EliteRAID ER208UTI6G 2U 8-Bay Rackmount Storage Enclosure
The Sans Digital EliteRAID ER208UTI6G is a professional-grade 2U 8-bay rackmount storage enclosure designed for organizations requiring high-performance, flexible storage solutions. This hardware RAID enclosure combines multiple connectivity options—USB 3.0, eSATA, and iSCSI via four Gigabit Ethernet ports—to deliver enterprise-class data management in compact form factor. Perfect for data centers, server rooms, and virtualized environments, the ER208UTI6G provides embedded hardware RAID capabilities for improved performance, redundancy, and simplified multi-drive storage deployments without taxing host system resources.
Key Features
- 8-bay drive capacity in compact 2U rackmount form factor
- Embedded hardware RAID engine for flexible RAID configurations (RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10)
- Multiple connectivity: USB 3.0, eSATA, and iSCSI interfaces
- Four Gigabit Ethernet ports for network-attached storage and iSCSI connectivity
- High-performance storage solution for virtualization and data center environments
- Redundant power supplies for enterprise reliability
- Tool-free drive installation and hot-swap capability
- Supports 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch SATA/SAS drives
Technical Specifications
| Specification |
Details |
| Manufacturer |
SANS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY INC. |
| Model Number |
KT-ER208UTI6G |
| Form Factor |
2U Rackmount |
| Bay Configuration |
8-bay storage enclosure |
| Drive Support |
3.5-inch and 2.5-inch SATA/SAS drives |
| RAID Engine |
Embedded hardware RAID controller |
| RAID Levels |
RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 |
| Connectivity |
USB 3.0, eSATA, iSCSI |
| Network Ports |
Four Gigabit Ethernet ports |
| Power Supply |
Redundant power supplies |
| Cooling |
Multiple cooling fans |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a hardware RAID enclosure and why do I need one?
A hardware RAID enclosure like the EliteRAID ER208UTI6G includes a dedicated RAID controller that manages data redundancy and performance independently from your host system. This offloads processing burden, improves storage performance, and provides automatic failover protection without consuming server CPU resources.
Can I use the ER208UTI6G for both direct-attached and network storage?
Yes. The EliteRAID supports multiple connectivity modes: USB 3.0 and eSATA for direct-attached storage, plus iSCSI over four Gigabit Ethernet ports for network-attached deployment. This flexibility allows you to configure the enclosure based on your infrastructure requirements.
What RAID configurations does the 8-bay rackmount enclosure support?
The ER208UTI6G's embedded RAID engine supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10, allowing you to balance performance, capacity, and redundancy according to your data protection needs. RAID 5 and 6 are recommended for production environments requiring fault tolerance.
Is the 2U storage enclosure suitable for data center deployment?
Absolutely. The compact 2U form factor, redundant power supplies, hot-swap drive capability, and enterprise-grade RAID functionality make this rackmount storage solution ideal for data centers, server rooms, and virtualized environments where space and reliability are critical.
