Wednesday, December 26, 2012

MB994IPO-3SB "ToughArmor" review - posted by storagereview.com

The ToughArmor MB994IPO-3SB is Icy Dock’s newest full metal dual bay 2.5” SAS/SATA hard drive/SSD mobile rack cage built with a Slim Optical Disk Drive (ODD) slot for use in a single 5.25” device bay, specifically designed for a small form factor system or server such as IPC, HTPC, NAS, Home Servers and All-In-One computers.................read the full review

Thursday, December 20, 2012

MB996SP-6SB "ToughArmor" review - posted by storagereview.com

Icy Dock's ToughArmor MB996SP-6SB 6 x 2.5" SATA HDD Hot Swap Rack is a 6-in-1 adaptor that slots up to 6 9.5mm drives into a single 5.25" desktop computer bay. Creative professionals and high-performance enthusiasts are often looking for the best performance available in local dense storage arrays, with SSDs being a popular option for their superior read/write performance. Most desktop workstation cases however, weren't designed for 2.5" drives, nor were are they generally built with such density goals in mind and the need for multiple 5.25" bays is fading.................read the full review

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

MB080U3S-1SB "Blizzard" review - posted by storagereview.com

The Icy Dock MB080U3S-1SB Blizzard is an easy to use tool-less 3.5" external enclosure that is designed for professional media, IT users and computer enthusiast, who require max cooling performance for their external devices. The enclosure supports an 80mm fan that offers three settings of Low, High and Auto, to go along with a direct air flow design, which allows for excellent cooling for your external drive. For added user awareness, the drive provides a LED notification, where the LED color will turn red when the hard drive temperature is over 50°C.................read the full review

Monday, December 17, 2012

ICY TIP: How to Upgrade to 2.5” Hard Drive or SSD in RAID and Expand your Storage Capacity on your HP ProLiant N40L Ultra Micro Server

How to Upgrade to 2.5” Hard Drive or SSD in RAID and Expand your Storage Capacity on your HP ProLiant N40L Ultra Micro Server

The HP ProLiant Ultra Micro Server System

The HP ProLiant Microserver N40L is a great compact server for a lot of home users, and small business owners. It can be a great NAS server, especially for those on a lower budget or the smaller design. But because of its smaller design, there isn’t much room to upgrade components or expand outside of the available 4 x 3.5” SATA hard drive slots. But, by omitting the DVD slot on the N40L, this opens up possibilities for storage options such as: A SSD as your OS, a mirrored RAID 1 of your OS, or boosting your write performance by using L2ARC on SSDs. We’re going to show a few ways you can easily add hardware to your server to dramatically improve your system performance.

The ICY DOCK ToughArmor Series
The ToughArmor series maximizes the available space in your system, with several varying flexible configurations in either a single 5.25” or 3.5” device bay. The main focus is to make sure your drives are fully secured and protected, which is done by the unit’s full metal design. This also doubles as a passively cooled solution, while either a single or dual fan are included on the rear to provide an active cooling solution. The EZ Slide Mini & Micro Trays are included in the ToughArmor line, with each model using interchangeable trays for their compatible counterparts. The ToughArmor series are also designed with a hot-swapping ability that makes it simple to exchange hard drives in case of failure. Within seconds, you can recover from a drive failure by swapping out the drive with a new one, then inserting back into the enclosure. Ensuring your drives are secured, protected, and ready for any situation is what the ToughArmor series provides.

The ToughArmor series suggested applications include: Medical & Military systems, Media servers, NAS server and IPCs, approved and used by Tier 1 companies.

1 Bay Solution
ToughArmor MB991IK-B 2.5” SAS/SATA Mobile Rack for 3.5” Device Bay
Drive Fit:
1 x 2.5” SAS / SATA Hard Drive or SSD
Tray compatible with MB994 series
(Supports 7mm, 9.5mm, 12.5mm & 15mm height drive)
Applications:
Uses a high speed 2.5” SAS hard drive or SATA 6Gbps SSD for OS and maximizing the system performance
Things You Need:
‧ ToughArmor MB991IK-B x 1
‧ 3.5” to 5.25” front bay converter kit x 1
‧ 2.5” SAS / SATA hard drive / SSD x 1
‧ Onboard Internal SATA port x 1
‧ PCI-E x4 SAS controller card x 1
  (Optional, for SAS hard drive / SSD only)

2 Bays Solution
ToughArmor MB992SK-B 2 x 2.5” SATA Mobile Rack for 3.5” Device Bay
Drive Fit:
2 x 2.5” SATA Hard Drive or SSD
Tray compatible with MB996
(Supports 7mm & 9.5mm height drive)
Applications:
Uses 2x high speed 2.5” SATA hard drive or SSD in RAID1 for OS for maximum OS / data protection
Things You Need:
‧ ToughArmor MB992SK-B x 1
‧ 3.5” to 5.25” front bay converter kit x 1
‧ 2.5” SATA hard drive or SSD x 2
‧ 2 / 4 ports PCI-E x4 SATA RAID controller card x 1

3 Bays Solution
ToughArmor MB994IPO-3SB 2 x 2.5” SAS / SATA Hard Drive / SSD + 1 x Slim ODD Mobile Rack for 5.25” Bay
Drive Fit:
2 x 2.5” SAS / SATA Hard Drive or SSD
Tray compatible with MB994, MB991 series
(Supports 7mm, 9.5mm, 12.5mm & 15mm height drive)
1 x SATA Slim Optical Blu-Ray / DVD Drive
Applications:
Uses 2x high speed 2.5” SAS/SATA HDD/SSD in RAID1 for OS for maximum OS / data protection while keep the Blu-Ray or DVD drive active
Things You Need:
‧ ToughArmor MB994IPO-3SB x 1
‧ 2.5” SAS/SATA hard drive or SSD x 2
‧ Onboard SATA port x 1 (For Blu-Ray / DVD drive)
‧ 2 / 4 ports PCI-E x4 SATA RAID controller card x 1

4 Bays Solution
ToughArmor MB994SP-4S 4 x 2.5” SAS / SATA Hard Drive / SSD Mobile Rack for 5.25” Bay
Drive Fit:
4 x 2.5” SAS / SATA Hard Drive or SSD
Tray compatible with MB994, MB991 series
(Supports 7mm, 9.5mm, 12.5mm & 15mm height drive)
Applications:
Uses 4 drives for RAID5 array, Have dual RAID1 arrays for dual OS setup or create a RAID10 array, SSDs to boost write cache to improve system performance
Things You Need:
‧ ToughArmor MB994SP-4S x 1
‧ 2.5” SAS/SATA hard drive or SSD x 4
‧ 4 ports PCI-E x4 SAS/SATA RAID controller card

ToughArmor MB994SP-4SB-1 4 x 2.5”SATA Hard Drive / SSD Mobile Rack for 5.25” Bay
Drive Fit:
4 x 2.5” SATA Hard Drive or SSD
Tray compatible with MB994, MB991 series
(Supports 7mm, 9.5mm, 12.5mm & 15mm height drive)
Applications:
Uses 4 drives for RAID5 array, Have dual RAID1 arrays for dual OS setup or create a RAID10 array, SSDs to boost write cache to improve system performance
Things You Need:
‧ ToughArmor MB994SP-4SB-1 x 1
‧ 2.5” SATA hard drive or SSD x 4
‧ 4 ports PCI-E x4 SATA RAID controller card

6 Bays Solution
ToughArmor MB996SP-6SB 6 x 2.5” SATA Hard Drive / SSD Mobile Rack for 5.25” Bay
Drive Fit:
6 x 2.5” SATA Hard Drive or SSD
Tray compatible with MB992
(Supports 7mm & 9.5mm height drive)
Applications:
Maximize your storage capacity. Capable for JBOD, RAID0, RAID1, RAID5 and RAID 10 plus additional storage drive, SSDs to boost write cache to improve system performance
Things You Need:
‧ ToughArmor MB996SP-6SB x 1
‧ 2.5” SATA hard drive / SSD x 6
‧ 4 ports PCI-E x4 SAS/SATA RAID controller card x 1
‧ Onboard SATA port x 1
‧ Onboard eSATA port x 1
‧ SATA to eSATA cable x 1 (Convert the onboard eSATA port to a SATA port)

The ICY DOCK DuoSwap MB971SP-B

The DuoSwap is a very flexible single 5.25” device, allowing different hard drive combinations as it single 2.5”, 3.5” or even both hard drives at the same time to produce the maximum storage capability. Inserting two drives into the DuoSwap gives you many benefits. With two drives inserted you can easily boost your write cache performance, or hot swap either drives if required. This makes DuoSwap a perfect tool for swapping a 3.5” SATA hard disk drive or 2.5” SATA solid state drive.
Drive Fit:
1 x 2.5” SATA Hard Drive or SSD
(Supports 7mm, 9.5mm, 12.5mm, 15mm height drive)
1 x 3.5” SATA Hard Drive
Applications:
Uses SSDs to boost write cache to improve system performance, hot-swap any 2.5” or 3.5” SATA hard drives within the server.
Things You Need:
‧ DuoSwap MB971SP-B x 1
‧ 2.5” or 3.5” SATA hard drive / SSD
‧ Onboard SATA port x 1
‧ Onboard eSATA port x 1
‧ SATA to eSATA cable x 1 (Convert the onboard eSATA port to a SATA port)
‧ 2 / 4 ports PCI-E x4 SATA RAID controller card x 1 (Optional)

More Information:

HP Micro Server Used with ICY DOCK:

Quick links to the Product Pages:
1 Bay
2 Bay
3 Bay
4 Bay
5 Bay
Internal Docking Station

Taipei County, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tel : +886 2 2999-3251 
Fax : +886 2 2999-3478 、+886 2 2999-8099 
Sales e-mail:  roy@cremax.com.tw
Support e-mail: marketing@cremax.com.tw

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Introducing the ICY DOCK FlexCage MB973SP-1B Tray-less 3x3.5" HDD in 2x5.25" Bay SATA Hot Swap Rack / Cage / Module

Introducing the FlexCage MB973SP-1B, a 3-in-2 Tray-less SATA Backplane Cage for 3.5" SATA hard drives. This is a commercially designed product in the FlexCage series for use in server environments, such as towers or rackmounts. This FlexCage incorporates the best technologies to meet those demands, with second to none fit, function, and reliability.
Space Saving & Tray-less Design
The MB973SP-1B has been designed to maximize space use by allowing up to 3 x 3.5" SATA III hard drives, while only consuming two 5.25" device bays. The FlexCage also only requires two 4-pin power ports (or two 15-pin power ports with included 4 pin to 15 pin adapter cables), to power up to three 3.5" hard drives. In order to further the convenience of the FlexCage, our renowned tray-less technology is integrated into the cage -- no screws or tools are required to insert or eject the drives, making hot swapping a completely hassle free experience. However, because of the tray-less technology used, maintenance becomes dramatically reduced to simply ejecting a failed drive, and then reinserting the replacement.
Flexible Cooling
On the rear of the MB973SP-1B uses a large 80mm cooling fan to pull cool air from the front ventilation slots, over the drives, and exhaust the warm air out through the rear ventilation slots. The FlexCage also features the Active Power Technology power system, so that the fan used and the individual LED are only powered on if a drive is inserted. The included 80mm cooling fan also can be easily replaced and maintained, as the unit is fully removable and replaceable with most aftermarket cooling fans of the same size. To expand the range of compatible fans, both 2 and 3 pin standard fan power ports are available and can be easily accessed.
Server Ready
The FlexCage uses our Flex Fit Design, which accommodates to different tab lengths when installing to a server or tower computer case. This will help reduce the build time, and also adds greater compatibility for different system builds. In addition, there may be systems that use 15 power connectors exclusively, and so 4 to 15 pin power adapter cables are included to provide better accessibility for various host systems. Each bay includes individual LED indicators, displaying both drive power and activity. This is to provide drive status information at all times. Similarly, each drive door has a multi-locking latch mechanism to prevent a door from being opened easily. For best durability, a solid aluminum panel is used in each of the door latch, making it an ideal solution for systems where IT and non-IT personnel may have access to. Lastly, to ensure a peace of mind, the FlexCage is backed with our 3 year warranty, equivalent to a hard drive’s warranty.
Key Features
* Fits 3 x 3.5” SATA HDD into 2 x 5.25” Device Bays.
* Supports SATA 3 (6 Gb/s) hard drives.
* Compact and space saving design to fit multiple drives.
* Commercially designed for servers & rackmounts.
* Screw-less, tool-less design for genuine plug & play and hot swap use.
* Lightweight aluminum body construction for durability and heat
  dissipation.
* 80mm cooling fan for maximum air flow.
* Fan is replaceable with aftermarket fans that use standard 2-pin or 3-pin
  connectors.
* Flex Fit Design – accommodates different 5.25” tab lengths for server or tower cases.
* Active Power Technology (APT) - individual blue led & cooling fan only powers up if there is a drive
  installed in the bay.
* Multi-locking door latches to prevent accidental drive ejection.
* Two 4 pin to 15 pin adapter cable included for 15 pin SATA power ports.
* ICY DOCK 3 year warranty equivalent to hard drive manufacturer warranty to ensure maximum reliability
  and long life.

Quick links:

MB973SP-1B Product Page
MB973SP-1B Product images
MB973SP-1B Datasheet

Esitmate release date: 1/25/2013

ICY DOCK

Taipei County, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tel : +886 2 2999-3251 
Fax : +886 2 2999-3478 、+886 2 2999-8099 
Sales e-mail:  roy@cremax.com.tw
Support e-mail: marketing@cremax.com.tw