Introduction
There is an axiom somewhere that states “data will expand to fill available storage space”. Many of the OEM WHS solutions available today are 4-bay appliances. Fill them with 1.5TB drives (the current sweet spot of cost/TB ratio), add a few movies (or more), and turn on folder duplication. What do you have? No HDD space!
Enter Direct-Attached Storage (DAS) devices. Like today’s subject device. We go from 6TB’s to 12 TB’s for a fairly small investment. Which device are we referring to?
The Icy Dock MB561US-4S-1 eSATA/USB HDD Enclosure, of course!
This is a Direct-Attached Storage (DAS) device that will allow you to add 4 more HDD bays to your Windows Home Server and double your effective drive pool capacity. Assuming, of course, the WHS machine you have is a 4-bay appliance.
Before we take a closer look at the MB561US-4S-1, it is appropriate to provide some background information about Icy Dock. From their website:
ICY DOCK is a privately held company with more than 10 years being devoted in design, manufacturing, branding and distribution of Storage enclosure peripherals. By keep improving its own new product release process from previous toil experiences, ICY DOCK has formed a standard yet efficient new product development procedures to satisfy timely requirement from the market.
At ICY DOCK, we constantly offers state-of-the-art design of hard disk enclosure and removable storage kit with features such as the currently launched a series of removable drive & hot swap capabilities and eSATA / SATA connectivity products. We also specializes in BTO (Built to Order) of branded, OEM-branded and non-branded products for “Tier 1” customers.
Headquartered in City of Industry, California, ICY DOCK becomes a global peripheral enclosure provider with manufacturing facility located in Zhang-Zang, China since 1997. Restrictively followed ISO9001 proved manufacturing process standard, ICY DOCK delivers high quality standard products at competitive price which provides our customers an excellent opportunity to be successful in the competitive US marketplace.
As one of the leading peripheral enclosure solution provider, we will continue to commit ourselves in supplying our customers the best performance per dollar products. “Your demand is our command” is the key to ensure our success in the business world.
Specifications
Product Description:
Introducing the MB561US-4S-1 Quad Bay SATA External Enclosure featuring USB and eSATA Port Multiplier, and newly added, User Defined Fan Settings with Smart Cooling Technology.
We have taken our tried and true multibay product and added new features to further enhance your complete storage experience. Using all the features that you know and love, we have upgraded the 80mm cooling fan to allow the user to choose the speed of the fan, or to select “auto” so that the fan adjusts its speed using our Smart Cooling Technology. Our auto function determines the temperature of your drives, and changes its RPM according to the airflow and cooling demand. This results in decreased power consumption, an increased lifespan for your fan, and unnecessary excess noise. Along with the auto function, the user can also choose a high setting, best used for intense applications such as home server use, or a low setting, best used with lighter work loads such as hourly back ups or network attached storage (NAS).
The MB561US-4S-1 still includes all the standard features. A single e-SATA port provides a direct, single connection and flexible options for advanced users. With a port multiplier e-SATA connection, you can either connect to a port multiplier JBOD adapter to access four drives via one e-SATA connection, or connect to a port multiplier RAID controller card. This is convenient for those who do video editing through Mac or PC and wants configurations of RAID 5 settings for increased storage capacities and blazing fast transfer speeds.
The additional USB connection is for quick hook up to any computer system (especially laptops), which allow users to access up to four drives at the same time, and best of all there’s no driver installation required. This allows users to organize their music, photos, and work data under one enclosure, making it perfect for backup applications.
The enclosure takes up to four SATA drives. To power the enclosure, it uses a direct AC outlet, perfect to use it anywhere without having to deal with any adapters. The lightweight construction design protects hard drives with a layer of solid aluminum. It has a detachable 80mm ball bearing rear fan with 3 speed settings, and uses a built-in fan-less power supply, making it a quiet device. The four hot-swappable drive trays offer great freedom of choice in expanding your storage solution and multi-drive exchangeability for easy maintenance.
Suggested Applications:
Add-on data/ media files storage to laptops, graphics & video editing, interchange of data between corporate/school/home workstations, data file backups.
Product Features:
* 3 Speed Adjustable Cooling Fan, including auto setting featuring Smart Cooling Technology
* 4 Bay 3.5” SATA I / II removable external hard drive enclosure support SATA hot-swap.
* Backplane with 1x high speed USB 2.0 and 1x e-SATA ports (port multiplier).
* Plug & Play USB 2.0 quick connection for any computer system.
* Multi-drive exchangeability & maintenance capabilities with simple removal of drive tray.
* White LED light indicates power and HDD access.
* Aluminum alloy body covering with distinctive design and protection.
* Shock absorption HDD tray design making the HDD stable while in operations.
* Detachable 80mm ball bearing rear cooling fan for easy maintenance
* Built-in fan-less power supply, making it a quiet device.
* Rubber padded soles for scratch protection.
* Mac mini design concept.
Models & Specifications
ICY DOCK MB561US-4S-1 4 Bay 3.5”SATA to eSATA (Port Multiplier) and USB Aluminum HDD Enclosure for Mac & PC
Item Number: Pearl White MB561US-4S-1 Host Interface eSATA + USB2.0 combo I/O port 1 x e-SATA (port multiplier) ports, 1 x USB 2.0 port Drive Fit 4 x 3.5” SATA I & II Drive Type Standalone with vertical positioning Transfer Rate eSATA up to 3Gb/Sec
USB 2.0 up to 480Mb/SecInsert & Extract connection Via 15 pin direct hard drive connection Structure Aluminum body w/ partial plastic Drive Cooling Rear outtake fan w/ adjustable fan speed control Cooling Fan 80 x 80 x 25mm ball bearing fan LED Indication Device power & drive activity LED Display Color Mini White OS Requirement Windows 98/SE/ME/2000/XP ; Mac OS 9.0 or higher eSATA Port Multiplier
Interface RequirementPCI-Express / Express Card /
PCI-X Host Bus Adapter with eSATA connector /
Onboard eSATA connector that support port multiplier functionPlug & play Yes Hot swap Yes Power Supply Built-in Power Supply Voltage 12V / 6A , 5V / 8A , 112W (12V PEAK 12A) Power ON / OFF Built in Switch Dimension (L x W x H) 234.9×141×175 mm
Data Sheet:
For those who have do not have an eSATA port (but do have a PCIe slot, the MB561US-4SC is available which does include a two port eSATA port multiplier PCI-E card.
Where’s the RAID?
One item you might be looking for is RAID specifications. Simply put, you won’t find any. Since the backplane is designed to work with either a USB port or eSATA port, RAID is not supported. Yes, you can hook it up to a RAID card. Just don’t expect RAID capability.
