKU)
• Cooling and design: Front-access bays with enterprise-grade cooling airflow for reliable operation
• Indicator features: Front-panel LEDs for drive and connection status

how to install Promise Drive Enclosure

• Prepare a standard 19-inch equipment rack and locate an appropriate 3U space with adequate cooling and power. Mount the Promise enclosure using rack rails or brackets designed for 3U devices, ensuring a secure fit and proper spacing for airflow.
• Install up to 16 x 3.5-inch SAS/SATA hard drives into the hot-swappable drive bays, following the drive manufacturer’s guidelines for mounting and connection. Ensure each drive is firmly seated and that you do not exceed the weight or torque specifications for the drive trays.
• Connect the SAS host cables from your server or storage controller to the enclosure’s SAS interface ports. Use high-quality, compliant 12Gb/s SAS cables and route cabling for optimal airflow and minimal EMI interference.
• Power on the enclosure and verify that the host sees the device. Use your operating system or storage management software to detect the enclosure and enumerate the individual drives in JBOD mode. If necessary, configure the host to recognize each disk as a separate unit rather than a RAID array on the enclosure.
• Perform initial drive health checks and format or partition drives as required by your storage plan. Maintain a routine monitoring process to track drive SMART data, temperature, and fan speeds to prevent failures and ensure sustained performance over time.
• Document your JBOD deployment strategy and integrate with your existing backup, virtualization, or storage virtualization layer. If you plan to implement software-defined storage or a RAID array on top of JBOD, configure your controller or server software accordingly and verify data integrity after setup.

Frequently asked questions

• Q: What is JBOD mode? A: JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) mode exposes each drive to the host as an individual disk, without enclosure-level RAID processing. This provides maximum flexibility for software-defined storage, backups, and tiered storage strategies, while letting the host manage RAID or data protection as needed.
• Q: Does this enclosure support RAID? A: The enclosure is designed for Non-RAID JBOD operation. RAID configurations, if desired, should be implemented by the host controller or software-defined storage layer outside the enclosure.
• Q: How many drives can I install? A: Up to 16 x 3.5-inch drives can be installed in the 16-drive bay chassis, enabling substantial capacity growth within a compact 3U form factor.
• Q: What kind of drives are supported? A: The enclosure is designed to accommodate 3.5-inch SAS/SATA HDDs. Always verify compatibility with your specific SKU and firmware level before purchase to ensure optimal performance and reliability.
• Q: Is the enclosure hot-swappable? A: Yes. Drives are hot-swappable, allowing drive replacement or expansion without powering down the entire system, minimizing downtime in production environments.