Product ID: SMS2BU31C3R
This dual-slot drive enclosure for mSATA and mSATA mini drives makes it easy to add ultra-fast, portable external storage to your USB-C™ or USB-A enabled laptop, tablet or desktop computer. The dual mSATA enclosure also provides RAID functionality for increased capacity, improved performance, or data redundancy.
Quickly access, transfer and back up your files. The dual mSATA enclosure lets you to leverage the speed of your mSATA drives by taking advantage of USB 3.1 Gen 2 with up to 10 Gbps data transfer rates. It’s ideal for IT professionals, creative professionals, teachers, researchers and other professionals who need fast access to important data files, while in the office or lab or while working at home. The USB 3.1 Gen 2 mSATA enclosure gives you easy access to your files for data migration and data backups so that you can safeguard your data at any time.
With multiple RAID options, you can gain increased storage size, performance, or redundancy. Enjoy peace of mind, knowing your files are continually backed up or take advantage of the greater speed and capacity offered by a combined solution. The enclosure supports RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD and SPAN (BIG) enabling you to choose your preferred backup mode. It also supports SSD TRIM, to prolong drive lifespan and performance.
The two-bay enclosure leverages the small form factor of mSATA SSD drives with the speed of USB 3.1 Gen 2 to create a highly portable storage solution. The enclosure enables you to add two mSATA SSDs externally to your laptop or desktop computer for fast, portable data storage. It’s powered directly from the USB port on your device, so no external power is required. With its compact design, you can tuck it away inside your laptop bag or carrying case and take it anywhere - from your home to the office, the hospital, the lab, or out in the field, so that you can access your data wherever you go.
Engineered with a solid aluminum housing, the dual-bay drive enclosure helps to safeguard your data wherever you are. It comes with two USB cables (USB-C to Micro-B and USB-A to Micro-B) for flexible use with the latest laptops and tablets equipped with a USB-Type C™ port as well as legacy devices, and includes all required drive installation tools and hardware. The two-bay enclosure is also compatible with a Thunderbolt™ 3 USB-C port.
The enclosure is OS independent, requiring no additional software or drivers. The SMS2BU31C3R is backed by a StarTech.com 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support.
Warranty Information | Warranty | 2 Years |
---|---|---|
Connector(s) | 2 - Drive Connectors | mSATA (52 pin, Mini SATA) Slot |
1 - Host Connectors | USB 3.1 USB Type Micro-B (10 pin, Gen 2, 10 Gbps) | |
Environmental | Operating Temperature | 0°C to 50°C (32°F to 122°F) |
Storage Temperature | -10°C to 85°C (14°F to 185°F) | |
Humidity | 5% ~ 95% | |
Hardware | Interface | USB 3.1 Gen 2 |
Bus Type | USB 3.1 Gen 2 | |
Number of Drives | 2 | |
Drive Size | mSATA (Full Size & Half Size) | |
Compatible Drive Types | mSATA (Mini SATA) | |
Drive Installation | Fixed | |
Supported Drive Height(s) | Full Size (50.8mm) | |
Fan(s) | No | |
Supported Drive Height(s) | Half Size (26.8mm) | |
Chipset ID | ASMedia - ASM1352R | |
Indicators | 2 - LED Indicators | Read / Write (white) |
Error / Rebuilt (red) | ||
Packaging Information | Shipping (Package) Weight | 7.1 oz [202 g] |
Package Length | 6.3 in [16 cm] | |
Package Width | 5.1 in [13 cm] | |
Package Height | 1.2 in [30 mm] | |
Performance | Maximum Data Transfer Rate | 10 Gbps |
Type and Rate | USB 3.1 Gen 2 - 10 Gbit/s | |
UASP Support | Yes | |
4Kn Support | Yes | |
Type and Rate | SATA III (6 Gbps) | |
Port Multiplier | Yes | |
TRIM Support | Yes | |
Hardware Raid Supported | Yes | |
Supported RAID Modes | RAID 0 (Striped Disks) | |
RAID 1 (Mirrored Disks) | ||
JBOD - (Just a Bunch of Disks) | ||
BIG (Spanning or Concatenation) | ||
MTBF | 5,000,000 Hours | |
Physical Characteristics | Color | Black |
Material | Aluminum | |
Product Length | 3.9 in [100 mm] | |
Product Width | 3.1 in [80 mm] | |
Product Height | 0.6 in [16 mm] | |
Weight of Product | 3.5 oz [100 g] | |
Power | Power Source | USB-Powered |
Software | OS Compatibility | OS independent; No software or drivers required |
Special Notes / Requirements | Note | Windows 7 and earlier Windows versions do not support TRIM with USB to SATA devices. |
What's in the Box | 1 - Included in Package | dual-bay drive enclosure |
USB-C to Micro-B cable - 18.5 inches | ||
USB-A to Micro-B cable - 18.5 inches | ||
2 - Included in Package | sets of mSATA mounting hardware | |
4 - Included in Package | housing assembly screws | |
1 - Included in Package | screwdriver | |
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We are always ready to assist you with any questions you may have.
Live Chat (opens in new window)We are always ready to assist you with any questions you may have.
Live Chat (opens in new window)When you troubleshoot issues with a hard drive enclosure, there are some quick tests that you can complete to rule out potential problems. You can test to make sure that the following components are working correctly and are not the source of the issue:
To test your setup components, try the following:
When you test the hard drive and hard drive enclosure, it is recommended that you do the following:
Note: Formatting a hard drive erases all of the data on it. Make sure that you back up all of your data before you reformat the hard drive.
Note: A formatted hard drive will not show up in Computer or My Computer until it has a drive letter assigned to it.
In order to rebuild a RAID array, you need to replace a physical drive with an identical drive on the same RAID controller. Although standard RAID levels are generally agreed upon throughout the industry, the implementation varies between manufacturers. RAID arrays are typically not accessible when they are moved to another controller, and data may be unrecoverable if the drives are out of order or have been formatted or accessed by another RAID controller.
If a RAID controller has failed, you should get the exact same model of RAID controller.
Note: If a drive or drives were damaged, it is possible that the RAID array may be permanently unrecoverable.
RAID should not be considered a replacement for backing up your data. If critical data is going onto a RAID array, you should back up the data on another physical drive or logical set of drives.
With the following RAID modes, recovery is possible using the same StarTech.com product. Refer to the following table for the appropriate method to use to recover your RAID array.
RAID mode | Max # of failed drives | Procedure |
RAID 1 | Only one drive is needed for recovery. |
The array will rebuild and is accessible during the rebuilding process. |
RAID 3 | Single drive failure will rebuild. |
Note: Do not change the order of the drives.
|
RAID 5 | Single drive failure will rebuild. |
Note: Do not change the order of the drives.
|
RAID 10 | Only one drive in a mirrored set can fail. |
Note: Do not change the order of the drives.
|
If your setup components support USB 3.1 but you are experiencing slower transfer speeds than you expected, consider the following:
To confirm the functionality of your USB host connection, its ports, and any other devices in your setup, refer to the information provided by the manufacturer.
Note: USB 3.1 is also known as USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps). Devices that support USB 3.1 should have the USB 3.1 symbol on them. If the USB 3.1 symbol does not appear on your USB source or device, refer to the information provided by the manufacturer to confirm whether the USB source or device support USB 3.1.
To determine if your hard drive will work in this enclosure, on the product page, click the Technical Specifications tab, and do the following:
Note: Not all StarTech.com devices support each of the RAID modes described below. For more information on the RAID modes that your device supports, refer to the manual or the StarTech.com product page.
Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) is a virtual disk technology that combines multiple physical drives into one unit. RAID can create redundancy, improve performance, or do both.
RAID should not be considered a replacement for backing up your data. If critical data is going onto a RAID array, it should be backed up to another physical drive or logical set of drives.
The following are terms that are normally used in connection with RAID:
Different RAID levels exist for different application requirements.
Refer to the following table for the list of RAID modes offered by some StarTech.com products:
RAID mode | Description | Operation | Advantages | Disadvantages | Recovery |
RAID 0 | Striped disks | Data is split evenly between two or more disks. | Large size and the fastest speed. | No redundancy. | If one or more drives fails, this results in array failure. |
RAID 1 | Mirrored disks | Two or more drives have identical data on them. | A single drive failure will not result in data loss. | Speed and size is limited by the slowest and smallest disk. | Only one drive is needed for recovery. |
RAID 3 | Striped set with dedicated parity | Data is split evenly between two or more disks, plus a dedicated drive for parity storage. | High speeds for sequential read/write operations. | Poor performance for multiple simultaneous instructions. | A single drive failure will rebuild. |
RAID 5 | Striped disks with distributed parity | Data is split evenly between three or more disks. Parity is split between disks. | Large size, fast speed, and redundancy. | The total array size is reduced by parity. | A single drive failure will rebuild. |
RAID 10 | 1+0; Striped set of Mirrored Subset | Four or more drives are made into two mirrors that are striped. | Larger size and higher speed than RAID-1, and more redundancy than RAID-0. | No parity. | Only one drive in a mirrored set can fail. |
JBOD | Just a Bunch Of Disks | Any number of drives are accessed independently by the operating system. | Software RAID modes can be used. | Hardware RAID may have better performance. | N/A |
Big | Spanning or Concatenation | Data is written on one drive until it is full, and then the next drive(s) until it or they are full. | Creates a very large and simple array. |
No redundancy. |
N/A |
Clone | RAID 1 + Spare |
Two drives have identical data, plus one drive is used for rebuilding in case of a primary array failure. |
Seamless operation when one drive fails in a RAID-1 array. | Spare drive is not accessible to the user. | Only one drive is needed for recovery. |
USB 3.1 is the most recent version of the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard for connecting computers and electronic devices. It is capable of data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps, and while it can use the USB-C connector type, it can also use a variety of other connector types. To achieve USB 3.1 transfer speeds, your USB host connection, cables, and device must all support USB 3.1. USB 3.1 is also known as USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps).
USB 3.0 is capable of data transfer speeds up to 5Gbps. USB 3.0 is also known as USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps).
USB 3.1 is backwards compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, except in the following scenarios:
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To transfer data at speeds of 10Gbps, you need to confirm that the following components in your setup support USB 3.1:
Note: USB 3.1 is also known as USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps). Devices that support USB 3.1 should have the USB 3.1 symbol on them. If the USB 3.1 symbol does not appear on your USB source or device, refer to the information provided by the manufacturer to confirm whether the USB source or device support USB 3.1.
The included USB cable for this USB 3.1 Gen 2 device has been tested and verified to perform at USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds of 10Gbps.
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