Product ID: SM22BU31C3R
This dual M.2 SATA enclosure with RAID makes it easy to add ultra-fast, portable external storage to your USB-C™ or USB-A enabled laptop, tablet, smartphone or desktop computer. Its multiple RAID modes provide increased capacity, improved performance, or data redundancy.
Quickly access, transfer, and backup your files wherever you go. This dual-slot M.2 RAID enclosure enables you to easily access your data by creating a high-performance, ultra-portable storage solution using two M.2 (NGFF) SATA SSDs. It’s ideal for creative professionals, such as photographers and videographers, as well as professionals in corporate, educational and government sectors who need fast access to important data files, while out in the field or back at the office.
The RAID enclosure enables you to leverage the speed of your M.2 (NGFF) SATA drives by taking advantage of USB 3.1 Gen 2, with data transfer rates of up to 10Gbps. It ensures easy access to your files for data migration and data backups so that you can safeguard important data at all times.
With multiple RAID options, the M.2 RAID enclosure enables you to gain increased storage size, performance, or redundancy. You can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing your files are continually backed up, or take advantage of greater speed and capacity offered by a combined solution. The enclosure supports RAID 0, RAID 1, Spanning, and JBOD, enabling you to choose your preferred backup mode. It also supports SSD TRIM to prolong drive lifespan and performance.
The dual M.2 SATA enclosure provides a highly portable storage solution. With its compact design, you can tuck it away inside your laptop bag or carrying case and take it anywhere - to the office, the lab, or for mobile use, so that you can access your data wherever you go. Engineered with a solid aluminum housing, the dual-slot M.2 SATA enclosure helps to safeguard your data wherever you go.
The M.2 SATA RAID enclosure is powered directly from the USB port on your device, so no external power is required. 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. The enclosure is OS independent, with no additional software or driver installation required, and is compatiIt’s also compatible with a Thunderbolt™ 3 USB-C port.
The SM22BU31C3R includes all required drive installation tools and hardware and is backed by a StarTech.com 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support.
Warranty Information | Warranty | 2 Years |
---|---|---|
Connector(s) | 2 - Drive Connectors | M.2 (SATA, B-Key, NGFF) |
1 - Host Connectors | USB 3.1 USB Type Micro-B (10 pin, Gen 2, 10 Gbps) | |
Environmental | Operating Temperature | 0°C to 60°C (32°F to 140°F) |
Storage Temperature | -20°C to 70°C (-4°F to 158°F) | |
Humidity | 0% ~ 90% RH | |
Hardware | Interface | USB 3.1 Gen 2 |
Bus Type | USB 3.1 Gen 2 | |
Number of Drives | 2 | |
Drive Size | 22mm - M.2 SATA | |
Compatible Drive Types | M.2 (SATA, B-Key, NGFF) | |
Drive Installation | Fixed | |
Supported Drive Height(s) | 2230 | |
Fan(s) | No | |
Supported Drive Height(s) | 2242 | |
2260 | ||
2280 | ||
Chipset ID | ASMedia - ASM1352R | |
Indicators | 2 - LED Indicators | Read / Write (green) |
Error / Rebuilt (red) | ||
Packaging Information | Package Height | 32 mm [1,3 in] |
Package Length | 16,5 cm [6,5 in] | |
Shipping (Package) Weight | 195 g [6,9 oz] | |
Package Width | 13,1 cm [5,2 in] | |
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 | |
Max Drive Capacity | 2 TB | |
Supported RAID Modes | RAID 0 (Striped Disks) | |
RAID 1 (Mirrored Disks) | ||
BIG (Spanning or Concatenation) | ||
JBOD - (Just a Bunch of Disks) | ||
MTBF | 35,000 | |
General Specifications | Not compatible with M.2 NVMe or AHCI PCI-Express SSDs | |
Physical Characteristics | Color | Black |
Material | Aluminum | |
Max Drive Height | 80 mm [3,1 in] | |
Product Length | 100 mm [3,9 in] | |
Product Width | 80 mm [3,1 in] | |
Product Height | 15 mm [0,6 in] | |
Weight of Product | 96 g [3,4 oz] | |
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 | M.2 SATA enclosure |
USB-C to Micro-B cable - 18.5 inches | ||
USB-A to Micro-B cable - 18.5 inches | ||
2 - Included in Package | housing assembly screws | |
sets of M.2 mounting hardware | ||
1 - Included in Package | screwdriver | |
quick-start guide |
Connect USB Micro-B devices to your USB-C host, using this durable 1-meter cable
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.
Before you can access a new or formatted drive in your operating system, you need to initialize it first and then create a partition on the drive. A partition defines an area of the drive to use for storing data. The partition uses a file system (for example, ex-FAT, NTFS, and so on).
Note: You typically only need to initialize a drive if the drive is new. If you cannot find an uninitialized drive in Disk Management, skip the following steps and try to partition your device.
Press the Windows key + R, type compmgmt.msc, and click Run to open Computer Management.
Navigate to Disk Management.
When prompted to, initialize your disk(s). If you are running Windows® 7 or later and are using a drive larger than 2TB, initialize the disk(s) with GPT. If you are running an earlier version of Windows, initialize the disk(s) with MBR. For more information, visit the following FAQ: https://www.startech.com/support/faqs/technical-support?topic=hard-drives#mbr-vs-gpt.
Click OK.
Note: The following steps create an NTFS partition that uses the entire drive space. To use a different file system, select a different option in step 6.
Right-click Unallocated or RAW volume, and select New Simple Volume.
In the New Partition Wizard, click Next.
Select Primary partition.
Leave the partition size set to default, and click Next.
Assign a drive letter or leave it set to the default, and click Next.
Enter the following settings to format the partition:
The new drive should appear in Windows Explorer.
Before you can access a new or formatted drive in your operating system, you need to initialize it first and then create a partition on the drive. A partition defines an area of the drive to use for storing data. The partition uses a file system (for example, HFS+, ex-FAT, NTFS, and so on).
Mac OSX detects a drive that needs to be initialized and automatically prompts you to initialize the drive. If you are prompted to initialize the drive, click Initialize. If you are not prompted to initialize the drive and you cannot find the drive in Finder, you will need to create a partition on the drive.
Note: The following steps create an HFS+ (Mac OS Extended (Journaled)) partition that uses the entire drive space.
To create a partition on a new drive, complete the following:
Open Finder.
Navigate to Applications and click Utilities.
Open Disk Utility.
Select the new drive and click the Partition tab.
Click Options and verify that it is set to GUID Partition Table.
Enter a name for the partition.
Click Partition.
The drive should now be accessible in Finder.
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