A server administrator is tasked with adding a new hard drive to a rack-mount server to expand its storage capacity. The server's backplane is connected to a SATA controller, and all existing drives are 4TB SATA HDDs. The administrator finds a spare 4TB SAS drive and inserts it into an empty bay. The drive's activity light does not illuminate, and the operating system does not detect the new drive. What is the most likely cause of this issue?
The SAS drive requires a different power connector than what the SATA backplane provides.
The drive must be formatted with a specific file system before the server can recognize it.
The server's SATA controller is not compatible with SAS drives.
The new drive's capacity exceeds the maximum supported by the SATA controller.
The correct answer explains that a SAS drive cannot function when connected to a SATA-only controller. While SAS controllers are backward-compatible with SATA drives, the reverse is not true. SATA controllers lack the necessary components and protocol support (the SCSI command set) to communicate with SAS drives.
The option suggesting a different power connector is incorrect. While the connectors have slight physical differences, they are designed to be mechanically compatible in a way that allows SATA drives to connect to SAS backplanes, and the power delivery is standardized. The issue is electronic and protocol-based, not a power connector mismatch.
The option regarding drive capacity is incorrect because the server already supports other drives of the same 4TB capacity, making a controller limit at that size highly improbable.
The option about file system formatting is incorrect because drive detection by the server's firmware (BIOS/UEFI) and the operating system's storage controller is a prerequisite for formatting. A drive must be recognized as a hardware device before it can be partitioned and formatted.