Two portable RAID systems arrived at my door. Which would you be more interested in?

RAID is becoming more familiar in the SOHO market, but portable devices using 2.5″ drives remain a novelty. I recently tested two such units, and came away with mixed impressions. Although the ToughTech Duo from CRU-DataPort/Wiebetech sports attractive design, it didn’t perform much better than the homely Akitio Taurus Mini Super-S. And neither is all that portable.

A Tale of Two Drives

CRU-Dataport/Wiebetech ToughTech Duo and Akitio Taurus Mini Super-S

I’ve been intrigued by the industry-wide shift from 3.5″ to 2.5″ hard disk drives, and was curious when this trend would come to consumer devices. CRU-DataPort, also (confusingly) known as Wiebetech, was first to offer up a two-drive portable RAID unit for me to test. Their ToughTech Duo is a rounded elongated brick with a brushed aluminum finish, LCD screen, and big rubbery buttons.

The ToughTech Duo arrived with a pair of 750 GB Seagate drives installed, but it supports many others as well. I swapped in a pair of 500 GB Toshiba drives (sent separately by IDEMA for my use in tests) and was immediately impressed by the ToughTech’s metal drive carriers. They hold the drive firmly and latch in place securely yet require no screws. The overall build quality of the ToughTech Duo is solid, and the interface is easy to use – perhaps too much so, as we will shortly see!

I really appreciated the CRU-Dataport/Wiebetech ToughTech Duo drive carrier

A short time later, Akitio offered me their 2-drive “Taurus Mini Super-S” for testing. A sharp square brick with a rough black finish, the Taurus Mini’s LCD was harder to read and the two tiny control buttons were nearly impossible to press. The drives reside behind a metal door operated with thumbscrews but attach to rough trays with standard Phillips screws. I suppose the drives are secure, but the Taurus isn’t reassuring to work with.

Both the ToughTech Duo and Taurus Mini Super-S include USB 2.0 and eSATA as well as two FireWire 800 ports for daisy-chaining. The omission of USB 3.0 is curious considering how widespread that interface has become on storage devices, but eSATA and FireWire allow these devices to reach their (limited) performance potential.

The CRU-Dataport/Wiebetech packaging is much friendlier

Both devices ship in gaudy boxes that would be right at home on the shelves of MicroCenter or Fry’s, but the Akitio is excessively verbose and nerdy. The packaging, like the overly-long product names, would put off casual computer users, especially Apple buyers looking for simplicity and ease of use. This is disappointing, since any device with FireWire but no USB 3.0 must be aimed at Apple users!

Configuring RAID

Both drives allow the user to switch between RAID 1 (mirroring) and RAID 0 (striping, with no data protection) using the panel buttons. But since this operation is destructive to the data stored, this might not be all that useful. Most users will likely select one or the other and leave it that way, a blessing given the microscopic buttons on the Akitio.

An average user is likely to leave the drive plugged in when performing RAID changes, leading to disastrous results with the Wiebetech drive. The Akitio resets itself when RAID levels are changed, but the Wiebetech (curiously) does not. I was able to continue writing and reading data after switching to RAID 1, but a reboot destroyed the format and the data. I made the company aware of this issue and they assured me it would be corrected. But I haven’t seen a fix yet, and it’s been a few months. The fact that the documentation instructs users to unplug the drive on RAID changes isn’t reassuring: Few buyers will actually read and follow these instructions.

Interestingly, both devices use the same on-disk format for both RAID 0 and 1. I was able to pull the drives from one and use them in the other with no apparent issues. Wiebetech assured me that their RAID 1 format simply writes all data to both drives. I was able to confirm that this was the case, with a removed RAID 1 drive remaining readable using a direct SATA connection.

Usability Concerns

There's a lot of stuff in the Akitio Taurus Mini Super-S box!

Although both devices are admirably small, they are not really all that compact. Carrying either drive (along with its power brick) in my backpack was definitely noticeable both in bulk and weight. And these are surprisingly heavy devices – each weighs more than my 2011 MacBook Pro!

Both devices get fairly hot under heavy use as well, and neither sports a fan. The Akitio has what looks like a heatsink along the bottom, but I didn’t notice that the rest of the body stayed cooler. And the Wiebetech got downright hot, even setting off its internal temperature alarm during benchmarking! This was an isolated occurrence, however, and I was unable to cause it to overheat again.

It is way too easy to erase all data on the ToughTech Duo by changing RAID levels with the big, friendly buttons

The ease of switching RAID modes is disturbing to me, since this destroys all data on the drives even without considering the Wiebetech’s data loss-inducing bug. But the LCD and buttons are fairly useless apart from this rare operation.

Performance and Compatibility

I tested both devices with the same Toshiba 500 GB drives to gauge their controller performance, but the Seagate drives shipped with the CRU-Dataport/Wiebetech device are much quicker overall.

Sequential read performance with RAID 0 pushes the limits of FireWire at about 83 MB/s, with RAID 1 only slightly behind

Sequential write performance isn't as good, with both units lagging when using RAID 1. Although equal in performance with RAID 0, the Wiebetech lagged severely in RAID 1 performance

Random read performance is nicely homogenous, with both drives topping out around 45 MB/s

Random writes were a different story, with the Akitio and Wiebetech close together for both RAID 0 and 1, but each demonstrating superiority in a different area. The Akitio just kept accelerating as I/O's got larger with RAID 1, while the Wiebetech pulled ahead with RAID 0. Oddly, RAID 0 writes lagged behind RAID 1 on the whole.

Wiebetech's bundled Seagate drives easily outperformed the Toshibas is random benchmarks, nearly doubling random write throughput

But the Toshiba drives were faster in sequential operations, with the Seagates lagging well behind

Stephen’s Stance

I often receive storage devices for review, but it’s unusual that two such similar ones arrive at once. After giving each a fair amount of testing and use, I come away unimpressed. The Akitio looks and feels like the sort of no-name OEM device often overlooked by buyers, while the slickly-designed Wiebetech exhibited disconcerting bugs. Both have confusing names and packaging as well. If I had to pick one, it would be the CRU-Dataport/Wiebetech ToughTech Duo, thanks to its more compact size and user-friendly drive sleds. Note that the Akitio appears to be cheaper at retail, but this is due to the cost of the hard disk drives in the Wiebetech/CRU-Dataport device.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | Two Dual-Drive Portable RAIDs Reviewed: Akitio and Wiebetech
This post was categorized as Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk 3 TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive STAC3000101

The other day, I bought 6 TB of storage for under $300. This statement alone is startling to folks like me who have been following the storage and hard disk drive industry, but there is another fact that is more difficult to swallow: It will take days to copy data to these huge 3 TB drives, since the USB interface on each Seagate GoFlex Desk drive is good for just 30 MB/s on Apple Macintosh computers. Searching for a faster alternative led me to crack open the case and experiment with the drive inside.

Introducing the GoFlex Desk

You should read Lemons Into Lemonade: Seagate Repackages SATA As GoFlex before you continue…

I purchased two 3 TB Seagate GoFlex Desk drives from a local retailer for just $139 each. This is an amazingly cheap way to get 6 TB of storage!

My goal is to back up all of my Tech Field Day video to the two drives, using rsync to ensure that each contains a full exact copy of the video data folders. I’ll then store one off-site in a fireproof box for extra protection.

I selected the Seagate GoFlex Desk based on my good experience with their portable line of GoFlex drives. I liked the idea that the drives can be connected to a faster interface (FireWire 800, for example) for filling and then use a slower, cheaper one (USB 2.0) to read the data later or in another location.

The capacity of these drives is simply astonishing, but I question the design. The drive sits in a sealed plastic box with little ventilation, and it got hot to the touch during active use. The interchangeable docks are great, but I was disappointed that the FireWire dock has just a single port – I couldn’t daisy-chain FireWire off my iMac for data transfer, so I was stuck with USB 2.0.

Opening The Case

You might also want to read How To Add An eSATA Port To An Intel iMac

I decided to try connecting the drive to another interface for the copy operation. I had an eSATA dock handy, and my iMac has a DIY eSATA port, but this required removing the drive from its plastic container. Here’s how I accomplished that task.

Note that this likely voids the warranty on the drive, and I found that it did not function properly anyway. More on that later, though.

Step 1: Crack the Case

First, we must crack open the plastic case. The case splits in half along the seams, as one might assume. To locate the top, place the drive flat on a table with the GoFlex (SATA) port on the bottom. We will be removing the top of the case from this perspective.

Using a broad, flat spudger or putty knife, press firmly at the top of the seam in the case to release the clips inside. You have to press very firmly, but the clips will give way one by one.

The clips are more visible in the image above.  Repeat the process on the other side, and pry apart the ends.

Remove the Drive

Now that we have the plastic case open, we can remove the hard disk drive itself from the inner steel case.

Although the drive appears to be easy to remove, it is bolted into a three-sided steel case. Pull it free from the plastic case and we can begin to extract it.

Pry off the rubber bumpers or feet you see and you will discover a screw beneath each one. Unscrew all four and you can extract the hard disk drive itself.

Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001

Turns out this was one of Seagate’s new Barracuda drives! See No More Green Drives from Seagate for more info!

Inside my 3 TB GoFlex Desk I found a Seagate Barracuda drive, presumably a 7200 rpm Barracuda XT. But the disk, model ST3000DM001, is not listed on Seagate’s web site. I presume it’s a special OEM drive not intended for consumer use apart from the GoFlex system.

Surprisingly, this apparently is not an Advanced Format (4K sector) drive. It reported 512 KB sectors. More interestingly, although I reformatted it with GPT, the drive itself appeared to be have MBR format, something that shouldn’t work with a 3 TB drive. Seagate is doing some special mojo here.

This meant that the drive did not function correctly when directly connected with SATA. Though I probably could have reformatted it fresh, it would probably not work with the GoFlex dock then. It also did not function with the portable GoFlex adapter, and just attempting this required a complex cabling setup between that adapter and the drive since it requires more power than USB can deliver.

Stephen’s Stance

Buying 3 TB of storage for less than $150 is a modern miracle, and I’m happy with these drives as purchased. But cracking them open isn’t all that worthwhile, since the format requires the GoFlex Dock adapter. I could wipe them entirely, of course, but that defeats my intended use. So I repacked the drive in its plastic box and will rely on the official connectivity method.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | How To Open a Seagate GoFlex Desk Hard Disk Drive Case
This post was categorized as Apple, Everything, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

CalDigit offers an excellent range of USB 3.0 and eSATA expansion cards for the few Macs with compatible expansion slots

Mac storage specialist, CalDigit, recently introduced a new combination storage card for Mac Pro users. The CalDigit FASTA-6GU3 combines two eSATA ports and two USB 3.0 ports on a single PCI Express card. This makes it a veritable Swiss Army knife of storage connectivity, but only if you own a Mac Pro desktop!

A Tale of Two USB 3.0 Cards

There are currently two companies offering USB 3.0 interfaces for Apple computers: LaCie and CalDigit. Although both offer similar products (an ExpressCard for certain MacBook Pro laptops and PCI Express adapter for Mac Pro desktops), the two companies’ approaches could not be any more different:

• The LaCie cards only function with LaCie’s own storage devices, and no other USB 3.0 device will connect at full speed. This is a conscious limitation of the LaCie drivers, and is done to limit their exposure to support claims, since Apple does not officially support USB 3.0 at all.
• The CalDigit cards, in contrast, work with any and all USB 3.0 devices. While some may not be entirely compatible, and CalDigit will not support other vendors peripherals, my testing has shown it to be widely functional.

For this reason, I can only recommend buying the CalDigit adapter. It works well, is reasonably (if not inexpensively) priced, and the company has put in much development effort to support Apple’s operating system updates.

Side note: The vicious and angry reviews at sites like B&H Photo and Amazon indicate that I’m not the only one to hold this opinion. LaCie should reconsider this decision or make it very clear on the product packaging that only their devices are supported.

All For One, One For Few

The CalDigit FASTA-6GU3 card is compelling for Mac Pro users who frequently encounter a variety of external storage devices.

• The eSATA ports function at full 6 Gb speed and are backward compatible with slower eSATA devices
• The USB 3.0 ports support full 5 Gb SuperSpeed transfer, along with all other USB 2.0 and 1.0 peripherals

Combining both of these interfaces onto a single PCI Express card saves cost and space for the Mac Pro user. The product will reportedly list for $139, somewhat expensive but within reach for Mac Pro users who need it.

Stephen’s Stance

I remain impressed by CalDigit’s USB 3.0 products. My own tests show that these cards are fast and compatible, and I was pleased to see that CalDigit recently updated their driver for Mac OS 10.6.7, which changed some of the core features used by the previous driver. This is the kind of commitment I expect, both in terms of interoperability and support.

But it’s disappointing that these cards can’t be used more widely. Only the Mac Pro desktop and 17″ MacBook Pro laptop offer any sort of expansion slots, leaving most Mac users out in the cold when it comes to USB 3.0 and eSATA. Or course, there are certain homebrew options, but until Thunderbolt becomes more widespread and a Thunderbolt USB 3.0 interface is delivered, these solid products sadly have a limited audience.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | CalDigit Brings Both eSATA and USB 3 to the Mac Pro
This post was categorized as Apple, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

The ioSafe SoloPRO protects your data from a house on fire. Seriously! That's really what it does!

It’s hard to stand out in the world of external storage devices, and doubly-hard to compete with the hard disk drive makers themselves. This hasn’t stopped folks like Iomega, Verbatim, and LaCie from trying to impress customers with flashy cases, software bundles, and clever functionality. But clever new twist on the external hard drive concept just rolled into the Pack Rat lair: The ioSafe SoloPRO is fireproof and waterproof. Cool!

A New Kind of Data Protection

I’m an enterprise storage specialist. I talk about backups, snapshots, mirroring, replication, and archiving all the time. I’ve also delved deeply into the physical reliability of hard disk drives versus flash, tape, and RAID systems. But pretty much every data protection conversation takes for granted that storage is not meant to be robust. We just assume that the disk itself will be lost in the event of fire or flood, so we had better figure some way to protect the data off-site.

But what id this wasn’t the case? What if the disk itself could survive a house fire, standing up to the heat, crushing weight of collapse, and a thorough soaking from the fire hose? That’s exactly what ioSafe is promising with their line of storage devices!

The ioSafe line has a few tricks up its sleeve:

1. The hard disk drive mechanism is wrapped in a “HydroSafe” water barrier
2. This is encased in a thick layer of “DataCast” endothermic insulation, releasing water which evaporates and cools the drive when exposed to extreme heat
3. The “FloSafe” cooling channels allow airflow during normal operation but seal shut in a fire
4. A tough steel case surrounds everything, offering some protection against physical damage and allowing the device to be bolted to the floor for theft protection
5. Every ioSafe drive also includes data recovery services in the event of a fire or drive failure

All these CamelCase trademarks appear to work just fine, thank you. Numerous tests have been performed by amused journalists and bloggers, including backyard fires, dousing the unit in a swimming pool, and running over it with a bulldozer. In each case, the housing is ruined but the data survives. My favorite is the following video from HomeServerReview, but a quick glance through YouTube is worth the time if you like watching people destroy perfectly-good technology!

The Pack Rat Test: Performance

When ioSafe offered to send me a SoloPRO for evaluation, I was excited to burn, drown, and mutilate it. But considering just how many torture tests were already performed, I decided to give that a miss. Instead, I hooked the SoloPRO to my test rig to see how well it handled everyday storage tasks. After all, most owners will never experience the kind of damage the ioSafe line can sustain!

My tests used Intech Software’s ZoneBench and QuickBench tools on a late-2009 iMac. The ioSafe SoloPRO was connected to the iMac’s secondary internal SATA port using my iMac eSATA mod. This is a 3 Gb/s SATA connection and ought to sustain just about anything a spinning disk can currently sustain. Tests were performed on a freshly-booted Mac OS X 10.6.4 64-bit system with no other programs running.

32 MB transfers reveal the performance limits of the ioSafe controller and Hitachi hard disk drive. Performance was excellent - better than the 7200 rpm Seagate drive in the iMac!

Sustained throughput was excellent as well, delivering between 130 and 140 MB/s in my tests. Real-world transfers were just as quick!

The SoloPRO uses a 7200 rpm Hitachi DeskStar 7K1000.C (HDS721010CLA332) hard disk drive. This is a modern, quick mechanism with a 32 MB buffer and 3.0 Gb/s SATA interface. Kudos to ioSafe for picking such a solid performer for this unit – I expected a slower 5400 rpm “green” drive given the modest performance expected by most buyers.

Connected to my iMac with eSATA, the SoloPRO could outrun the internal hard disk drive, both in benchmarks and real-world use. Moving data back and forth was a joy, and backing up the internal disk using Time Machine was amazing: I averaged over 100 MB/s, with Activity Monitor showing frequent peaks over 160 MB/s during the operation!

Although I did perform these tests using the USB interface, the outcome is predictably disappointing. USB 2.0 just can’t go faster than about 35 MB/s in sequential throughput, so the graphs and comparisons look awfully predictable. That said, the ioSafe SoloPRO was able to hit that 35 MB/s mark with ease.

The Pack Rat Test: Usability

The SoloPRO was delivered in a large box with generous packing material. It’s amazingly large, really, considering that it contains a single 3.5″ hard disk drive mechanism. ioSafe includes both USB and eSATA cables, though the latter cable was the short-necked “type I” variety.

The SoloPRO is larger and heaver even than it looks, with solid build quality. The power supply and switch aren’t much to get excited about, however, but no cheaper than the power devices most other manufacturers use. I would have like a power connector that locked in more securely, however.

I appreciate the protruding steel flange with holes for floor-mounting, and finally located a Kensington-style lock hole next to the fan. I was surprised that the holes in the face do not light up when using eSATA, though they do glow while using USB. On the other hand, the flashing light show is pretty distracting for a desktop drive.

The SoloPRO is somewhat noisy, though not any more than a desktop PC. The built-in fan runs continually, though the drive itself will spin down if the computer allows it to. Due to the short range of the cables, an under-desk location is about all an eSATA user can hope for. USB users will likely move it a bit further away so they won’t have to listen to the fan noise. Of course, it would be just fine in a wiring closet attached to a small server.

As mentioned, the SoloPRO is a mid-range offering from ioSafe. They also offer a basic USB 2.0 model (the Sol0), versions of the SoloPRO with SSD or USB 3.0, and an internal drive. This last is particularly clever: It packs the fire- and water-protection technology into a standard 3.5″ SATA drive form factor for use inside a computer.

My biggest complaint about the ioSafe products is that they’re all single-drive only. Although I appreciate their design and construction, all of the protective features ignore the most-common causes of data loss: Logical corruption and the loss of a disk. No storage system can protect data from a “fat-finger” error or operating system fault, but many do include reliability features for the device itself. The ultimate data protection system would include more than one disk drive and would go beyond merely mirroring the data and instead use advanced math (erasure coding, perhaps?) to ensure the consistency of data.

Perhaps ioSafe will consider using two 2.5″ drives and erasure coding in a smarter unit in the future. They could call it the “DuoPRO” – in fact, maybe that’s why they chose the curious “Solo” moniker to begin with!

Stephen’s Stance

No one is suggesting using such a drive as one’s only copy of data, but it makes lots of sense to back up your home or small-office computer to an on-site ioSafe drive. In fact, I would go so far as saying that it makes no sense not to use an ioSafe drive for on-site backups! The drives are somewhat more expensive than basic alternatives but well worth the premium.

A USB-only 1 TB ioSafe Solo costs just over $200 on Amazon, about 50% more than a basic external drive. The eSATA SoloPRO I tested does not appear to have reached Amazon, Buy.com, or NewEgg yet, but ioSafe sells it online for $249. The PRO unit includes the faster eSATA or USB 3.0 port, making it easier to fill up, but not every computer has one of these ports.

Update: The ioSafe SoloPRO is now available online! Amazon lists it for about $250.

For comparison, the only real competition, a SentrySafe Waterproof 160 GB Hard Drive, is $300 for 160 GB! Another option is the SentrySafe Data Storage Chest, which accepts your 2.5″ portable USB drive for a massively-discounted $55. The 250GB ioSafe Pilot internal drive is much more expensive ($250 for 250 GB) but might be just what the doctor ordered if you want to protect data inside a computer.

I am very impressed overall by the ioSafe product. It is solidly-built, and I believe their fire- and water-proof claims. I would not hesitate to recommend this type of drive to small-business owners or “pro-sumer” users concerned about data protection. I do advise keeping an off-site copy of critical data, but the ioSafe is the safest method yet to store an on-site backup.

Disclosure: ioSafe provided the SoloPRO free of charge for testing after I expressed interest in the product

Note: Some of these links include affiliate codes that help pay for this blog. For example, buying an Amazon Kindle with this link sends a few bucks my way! But I don't write this blog to make money, and am happy to link to sites and stores that don't pay anything. I like Amazon and buy tons from them, but you're free to buy whatever and wherever you want.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | ioSafe SoloPRO Review: Is It The Safest Place For Your Data?
This post was categorized as Apple, Everything, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

I installed an eSATA port on my iMac. I must be crazy!

My late-2009 27″ Intel iMac now has an eSATA port. I’m documenting how I did it here mainly for posterity. Although it works fine, I cannot recommend that others attempt to perform the same surgery on their own crazy-expensive Apple computers. eSATA mods like this won’t be satisfying to most users, and the operation is risky and destructive enough that non-crazy people shouldn’t attempt it!

Preparation: Options, Parts, and Courage

I suggest also reading my post, Four Ways to Add eSATA to Your iMac

The iMac is not meant to have an eSATA port. The case is fairly tricky to open, though once one gets the hang of it it can be accomplished in minutes. This is the first obstacle.

2009 models like mine include two SATA connections internally: One for the boot hard disk drive and another for the internal DVD SuperDrive. Mid-2010 models add a third SATA port, unused unless one specifies the expensive SSD and hard disk drive combination. So adding an eSATA port on a 2009 model means sacrificing the internal DVD drive. This is obstacle number two.

You need a male SATA cable to attach to the slimline DVD connector

That DVD SuperDrive SATA cable is soldered to the back side of the motherboard, so the cable cannot (easily) be swapped for one with eSATA on the other end. This is the next obstacle. It uses a standard female slimline SATA connector, however, and I was able to locate and purchase an appropriate male SATA (data-only) to eSATA cable at CPUstuff. Get the 10 inch length.

Since this eSATA port will sit behind the aluminum vent grill at the bottom of the iMac, the longer connector on an eSATA 2.0 cable is required. You want a Serial ATA 2.0 Cable like this one not one of the more common plain-Jane eSATA cables with shorter plugs. Watch out for cable length, too. Although this is an eSATA port mechanically, it does not have the higher power (and thus extended reach) of a real eSATA port.

No other parts are really required, though you will probably want something to attach to your Mac. I’m using a simple Kingwin EZ-Dock EZD-2535 but it’s not anything awesome. I plan to upgrade my 4-bay Drobo to a Drobo S with eSATA for some real data protection and performance. I’d also like to try a SATA port multiplier like this Addonics AD5SARPM on the port to see if it works.

Before you consider following these directions, know that the result isn’t all that satisfying. Mac OS X doesn’t support hot-plugging drives on this port, so you’ll have to reboot whenever you want to switch them out. There are also some potential issues with moved or added temperature sensors causing the iMac’s fans to run more noisily.

Then there’s the real fear that you will damage your expensive computer. Although Apple should still support other parts under warranty, they definitely will not cover issues you cause while mucking about in your computer!

Performing Surgery

The eSATA mod is actually quite straightforward. We will open the iMac, remove the DVD SuperDrive, and attach the male SATA to eSATA cable to it. We will route this through a hole carved in the ventilation grille at the bottom edge of the iMac. Once we put it back together, we will have an iMac with an eSATA port and no DVD drive.

1. Prepare for surgery
   1. Locate a broad, sturdy table and cover it with a soft cloth or two. You don’t want anything getting scratched or dropped.
   2. On a computer readily at hand, open up iFixit’s 27″ iMac teardown and use this as a guide
   3. You will need something to lift the screen glass. iFixit suggests strong suction cups, but I used a thin spatula.
   4. You will need a Torx T10 screwdriver, tweezers, and two paper clips to remove the LCD
   5. You will need a Dremel tool or other cutting device, along with a proper cutting disc and drill for use on aluminum
   6. You did buy that 10″ male SATA to eSATA cable, right?
2. Open the iMac
   

   I lifted the glass with a broad, slim spatula rather than suction cups

   1. Place the iMac on its back with the top facing your body. Lift off the glass using suction cups or gently pry it up from the middle with a broad thin spatula. Set the glass somewhere safe, clean, and secure. Do not touch the inside of the glass!
   2. Remove the four screws along each side of the LCD panel and watch for the magnets that hold the glass in. Use the tweezers to grab the screws if you need to.
   3. Bend the paper clips into J-shaped grabbers and begin lifting the LCD panel from the case by hooking them under the exposed corners. Do not lift far!
   4. Reach under the panel and unhook the four cables connecting it to the motherboard. Now lift the panel clear and set it in a clean, secure spot. Do not touch the face of the panel!
   5. Unplug the DVD SuperDrive SATA cable as well as the temperature wire. Remove the four Torx T10 screws holding it in place and lift the drive out of the case.
3. Carve the port hole
   

   We will locate our eSATA port between that black component and the RAM

   1. Locate the spot where the eSATA port will be placed. The best place is about an inch from the RAM hatch on the DVD side of the case. Watch out for the black component on the motherboard a little bit outward from this!
   2. Carefully measure the port hole and mask it off with tape and cloth to keep aluminum dust from getting all over the computer.
   3. Pack the inside of that spot with cloth, too, to protect the motherboard from dust.
   

   Drill, baby! Drill!

   4. Carve the long sides of the port hole using a cutting disc. I started with a diamond-coated disc but the aluminum case ate it up. I ended up using a fiberglass-reinforced cut-off wheel. It got very hot but did the job.
   5. Clip the short edges and pry the band of aluminum out of the case.
   6. 

      We'll clean that slot up a bit before installing the port

      Mark and drill the screw holes on either side. I used a standard sheet metal bit, but it was very hard to hold it steady so I attached the multipurpose cutting guide to help.

   7. Reshape and hone the opening to your satisfaction.
   8. Carefully remove the masking and clean out any dust.
4. Install the eSATA port
   1. Position the eSATA port behind the aluminum grille and screw it into place.
   2. Connect the male SATA connector to the slimline DVD SATA connector. I used some electrical tape to hold it in place.
   3. Tape the connected ends to the back of the case to keep them out of the way.
   

   We taped everything into place to keep it out of the way

   4. Pry the temperature sensor from the DVD SuperDrive and reconnect the wire to its port on the motherboard. Attach the other end somewhere in the space left by the removed DVD. I taped it to the back of the case. If you don’t do this the right-side fan will run full-speed all the time!
5. Reassemble the iMac

Stephen’s Stance

Don’t do this. I’m a storage guy, and I regularly test the performance of hard disk drives using my iMac, so it was worth it to me. I’m also pretty good with tools and computers, so I wasn’t worried about damaging anything. You’re probably not me, and you probably don’t want to go through all this.

Other World Computers (OWC) has a service offering to perform this exact modification to your iMac and guarantee the work. Although that’s much safer than performing surgery yourself, I strongly suggest that you consider whether you really want eSATA at all. eSATA is the fastest I/O channel an iMac can use, but Gigabit Ethernet and FireWire 800 are pretty fast, too. Although USB is too slow for some modern storage needs, even it’s 25 MB/s is plenty fast for most people.

Then there are the issues. Mac OS X appears to read the temperature sensor on some of my hard disk drives over SATA and run the internal fan faster (and noisier) to cool them off. But since they’re now outside the case, it can’t cool them so it just runs and runs. I have to power off the iMac and disconnect the SATA drive to stop this happening. And I can’t override the fans or tell it to ignore SATA temperature reports. So the only time my iMac runs quietly is when nothing is plugged into the eSATA port.

Mac OS X also does not support hot-plugging on these ports, and the “eject” icon is not displayed in Finder. One can eject through an option-click or right-click or using Disk Utility or diskutil from the command line, though. I have not yet located a way to tell it to rescan the SATA bus if a drive is connected or removed, so once a drive is ejected it’s time to reboot anyway. Sleep seems to do something for removed drives, but it doesn’t correctly read a new drive that has been attached. Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated here!

In summary, the risk is probably greater than the reward for most people. Get a FireWire 800 device with RAID and call it a day, or upgrade to a Mac Pro or Hackintosh if you need more internal storage. But watch this space for news and updates from me!

Note: Some of these links include affiliate codes that help pay for this blog. For example, buying an Amazon Kindle with this link sends a few bucks my way! But I don't write this blog to make money, and am happy to link to sites and stores that don't pay anything. I like Amazon and buy tons from them, but you're free to buy whatever and wherever you want.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | How To Add An eSATA Port To An Intel iMac
This post was categorized as Apple, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

You might also be interested in my post, ExpressCard: A Sure Thing That Failed

The Contenders: JMicron and Silicon Image

In my review of the eSATA ExpressCard market, I noted that every offering included one of three PCI Express eSATA controller chipsets:

1. The JMicron JMB360 is the older and more basic, supporting a single SATA port. It is well-supported by Mac OS X (including 64-bit), with no drivers to install, and supports NCQ but does not allow for SATA port multipliers. Buyer complaints suggest it is not well-supported by Windows 7 or Vista.
2. The Silicon Image SiI3132 boasts “server-class features” including port multipliers, BIOS expansion, and more. But OEM drivers are required and stability is a real question. Mac OS X drivers are marked “beta” and are 32-bit only.
3. A few options include the JMicron JMB362, which supports two SATA ports and port multipliers. These are rare, however, and it is unclear how good the drivers are.

The choice is less than clear: Do you opt for a basic and simple solution using a JMicron controller or a full-featured but complex option using Silicon Image?

Windows users have only one choice: Judging by the negative comments from Windows 7 and Vista users, Silicon Image seems like the better option. Mac users must decide to take a gamble on SI or stick with the JMicron option.

The Offerings

Typically for PC hardware, there are many confusing brand and model options for ExpressCard eSATA adapters. More-familiar names like Siig, IOGear, and Lacie vie with less-familiar brands like Syba, Best Connectivity, and the rest. The smaller companies often mention which controller they use, while the name brands usually skip it, re-branding everything for themselves.

Generally, any device with a single port is likely to use the JMicron 360 chipset, while any two-port or “RAID” solution is probably Silicon Image-based. There are a few 2-port JMB362 devices, however. Some single-port devices have dual-purpose ports, allowing connection of USB peripherals as well, and there are mega-adapters with multiple USB, FireWire, and eSATA ports available.

Stephen’s Stance

I opted for this $19 JMicron-based adapter from OWC

Dual-purpose devices concern me, since they leave more opportunity for vendors to cut corners or fail to properly integrate hardware and software, so I decided to stick to a single-purpose device. I wasn’t ready to spend over a hundred dollars on a name brand “Pro” device, regardless of their support. The prospect of messing with “beta” drivers for Silicon Image products (and the lack of 64-bit OS X support) meant these cards were right out, too.

After reviewing the options, I decided to go for a JMicron-based single-port device from OWC for my MacBook Pro. They are reportedly somewhat more stable, and many choices are available for under $20. But honestly, none of these devices seems all that stable and reliable. I really can’t recommend any ExpressCard eSATA adapter based on what I’ve read!

Note: Some of these links include affiliate codes that help pay for this blog. For example, buying an Amazon Kindle with this link sends a few bucks my way! But I don't write this blog to make money, and am happy to link to sites and stores that don't pay anything. I like Amazon and buy tons from them, but you're free to buy whatever and wherever you want.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | ExpressCard SATA Adapters: The Lesser of Two Evils
This post was categorized as Apple, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

PCMCIA/CardBus and ExpressCard: Handing Off the Baton

The CardBus spec was a mess, but consumer demand forced manufacturers to make it work. By 2000, nearly every laptop had one or more CardBus slots and electronics retailers stocked a wide variety of expansion cards, from mundane modems and Ethernet adapters to exotic SCSI controllers and video cards. Though still widely referred to by its caveman-era name, PCMCIA, expansion cards were good business.

But market forces were about to collide with PCMCIA/CardBus:

1. Computers were transitioning from parallel PCI to serial PCI Express internally, and it made less and less sense to cling to a PCI-based expansion card format in this new era.
2. USB 2.0 offered “good enough” performance and unbeatable pricing for simple connectivity of hard disk drives.
3. Laptops began integrating more features, including modems, wired and wireless Ethernet, and better video cards.

ExpressCard was meant as a natural successor to CardBus. It included PCI Express, offering better performance and (optionally) a smaller form factor, and even leveraged USB for less performance-oriented requirements. ExpressCard slots were offered in two sizes: a stair-stepped 54-mm card like the old PCMCIA standard and a narrower 34-mm option that matched the new physical connector.

Inside that hot-pluggable connector is both a single PCI Express lane and a USB 2.0 channel, allowing peripherals to use either means of connection. In practice, the majority of ExpressCard peripherals use USB alone, including memory card readers, 3G WLAN adapters, and SSD drives. The main exception is eSATA controllers, which typically use the PCI Express lane for better performance.

Where Did ExpressCard Go Wrong?

ExpressCard looked like a sure thing, offering features for both the performance-sensitive high end and price-conscious low end of the market. But something funny happened next: By the middle of the 2000′s, just as ExpressCard began to become common, laptops began losing their card slots altogether. The hyper-competitive laptop market had changed, with integrated chipsets including most popular features and consumers loathe to spend more for potential expansion.

This lack of uptake, in turn, derailed the marketplace of ExpressCard peripherals. The bulk of CardBus sales were network adapters (now included by default) and modems (now passé). The remaining expansion market niches were simply not all that exciting. USB memory card readers were cheap and popular, so USB-based ExpressCard readers were not really compelling. The same can be said of USB-based ExpressCard WLAN adapters. The few buyers of ExpressCard SSDs were disappointed as well, since their expensive flash storage was invariably backed with a slow USB connection. And not all that many people really wanted an eSATA port, the only real remaining market.

So ExpressCard was killed in two ways: Its inclusion of USB backfired, destroying its performance-oriented differentiation from plain USB peripherals; and consumers simply didn’t want to expand their laptops with peripheral cards anymore. Now, with USB 3.0 on the horizon, one wonders whether ExpressCard 2.0 will ever take root at all. Laptop makers are increasingly integrating features like memory card readers, WLAN, and SSD, further destroying the market for ExpressCard.

Stephen’s Stance

The demise of ExpressCard is disappointing for computer enthusiasts, but average computers users never noticed it in the first place. Their needs are met with integrated features and USB ports, and they would rather have a smaller and cheaper laptop than an expandable one.

But I, for one, am glad that my MacBook Pro includes an ExpressCard slot, and Apple’s decision to remove it from the 15″ model is holding me back from upgrading. I wish my iMac included some sort of expansion capabilities as I ponder adding eSATA. The demise of high-speed expansion slots limits the ability to use computers to their fullest, and I hope internal PCI Express slots don’t suffer the same fate!

ExpressCard diagrams by en:User:Henriok

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | ExpressCard: A Sure Thing That Failed
This post was categorized as Apple, Computer History, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Why eSATA on an iMac?

SATA and eSATA are almost identical, but the ability to add external storage to an iMac is a powerful difference!

eSATA is an odd beast. SATA was never intended as an outside-the-box connection. It’s narrowly-focused on high-performance storage connectivity, with simple but somewhat fragile connectors. But the relatively “leisurely” performance of USB 2.0 and the failure of FireWire left a vacuum in system-to-peripheral connectivity. PC owners found themselves needing a high-performance connection but didn’t want to pay for SAS or FC or wait for USB 3.0.

Enter eSATA. By bulking up the connectors for improved mechanical reliability, extending the SATA bus outside the computer case was fairly straightforward. The electrical signaling was (optionally) boosted and sensitivity increased somewhat for greater range, but the protocol remained entirely untouched: eSATA is mostly a mechanical change from plain internal SATA. Maximum cable distance is twice that of plain SATA (2 meters, or 6.6 feet), enough for storage simple array use.

Although the iMac has wonderful performance potential, its expandability is remarkably limited. Storage consists of two internal SATA ports: A single 3.5″ hard disk drive (albeit a nice 7200 rpm Seagate or WD drive) and a basic “SuperDrive” DVD writer. Apple also offers an internal SSD option, and, as of July 2010, even sells a 3-drive configuration (hard disk, SSD, and SuperDrive) using a new third SATA port on the motherboard.

But the iMac’s storage remains locked up inside that solid aluminum case. Want to attach a RAID system for video editing or other capacity-intensive work? You have to use FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, or USB 2.0. None of these can match the performance potential of SATA, so all will strangle the performance of the iMac. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could add an eSATA port for extra high-performance storage?

It’s a lot easier on a MacBook Pro. I’m currently using a cheap ExpressCard eSATA Adapter

Four iMac eSATA Options

There are three ways of adding eSATA to a late-2009 iMac like mine, and the 2010 model adds one more. Let’s look at the pros and cons of all of these!

Update: It’s up and running on my iMac. Read more: How To Add An eSATA Port To An Intel iMac

OWC’s iMac Upgrade Service

The fine folks at Other World Computing now offer an upgrade service for iMacs: Mail yours to them and they’ll add an eSATA port in place of the DVD drive and will also throw in an SSD and max out the RAM for you. Their surgical approach matches my DVD-for-eSATA concept outlined below. The difference is that they’ll do the work for you and will even warranty it. This is probably the best option for anyone lacking the confidence or mechanical skills to open this beast.

DVD-for-eSATA Cable Swap

The DVD SuperDrive uses a hard-wired slimline 13-pin SATA cable that looks something like this one

The internal SuperDrive DVD uses a standard slimline SATA cable hard-wired to the motherboard. It is possible to convert this to eSATA using a proper cable, but no one seems to make exactly the right one. The closest I could find is this eSATA panel mount to male SATA cabke from CPUstuff.

13-pin Slimline SATA is common on DVD drives, but the 6-pin power connector differs from the regular 15-pin power found on 22-pin SATA hard disk drives. Got that? The good news is that the data side is identical to standard SATA and the power isn’t required for eSATA use. So that eSATA cable ought to fit right into the data side of the existing slimline SATA cable currently used by the SuperDrive and extend it to an eSATA port.

This worked great for me, with the cable fitting fine and everything working as well as can be expected. Although SATA connections are full-speed, Mac OS X doesn’t allow hot-plugging of SATA devices. Oh well.

Third SATA Header (Mid-2010 iMacs only)

The mid-2010 iMacs have a third SATA port on their logic board according to OWC. One ought to be able to attach an eSATA cable to this port, as long as it’s not already in use by the HDD+SSD option available from Apple. But earlier iMacs like mine don’t have this port. So it’s out of the question for me.

AirPort-for-SATA Mini-PCIe Swap

It might be possible to swap in a Mini-PCIe SATA controller like this Commell MPX-3132 for the AirPort card

Although the iMac doesn’t have any standard PCI-Express slots, it does have a single-lane Mini-PCI-Express slot for the included AirPort Wireless network card. It ought to be possible to pull out the AirPort card and install any Mini-PCIe card in its place, including a SATA controller. I haven’t looked too deeply into this, but did find a few tidbits of interest:

1. Mini-PCIe-to-SATA cards for the Eee and Dell netbooks will not work – these machines have a special non-standard Mini-PCIe slot with SATA lanes included.
2. The Commell MPX-3132 SATA RAID controller ought to work electronically, but I don’t see anyone selling it and the OS X driver situation doesn’t look good.
3. An OCZ Mini-PCIe SATA SSD would be a cool and easy addition, but that’s not what this post is about.
4. A particularly industrious hacker could probably adapt an external ExpressCard or internal single-lane PCI Express SATA adapter to fit, but that’s beyond my abilities.

The Hitch: Where to Put the eSATA Port?

OWC locates the eSATA port in the speaker grille - possibly the only option!

Now that we know that it is possible to add an eSATA port to an iMac, we come to the real snag in the plan: Where do we put the eSATA port? The iMac’s case is milled out of a solid piece of aluminum. The only holes that are not too small (cooling vents, DVD and SD slots) or occupied (FireWire and USB ports) are the memory and speaker openings at the bottom of the case. OWC chose to cut through a speaker grille for their eSATA port, and this might be the only viable location. But reaching this area of the case requires removing just about all of the iMac’s guts, and it’s not the most attractive place to plug in.

Stephen’s Stance

I think the DVD-for-eSATA cable approach is easiest to accomplish at home, but I’m still unsure where exactly this cable will end up. There is literally no place to run a cable out of the iMac’s case without drilling, and that’s not the most enticing option. It’s too bad the DVD slot is too narrow for a cable – it would be a logical place given the swap and the location of the slimline SATA connector inside.

I ordered that SATA to eSATA cable and began experimenting. Shortly after publishing this piece, I did get eSATA working on my iMac. Read my follow-up piece, How To Add An eSATA Port To An Intel iMac, for more!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | Four Ways to Add eSATA to Your iMac
This post was categorized as Apple, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Another great question in my mailbox:

I bought a 3rd SATA drive, and have nowhere to put it in my PowerMac G5. I forgot there was only room for 2 inside!

I do audio recording: Lots of Digital Performer, plus a bit of Pro Tools. I recently bought a new 1 TB Hitachi drive and don’t know how to house it.

Here are my choices:

1. External FW400 enclosure
2. External FW800 enclosure
3. External USB2 enclosure
4. PCIe SATA card (expensive because I’d still need to buy an enclosure?)

I’m hearing that the unused FW800 socket on the back isn’t a good idea. True?

I have a Digi002r Firewire Audio interface attached to one FW400 port, and a PCIe MOTU 424e card (with the other audio interfaces attached) installed.

Thank you much for any help.

Stephen’s Stance

My preference is to rank them in terms of performance and cost:

1. eSATA
2. FW800
3. FW400
4. USB

I don’t know much about the G5 but guess that a PCIe eSATA card won’t be too expensive. The enclosures are cheap too.

A better option might be a Drobo (on FireWire 800) if you have the cash. It’s not super fast (though the new Drobo S is faster) but it protects your data and it’s easy to add more space. With that many drives, you’re likely to have a failure soon… The only issue here is that an empty Drobo costs a few hundred dollars and that might be out of your price range.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | How Should An External Hard Drive Be Attached?
This post was categorized as Ask a Pack Rat. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Seagate's new GoFlex external drive lineup moves the smarts into the cable, simplifying function and connectivity upgrades

The external hard disk drive market is incredibly hot right now, but it’s also ultra-competitive. Stalwarts Seagate and Western Digital battle it out with everyone from disk makers like Toshiba and Hitachi to PC hardware companies like HP, Iomega, LaCie. The latest trend is dockable multi-function drives that are friendlier to use and offer advanced features like video playback. Most docks rely on USB 2.0, but Seagate just dropped a bomb on the industry with a simple twist: They moved the intelligence outside the case, repackaging the standard internal SATA connector as GoFlex, an external link to a variety of docks and adapters.

The Trouble With Hot Products

External drive makers face a dilemma: Fierce competition has driven down the price of external USB hard disk drives, hurting profit margins. Most brick-and-mortar stores sell basic external USB drives even cheaper than the bare hard disk mechanism contained inside, and sales can push them lower than online bulk drive purchases. It’s nice to be in a hot market, but not so great when it squeezes out all of the profit.

Drive makers responded by adding features. A few years back, the trend was upscale “pro” models with 400 or 800 megabit FireWire interfaces, one-touch backup software, or built-in encryption. We also saw “fashion” drives with sleek lines and bright colors. But these were one-sale sweeteners and did nothing for the brand as a whole. The next step was the introduction of desktop docking stations, encouraging the purchase of more devices from the same vendor. Then came a wave of video playback stations that connect to a television.

But all of these devices were limited by the USB 2.0 interface they used. USB was good enough for many uses, but it was too slow for some users. Those wanting faster performance simply ignored the dockable lines and went straight for FireWire 800, eSATA, or iSCSI over Gigabit Ethernet. The release of USB 3.0 forces vendors to scrap their current docks anyway.

What’s the Big Idea?

Seagate took these marketing lemons and turned them into lemonade. Their idea is simple: Move the interface and feature smarts outside the drive case and into the cable or dock. The GoFlex interface is almost identical to the standard SATA data and power interface found on physical hard disk drives. This gives plenty of performance, future-proofs the line as drive speeds increase, and allows a wider variety of interfaces to be used.

Take a good look: GoFlex uses SATA data and power connections!

Let’s say you go out and buy a simple basic 500 GB FreeAgent GoFlex portable drive. It comes with the USB 2.0 cable but not much else. You can still get a TV dock like before, but now you can also order up some speed with a FireWire 800 or eSATA Upgrade Cable. And you can mix and match drives and cables, using eSATA with your desktop and USB with your notebook.

This is a win from Seagate’s perspective, too. Assuming they made the connector just different enough to not be compatible with other vendors’ SATA drives, they retain the brand lock-in advantage while offering enticing features to their customers. Assuming they eventually offer GoFlex drives without the cable as upgrades for existing users, the technology also allows them to underprice their competitors.

My Take

GoFlex is definitely a clever marketing idea, repackaging existing technology in a novel way. I am pleased to see an upgrade path to faster interfaces like USB 3.0 and eSATA, though I wish Apple would hurry up and offer these ports on their machines. And I am eager to try the technology out, especially with third-party drives.

I imagine that GoFlex will give Seagate quite a differentiator in a competitive market and will encourage brand loyalty among customers. But TV docks have not been a big success (judging from the clearance section at my local Best Buy) and I doubt this will change that situation. I expect this technology to be a hit, but drives will be drives.

Note: Some of these links include affiliate codes that help pay for this blog. For example, buying an Amazon Kindle with this link sends a few bucks my way! But I don't write this blog to make money, and am happy to link to sites and stores that don't pay anything. I like Amazon and buy tons from them, but you're free to buy whatever and wherever you want.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | Lemons Into Lemonade: Seagate Repackages SATA As GoFlex
This post was categorized as Apple, Computer History, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.