[Question] Does USB4 increase the number of available endpoints? - eviltoast

I’m looking to replace my sff J5040 Wyze machine. Its still plenty fast enough, but storage has become an issue with its limited USB endpoint availability of ~50 device limit.

I know that just switching it up to a newer Intel system could give me double the endpoints because of the two XHCI chip setup, but I was thinking that if I’m going to replace it, I’d like to not limit myself.

As such, even though Ryzen is far faster than I need, it does now support USB4. Does anyone know if the switch to USB4 would give the system a larger address range and have more than 127 USB devices or is that limitation still in place and I might as well not waste my money?

  • breakingcups@lemmy.worldEnglish
    33·
    3 days ago

    I have to ask, even though I’m afraid of the answer, exactly how many USB storage devices are you (planning on) hooking up to that poor machine?

    • frazorth@feddit.ukOPEnglish
      9·
      3 days ago

      Its currently got 16 disks, and a ZigBee. So not a lot from my point of view.

      However its also got the internal hubs to split the front and back ports, I think the Bluetooth is hooked up to USB on the board and there are a few other things that appear as codes. What it means is that trying to connect another disk to swap out on my ZFS fails to enumerate on the USB. I dont think the number of items are unreasonable but this little box wasn’t quite designed for this usecase.

      [Edit] As mentioned on the other thread, these only have 50 endpoints because Intel, and each device is 2 endpoints so there are only 20 devices total that can be plugged in.

      • Nollij@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        212·
        3 days ago

        You currently have 16 disks connected via USB, in a ZFS array?

        I highly recommend reimagining your path forward. Define your needs (sounds like a high-capacity storage server to me), define your constraints (e.g. cost), then develop a solution to best meet them.

        Even if you are trying to build one on the cheap with a high Wife Acceptance Factor, there are better ways to do so than attaching 16+ USB disks to a thin client.

      • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
        74·
        3 days ago

        Oh my do not do this USB can be very fragile and you array might just implode one day.

        Go get yourself 2-3 servers and then load them each with some drives. From there setup Ceph and profit.

          • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
            3·
            3 days ago

            Your setup is definitely “non standard”

            I would strongly look into proper SAS or Sata. USB is not designed for what you are doing. Also writing a long comment comment about how you have been in tech for decades does not make your setup any less crazy. I can not understate that a standard setup would be way better.