MERCURY RACK PRO
Assembly Manual & User Guide
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Minimum System Requirements ................................................. 1
1.1.1 Apple Mac Requirements
1.1.2 PC Requirements
1.1.3 Supported Hard Drives
1.2 Package Contents ...................................................................... 1
1.3 About This Manual ...................................................................... 2
1.4 Front View ................................................................................... 2
1.4.1 Buttons
1.4.2 LED Indicators
1.5 Rear View .................................................................................... 2
1.5.1 Connection
1.5.2 Usage Notes
1.5.3 RAID Selector Switches
1.6 Pre-congured Solutions ............................................................ 4
1.7 RAID Settings .............................................................................. 4
1.7.1 Changing the RAID mode
1.7.2 RAID Mode Descriptions
DEVICE SETUP
2.1 Drive Installation .......................................................................... 6
2.1.1 Adding Drives to an Existing RAID Set
2.1.2 Adding Drives to Independent mode (Clear RAID)
2.2 Replacing Drives ......................................................................... 7
SUPPORT RESOURCES
3.1 Rack / Desktop Conversion ........................................................ 8
3.2 Formatting .................................................................................. 8
3.3 Unmounting Drives ..................................................................... 8
3.4 About Data Backup .................................................................... 8
3.5 Troubleshooting .......................................................................... 9
3.6 Online Resources ....................................................................... 9
3.7 Contacting Technical Support .................................................... 9
CONTENTS
OWC Mercury Rack Pro Table of Contents
OWC Mercury Rack Pro Introduction
1
1.1 Minimum System Requirements
1.1.1 Apple Mac Requirements
» eSATA: OS X 10.3-10.11.6 | macOS 10.12 or later
» FireWire: OS X 10.2-10.11.6 | macOS 10.12 or later
» USB 3.1 Gen 1 (supports USB 2.0): OS X 10.6-10.11.6 | macOS 10.12 later
1.1.2 PC Requirements
» eSATA: Windows XP or later
» FireWire: Windows XP or later
» USB 3.1 Gen 1 (supports USB 2.0): Windows XP or later
1.1.3 Supported Hard Drives
» Up to four 3.5” SATA drives (1.5Gb/s, 3.0Gb/s, or 6.0Gb/s)
» Identical model drives are required for all RAID modes. Clear RAID
(Independent) and Combine (SPAN) do not require identical drives.
1.2 Package Contents
FireWire 800
(1394b) cabl e
eSATA ca ble
Desktop feet
with Phillips screws (4)
Rack handles (2)
USB 3.1 Gen 1
(Standard-A to
Standard-B) cable
Power cable
FireWire 400
(1394a) cable
Phillips screws for
rack handles (8)
Bumpers for rack
handle screw holes (2)
OWC Mercury Rack Pro
INTRODUCTION
OWC Mercury Rack Pro Introduction
2
1.3 About This Manual
The images and descriptions may vary slightly between this manual and the
unit shipped. Functions and features may change depending on the rmware
version. Please visit the product web page for the most current information.
OWC’s Limited Warranty is not transferable and subject to limitations.
1.4 Front View
1.4.1 B u t ton s
The Power button and SET/MUTE
buttons are behind the front cover on
the left side. The SET/MUTE button
is used for setting the RAID mode
(see Section 1.7) and disabling the
audible alarm if there is a drive failure.
1.4.2 LED Indicators
Power:
» OFF = power o
» Blue = power on
» Pink = power on (advanced format drives)
Access:
» Blinking purple = drive being accessed
Rebuild:
» Blinking red = RAID array being rebuilt
» Solid red = faulty drive
1.5 Rear View
1. Power Input
2. eSATA por t
3. USB 3.1 Gen 1 port
4. FireWire 400 port
5. FireWire 800 ports
6. RAID Mode switches
1 2
3
4
5
6
OWC Mercury Rack Pro Introduction
3
1.5.1 Connection
1. Plug the power cable into the wall and into the OWC Mercury Rack Pro.
2. Connect the approriate eSATA, FireWire 800, FireWire 400, or USB 3.1
Gen 1 cable into the Rack Pro and computer (eSATA or USB 3.1 Gen 1
interfaces are recommended for maximum performance).
1.5.2 Usage Notes
» Only one interface (eSATA, FW800, FW400, USB 3.1 Gen 1) at a time can
be used. When more than one interface cable is connected, the fastest
interface has priority.
» For the safe removal of your drive and to assure that no data is lost, always
unmount the drive from your operating system before powering o and
ejecting the drive. See Section 3.3 for more information.
» For the computer to access volumes larger than 2TB, the operating
system must support large volumes (i.e. Windows Vista and later or Mac
OS X 10.4 and later).
» If one of the fans in the Mercury Rack Pro fails, an alarm will sound. The
“Fan Alarm Mute” button located on the rear panel (highlighted below
in green) will mute the alarm. It is recommended that you replace the
failed fan as soon as possible in order to adequately cool the unit, thus
preventing damage to components and avoiding potential data loss.
1.5.3 RAID Selector Switches
There are three RAID Mode switches
on the back of the Mercury Rack Pro
(highlighted in blue) that are used
to change the RAID mode. Use the
silkscreen above the switches as
a guide (highlighted in red) when
changing the RAID mode.
Section 1.7 provides additional details about working with RAID modes.
OWC Mercury Rack Pro Introduction
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1.6 Pre-congured Solutions
If your Mercury Rack Pro included hard drives, they have been pre-congured
as a RAID 5 volume — that volume has been pre-formatted. If you need drive
installation tips, please see Section 2.1. Formatting tips for Mac and PC can
be found in Section 3.2.
1.7 RAID Settings
1.7.1 Changing the RAID Mode
IMPORTANT: Identical model drives (make, model, capacity, rmware) are
required for all RAID modes. Clear RAID (Independent) and Combine (SPAN) do
not require identical drives. Additionally, changing the RAID mode requires you to set
the Rack Pro to “Clear RAID” mode between each mode change.
To switch or clear RAID modes, follow the three steps below.
1. With the Rack Pro powered o, adjust the switches on the back of the unit
to Clear RAID to either clear the previous mode, or to immediately change
to Independent mode.
2. Press and hold the SET/MUTE button on the front of the enclosure and
power on the Rack Pro. Keep holding the button down until you hear a full
beep. The lights on the Rack Pro will also ash during this process and will
stop ashing when complete.
3. After the Rack Pro’s RAID mode has been cleared, power o again if you
do not wish to use Independent mode. Change the switches to reect
your desired RAID mode and then repeat Step 2. Once the LED ashing
stops the new RAID volume is ready to be formatted. See Section 3.2 for
more information on formatting.
1.7.2 RAID Mode Descriptions
Clear/JBOD (Independent Drive) Mode
Switch setting: DOWN-DOWN-DOWN
Each drive will appear as a single volume. If you intend to use hard drives of
diering capacity and model, this is the mode to use. To swap or replace drives,
rst unmount all drives and power the OWC Mercury Rack Pro o.
WARNING: Changing the RAID setup will require you to reformat the
drives. Reformatting will delete all of the existing data on the drives!
OWC Mercury Rack Pro Introduction
5
Combine (SPAN) Mode
Switch setting: UP-DOWN-UP
The drives appear as one large volume. The total capacity depends on the drives
used; you can use dierent capacities. Combine (SPAN) is an array (but not a
RAID) in which the data is written sequentially across the drives. This combines
the drives’ capacities, but provides no performance or data redundancy benets.
RAID 0 “Drive Striping” Mode
Switch setting: UP-UP-UP
The drives appear as one large volume with a size equal to the combined
capacities of all the drives in the array. RAID 0 is used when speed is the primary
objective, but it does not provide any type of data protection. Data is alternated
very quickly across two or more drives to gain speed by distributing the workload.
This allows for the fastest data transfer rates, since data is written without pausing
to check parity information. However if one drive fails, the whole array can become
corrupted and data will be lost. Always maintain a backup of your data!
RAID 1 “Drive Mirroring” Mode (2 Drives Installed)
Switch setting: UP-UP-DOWN
The drives appear as one volume with a size equal to the capacity of one installed
drive. RAID 1 copies (or “mirrors”) a set of data from the rst drive to the second
drive. This is useful when reliability and backup are more important than capacity
or speed. If one drive fails, it can be replaced and the data rebuilt.
RAID 10 “Drive Mirroring with Striping” Mode (4 Drives Installed)
Switch setting: UP-UP-DOWN
The drives appear as one volume with a size equal to the combined capacities of
half of the drives in the array. RAID 10 uses a combination of striped and mirrored
volumes. If one drive fails, it can be replaced and the data rebuilt.
RAID 3 “Drive Striping with Dedicated Parity” Mode
Switch setting: UP-DOWN-DOWN
The drives appear as one volume with a size equal to the combined capacities of
all the drives in the array, minus one drive. RAID 3 uses byte-level striping, with
parity information located on a dedicated parity drive. Very fast performance can
be achieved with RAID 3 while also maintaining fault protection, so if one drive
fails, it can be replaced and the data rebuilt.
RAID 5 “Drive Striping with Distributed Parity” Mode
Switch setting: DOWN-UP-DOWN
The drives appear as one volume with a size equal to the combined capacities of
all drives in the array, minus one drive. RAID 5 uses block-level striping with parity
data distributed across all disks. It provides a good balance between performance
and data integrity. If one drive fails, it can be replaced and the data rebuilt.
OWC Mercury Rack Pro Device Setup
6
2.1 Drive Installation
NOTE: If you purchased a Rack Pro pre-congured with drives, they will be color-
coded. Please match the color on each drive to the corresponding drive bay.
Blue - Green - Yellow - Red -
Drive Installation Steps:
1. Open the front cover on the OWC
Mercury Rack Pro.
2. Install the rst drive as shown at right,
with the SATA connector facing away
from you.
3. Slide the drive all the way into the drive
bay. When properly seated, it should
sit ush with the aluminum frame.
4. Repeat the previous steps for each
drive you are installing.
NOTE: Be careful to not damage any components — do not force the drives into
place. If they do not slide and seat in easily, make sure there are no obstructions.
2.1.1 Adding Drives to an Existing RAID Set
Note that It is not possible to add more drives to an existing RAID array or change
the RAID conguration without reformatting. In order to add more drives, the
existing RAID must rst be cleared using Steps 1 and 2 in Section 1.7.1. After
clearing the RAID, a new RAID set may be created including any additional drives.
2.1.2 Adding Drives to Independent mode (Clear RAID)
You can remove any drive from a Clear RAID set and replace it with another drive.
IMPORTANT NOTE: To avoid data corruption it is essential to unmount all drives
and power the unit o before removing or adding a new drive. If you physically
eject or remove a drive from the Rack Pro without powering o the unit rst, any
mounted drives will improperly unmount from the computer.
DEVICE SETUP
OWC Mercury Rack Pro Device Setup
7
2.2 Replacing Drives
If a drive fails, the corresponding activity LED will display as solid red and
the alarm will sound. To disable the alarm, press the “Set/Mute” button once
(see Section 1.5.3). If only one drive is defective and the RAID mode is set
to RAID 1, 3, 5, or RAID 10, the data can still be accessed, but it is strongly
suggested that you replace the faulty drive mechanism immediately with an
identical drive to assure continued data safety.
To remove the drive from the enclosure, use the lever located above the drive
to eject the drive mechanism (shown above). If more than one drive fails at
the same time, or if one drive fails and the RAID mode is set to RAID 0 or
Combine (SPAN) mode, the data is lost and the system cannot be accessed
again until the drive(s) are replaced and a new array is built. Note that when
using a SPAN, only the data stored on the failed drive is lost.
1. Check the LED and replace the faulty drive. The red LED indicates the
defective drive. You do NOT need to power the enclosure o to do this.
2. For RAID 1, 3, 5, and RAID 10, the RAID array will be rebuilt automatically.
During the rebuild process, the drive LED will ash red. Rebuilding the
RAID array will take several hours to days, depending on drive capacity.
Once the rebuild is complete, the LED will turn o or ash red with activity.
Power cycle the rack enclosure to return the LED to normal operation.
3. For RAID 0 and Combine (SPAN) modes, the corresponding LED will turn
blue, showing that the defective drive has been replaced and a good drive
is inserted into the bay. You will need to clear and reset your RAID. See
Section 1.7.1 for more details.
Notes:
» While the data from a failed SPAN drive is usually not recoverable, the data
on the good drive(s) often will be recoverable.
» We recommend not turning the power o during the rebuild process.
However, if power is interrupted the data should continue rebuilding as
soon as the power is restored. The OWC Mercury Rack Pro does not need
to be connected to a computer for the rebuild process to take place.
OWC Mercury Rack Pro Support Resources
8
3.1 Rack / Desktop Conversion
The OWC Mercury Rack Pro comes with two rack handles to enable rack-
mounted congurations. Four rubber feet are also included for use in a
desktop environment. Use a Phillips screwdriver to install either the handles
or feet, depending on how you intend to use the enclosure. Two padded
bumpers are included to cover the screw holes that are not used by the rack
handles when the enclosure is congured as a desktop solution.
3.2 Formatting
To review our formatting tips please visit: www.owcdigital.com/format
3.3 Unmounting Drives
For the safe removal of your drive and to ensure that no data is lost, always
eject or unmount the corresponding disk(s) from your operating system
before powering o. Choose a method below to safely unmount your disk(s).
Mac:
» Drag the icon for the disk you wish to unmount to the trash can; OR
» Right-click the disk icon on the desktop, then click “Eject”; OR
» Highlight the disk on your Desktop and press Command-E.
PC:
1. Go to the System Tray (located in the lower right corner of your screen).
Click on the “Eject” icon (a small green arrow over a hardware image).
2. A message will appear, detailing the devices that the “Eject” icon controls,
i.e., “Safely remove...” Click on this prompt.
3. You will then see a message that says, “Safe to Remove Hardware.” It is
now safe to disconnect the Mercury Elite Pro Dual from the computer.
3.4 About Data Backup
To ensure your les are protected and prevent data loss, we strongly suggest
that you keep two copies of your data: one copy on your OWC Mercury
Rack Pro and a second copy on either your internal drive or another storage
medium, such as an optical backup, or on another external storage unit. Any
data loss or corruption while using the OWC Mercury Rack Pro is the sole
responsibility of the user, and under no circumstances may OWC, its parent,
partners, aliates, ocers, employees, or agents be held liable for loss of
the use of data including compensation of any kind or recovery of the data.
SUPPORT RESOURCES
OWC Mercury Rack Pro Support Resources
9
3.5 Troubleshooting
Begin your troubleshooting by verifying that the power cable is connected to
the Mercury Rack Pro and to a power source. If the power cable is connected
to a power strip, make sure that the power switch on the strip is turned on.
Next, verify that both ends of your cables are properly plugged into the
computer and the Rack Pro. If the Rack Pro is still not working properly, try
connecting to another interface (USB, FireWire, or eSATA) and see if the device
works properly. You can also connect the Rack Pro to a dierent computer. If
problems persist, consult our collection of frequently asked questions or see
Section 3.7 for information on contacting OWC technical support.
3.6 Online Resources
Data Migration:
For our recommended method of migrating data from an old drive to a new one,
please visit: www.owcdigital.com/support/data-transfer
FAQs:
Access our collection of frequently asked questions at: www.owcdigital.com/faq
3.7 Contacting Technical Support
Phone: M–F, 8am–5pm CST
(866) 692-7100 (N. America) | +1 (815) 338-4751 (Int’l)
Chat: M–F, 8am–8pm CST
www.owcdigital.com/support
Email: Answered within 48 hours
www.owcdigital.com/support
Copyright 2017 OWC. All Rights Reserved.
OWC’s Limited Warranty is not transferable and subject to limitations.
Changes:
The material in this document is for information purposes only and subject to change without notice. While reasonable eorts have been
made in the preparation of this document to assure its accuracy, OWC and its ocers and employees assume no liability resulting from
errors or omissions in this document, or from the use of the information contained herein. OWC reserves the right to make changes or
revisions in the product design or the product manual without reservation and without obligation to notify any person of such revisions and
changes.
FCC Statement:
Warning! Modications not authorized by the manufacturer may void the user’s authority to operate this device.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance
with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference with radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is
likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment
generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this
equipment does cause harmful interference with radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment o and
on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
» Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
» Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
» Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit dierent from that to which the receiver is connected.
Health And Safety Precautions:
» Use proper anti-static precautions while performing the installation of your hard drives into this drive enclosure. Failure to do so
can cause damage to your drive mechanisms and/or the hard drive enclosure.
» Read this user guide carefully and follow the correct procedures when setting up the device.
» Do not attempt to disassemble or modif y the device. To avoid any risk of electrical shock, re, short-circuiting or dangerous
emissions, never insert any metallic object into the device. If it appears to be malfunctioning, contact technical support.
» Never expose your device to rain, or use it near water or in damp or wet conditions. Never place objects containing liquids on
the drive, as they may spill into its openings. Doing so increases the risk of electrical shock, short-circuiting, re or personal
injury.
General Use Precautions:
» To avoid damage, do not expose the device to temperatures outside the range of 5° C to 40° C (41° F to 104° F).
» Always unplug the device from the electrical outlet if there is a risk of lightning or if it will be unused for an extended period of
time. Other wise, there is an increased risk of electrical shock, shor t-circuiting or re.
» Do not use the device near other electrical appliances such as televisions, radios or speakers.
» Doing so may cause interference which will adversely aect the operation of the other products.
» Do not place the device near sources of magnetic interference, such as computer displays, televisions or speakers. Magnetic
inter ference can aect the operation and stability of hard drives.
» Do not place heavy objects on top of the device.Protect your device from excessive exposure to dust during use or storage.
Dust can build up inside the device, increasing the risk of damage or malfunction.
» Do not block any ventilation openings on the device. These help to keep the device cool during operation. Blocking the
ventilation openings may cause damage to the device and cause an increased risk of short-circuiting or re.
» For up-to-date product and warranty information, please visit the product web page.
Copyrights and Trademarks:
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of OWC.
© 2017 OWC. All rights reserved.
OWC is a trademark of New Concepts Development Corporation, registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Oce
and/or in Canada. The OWC logo is a trademark of New Concepts Development Corporation. Apple, FireWire, Mac,
macOS, and OS X are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and
Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries. Other marks may be the trademark or registered trademark property of their owners.
OWCMANMRPM3F8QR5 08/08/17 DM
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