SFF-8088 cable usually comes with only one or two connectors

This durable Mini SAS cable features SFF-8088 to SFF-8088 cable plugs for connecting your external SAS devices (controllers, hard drives, SAN storage area network, etc.), and it is TAA-compliant for Federal (GSA Schedule) purchases.This is the most common external multilane connector type. However, unlike SFF-8087, where the top cards often have four or six connectors, SFF-8088 cable usually comes with only one or two connectors per controller. This is because a single SFF-8088 connector on a SAS Expander-enabled controller can connect to a large SAS Expander-enabled enclosure, which can then be daisy-chained.
Before the popularity of SAS Expanders, people had to use 8087-to-8088 adapters to convert unused internal ports into external ports. This is still common for SATA controllers, or SAS controllers that are not being used with a SAS Expander setup.