Storage terminology
Internal vs external storage interconnects
Use only labels that the canonical record itself makes explicit. Internal/external form does not by itself establish SAS generation, PCIe lane count, power delivery, cable construction or drive compatibility.
| Connector | Canonical distinction | Engineering reference |
|---|---|---|
| eSATA 7-pin data connector | External | Open engineering sidecar → |
| MCIO / SFF-TA-1016 connector family | Internal | Open engineering sidecar → |
| Mini-SAS external SFF-8088 connector | External | Open engineering sidecar → |
| Mini-SAS HD external SFF-8644 connector | External | Open engineering sidecar → |
| Mini-SAS HD internal SFF-8643 connector | Internal | Open engineering sidecar → |
| Mini-SAS internal SFF-8087 connector | Internal | Open engineering sidecar → |
OCuLink is a compact cabled PCI Express connector family represented by SFF-8611/SFF-8612-oriented implementations in storage and accelerator systems. The current engineering sidecar intentionally does not collapse every SFF-8611/SFF-8612-oriented implementation into a single pin count or internal/external geometry.
These tables reorganize facts already present in the canonical field notes and engineering sidecars. A shared count, role word, coupling method, alias or family label does not prove that two parts mate, carry the same signal, use the same wiring or are safe substitutes.