User’s Guide
for Echo™ Express SE eSATA Pro 4-Port
™
Thunderbolt
-to-eSATA Adapter
Contents
1 Introduction, System Requirements, Driver Information 1
2 Echo Express SE eSATA Pro 4-Port Description 2
Echo Express SE eSATA Pro 4-Port Extererior
Power Adapter
3 Verifying Adapter Recognition Using System Report 4
Confirming the Thunderbolt and eSATA Ports are Recognized
4 Connecting eSATA Devices 5
Connecting Drives and Media Readers – General Information
Connecting Drives to Create RAID Sets
5 Formatting Attached Drives 6
Formatting Individual Drives (Not in a RAID Set)
Formatting Drives into RAID Sets
6 Tips, General Information, and Known Issues 8
Tips, General Information
Known Issues
7 Specifications, Precautions, FCC Compliance, and Support Information 9
Specifications
Safety Precautions
FCC Compliance
Contacting Customer Service
Visit Our Website
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Chapter 1 – Introduction, System Requirements, Driver Information
144.8
73.5
Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase! The Echo Express SE eSATA
Pro 4-Port is a Thunderbolt-to-eSATA adapter that, through
its four eSATA ports, you may connect single- and multi-drive
storage systems with an eSATA interface to your iMac
mini, MacBook
You may also use media readers and optical drives with an eSATA
interface with the Echo adapter.
Connection of the Echo adapter to your computer requires a
single Thunderbolt cable, while connection to storage systems,
media readers, and optical drives require the use of eSATA data
cables.
The Echo adapter works in concert with your computer, turning
on only when connected to your computer and the computer
turned on. When your computer is turned off or sleeping, the
Echo adapter turns off automatically to save energy.
®
Air, or MacBook Pro with a Thunderbolt port.
®
, Mac®
System Requirements
The Echo adapter requires the following to operate:
• Mac computer with a Thunderbolt port
• OS X 10.6.8 or later
• Thunderbolt cable (not included; sold separately)
• eSATA cables (not included; sold separately)
Driver Information
The drivers that enable the SATA controller card inside the Echo
adapter to work with your computer are installed as part of
OS X; the Echo adapter is ready to use when you power on your
computer.
1
Chapter 2 – Echo Express SE eSATA Pro 4-Port Description
Echo Express SE eSATA Pro 4-Port Exterior
1 – Power Indicator
This indicator lights when the Echo adapter is powered,
the Thunderbolt cable between the adapter and your
computer is plugged in securely, and the computer powered
on. Note that if the Echo adapter is connected to another
Thunderbolt device instead of directly to the computer, any
other Thunderbolt device connected between the computer
and Echo adapter must also be powered on before the Echo
adapter’s power indicator will light up
2 – Locking eSATA Ports
Connect eSATA data cables (with or without locking
connectors) between these ports and your storage systems’ or
other devices’ eSATA ports
3 – 12VDC Socket
Connect the included DC power adapter between this socket
and the included power cord
4 – Thunderbolt Ports
Connect a Thunderbolt cable between either of these ports
and your computer’s (or intermediate device’s) Thunderbolt
port; the open port may be used to connect another
Thunderbolt device
2
Chapter 2 – Echo Express SE eSATA Pro 4-Port Description
Power Adapter
1 – Power Adapter
Connect this to the Echo adapter’s
12VDC socket. Note that the power
indicator on top lights when the
adapter is connected to AC power
2 – Power Cord
Connect this between a power outlet
and the power adapter. Note that
the power cord included with your
product may appear different than
the one pictured here, depending on
where the product was purchased
3
Chapter 3 – Verifying Adapter Recognition Using System Report
Confirming the Thunderbolt and eSATA Ports are
Recognized
1. With the Echo adapter powered and connected to the
computer, turn on the computer. Note that if there are
any other Thunderbolt devices connected between the
Echo adapter and your computer, they must also be
powered for you to perform the following steps.
2. From the Apple menu, select About This Mac; the
System Information application will launch.
3. When the About This Mac window opens, click More
Info; a summary of specications will appear.
4. Click System Report; a full report window will appear.
5. In the System Report window, click Thunderbolt under
the Hardware header in the left column (Figure 1).
6. In the top right column under the Thunderbolt Device
Tree header, you will see the computer listing, with
“Echo Express SE” appearing below it (Figure 1).
Support Note: If you do not see “Echo Express SE”
listed, disconnect and reconnect the Thunderbolt
cable between the computer and Echo Express SE. Note
that it is not necessary to shut down the computer before
disconnecting and reconnecting the cable.
7. Click PCI Cards under the Hardware header in the left
column (Figure 2).
8. At the top of the right column, the installed Tempo
SATA Pro 6Gb 4-Port card is listed, identied as two
“pci1b4b,9182” AHCI controllers. By selecting one
of the controllers, detailed information is listed. You
will see “Yes” next to Driver Installed and Tunnel
Compatible (Figure 2).
Figure 1
Figure 2
4
Chapter 4 – Connecting eSATA Devices
Connecting Drives and Media Readers – General
Information
Data cables with eSATA connectors are required for use with
the Echo adapter, drive enclosures, and other devices with
eSATA ports. Bare SATA drives and some old drive enclosures
use SATA I connectors; use of these devices require cables
with a SATA I connector at one end (SATA I to eSATA cables
are available separately from Sonnet.) Figure 3 shows the
difference between eSATA and SATA I connectors.
When you connect eSATA data cable(s) between the Echo
adapter and the drive enclosures or other devices, make sure
all cables are connected securely.
Connecting Drives to Create RAID Sets
The SATA card inside the Echo adapter features two SATA
controllers, one for the left pair of eSATA ports (ports 4 and
3), and one for the right pair of eSATA ports (ports 2 and 1).
To obtain the best performance when using a OS X-formatted
striped RAID set (RAID 0) or mirrored RAID set (RAID 1), you
should use drives connected to ports 1 and 3 together, and 2
and 4 together (Figure 4). Connecting drives this way enables
both controllers to be used at the same.
eSATA connector
SATA I connector
Figure 3
Figure 4
5
Chapter 5 – Formatting Attached Drives
Formatting Individual Drives (Not in a RAID Set)
This section describes the process of formatting (initializing)
new, individual drives connected to the Echo adapter using
Disk Utility under OS X Version 10.7; the process is nearly
identical under OS X Versions 10.6 and 10.8. If you intend to
create a OS X-formatted RAID set with the drives attached to
the Echo adapter, skip to “Formatting Drives into RAID Sets”
on the next page.
1. Turn on your storage system, and then turn on your
computer (with the Echo adapter connected). During
startup, one or more messages referring to unreadable
volumes will be displayed; click Initialize… to launch
Disk Utility. (Note that if you wait too long, the
messages will disappear, and Disk Utility will have to
be launched manually.) After Disk Utility launches,
click the Initialize button in each remaining message
window.
2. If it is not open, launch Disk Utility. Select one of the
drives you want to format by clicking the drive symbol
or the “name” of the drive; a set of tabs will appear in
the right pane. Note that all drives attached to the Echo
adapter may be identied in the information window
by their icon along with the “External” connection
type (Figure 5).
3. Click the Erase tab, and then click on the Format dropdown menu to select the drive formatting option for
the volume (Figure 6).
4. Type a name for the volume in the Name eld, and
then click Erase (Figure 6).
icon of drives
connected to
adapter
Figure 5
5. When a dialog asking you to conrm you want to erase
the disk appears, click the Erase button to erase and
format the disk (Figure 7). If necessary, repeat steps 3
and 4 to format any other drives connected to the Echo
adapter. When erasing and formatting are complete,
close the Disk Utility application; you can now use your
drive (s).
Figure 6
Figure 7
6
Chapter 5 – Formatting Attached Drives
Formatting Drives into RAID Sets
This section describes the process of formatting (initializing)
multiple, new drives connected to the Echo adapter to create
striped (RAID 0) or mirrored (RAID 1) RAID sets using Disk
Utility under OS X Version 10.7; the process is nearly identical
under OS X Versions 10.6 and 10.8.
Support Note: Depending on how you set it up, a
drive enclosure with a built-in hardware RAID
controller (like Sonnet’s Fusion D400QR5 or F3) may not
present it drives separately to the operating system. For
instance, if you choose a RAID 0 or RAID 5 configuration
in the enclosure, only one “drive” will appear in Disk
Utility. If this is the case, go back to “Formatting Individual
Drives (Not in a RAID Set)” on the previous page for drive
formatting instructions.
1. Turn on your storage system, and then turn on your
computer (with the Echo adapter connected). During
startup, one or more messages referring to unreadable
volumes will be displayed; click Initialize… to launch
Disk Utility. (Note that if you wait too long, the
messages will disappear, and Disk Utility will have to
be launched manually.) After Disk Utility launches,
click the Initialize button in each remaining message
window.
icon of drives
connected to
adapter
Figure 8
2. If it is not open, launch Disk Utility. Note that all drives
attached to the Echo adapter may be identied in the
information window by their icon along with the
“External” connection type (Figure 8).
3. Select one of the drives you want to format in a RAID
set by clicking the drive symbol; a set of tabs will appear
in the right pane. Click the RAID tab, select all the
drives you will use to create your RAID set, and then
drag them into the disk eld (Figure 9). Be careful
NOT to accidentally drag in a drive you don’t want
included in the RAID set.
4. From the drop-down menus, select the volume format
and the RAID scheme (striped or mirrored RAID Set),
and then type in the name for your RAID set (Figure 9).
5. Click the Options button. From the drop-down menu,
select a RAID block size (Figure 10). If you are working
with video, selecting the largest block size will help
improve performance. If you are working with many
smaller les (databases, etc.) a smaller block size will
work well. Click OK.
6. Click Create. When a dialog asking you to conrm
you want to create a RAID set appears, click the Create
button; all of the selected drives will be formatted and
the RAID volume created. Close Disk Utility; your drives
are now ready for use and your installation is complete.
Figure 9
Figure 10
7
Chapter 6 – Tips, General Information, and Known Issues
TIPS, GENERAL INFORMATION
Keeping the Adapter Cool
With its optimized airflow design and temperature-controlled
fan providing cooling at all times, the Echo adapter provides
adequate cooling the Tempo eSATA card inside. Do not block any
of the vents while the adapter is operating! Otherwise, the card and
other components may overheat
Hot-Plugging the Echo Adapter
You may connect and disconnect the Thunderbolt cable between
the Echo adapter and your computer while your computer is
on. BUT, if there are any storage devices connected to the eSATA
ports, follow proper procedures for disconnecting those devices
before unplugging the adapter
“Eject” Drives and Volumes Before Disconnecting Cables
Before disconnecting cables from the Echo adapter, attached
drives, or media readers, eject any mounted drive or volume
(connected through the Echo adapter) by dragging its icon to
the Eject icon in the Dock, or clicking its Eject button in a Finder
window; otherwise, data on the connected drives or volumes
may be corrupted.
Connecting Additional Thunderbolt Devices
You may connect the Echo adapter plus up to ve additional
Thunderbolt devices, (including the Apple Thunderbolt Display)
in a daisy chain connected to the computer
KNOWN ISSUES
Some Devices’ Performance May be Affected by Where They
Are Connected in a Thunderbolt Chain
However small, the Thunderbolt interface introduces latency to
a device chain. If you add additional Thunderbolt devices to the
chain, you may need to experiment with which devicse works
better closer or farther to the computer in the chain
No Power Switch, and No Need to Unplug the Power Adapter
Because the Echo adapter automatically powers on and off with
the computer to which it’s connected, there’s no power switch on
the adapter, nor is there any need to disconnect the power cable
under normal use
Power Indicator Operation
Because the Echo adapter powers on and off with the computer
to which it’s connected, its power indicator only lights when the
computer is on, and turns off when the computer is sleeping
or powered off. Note that the power adapter’s power indicator
remains lit as long as it is connected to a live power outlet
8
Chapter 6 – Specifications, Precautions, FCC Compliance, and Support Information
Specifications
External Connectors Two Thunderbolt
Four locking eSATA
12V Power
Power Adapter Input: 100-240V AC 1.6A, 50-60 Hz
Output: 12V@5.0A (60W)
Dimensions WxDxH: 5.7 x 8.8 x 2.9 in.
(14.5 x 22.3 x 7.4 cm)
Weight 2.6 lbs.
(1.18 k g)
Drives Supported Up to 16
(1)
Drive Types Supported SATA 6 Gb/s, SATA 3 Gb/s, and SATA
1.5 Gb/s
Data Transfer Rate Up to 760 MB/s aggregate
AHCI Support Boot from attached drives
Hot-plug drives
Advanced Features Supports drive hot-swapping
Supports ATAPI (CD/DVD) drives
Supports S.M.A.R.T. status data
reporting
Supports Spread Spectrum Clocking
for compatibility with all SATA
drives and for lower EMI emissions
Operating Temperature 0˚ C to 35˚ C (32˚ F to 95˚ F)
RoHS Compliant Yes
Package Contents Echo Express SE eSATA Pro 4-Port
Thunderbolt-to-eSATA Adapter
(2)
Universal power adapter
Power cord
User's guide
1. Support for up to 16 drives requires the use of drive enclosures employing a
hardware RAID controller (like Sonnet's Fusion D400QR5 or R400QR5).
2. Thunderbolt and eSATA cables required; available at the Apple Store and your
reseller
Warnings
Always follow the basic warnings listed here to avoid the risk of
serious injury or death from electrical shock, short-circuiting, re,
and other hazards. These warnings include, but are not limited to:
• Do not expose the device to rain, use it near water or containers
that contain liquids which might spill into any openings, or in
damp or wet conditions
• If unusual smells, sounds, or smoke come from the device, or if
liquids enter it, switch it off immediately and unplug it from the
electrical outlet
• Follow the instructions in this manual carefully; contact your
reseller or local distributor for additional advice not covered in
this User’s Guide
FCC Compliance
Echo Express SE eSATA Pro 4-Port complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
This device may not cause harmful interference, AND this device
must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
Contacting Sonnet Customer Service
USA Customers
The Sonnet Web site located at www.sonnettech.com has the
most current support information and technical updates. Before
you call Sonnet Customer Service, please check our Web site for
the latest updates and online support les, and check this User’s
Guide for helpful information. When you call Sonnet Customer
Service, have the following information available so our customer
service staff can better assist you:
• Product name
• Date and place of purchase
• Computer model
• Operating system version
• Software/rmware versions
If further assistance is needed, please contact Sonnet Customer
Service at:
Tel : 1-949-472-2772
(Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m. Pacic Time)
E-mail: support@sonnettech.com
For Customers Outside the USA
For support on this product, contact your reseller or local
distributor.
• Do not open the Echo Express SE eSATA Pro 4-Port adapter
or remove its cover under any conditions. There are no user
serviceable parts inside. Breaking the seals and removing the cover
will void the warranty!
• Do not attempt to modify the enclosure. If this device appears
to be malfunctioning, contact your reseller or local distributor
• Do not drop the chassis; dropping or mishandling the chassis
may result in a malfunction leaving the product inoperable
Visit Our Website
For the most current product information and online support
les, visit the Sonnet Website at www.sonnettech.com/support/.
Register your product online at http://registration.sonnettech.com
to be informed of future upgrades and product releases.
9
©2012 Sonnet Technologies, Inc. All rights reser ved. Sonnet, the Sonnet logotype, Creativity Stored Here, Simply Fast, the Simply Fast logotype, Echo, and Tempo are trademarks of
Sonnet Technologies, Inc. FireWire, iMac , Mac, the Mac logo, MacBook, and OS X are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Thunderbolt and
the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Product specifications
subject to change without notice. Printed in the USA. UG-ECHO-EXP-SE4S-E-A-091312
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