StarTech.com SAT3550ESR Instruction Manual

SATA RAID Drive Enclosure

SAT3550ESR

Instruction Manual

Actual product may vary from photo

5 Drive 3.5” eSATA to SATA RAID Drive Enclosure

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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 to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off 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 into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

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This manual may make reference to trademarks, registered trademarks, and other
protected names and/or symbols of third-party companies not related in any way to
StarTech.com. Where they occur these references are for illustrative purposes only and
do not represent an endorsement of a product or service by StarTech.com, or an
endorsement of the product(s) to which this manual applies by the third-party company in
question. Regardless of any direct acknowledgement elsewhere in the body of this
document, StarTech.com hereby acknowledges that all trademarks, registered
trademarks, service marks, and other protected names and/or symbols contained in this
manual and related documents are the property of their respective holders.

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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Host Controller Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

SiI 4726 Manager GUI Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Hardware Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Hard drive installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Connecting the Drive Enclosure to the computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Status Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Elements of the Status window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Basic Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Advanced Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Multiple Volume Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Manage Configuration files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Partition Configured Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Administering the SAT3550ESR Drive Enclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Configuring the SAFE Volume Rebuild Storage Policy . . . . . . . . . . .21

Email Notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Install New Firmware & Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Editing the UserConfig.xml

Monitoring and Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Storage Policies Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Instruction Manual

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Instruction Manual

1

Thank you for purchasing a StarTech.com 5 Drive 3.5” eSATA to SATA RAID Drive
Enclosure. A cost-effective storage solution, SAT3550ESR provides enhanced data
protection, high-performance storage and plug-and-play functionality, making it a simple
solution for professional or home users to replicate data and maintain data security.

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Features

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•

Five separate drive bays maximize external storage capacity

•

Support for both 2.5” and 3.5” SATA hard drives

•

Single rear eSATA interface to host to manage access to each hard drive

•

Supports data transfer speeds up to 3 Gbps

•

Each hard drive bay is hot swappable

•

x86 platform: An Intel Pentium 3 500MHz equivalent or faster

System Requirements

•

Mac platform: A Mac G4 500MHz or faster

•

CD-ROM drive (driver installation)

•

64 MB RAM

•

Dual 80mm internal fans for enhanced hard drive cooling

•

250 MB of available hard drive space

•

SVGA capable monitor

•

Mouse/pointing device

•

External SATA cable connection between Host computer and SAT3550ESR

•

Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 or Mac OS X with latest updates

Package Contents

•

1 x External Drive Enclosure

•

1 x Driver/Application CD

•

1 x 2m eSATA Cable

•

1 x Power Cord

•

1 x Instruction Manual

•

1 x Screw Kit

•

1 x PCI-Express 1x Host RAID

Controller Card

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Host Controller installation

In order to provide a software and hardware link between the host computer and the
SAT3550ESR Drive Enclosure, it is required that the included PCI Express Host
Controller be installed on the host computer. You may also use another Host Controller,
provided it features port multiplier support, however it is not guaranteed that all host
controllers with port multiplier support are compatible with the drive enclosure.

1. Insert the Driver CD into your CD/DVD-ROM drive

2. Power down the computer, ensuring the system is unplugged and you are grounded.

3. Remove the cover of your system (see your computer's user manual for details, if
necessary) and gently turn your computer onto its side, so that the PCI Express
expansion slot on the motherboard is facing upward.

4. Locate an empty PCI Express slot and remove the metal plate that covers the

corresponding rear bracket.You may need a Phillips screwdriver to perform this step.
Retain the screw! You will need it to secure the card later.

5. Gently insert the card into the empty slot, making sure it is firmly seated.

6. Secure the card to the rear panel, using the screw you removed in Step 3.

7. Power on the computer. Once the operating system is fully booted, insert the Driver
CD (included) into the CD/DVD-ROM drive. You will notice several message
balloons originating in the taskbar, indicating that the required drivers are being
installed for the devices found.

The SiI 4726 Manager GUI provides a convenient way to manage disks installed within
the Drive Enclosure. To install the Sil 4726 Manager GUI:

1. Locate the Setup.exe file, by browsing to the BT3045_Manager\

SiI_4726_Graphic_User_Interface_V4.0.0.9 subfolder.

2. Double-click on the Setup.exe file to begin installation. Follow the on-screen prompts
to complete installation.

Sil 4726 Manager GUI installation

SiI 3132
SATALink
Controller

Once the card has been properly installed,
you can verify that it is detected by the
operating system by browsing to the
device manager (i.e. Start - Control Panel

- System - Hardware - Device Manager):

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3

Error Condition Indicator

OK Indicator

Key Lock

Drive
Bays

Safety latch

Rear PanelFront Panel (closed)

Power
Button

Hardware Guide

Front Panel (open)

Front Panel

Door

eSATA

port

Power Por t

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4

1. Open the Front Panel Door, exposing the individual Drive Bays.

2. To remove one of the Drive Bays from the enclosure, slide the Safety Latch on the
front panel of the bay, to the left. Gently press the cover of the Drive Bay until you
hear a click, allowing the Retaining Arm to move freely. Grasp the Retaining Arm and
pull the Drive Bay from the enclosure.

3. Align the screwholes provided on the base of the Drive Bay, with the screws provided
on the base of the hard drive. Secure the hard drive to the metal base of the Drive
Bay removed in step 2, using the included screws as necessary.

4. Once the drive has been secured to the Drive Bay, replace the Drive Bay by gently
sliding it into the empty slot, ensuring the Drive Bay is properly resting on the internal
guide rails provided. The SATA data and power connectors located on the back of the
hard drive should be in direct contact with the connectors located internally at the
back of the enclosure.

5. Gently press the Retaining Arm (see step 2) until it locks back in place, now flush with

the other drive bays.

6. Slide the Safety Latch to the right, to ensure that the installed drive is not accidentally
released from the enclosure.

7. Repeat steps 1-6, for the remaining hard drives you wish to install.

8. Once you have secured each hard drive within the enclosure, close the Front Panel
Door. Optionally, you can lock the Front Panel Door in place, using the keys provided,
by turning the lock 1/4 turn in a clockwise direction.

Hard drive installation

Connecting the Drive Enclosure to the computer

To connect the SAT3550ESR Drive Enclosure to the host computer

: Connect one
end of a standard eSATA cable to the port located on the rear panel of the Drive
Enclosure; connect the remaining end of the eSATA cable to the eSATA port provided by
the the newly installed host controller on the host computer.

To power the SAT3550ESR Drive Enclosure:

Connect the female portion of the
included power cable to the male power port located on the rear panel of the Drive
Enclosure. Connect the remaining end of the power cable to an available power outlet.
Press and hold the Power button for three seconds, (located on the front of the Drive
Enclosure). Verify that the drives are detected by the operating system (in Windows, for
example, browse to My Computer, where the newly attached drives should appear).

Instruction Manual

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Introduction

Windows

1. Click on the Start button, and select All Programs. Click on Sil 4726 Manager to

launch the configuration program.

2. From the window that opens, you are able to monitor the status of the connected

drives:

Mac OS X

1. Launch the Finder and locate the SiI 4726 program within the Applications - Utilities

- SteelVine folder. Click the SiI 4726 icon to start the SiI 4726 Manager. If the launch

sequence does not locate an active Daemon, a warning will appear; click OK to
advance past the warning.

2. You will be asked to enter the administrator password. Once you have done so, click

OK to proceed.

3. A notice will appear as the launch sequence attempts to start the Daemon. Click OK.

If the Daemon fails to start, an error message will be displayed. Please follow the
recommendations in the error message to correct the problem.

4. The window that will open (Status Window) allows you to monitor the status of the

installed drives.

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Status Window

The Status Window provides basic information pertaining to the installed drives and their
respective configuration:

1

3

4

2

3

4

2

1

Serial Number

System Status

Drive Status

Capacity Information

Elements of the Status window

System Status section

Temp

: Indicates the current internal temperature of the SAT3550ESR Drive Enclosure

Fan Speed

: Indicates the system fan status. Use this data to monitor possible

malfunctions

Drive Status section

Box Status

: Indicates the drive status: Normal, Rebuilding, Unplugged, Needs

Rebuild, New Drive, Wrong Slot

Drive S/N

: Shows the unique serial number assigned by the disk manufacturer

Exp. S/N

: Shows the expected serial number of the hard disk drive. The Daemon

compares the expected and actual drive serial numbers to detect when a
drive’s status changes.

Capacity Information section

Policy

: Shows the storage policy configured for each volume.

Total

: Shows the combined capacity of the volume.

Drive # :

Shows capacity information for each hard disk

.

Capacity :

Shows the full amount of storage space (in GB) available on each hard disk.

Volume :

Shows the total volume capacity and the drive capacities assigned to each

volume.

File Menu

Change Password

: Opens a dialog to establish a new password.

Scan Devices

: Refreshes the status list details presented on the Status window.

Change Connections

: Opens a dialog to establish remote connections.

Edit Menu

Configure Box

: Opens the Basic Configuration Wizard. From here, you can access the

Advanced Configuration Wizard.

Specify Policy

: Opens the Rebuild Policy dialog.

Specify Email Notification

: Sends email notification for the selected items.

Event Log

: Opens the Event Log viewer.

Specify Firmware

: Opens the Firmware Selection dialog.

Toolbar button functions

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7

Configure Box -

Opens the Basic Configuration Wizard.

Specify Policy

: Opens the Rebuild Policy dialog

Specify Email Notification

: Sends email notification for the selected items

Event Log

: Opens the Event Log viewer

Specify Firmware

: Opens the Firmware Selection dialog

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The following section details the Basic Configuration Wizard and explains how to
configure volumes (virtual drives).

Basic Configuration Wizard

The SAT3550ESR Basic Configuration Wizard is accessible from the Status window
and allows volume management. The Wizard defines volumes based on a selected
storage policy. An end-user cannot modify volume counts or capacities. To protect
against unintentional changes, the SAT3550ESR prompts for a password for first time
access of the Wizard. The default password is admin. (For additional information on the
default password, please see the section entitled Change Password.)

1

2

3

1

Storage Policy -

Identifies available storage policies to assign to the
SAT3550ESR configuration.

2

Volume List -

Shows Volume, Mode (storage policy) and Size details for
created volumes. The total GBs Left field (beneath the volume
list) displays the remaining capacity in GBs, for all installed hard
disks.

3

Drive Graph -

Displays disk space for each hard disk drive. All space allocated
to the same volume appears in a matching color. A hatch
pattern indicates a proposed configuration and a solid block
represents an existing volume. The Cap field beneath each
drive in the drive graph shows the maximum capacity in GBs for
that hard disk.

Toolbar button functions

Read a configuration from a file

Reads a saved configuration so the end user
can apply the configuration to the SAT3550ESR
Drive Enclosure.

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9

Write configuration from system to a file

Saves a configuration to a file on the
host computer.

Restore configuration to last commit

Cancels proposed changes

Command buttons on the Basic Configuration Wizard

To Advanced Mode :

Opens the Advanced Configuration Wizard

Apply :

Submits configuration changes to the Drive Enclosure, and closes the

Configuration Wizard.

Cancel :

Aborts the changes and closes the Configuration Wizard.

Volume Configuration

1. Select Configure Box

from the Edit menu or
click the Configure
Box toolbar button
to open the

Configuration
Wizard.

2. When prompted, enter the administrator password. The default password is Admin.

3. Select a storage policy in the

Storage Policy frame, based
on the following definitions:

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10

***Basic Storage Policy Options:

JBOD (bypass)

: Creates a logical volume for each physical hard disk.

SAFE (RAID 1)

: Creates two volumes. For each volume, one hard disk is

mirrored onto a second drive. Makes the remaining drive the
Hot Spare for both volumes.

BIG (Span):

Concatenates all hard disks into a single volume.

FAST (RAID 0) :

Stripes Hard drives to increase storage operation speed.

SAFE and BIG

: Concatenates half of the available space on four hard disk

drives and mirrors that half to the second half of the available
space. Makes the remaining drive the Hot Spare.

SAFE and FAST (RAID 1+0) :

Creates one volume consisting of four hard

drives (data is written to the mirrored disks in a
striped format). Makes the remaining drive the
Hot Spare.

4. When prompted to acknowledge that the configuration change may result in data loss,

click Yes to accept the configuration.

5. Select Save to Config File from the File menu to save the configuration.

6. Click Apply to create the selected configuration. The Volume display will close

automatically and the Status window will refresh (within a minute or so).

7. Partition the configured volume(s) to complete the implementation. Please refer to the

section entitled Partitioning Configured Volumes for further information.

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The following section details how to use the Advanced Configuration Wizard to apply
more than one storage policy to volumes in the SAT3550ESR Drive Enclosure.

While the Basic Configuration provides six predefined storage policies to quickly
configure the Drive Enclosure, the Advanced Configuration Wizard allows you to
configure up to ten volumes, each with different storage policies and capacities.

The Advanced Configuration Wizard is an extension of Basic mode that allows you to
create two volumes (virtual drives) on each physical hard disk.

Storage

Policy

Drive

Graph

Volume

List

Advanced

Controls

Elements of the Advanced Configuration Wizard

Storage Policy

: Displays available storage policies that you can assign to volumes. The

options are enabled after you create a new volume or select an existing

volume to edit.

Volume List

: Displays Volume, Mode (storage policy) and size details for currently

configured volumes. Select a volume to edit or delete. The Total GBs left
field beneath the volume list displays the remaining capacity in gigabytes
for all hard disks.

Drive Graph

: Displays disk space for each installed hard disk. All space allocated to the

same volume appears in a matching color. A hatch pattern indicates a
proposed configuration and a solid block indicates an existing volume.

Advanced Controls : Permit volume creation and modification on each hard disk:

The

Hot Spare

check box indicates space on this drive is allocated

as rebuild space for the selected SAFE volume.

The

Use

check box indicates drive membership within a volume.

The

Slider

specifies capacity allocated to a volume.

Text Field

displays the capacity specified by manipulating the slider.

The

Cap

field displays the maximum capacity for the hard drive

Vol#

shows the virtual volume with which each hard disk drive is

associated

Toolbar button functions

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12

Read a configuration from a file

Reads a saved configuration into the Advanced
Configuration Wizard so you can apply the
configuration to the Drive Enclosure. Available
in Basic and Advanced modes.

Write system configuration to a file

Saves a configuration to a file on the host
computer. Available in Basic and Advanced
modes.

Restore configuration to last Commit

Cancels proposed changes. Available in
Basic and Advanced modes.

Create a new volume

Creates a new volume on which to set the storage policy
and capacity. You can create up to 2 volumes on each
hard disk drive (10 total).

Edit selected volume

Permits the storage policy and capacity of an existing
volume to be modified.

Delete selected volume

Deletes the volume that is currently selected in the
volume list.

Delete all volumes

Deletes all configured volumes.

Copy configuration
from other device in the
system

Copies the configuration of another SAT3550ESR to the
current SAT3550ESR.

Command buttons on the Advanced Configuration Wizard

To Basic Mode :

Opens the Basic Configuration Wizard.

Update Volume

: Applies the selected storage policy to a specific portion of a hard disk,

as a proposed configuration.

Cancel

: Aborts the pending changes and returns the Wizard to the point where you can

perform different advanced configuration functions.

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13

Command buttons on the Advanced Configuration Wizard - Cont’d

Apply :

Submits configuration changes to the Drive Enclosure, closes the Wizard, and
displays the updated configuration on the Status Window.

Cancel

: Aborts the in-progress changes and closes the Wizard.

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The Advanced Configuration Wizard allows many combinations of storage policies and
capacities. This procedure shows how to modify a basic SAFE configuration so that it
contains several volumes, each with different storage policies. This example illustrates
one possible combination that allocates all of the system’s available capacity to:

One 50-gigabyte (GB) SAFE volume on drives 0 and 1, with no reserved space for a Hot
Spare.

One FAST volume that uses the remaining capacity on drives 0 and 1.

One BIG volume that uses all of the capacity on drives 2, 3, and 4.

The same sequence of steps applies to any configuration you choose to implement; only
the storage policy and capacity allocation vary for different configuration options.

NOTE: Before reconfiguring an existing SAT3550ESR Drive Enclosure with a
new configuration, backup the data. Use the Disk Management utility provided
by your OS to delete all partitions -

except

the unallocated, un-initialized disk
that represents the SteelVine processor. Once the configuration and partitioning
of the new volumes has taken place, it is safe to restore the backed up data to
the new configuration. See the section entitled Partitioning Configured
Volumes for details.

1. Click the Configure Box toolbar button to open the Basic Configuration Wizard.

2. Click To Advanced Mode to open the Advanced Configuration Wizard.

3. Select Delete all volumes from the toolbar.

Click Delete All

Volumes

4. When prompted to confirm the deletion of the volumes, click Yes .

Click Create a

new volume

5. Select Create a new volume from the toolbar.

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14

Select SAFE (RAID1) as the Storage Policy. Click on the Use check boxes underneath
Drives 0 and 1. Move the slide to 50.

Safe

Mode

Uncheck

Hot Spare

Move

Slider

7. Click Update Volume.

8. When prompted whether to create a Hot Spare for the SAFE volume, click No. In
some configurations, you may want the added redundancy of a Hot Spare. The goal

of this example is to use all available system capacity to deliberately avoid the Hot
Spare.

Cross-

hatches

identify
allocated
space for

updated
volumes

Light, solid

colors

identify

unallocated

disk space

9. Click the Create a New Volume toolbar button.

10. Select the FAST radio button in the Storage Policy section.

11. Select the Use check box beneath both Drive 0 and Drive 1.

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15

12. Move the slider beneath Drive 0 all the way to the right to allocate the remaining
capacity on the two drives to the FAST volume. If you wish, you can allocate less than
the total remaining capacity to the new volume. However, doing so makes the
unallocated capacity unavailable and unused.

13. Click Update Volume.

14. Click the Create a New Volume toolbar button.

15. Select the BIG radio button in the Storage Policy section.

16. Select the Use check box beneath Drive 2, Drive 3, and Drive 4 to allocate all of the
remaining system capacity to the BIG volume.

17. Click Update Volume.

Please note: Only the last Volume listed (in the above example, Volume 2) can be

edited. In order to edit Volume 1, Volume 2 must be deleted. In order to
edit Volume 0, all Volumes must be deleted and the end-user will need to
start with a New Volume.

18. Click the Write Configuration for System to a File toolbar button to save the
configuration.

19. Click Update Volume to create the multi-volume configuration, close the Wizard, and
will display the volumes in the Status window (within a minute or so):

11. Partition the configured volumes to complete the implementation. See the section
entitled Partitioning Configured Volumes for details.

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The Basic Configuration Wizard provides menus and icons to manage configuration
files.

The Read Config File command from the File menu in the Basic Configuration Wizard
imports a configuration file so that the end-user can restore a previously saved
configuration (storage policy).

The Save to Config File command from the File menu in the Basic Configuration
Wizard exports an SAT3550ESR Drive Enclosure configuration to a file.

Each of the procedures in the Basic Configuration chapter prompts you to save a
configuration file.

Import a configuration file

Please note: A configuration file must be saved and available, prior to being able to

import it. Please see the section entitled Save a Configuration File for details.

1. Select Configure Box from the Edit menu or click the Configure Box toolbar button

in the Status window to open the Basic Configuration Wizard.

2. Select Read Config File from the File menu in the Basic Configuration Wizard.

3. Navigate to the required file and click Open to import it. The Basic Configuration

Wizard provides notice of a successful import and graphically displays the imported

volumes.

4. Click OK to implement the imported configuration.

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17

Save a Configuration File

1. Select Configure Box from the Edit menu or click the Configure Box toolbar button

in the Status window to open the Basic Configuration Wizard.

2. Select Save to Config File from the File menu in the Basic Configuration Wizard.

3. Navigate to the appropriate directory, specify

a file name in the File Name text box, and

click the Save button.

Instruction Manual

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This chapter explains how to partition volumes after configuring them with the SiI 4726
Manager software. The end-user must partition volumes for the host computer’s operating
system prior to storing data on the volumes. Please refer to the operating system
documentation for further guidance.

1. Right-click the My Computer icon and select Manage from the pop-up window.

2. From the Computer Management window select Disk Management under Storage

to open Windows Disk Manager.

Windows

Note: Before reconfiguring a volume, back up the data and delete previously

defined partitions.

Do not

, however, delete the partition that represents the
SteelVine processor (the “Not Initialized” disk with no capacity allocated to it).
After the new volumes are configured and partitioned, the backed up data can
be restored to the new configuration.

Note: The Disk numbers in the Windows Disk Manager may be different from the Volume
numbers shown in the SiI 4726 Manager Status window, the Basic Configuration
Wizard, and the Advanced Configuration Wizard. Be sure to select the correct disk
based on the expected disk capacity to create a partition.

3. Right-click on the configured disk’s unallocated space and select New Partition. If the
New Partition option is not available, select the disk and initialize it first. To do this,
right-click on the disk item and select Initialize Disk.

4. The Partition Wizard will launch. Click Next to begin.

5. Select the Primary or Extended option and click Next.

6. Specify the partition size. By default, the partition occupies the entire volume. Click
Next to proceed.

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19

7. Assign a drive letter or mount path and click Next.

8. Select the appropriate file system, name the partition and click Next.

9. Review the file system settings and click Finish to create the logical partition.

10. Repeat steps 1 through 9 to partition any remaining disks you configured in the SiI

4726 Manager software. Remember, do not

partition the disk that represents the

SteelVine processor.

Mac OS X

1. Launch Disk Utility from the Application > Utilities folder.

2. Select a configured disk and click the Partition tab.

Step

2

Step

3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

3. Select 1 Partition from the Volume Scheme drop-down list.

4. Enter a name for the volume in the Name field.

5. Select Mac OS Extended (journaled) from the Format drop-down list.

6. Specify the size of the partition in the Size field.

7. Click the Partition button.

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20

8. You will receive a warning that “

Partitioning a disk will destroy all information on the

disk

”. Click Partition to acknowledge the warning. Disk Utility mounts the created
partition and represents it with an icon on the desktop. The icon is labeled with the
partition name.

9. Repeat steps 1 through 8 to partition any remaining disks you configured in the SiI
4726 Manager software. Remember, do not

partition the 320.0 KB Config Disk that

represents the SteelVine processor.

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The SiI 4726 Manager software limits configuration access with a password prompt. The
password information is stored locally on the server running the Daemon. The default
password is admin.

1. Select Change Password from the File menu.

Change Password

2. Enter the current password (or use admin if the default password has not yet been
changed).

3. Enter the new password of five or more characters in both fields.

4. Click OK to implement the new password.

Managing the Client Connection to the Daemon

The SiI 4726 Manager software consists of two modules, the Daemon and the User
Interface.

The Daemon monitors the status of the Drive Enclosure and performs SAFE volume
rebuilds. By default, the user interface attaches to a Daemon running on the same host
to display the information gathered by the Daemon. The interface can be configured to
display information tracked by a Daemon running on a remote host. Having the user
interface remote to the Daemon allows remote monitoring for system fan and hard disk
drive failures. Identification of a failed part allows the necessary repairs or replacement to
be made before further complications arise.

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21

Set up a remote connection

Before a remote connection can be established, the following conditions must be true:

• The Daemon is installed and running on a host computer connected to the
Drive Enclosure

• The user interface is installed and running on a remote host computer.

• A TCP/IP connection can be established between the Daemon and the user

interface. The Daemon listens for connections on TCP port 51115.

Do not

change this port number

.

1. In the Status window, select Change Connection from the File menu.

2. Enter the hostname or IP address of the PC hosting the Daemon. Click OK. The User
Interface will establish the requested connection and will display the information

gathered by the remote Daemon in the Status window.

Configuring SAFE Volume Rebuild Storage Policy

A rebuild is initiated to restore data redundancy for a SAFE volume that has entered a
vulnerable state. In a vulnerable state, one of the two mirrored disks goes offline or is
inaccessible. Although the SAFE volume remains available during the rebuild process,
the volume is susceptible to data loss through damage of the remaining disk until data
redundancy is restored through a rebuild. Host access takes precedence over the rebuild
process. If continuing to use the SAFE volume during the rebuild, the rebuild process will
take a longer time to complete.

Please note that the Rebuild feature also applies to other SAFE policies such as SAFE
and BIG, and SAFE and FAST.

What happens during a rebuild?

The rebuild process restores data redundancy by first utilizing space allocated for a Hot
Spare. In case Hot Spare space does not exist or has already been rebuilt, the SteelVine
processor rebuilds to empty space on a hard disk, other than the one containing
vulnerable data. Following a rebuild, it is not necessary to designate space to a Hot
Spare for a subsequent rebuild to occur.

With Automatic Rebuild and Immediate Rebuild options selected, the Daemon
automatically initiates an immediate rebuild. If the end-user wants the Daemon to delay
the rebuild until after the first write to the SAFE volume, select the Rebuild Only If
Needed option. The latter setup allows temporary removal of a hard disk drive without
requiring a rebuild. To minimize the possibility of data loss, the rebuild process should be
set up to start immediately. With Manual Rebuild selected, the end-user decides when to
initiate rebuild following a rebuild prompt. Unless the SiI 4726 Manager and the Drive

Instruction Manual

22

Enclosure are actively monitored, the Automatic Rebuild should be set up to minimize
the possibility of data loss.

Please Note: In case No is selected in response to a rebuild prompt, select Scan

Devices from the File menu of the Status window to trigger a new prompt.

Please Note: Once the Daemon rebuilds to a designated Hot Spare, a designated Hot

Spare will not exist.

Configure a rebuild

1. Select Specify Policy from the Edit menu of the Status window.

2. Select one of the following policy options:

• The Manual Rebuild radio button requires a user to manually initiate a rebuild
of the volume

• The Automatic Rebuild option forces the Daemon to initiate the rebuild
process automatically and minimize the possibility of data loss.

3. If the Automatic Rebuild option is selected, the end-user will have the following
additional choices:

• Immediate Rebuild causes the Daemon to rebuild immediately following
detection of an offline hard disk drive.

• Rebuild Only If Needed delays the rebuild for a SAFE volume with an

offline hard disk drive until the write occurs to the SAFE volume.

4. Click the Accept button to commit the selected options.

Email Notification

The Email Notification feature allows an end-user or administrator to have the SiI 4726
Manager send an email if any of the following conditions/situations occur:

• Partition Rebuild Start • Partition Verify Start

• System Fan Too Slow • No Boxes Found

• Partition Rebuild Complete • Partition Verify Complete

• Power Supply FanToo Slow • Box Removed

• Drive Inserted • Drive Unplugged

• Partition Rebuild Resume • Temperature Too High

Each of the above conditions can be customized for sending options as well as the
message that is sent. Please see an example of the Setup Email Notification screen on
the following page.

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23

Setting-up Email Notification

1. The box available for the SMTP Server Name can be left blank. The SiI 4726 Manager
software will perform a DNS lookup and automatically find the correct address.

2. The box available for the SMTP Server Port# uses Port 25 as a default.

3. The From, To , and CC boxes are for specifying the intended receivers of the condition
notifications. Note: In the From: box, the end-user should type in his/her own email
address.

4. Select Test Email at the bottom of the screen to verify that you have correctly set-up
the email portions of this feature.

5. The Email Notification feature also allows an end-user to customize a message for
each of the line items (of which each has its own default message already built in). For
instance, if the end-user wants to edit the message for Drive Unplugged...

a) Click on the Message box:

b) The following message will appear:

SiI4726: $B
Drive Slot: #$DN
Temperature: $T
System Fan Speed: $SF
Power-Supply Fan Speed: $PSF

The drive was unplugged.

Setup E-mail Notification

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24

c) The message information can be customized to suit the end-user’s needs.

The Daemon can extract the following data from the SiI 4726 hardware:

$B - Box Serial Number
$DS - Drive Serial Number
$DN - Drive ID [slot #]
$V - Current Volume
$T - Current Temperature
$SF - System Fan OK Flag
$PSF - Power Supply Fan OK Flag

d) If there is information that the end-user would like included in the error

message, it can be entered by typing in a selected message code listed
above.

For instance: to put in the Box Serial Number, type in the descriptive text
followed by the message code as demonstrated below.

SiI4726: $B
Drive Slot: #$DN
Temperature: $T
System Fan Speed: $SF
Power-Supply Fan Speed: $PSF
Box Serial Number: $B

The drive was unplugged.

Install New Firmware & Software

Warning: Do not power off or access the Drive Enclosure while upgrading

firmware. Please note that this process may take several minutes.

1. Click the Specify Firmware toolbar button or select Specify Firmware from the Edit
menu of the Status window. The Firmware Selection dialog displays all of the
SAT3550ESR Drive Enclosures attached to the host, the integrated circuit (IC)
revision, and the current firmware installed on each Drive Enclosure (assuming more
than one SAT550ESR is in use).

2. Select the SiI 4726 Drive Enclosure that requires a firmware upgrade.

3. Click the Browse button next to the Update Firmware from File text box, navigate to
the new firmware file you wish to load from a CD or hard disk drive, and select the .bin
file.

4. Click Install Firmware to begin the upgrade.

Instruction Manual

25

5. Click OK to dismiss a message box that states the firmware was successfully

downloaded.

Editing the UserConfig.xml

The UserConfig.xml file is used to define the Status Screen Title Bar and allow
configuration of the Policy Change as well as the Advanced Configuration features.
The UserConfig.xml file can be found in the following location:

C:\Program Files\SiI4726\SiI 4726 Manager\SiI 4726 Config

To edit this file, Right Click on the file name, select Open With, and select Notepad.
Once opened, the following will be displayed:

As an example, to change the Status Screen Title Bar:

Change the line that reads:
<StatusScreenTitleBar>SiI 4726 Manager</StatusScreenTitleBar>

To :
<StatusScreenTitleBar>Your Company Name</StatusScreenTitleBar>

In order to display:

The‘AllowPolicyChanges’–True–turns on the Policy feature. If the end-user changes the
XML tag value to False, the Policy Icon will not appear in the GUI and the feature will not
be available.

For example:

<AllowPolicyChanges>True</AllowPolicyChanges>

<AllowPolicyChanges>False</AllowPolicyChanges>

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26

The ‘AllowAdvancedConfig’–True–turns on the Advanced Config feature. If the end-
user changes the XML tag value to False, the general Configure feature will still be
available, but the Advanced button (inside the Configuration feature) will not be
available:

<AllowAdvancedConfig>True</AllowAdvancedConfig>

<AllowAdvancedConfig>False </AllowAdvancedConfig>

Please Note: If the file is missing from the working directory, the GUI will allow both
policy changes and advanced mode, as well as the status screen title to be set to
“Sil4726”. If there are any errors in the XML tag value, the Advanced Configuration
button will not be available in the Configuration Setup.

If there is an error in the XML tag value, a pop-up window will appear, displaying the
error and the tag where it can be found.

Creating a Splash Screen

The Drive Enclosure/SiI 4726 Manager software can further be customized by creating a
personalized splash screen:

1. Create the logo for your splash screen – there are no image size limitations.

2. Save the logo as ‘UserLogo.xpm’ (The .xpm file type is UNIX based)

3. Put the UserLogo.xpm file in the following location:

C:\Program Files\SiI4726\SiI 4726 Manager\SiI 4726 Config

The splash screen will come up each time the end-user starts the SiI 4726 Manager
software. It will stay up for 2 seconds.

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27

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Monitoring drive status

The color of the drives in the Status window indicates the status of the hard disk drives:

Color State Description Resolution

Green Normal Drive is active.

Red Needs Rebuild

Drive is in a failed
state. That is, a write
has occurred to a
SAFE volume while
the disk drive was
offline.

Gray or
Red

Unplugged

Drive is offline or
unplugged. The
background will
appear red after a
write to
the volume.

Verify the disk is
securely in the bay.
Otherwise, replace
as necessary.

Light Blue New drive New drive.

Yellow Rebuilding Drive is being rebuilt.

Purple Wrong slot

There is a mismatch
between the Serial #
and Expected Serial
# because a hard
disk drive has been
installed into the
wrong bay.

Install the correct
disk drive into the
bay.

Monitoring temperature

The following colors indicate temperature status.

Color Description Resolution

Green Temperature is normal.

Yellow

Temperature is greater than
50°C (122° F).

Remove object(s) that interfere
with airflow around the Drive
Enclosure

Red

Temperature is greater than
53° C (127° F).

Ensure constant airflow around
the Drive Enclosure. If there is no
airflow, replace the fan. Identify
the drive causing the temperature
increase and replace it.

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28

Monitoring fan status

Color Value Description Resoluti

Green System + PS

Both system and
power supply fans
are functioning
within limits.

Red System

The system fan is
not spinning or
spinning is slower
than expected.

Repair

required.

Red PS

The power supply
fan is not spinning
spinning slower
than expected.

Red System + PS

Both system and
power supply fans
are not spinning or
spinning slower
than expected.

Review Event Logs

Event logs are helpful for troubleshooting and locating a system malfunction.

1. Select Event Log from the Edit menu in the Status window.

2. The Event Log screen displays a list of events in a tabular format. The Date column
displays the date and time of the event. The Box SN and Drive SN columns display
the respective serial numbers for the event. The Drive Manufacturer column displays
vendor information. The Message column gives an event description.

3. Click Refresh to update the log or click Close to close the log.

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29

Front Panel LED Indicators

Each disk drive and the host connection have two LEDs to indicate drive status and/or
host communication status. LED 0 is on the left and is typically blue; LED 1 is on the
right and is typically green. In addition, there is one error-condition LED, labeled ‘!’ and
the SAT3550ESR power on indicator OK.

Error
Condition

OK
LED

LED 1

LED 0

When SAT3550ESR is powered on, the host scans the disks in sequence, as indicated
by a brief flash of lights on LED 1. Once the host scan is complete, LED 1 is lit for each
drive present. During disk operations, LED 0 flashes as data is transferred to and from
the drive and the host.

If a SAFE volume is being rebuilt, LED 1 blinks slowly on both mirrored disks.
Table 15 Status Indicators for 0 and 1 LEDs

LED 0 LED 1 Description

Off Off Power on, no device attached

Off On

PHY communication established
(Activity = LED0 On)

On Blink Rebuild

Blink Blink Error

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30

! OK Description

Off On

Startup or ON
indication. OK LED
will flash during
reset and
will remain green in
all other cases.

On

ERROR. The‘!’LED
will light as a result
of an EEPROM
error during
boot or following a
runtime error.

Status Indicators for ! and OK LEDs

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31

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SAT3550ESR provides the following storage policies, for mapping physical to virtual
drives. You can use the Basic Configuration Wizard or the Advanced Configuration
Wizard to choose from these policies. It is important to choose a suitable policy to make
the best use of available storage.

JBOD

This storage policy grants the host computer direct access to a
physical disk drive. With JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks), the
number of available virtual drives is equal to the number of
physical drives. JBOD is also called the bypass mode because
the host bypasses the virtualization engine to access the drive
directly.

SAFE

This storage policy stores all data in duplicate on separate
hard disk drives in order to prevent data loss due to drive
failure. At least two hard disk drives mirror each other at all
times, equivalent to RAID 1. Every write operation goes to both
drives. SAFE provides the highest level of data protection, but
halves the amount of storage space because all data must be
stored twice.

To implement the SAFE storage policy, the Basic
Configuration Wizard creates two volumes. Each volume
consists of two hard disk drives that mirror each other. The
remaining hard disk drive is specified as a Hot Spare for both
volumes.

BIG

This storage policy concatenates multiple physical hard disk
drives, treating them as one large volume, in turn allowing you
to increase logical volume size beyond the capacity of
individual hard disk drives.

BIG provides the maximum amount of storage space, but no
additional data redundancy.

FAST

In the FAST storage policy, I/O processing is balanced evenly
to all drives in a method known as striping, equivalent to RAID

0. Striping increases storage operation speed by using several
disk drives in parallel, while each portion of data is divided into
segments that are written to different disks simultaneously.
Striping provides improved performance but does not enhance
reliability because there is no way to retrieve or reconstruct
data stored on a failed drive. To implement the FAST storage
policy, the Basic Configuration Wizard creates a single
volume of four hard disk drives in a striped format. The
remaining hard disk drive is designated as a standalone
volume using the BIG storage policy.

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32

SAFE and BIG

A storage policy in which one-half of the available storage
space is concatenated, while the other half mirrors the first half
to provide full data redundancy.

In the SAFE and BIG storage policy, the Basic Configuration
Wizard mirrors the concatenated disks to create a volume
consisting of four disk drives, designating the remaining hard
disk drive as a Hot Spare.

SAFE and FAST

Also classified as RAID 10 by some industry standards, a
storage policy in which an array of stripes is created. Each strip
consists of two mirrored drives. SAFE and FAST provide the
I/O load balancing features of striping and the added reliability
of mirrored data, equivalent to RAID 1+0. Data are
written to mirrored disks in a striped format.

In the SAFE and FAST storage policy, data is written to
mirrored disks in a striped format. The Basic Configuration
Wizard creates a virtual drive consisting of four hard disk
drives, designating the remaining drive as a Hot Spare.

Volume

One or more hard disk drives are unused during normal
operation and are configured to be a spare. If an active drive in
a SAFE volume fails, the data on the remaining hard disk drive
is duplicated onto the Hot Spare to regain redundancy.

All SAFE volumes can have a designated Hot Spare

Hot Spare

A virtual or logical drive comprised of one or more physical
hard disk drives. Once you create a volume, the operation
system uses and maintains the volume as if it were a single
physical disk drive, allowing software to overcome size
restrictions imposed by physical disk drives.

Daemon

Component of the Controller Configuration Utility responsible
for status tracking and SAFE volume rebuilds.

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33

TTeecchhnniiccaall SSuuppppoorrtt

StarTech.com’s lifetime technical support is an integral part of our commitment to provide
industry-leading solutions. If you ever need help with your product, visit
www.startech.com/support and access our comprehensive selection of online tools,
documentation, and downloads.

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This product is backed by a one-year warranty. In addition, StarTech.com warrants its
products against defects in materials and workmanship for the periods noted, following
the initial date of purchase. During this period, the products may be returned for repair, or
replacement with equivalent products at our discretion. The warranty covers parts and
labor costs only. StarTech.com does not warrant its products from defects or damages
arising from misuse, abuse, alteration, or normal wear and tear.

Limitation of Liability

In no event shall the liability of StarTech.com Ltd. and StarTech.com USA LLP (or their
officers, directors, employees or agents) for any damages (whether direct or indirect,
special, punitive, incidental, consequential, or otherwise), loss of profits, loss of business,
or any pecuniary loss, arising out of or related to the use of the product exceed the
actual price paid for the product. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of
incidental or consequential damages. If such laws apply, the limitations or exclusions
contained in this statement may not apply to you.

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Regulatory Certifications FCC, CE, UL, RoHS

Bus Type eSATA

Form Factor 3.5 inch SATA HD Drive bays

Connectors Enclosure: eSATA 7 pin

LED indicators

One per Drive (presence and activity)

Host connection(presence & activity)

Fault indication

Power indication

Power Internal 200W Power Supply

Controller Card eSATA PCI-Express Host RAID card

Maximum Data Transfer Rate eSATA 3 Gb/s

OS Support

Windows: 98SE (Setup driver CD incl.), ME, 2000,

XP, Vista MAC OS X (10.3.or later)

Dimensions 300 x 150 x 230 mm (L W H)

Weight 5 kg

Revised: 28 September 2007

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StarTech.com is “The Professionals’ Source for Hard-to-Find Computer
Parts”. Since 1985, we have been providing IT professionals with the
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