Sabrent 5-Bay USB 3.0 RAID Docking Station for 2.5" SATA Disks and SSDs

Features

• Expand storage space professionally. Read and write up to five disks or SSDs simultaneously.
• Configure for single-mode use or into a RAID array with a built-in controller capable of RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 3, RAID 5, RAID 10, or JBOD.
• Provides a stable and reliable USB connection on systems lacking sufficient power over USB ports and internal SATA ports.
• Hot Swappable / Plug & Play. Supports 2.5" SATA I / II / III HDD and SSDs.
• Independent cooling fan can be switched on and off as desired.
• Individual LED power indicators.
• Tool-free installation with fast and convenient access to the disk bays.

NOTE: Maximum HD/SSD thickness is 9.5mm.

Operating System Requirement

• Windows / Mac / Linux

Package Contents

• 1. 5-Bay docking station.
• 2. 100-240V AC to 12V 4AMP DC power supply.
• 3. US plug adapter.
• 4. Europe and South America plug adapter.
• 5. UK plug adapter.
• 6. USB Type-B to Type-A cable.
• 7. User Guide.

Connection Diagram

The docking station connects to a computer via a USB 3.0 port using a USB Type-B to Type-A cable. Power is supplied via a DC plug cable connected to a 100-240V AC adapter.

The rear panel of the docking station features:

• A USB 3 Port for connecting to the computer.
• A RAID Mode DIP Switch Panel for configuring RAID settings.
• A 12V DC Input for power.
• A RAID Set Button to initiate RAID array building.

The front panel features:

• A Power Switch for the unit.
• A Cooling Fan Switch to control the fan.
• Bay Number LED Indicators to show disk connection status.

LED Status Indicators

Available RAID Modes

The docking station supports the following RAID modes, configurable via DIP switches:

• RAID 0: Data is striped across drives for increased speed. No redundancy.
• RAID 1/0 (RAID 10): Combines striping and mirroring for speed and redundancy. Requires at least four drives.
• RAID 3: Byte-level striping with a dedicated parity disk.
• RAID 5: Block-level striping with distributed parity. Requires at least three drives. Offers a balance of performance, capacity, and redundancy.
• JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks): Disks are concatenated to form a single large volume. No fault tolerance.
• Clear RAID: Disables all RAID functionality, allowing each disk to be seen individually.

RAID Setup

To set up a RAID array:

1. Use the DIP switch panel on the rear of the unit to select the desired RAID mode.
2. Press and hold the SET button for 5 to 7 seconds for the RAID controller to start building the RAID array.
3. Format and assign a drive letter to your newly created RAID volume in the operating system.

WARNING: Changing the RAID mode requires formatting the disks. Ensure you back up existing data before proceeding, as it will be erased.

RAID Mode Descriptions

RAID 0

RAID 0, also known as a striped volume, splits data evenly across two or more disks without parity information, redundancy, or fault tolerance. The failure of one drive causes the entire array to fail, resulting in total data loss. This configuration is typically implemented for speed, increasing performance or creating a large logical volume.

RAID 1

RAID 1 consists of an exact copy (or mirror) of data on two or more disks. A classic RAID 1 mirrored pair contains two disks. This configuration offers no parity, striping, or spanning of disk space across multiple disks. The array can only be as big as the smallest member disk. This layout is useful when reading performance or reliability is more important than writing performance or storage capacity. The array continues to operate as long as at least one member drive is operational.

RAID 1/0 (RAID 10)

RAID 1/0 (striping of mirrors) is obtained by combining RAID 1 and RAID 0. RAID 10 is fast and resilient. It offers hardware-level protection for data and faster storage performance. RAID 10 is secure because mirroring duplicates all data, and it's fast because data is striped across multiple disks, allowing chunks of data to be read and written to different disks simultaneously. To implement RAID 10, at least four physical hard drives are needed.

RAID 3

RAID 3 consists of byte-level striping with a dedicated parity disk. It generally cannot service multiple requests simultaneously because any single block of data is spread across all members of the set and resides in the same physical location on each disk. Therefore, any I/O operation requires activity on every disk and usually requires synchronized spindles. This makes it suitable for applications demanding high transfer rates in long sequential reads and writes, such as uncompressed video editing. Applications making small reads and writes from random disk locations will perform poorly.

RAID 5

RAID 5 consists of block-level striping with distributed parity. Parity information is distributed among the drives. It requires all drives but one to be present to operate. Upon the failure of a single drive, subsequent reads can be calculated from the distributed parity, so no data is lost. RAID 5 requires at least three disks. Its distributed parity evens out the stress of a dedicated parity disk among all RAID members. Write performance is increased as all RAID members participate in serving write requests. Although not as efficient as RAID 0 due to parity writes, it is no longer a bottleneck.

JBOD

JBOD (also called concatenated) is not a RAID. It is a group of disks connected together to create a larger volume. As in RAID 0, JBOD provides no fault tolerance or redundancy. The failure of one drive causes the entire array to fail and results in total data loss.

Clear RAID

CLEAR RAID disables all RAID functionality. The docking station will see each disk as an independent disk, and the operating system will see them as single units.

Disk Failure and Replacement

When a disk in the RAID fails, the corresponding LED will start to flash red. Remove the failing disk and replace it with a new one of the same or larger capacity. Depending on the selected RAID mode, after rebuilding the array, the red LED should turn blue, indicating normal operation.

Step 1: Open the docking station by lifting the magnetic lid straight up.

Step 2: Carefully insert each disk until it is properly connected to the SATA connector at the bottom of each bay. Be careful with the direction of the SATA port, as it can only go one way. Avoid damaging the connector.

Step 3: Place back the magnetic lid to close the docking station. Use the front power switch to turn the unit on and the fan switch to turn on the built-in cooling fan.

Troubleshooting

My Computer Will Not Recognize My Docking Station:

• Ensure the USB cable is properly connected to the docking station and computer.
• Try connecting the docking station to a different USB port on your computer or laptop.
• Allow up to 60 seconds for the computer to recognize the docking station.
• Verify that you have the most recent updates for your operating system.
• Check that your power outlet is working.
• Plug your USB device directly into a USB port on your computer (avoid using a USB hub if possible).
• If the device is still not recognized, please contact Sabrent support.

Connection Is Slow:

• Ensure the docking station is connected directly to a USB 3.0 port on your computer. Do not use a USB hub.
• While the docking station is backwards compatible, connection to USB 2.0 or 1.1 ports will result in much slower speeds.

Power Issues:

• Try connecting the power adapter to a different power outlet.
• Ensure the power adapter is securely connected to the docking station.

Docking Station Disconnects From Computer:

• Ensure the USB cable is securely connected to both the docking station and the computer.
• Verify the power adapter is connected to the docking station and a working power outlet.
• Try connecting the docking station to a different USB port on your computer.
• Check your computer's sleep or standby settings, as these can sometimes interrupt connections.

Support

For help, comments, questions, or concerns, please contact the Sabrent tech support team via their website.

WWW.SABRENT.COM