eSATA question
 

My home server, on which I run Ubuntu, came with a nice DVD burner. In order to make it a file server, however, I replaced the DVD burner with a 1TB hard drive. Can I just buy any eSATA dock to plug the DVD burner into?

I'm looking at this one (link). Thoughts? I don't want to open the computer and swap drives every time I want to use the DVD drive.

Thanks!

Ok, let me see if I can figure out what your config is. I assume you have a hard drive with and operating system on it and and then you added a larger hard drive in place of the DVD rom slot for storage? Now, to plug in the eSata dock you will need an eSata port in your computer to plug it into. I am assuming you are using a Sata DVD drive and not IDE but at any rate you will not able to plug that into the dock.

If all you want to do is have a DVD drive in your server. I would find an external USB DVD enclosure and use your DVD drive that way or just buy a cheap usb DVD drive.

I have this exact one. It spends it's life acting as a PVR to my satellite receiver. As for sticking a DVD drive into it, you might have problems with the drive being vertical. Occasional use should be OK. I'll see if I have a optical drive around and stick it in for you...

The supplied link is to a 2.5"/3.5" HDD SATA dock. I don't see how you are going to jam a 5.25" device into that.
You need a 5.25" external Optical drive enclosure like this link

See, I knew I was going to make a really basic mistake like that. Thanks! :)

Or you get the 3.5" dock, use it for the HDD, and stick your dvd drive back where it was.

Docks don't generally have very good cooling (the wrong half of the drive is exposed) and are not really intended for long-term use. Not that a lot of the cheap external cases have very good cooling either...