backplane failed within 2 years

We used the 3Ware RDC-400-SATA enclosure for the RAID array serving our lab 32-node Linux cluster. This is a heavily-loaded scientific computing system with jobs that often run for weeks at a time, so any downtime is potentially disastrous.

This 3Ware product has actually increased our downtime, as the backplane failed before any of the drives.

Two weeks prior to failure, the buzzer sounded. The alarm does not distinguish between fan underspeed and drive failure, but the disk array appeared fully functional, so we assumed a fan problem. Unfortunately, replacing a fan requires shutting down the system, taking the cage apart, and soldering the new fan power cables. Also, there are 3 fans on the enclosure, so fixing a fan underspeed problem may require replacing all 3 at once. And in hindsight, it's still unclear whether the buzzer was actually indicating a partial failure of the backplane.

We eventually lost connection to one of the drives in the cage. After swapping cables and drives, it was clear that a backplane pass-through had failed. Since then, we've removed the cage and connected all drives directly to the 3Ware RAID card, and our disk array is back to normal.

The 3Ware RMA team was unhelpful in replacing/repairing the failed unit.

Pros:
*The drive enclosure looks pretty, and it feels mechanically robust.

Cons:
*Poor quality: backplane failed within 2 years
*Poor design: replacement fans must be soldered in; indiscriminate alarm (is it the fan? is it drive?)

Final thoughts:
What good is a hot-swap drive cage if it fails before your hard drives do? If you want a drive cage that looks nice, buy 3Ware. If you want a drive cage you can depend on, go with another manufacturer and save yourself the trouble.