New toy - StarTech 4 bay eSATA / USB3 dock station

[coffee]

I found a new toy Just got it today and hooked it up:

* Seperate power buttons for all 4 drives.
* eSATA or USB3 connections on back.
* Able to control 4 drives separately - 2.5 / 3.5

Seems to run pretty darn good. I have it shared out in vbox and running WSUS storing on it.

I was using USB3 but the limitation of not being able to run smart tests thru usb was a game killer for me. So, After some hunting around I found this. Of course it runs great thru my linux host and in vbox I just quickly setup the drive as a shared folder. Now I can scan drives, run smart tests and anything else a lot quicker as its a 4 bay docking station.

Here is a link for it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004I6OCRO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

 

[Mike McCall]

Nice find. Added it to my wish list.

 

[cypress]

Very nice!

 

[lcoughey]

I've got a few of them. Just note that although there are separate power buttons, all drives will disconnect and reconnect to Windows when using USB 3...and eSATA speed is split by the number of connected drives.

That said, very happy with them.

 

[Mike McCall]

Just note that although there are separate power buttons, all drives will disconnect and reconnect to Windows when using USB 3...

Is that something inherent with USB 3 or is it due to something else? I have a couple of USB 3 RAID 1 boxes that keep dropping connection with their hosts (Win10 & Mac).

 

[Larry Sabo]

I'd love one but my old system doesn't have SATA port multiplier capability incorporated into the MB so I'd end up just being able to use one slot at a time. >sigh>

 

[lcoughey]

Is that something inherent with USB 3 or is it due to something else? I have a couple of USB 3 RAID 1 boxes that keep dropping connection with their hosts (Win10 & Mac).

I don't think I was clear on my statement. When you already have one or more drives connected and at a later time, add a drive or remove a drive, all the drives will disappear from windows and will come back online after windows rescans for them.

 

[lcoughey]

I'd love one but my old system doesn't have SATA port multiplier capability incorporated into the MB so I'd end up just being able to use one slot at a time. >sigh>

The card is less than $50, but as I said, the SATA port multiplier is really a SATA bus speed divider. But, all drives don't disappear when adding/removing a drive to the unit.

 

[Mike McCall]

I don't think I was clear on my statement. When you already have one or more drives connected and at a later time, add a drive or remove a drive, all the drives will disappear from windows and will come back online after windows rescans for them.

Ah, gotcha. Thanks.

 

[lcoughey]

Also, strangely enough, you can see the smart of each connected drive when connected via USB 3, but not via eSATA.

 

[DataMedics]

I have a few of their two bay units (USB 3 only) and I hate the fact that you can't see the drive model/serial over USB 3.0. I'm told the eSATA version doesn't have this restriction even over the USB, but the ones without eSATA all drives just appear as ASMT then some meaningless random number.

Makes it really hard to verify which drive you're looking at all the time.

 

[coffee]

I'd love one but my old system doesn't have SATA port multiplier capability incorporated into the MB so I'd end up just being able to use one slot at a time. >sigh>

Thats why you need this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00952N2DQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

I bought it along with the dock box. I did have a USB3 card installed but it does not play well with vbox and a win 7 guest. I also didnt like not being able to run smart tests.

 

[coffee]

Also, strangely enough, you can see the smart of each connected drive when connected via USB 3, but not via eSATA.

Perhaps I missunderstand your post.

eSATA - you can run and see smart tests fine.

USBx - No smart testing available.

 

[Diggs]

Is just me or does the eSATA spec not allow for hot swaps? All my eSATA drives must be plugged in and on before boot for them to be recognized.

 

[coffee]

Is just me or does the eSATA spec not allow for hot swaps? All my eSATA drives must be plugged in and on before boot for them to be recognized.

eSATA does allow for hotswap. Bios issue? How do you have them hooked up I guess is the big question.

 

[Diggs]

eSATA does allow for hotswap. Bios issue? How do you have them hooked up I guess is the big question.

SATA cabled straight off the motherboard to connectors in the PCI expansion area and SATA cables again to the drive enclosures. Both machines are that way. Both have a pair of 2TB WD Blacks in generic enclosures.

 

[coffee]

SATA cabled straight off the motherboard to connectors in the PCI expansion area and SATA cables again to the drive enclosures. Both machines are that way. Both have a pair of 2TB WD Blacks in generic enclosures.

Probably the design of the MB. The ports on the motherboard probably do not even support 'port multiplier'. I would go with an add on eSATA card as I did. It will be the quickest way. See my earlier post on the eSATA card on Amazon. Its linux friendly and of course windows.

 

[Diggs]

Was also struggling with an unfriendly USB 3.0 card on a Linux machine. I may try the eSATA card instead.
Thanks

 

[lcoughey]

Perhaps I missunderstand your post.

eSATA - you can run and see smart tests fine.

USBx - No smart testing available.

Nope...at least not with our dock:

eSATA - not able to read SMART
USB - can read SMART

I suspect that it is because the eSATA card interferes with things in order to allow 4 drives to connect to a single eSATA port.

 

[coffee]

Nope...at least not with our dock:

eSATA - not able to read SMART
USB - can read SMART

I suspect that it is because the eSATA card interferes with things in order to allow 4 drives to connect to a single eSATA port.

I call that weird

I have never had a USB able to read or perform smart tests. But on the flip side, I have always had eSATA work just fine for smart tests. We are polar opposites I figure (lol). Are you right handed or left? I am right