Dual-Slot Drive Enclosure for mSATA SSDs - USB 3.1 (10Gbps) - RAID

To determine if your hard drive will work in this enclosure, on the product page, click the Technical Specifications tab, and do the following:

• Make sure that the enclosure supports the storage size of your hard drive. If the storage size of your hard drive is larger than what the enclosure was tested with, the hard drive will likely still work with the enclosure.
• Confirm that your hard drive uses the same interface type as the enclosure. For example, IDE, SATA, or M.2.
• Make sure that the enclosure supports the physical size of your hard drive, such as 2.5 inches or 3.5 inches.
• Make sure that the enclosure supports the height of your hard drive. For example, 9 mm or 15 mm.
• Verify that the power consumption of your hard drive doesn’t exceed the power output of the enclosure. If you’re using multiple hard drives, make sure that the combined power consumption of all of the hard drives doesn’t exceed the power output of the enclosure.

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:

• Striping: data is split between multiple disks.
• Mirroring: data is mirrored between multiple disks.
• Parity: also referred to as a checksum. Parity is a calculated value used to mathematically rebuild data.

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:

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:

• USB-B 3.1 cables are not compatible with USB-B 2.0 ports.
• Unless you use an adapter, USB-C ports or cables will not work with USB-A or USB-B ports or cables.
• Devices that require USB 3.1 transfer speeds of 10Gbps might not work with USB 3.0 or USB 2.0, or you might experience lower transfer speeds and impacted performance.
• Bus-powered USB devices that requires more power than what USB 2.0 can provide are not compatible with USB 2.0.

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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:

• The USB host connection
• The USB cable
• The USB device and any subcomponents (for example, a hard drive docking station and the hard drives in the docking station)

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.

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:

• Cables
• Hard drives
• Hard drive enclosure

To test your setup components, try the following:

• Use the cables, hard drives, and hard drive enclosure in another setup to see if the problem is with the components or the setup.
• Use a different cable, hard drive, and hard drive enclosure in your setup to see if the problem persists. Ideally, you should test a component that you know works in another setup.

When you test the hard drive and hard drive enclosure, it is recommended that you do the following:

• To check Disk Management, press the Windows key + R, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter. Check to see if your hard drive is listed.
• If the hard drive is listed with unallocated space, the hard drive needs to be reformatted. Right-click unallocated and click New Simple Volume. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reformatting.​

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.​

• If the hard drive is listed as healthy but does not have a drive letter, for example, C:, right-click healthy and click Change Drive Letter and Paths. Click Add, assign a drive letter, and click OK.

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.

Rebuild a RAID array

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.

If your setup components support USB 3.1 but you are experiencing slower transfer speeds than you expected, consider the following:

• A USB host connection with multiple USB 3.1 ports might not be able to support 10Gbps on each port simultaneously.
• The type of port on a device does not determine whether the device is capable of USB 3.1 speeds. A USB-C port might not support USB 3.1 speeds, while USB-A and USB-B ports might support USB 3.1 speeds.
• Any other devices that you include in your setup, such as an older hard drive in a USB 3.1 enclosure, might create a point of congestion and slow down transfer speeds.

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.