Storage World

Need to retrieve files quickly from a SATA drive or two but don’t have accessible SATA ports?

Thermaltake external SATA dock (www.thermaltake.com) can read/write to two SATA drives at once over USB 2.0 or eSATA, if your computer has an eSATA port and its chipset supports SATA port multiplying. Otherwise, you have to choose between docking one drive and getting SATA transfer speeds, or docking two at USB 2.0 speeds.

Click for more: Thermaltake BlacX Duet USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST0014U

Tags: storage, Disk

• Tiny
• Works with Mac and Windows
• Very easy to use
• No disk-wide encryption
• Backup software doesn’t work with 64-bit Windows

The Aegis Mini is a small-form-factor, full-featured alternative to a flash drive. External hard drive; 160GB capacity; 0.7 by 2.7 by 3.4 inches (HWD); 3.7 ounces.

Apricorn Aegis 120 GB Mini Ultra Portable HDD with Integrated Firewire Cable and Shock Mounting A18-FW-120 (Silver)

Tags: USB Storage, Online Storage

Apricorn’s Aegis Vault provides a way to transport your files without risking that they fall into the wrong hands. This portable drive features 128-bit AES encryption and password protection.

The Aegis Vault comes with software for managing the drive and granting user permissions. The first program is Vault-Tray, which lets you create one administrator account and up to three user accounts, each with a unique password. VaultTray also lets you access your encrypted drive by typing your password. The second program is VaultResize, a utility that lets you reallocate the drive’s encrypted partition. With this utility, it’s possible to create both publicly accessible and private, encrypted partitions. Finally, Apricorn includes the third program, VaultConsole, which lets you access your encrypted files when you are using a computer that doesn’t have VaultTray installed. You can either carry VaultConsole on a separate disc or install it on the public portion of the Aegis Vault drive.

There were a couple of small quirks during installation and setup. First, the drive didn’t power up on the first system on. However, the drive did work when used the bundled USB Y-cable, which Apricorn says is rarely necessary to use the drive. The second problem was that launch VaultResize if first closed VaultTray; otherwise, an error message and the program wouldn’t start.

It was simple to set up the administrator and user accounts through VaultTray, and VaultResize was equally intuitive for creating an encrypted partition. Once you create the encrypted partition, you can use Windows Disk Management to format the public partition.

The Aegis Vault is available in 80/120/160/250GB capacities and is compatible with Windows 2000/XP/Vista. The Vault’s size and security features make it an excellent option for transporting files between systems.

Tags: Server Storage, Online Storage

Internal hard drives, both for desktops and laptops have dropped so dramatically in price in recent years that many consumers regularly replace their drives with beefier models to accommodate their ever-expanding collections of video files, music, and other storage hungry content.

But that practice can present a challenge: Do you try to sell the old drive for pennies on the dollar or simply discard it? Now, you don’t have to do either. Thermal take has devised a unique solution to using internal hard drives that are no longer installed in your computers.

The Thermaltake Blacx Se HDD Dock with USB Port lets you plug in any 2.5- or 3.5-inch SATA hard drive up to 1.5TB.

The Blacx Se accommodates hot-swapping, which means you can simply plug in a hard drive to the dock while the dock is connected to your running PC. Although this convenience could prove handy for backups and for accessing files on older drives, the design does expose part of the hard drive, in turn potentially allowing for EMI issues.

Further, drives inserted in the dock are limited to USB 2.0 speeds, but this dock is intended as a supplement to existing internal hard drives.

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External disks are great, in that they let you add extra storage to a PC or server with minimal fuss and expense. Unfortunately, most use USB to connect to the host system, which limits the speed at which data can be transferred and hence the type of application for which they can be used. The latest Hypertec Firestorm drives, however, have eSata as well as USB interfaces, which makes them far more flexible.

As the name implies, eSata is an extension to the serial ATA (Sata) interface, used for internal storage on most modern desktop PCs and small-business servers. The e stands for external, an eSata interface enabling external disks to deliver the same level of performance as those inside a host system. You can even boot from an external disk connected via eSata, if you want. Hypertec Firestorm drives are available in a variety of capacities, starting with the 80GB model, up to a 500GB version. A dual-drive implementation is also available with a total capacity of either 1.5TB or 2TB, with optional Raid protection if needed.

All come housed in sleek alloy cases designed to dissipate heat without the need for a cooling fan, an approach that also makes them very quiet. A small stand allows the drive to be positioned where needed, while power is supplied via a separate AC adapter that plugs in at the back next to the USB and eSata connectors. Leads for both are provided and, as few PCs or servers have eSata interfaces as yet, you also get an adapter for use with internal Sata ports. This fits into a standard expansion bay, although there’s no card to plug in, just a backplate and a cable to attach to an internal Sata port.

On the inside each Firestorm drive comprises little more than a hard disk and a small interface module. The test unit 80GB, for example, had a single 7,200rpm Sata disk from Excelstor, a Chinese manufacturer recently acquired by Iomega, with similar drives in the other models.

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The RX81-MP-SC is a hot-swappable external hard drive enclosure made of heat-dissipating aluminum. Designed to reside in an office rather than a laptop case, the RX81-MP-SC is somewhat bulky (13.5 x 22.5 x 3.5cm [HxWxD]) and requires a separate power adapter. This probably isn’t an enclosure you’ll be toting around.

The device supports hard drives up to 1TB, although you’ll have to purchase a hard drive separately. Installing a drive in the RX81-MP-SC was somewhat time-consuming. You had to remove two screws to get the outside case apart, four to get in to the enclosure, and then another four to secure the hard drive to the case for the installation. However, the hard drive itself popped right in without any fuss. Once the whole thing back together, the unit worked immediately.

There was no software to install; the plug-and-play feature worked smoothly. The Seagate drive used for test was NTFS, but the enclosure also supports Mac OS 8.6 and above, as well as Linux 2.4.1.0 and above, so you can format a drive to use the RX81-MP-SC with just about any system. The variety of ports adds to the RX81-MP-SC’s format friendliness. You can connect the enclosure to a computer or network hub via five different interfaces from USB 1.1 to eSATA, so the device will work with computers young and old.

Say you need portable storage with a hard drive’s capacity. It has to survive the vibration of a helicopter (which gives most hard drives dementia), not to mention the occasional fumble on concrete or rocks. Your budget? Substantial .. . but subject to oversight.

At Fortress CEO Duncan Mackay’s insistence, I dropped this 40GB drive with positively ancient specs on a concrete floor. On its corner. From 7 feet up. It not only lived but also developed no bad sectors. I couldn’t even tell which corner the drive had landed on, as its electroless nickel plating wasn’t even abraded. Unfortunately, Mackay was unable to provide shock tolerance figures for anything but the bare drive itself, although the assembled unit does surpass the military’s MIL-STD-810F standard “by a factor of three.”

Fortress CNC-machines its enclosures out of billet aluminum, fills them with a proprietary, viscoelastic material a “solid that acts like a liquid” and then installs notebook drives encased in heat-wicking aluminum cradles.

The FXHDD2540 Fortress sent me had a 40GB ATA-100 Fujitsu MHV2040AT drive inside. Oddly, its FireWire link proved write-challenged, and its USB interface couldn’t reed good.

To reduce heat buildup, Fortress uses low-rpm drives. In fact, its entire $499 to $949 range tops out at 5,400rpm drives with 8MB caches. Mackay says a 160GB model and eSATA are in the works. A SSD (solid-state disk) could be made even tougher (and faster), but only at double the price or more. Corsair’s rugged Flash Voyagers cost just $140 online, but top out at 16GB. Hence Fortress’ niche.

Sans Digital’s MobileSTOR Series MS2C1 is a dual-bay external RAID 0 and JBOD solution designed for video editing and other serious data storage needs. Simple and flexible, the MS2C1 is equipped with two swappable and lockable 3.5-inch drive trays and three interface methods: USB 2.0, 1394a, and 1394b. Utilizing cutting-edge serial-ATA technology, the MS2C1 provides top-notch performance, while meeting the data-intensive needs of the most demanding consumers.

The MobileSTOR MS2CI offers:

• Two swappable 3.5-inch drive bays
• Support for SATA I and SATA II
• An onboard power supply, with power switch
• 40mm ball-bearing cooling fan
• Temp and fan failure detector, with light
• Removable trays for quick access and troubleshooting
• Support for both Windows and Mac OS

Supporting RAID 0 or JBOD and sporting an onboard power supply in a stylish aluminum housing, the MobileSTOR MS2C1 provides high performance, unparalleled versatility, and the ultimate in security.

Click here to view Sans Digital MobileSTOR Series MS2C1 – Hard drive array – 2 bays ( SATA-300 ) – 0 x HD – FireWire 800, Hi-Speed USB, FireWire 400 (external)

Form and functionality converge with style in Vantec’s NexStar 3 external hard drive enclosure. With its mirror finish, sleek curves, and bold colors, the NexStar 3 stands out from the crowd. The sturdy drive cage protects your hard drive, while the aluminum case effectively draws away heat.

• Aluminum case cools your hard drive
• Transfer rates up to 480Mbps with USB 2.0 (12Mbps with USB 1.1)
• Easily add storage to any system via USB ports
• Hot-swappable: Plug And Play without rebooting
• Attractive blue LED indicates power and drive activity
• Supports hard drives up to 750GB

Each unit includes a driver disc, users manual, 3.5-inch drive enclosure, power adapter, power cable, USB cable, vertical stand, and screws. The NexStar 3 is available in four vivid colors (Steel Grey, Onyx Black, Brilliant Red, and Midnight Blue), so you can store your data in an enclosure that matches your style!

Click the image to place order now at lowest price.

Many of you are thinking about buying an external hard drive for backups. The most common type on the store shelves uses USB 2.0 to connect to your computer. You can buy one of these, connect it to nearly any computer, and get so-so speeds. A FireWire drive will give you roughly similar performance, but at a higher price and less compatibility.

On the other hand, if your computer supports eSATA (external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment), you can make your backups go a lot faster with a compatible external hard drive. eSATA basically extends your computer’s internal SATA ports outside your computer. It uses a stronger type of data cable connector, however, so an eSATA plug is shaped differently than a SATA plug.

From personal experience that eSATA is fast, but I’d never pinned down exactly how fast it was in comparison to internal, USB, and FireWire drives. I set out to test a drive using each of these interfaces and benchmarking software to prove which one is the victor.

Vantec graciously loaned me a couple of excellent external hard drive enclosure kits. Add your own 3.5-inch hard drive to one of these enclosures, and you’ll have an external drive ready for backups or extra storage space. One kit, the NexStar 3 NST-360SU, turns a SATA drive into an eSATA and USB 2.0 unit. The NexStar 3 NST-360UF accepts a common IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) hard drive and supports USB 2.0 and FireWire.

And there was the rub. Unfortunately, I couldn’t use the same drive for all my tests because the eSATA enclosure required a SATA drive and the FireWire kit needed an IDE drive. To get around this, I located two 80GB Maxtor hard drives that were identical except for their interfaces, SATA and IDE (the 6Y080M0 and 6Y080P0).

As you can see from my test results in the chart, eSATA is undeniably the fastest external option. With a substantial performance lead over USB or FireWire, eSATA can significantly speed up your backups. In fact, eSATA is so fast that you won’t be able to tell whether you’re accessing an internal or external drive.

There’s more good news: Even if your computer doesn’t have an eSATA port, you may not need to buy a $25 adapter card to add one. The Vantec NST-360SU comes with a simple bracket that installs in an empty expansion card slot and connects to one of your motherboard’s SATA plugs. I found similar brackets from here, here, and others online for few dollars only.

USB will be with us for a long, long time. As a hard drive connection, though, its days are numbered.