ICY DOCK is a leading manufacturer of removable hard drive enclosures. Since our company has always been about the customers, we wanted to create an informal avenue for us to communicate with you! Hopefully, these blogs will provide you with insights and opinions about ICY DOCK products.
Every year, technology is becoming more and more advanced and is constantly improving. These improvements includes improve enhanced functions in smaller and smaller packages. This is why 2.5” solid state drives and hard drives are becoming more popular due to its low power consumption and space-saving benefits, which are superior to 3.5” SATA hard drives in almost every category. Combine with the extra bandwidth of the SSDs and the raw power of the processors; enterprises are able to accelerate their project-development process. Since 2.5” SSDs and HDDs have smaller storage capacities compared to 3.5” hard drives, maximizing the storage density in limited spaces have become the most important task for many storage consulting firms; a task they are faced with often. The ToughArmor MB992SKR-B is designed specifically for systems with space limitations by fitting 2 x 2.5” SSD / HDD into a single 3.5” front device bay. With its built-in high performance hardware RAID processor, the MB992SKR-B gives users the option to choose between RAID 0, RAID 1, BIG and JBOD modes. The built-in RAID function allows you effortlessly add a 2.5” SSD/HDD RAID array to any system without needing to add a RAID controller card. The MB992SKR features a heavy duty full metal construction which is commercially suitable for medical & military systems, government agencies, Industrial PCs, SMB workstations, VM workstations, mobile DVR systems, aerospace computers, automation systems and embedded systems.
Standalone Built-in Hardware RAID Controller
The ToughArmor MB992SKR-B is a self contained hardware RAID enclosure that gives you the flexibility to choose between RAID 0, RAID 1, BIG and JBOD modes. With a built-in high performance RAID chipset, the enclosure operates independently of your system with its own processor and memory to run the RAID applications, offering the best reliability compared to software RAID. Software RAID can be infected by viruses and can cause the RAID table to be damaged, resulting into lost data.
With a standalone RAID function you can add 2.5” SSD/HDD RAID array into any system via a single SATA connection without the need for an additional RAID controller card. That being said, with the MB992SKR-B you can quickly create a RAID 1 array for your OS / VM setup to prevent a downed system caused by drive failure, or create a RAID 0 array for faster transfer speed for performance intense applications. The JBOD mode allows you to see two individual drives (requires SATA port-multiple on the host end), and the BIG mode provides maximum storage capacity into a single point, by combining 2 hard drives storage sizes into a single large storage device. With options like these to maximize uses for your hard drives, the choice is yours!
Complete Space Saver
Utilizing its small form factor, The MB992SKR-B is perfect for use in system that has limited available space such as IPC, mobile DVR system, aerospace computer, automation system or embedded system. The ability to house 2 x SATA SSD or HDD in a single 3.5” front device bay with built-in RAID function makes it a valuable asset, such as using RAID 1 protection for mobile DVR system or fast RAID 0 arrays for powerful gaming computer. To keep cables from cluttering, a single SATA 15 power pin is used to ease installation and only requires one SATA port to operate. Save as much space while maintaining the storage capacity and performance, with the compact MB992SKR-B.
Protect your Investments
Utilizing its small form factor, The MB992SKR-B is perfect for use in system that has limited available space such as IPC, mobile DVR system, aerospace computer, automation system or embedded system. The ability to house 2 x SATA SSD or HDD in a single 3.5” front device bay with built-in RAID function makes it a valuable asset, such as using RAID 1 protection for mobile DVR system or fast RAID 0 arrays for powerful gaming computer. To keep cables from cluttering, a single SATA 15 power pin is used to ease installation and only requires one SATA port to operate. Save as much space while maintaining the storage capacity and performance, with the compact MB992SKR-B.
The metal material used allows effective heat dissipation transfer from the hard drives to the mobile rack. By conduction, the heat will dissipate more quickly with greater surface area. On top of that, Multi-Flow Technology (MFT) effectively routes air flow correctly for excellent passive cooling, via ventilation slots on the front, rear, top and bottom (in multiple locations). Lastly, Anti-Vibration Technology (AVT) and EMI Grounding are used to provide a stable environment, allowing the hard drives or SSD’s used to perform at its best.
Versatile Utility & Security
The easy to read front LED indicators will indicate when a drive is ejected (no light), accessed (green), or has failed (red). When the unit is in the process of rebuilding the RAID table in RAID 1 mode, an individual rebuilding indicator light in the front will display. Active Power Technology (APT) allows each drive LED to be on only when a hard drive is inserted into the enclosure. For drive security, the eagle-hook lock system on the tray makes sure your hard drives will not eject when not needed. Additionally, the 2 segment key lock provides extra protection to any physical theft of the hard drives, securing from any open and grab.
The EZ Slide Micro trays make drive interchangeability and makes maintenance completely hassle free. The trays are also designed to accommodate 7mm to 9.5mm height hard drive and SSD, creating a 2.5" hot swap bay for any standard SATA hard drives and SSDs.
Key Features
* Built-in hardware RAID controller allows four different configurations: RAID 0 (FAST), RAID 1 (SAFE), JBOD, & BIG.
* Supports SATA 6Gbps and hot swap.
* Removable tray system for easy maintenance.
* Front LED indicator lights for drive power, access, fail and RAID 1 rebuilds status.
* Full metal construction, perfect for rugged applications and complies with flammability requirements.
* Fits 2 x 7mm to 9.5mm 2.5” SATA HDD or SSD in a 3.5” front device bay.
* Multi-Flow Technology (MFT) - provides excellent passive cooling.
* Anti-Vibration Technology (AVT) - creates a safe environment for hard drives or SSDs.
* Active Power Technology (APT) - individual led only powers up if there is drive installed in each bay.
* EMI Grounding – protects hard drives from electrical damage.
* Eagle-hook lock system & 2-segment safeguard key lock keeps drives secure within the enclosure.
* Single SATA 15 Pin to power entire device & single SATA connector to operate.
* Suggested applications in medical & military systems, government agencies, Industrial PC, SMB workstation, VM workstation, mobile DVR system, aerospace computer, automation system and embedded system.
* Limited 3 year warranty to complement the typical warranty of a hard drive.
* Supports SATA and SATA power cables with locking latch design
The Icy Dock 5.25” ExpressCage MB324SP-B for four 2.5” drives
SEPTEMBER 27, 2015
BY JOE_MINER
Icy Dock provided a list of specifications and product detail that I found very intriguing including support for four 2.5” HDDs/SSDs up to 12.5mm thick, hot-swap support, and SAS/SATA – 6GB/s support. All in a 5.25” half-height form factor needing only one SATA power port. One of the things I wanted to display at the meetup was how to use the HP ProLiant N40L MicroServer as an external 4 drive bay for an HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer AND have Microsoft Server 2016 Technical Preview 3 running on the N40L, using an SSD for the OS drive, and with four 2.5’ HDDs available to experiment with Storage Spaces – all of this in a single N40L MicroServer would be possible because of the ExpressCage MB324SP-B.
Later, after the meetup, I wanted to test the ExpressCage in my desktop computer which will be a separate review. The ability to mount 4 SSDs in the ExpressCage powered by only one 15-pin SATA Power connector would help immensely in cable management and the looks. I would use the 4 SSDs in the ExpressCage in a RAID0 configuration to use as my work drive for video editing.......Read full artilcle
We have recently tested the Icy Dock Turbo Swap hard drive caddy. For owners of a SATA hard drive, the frame turned out to be a useful extension. Today we want to present another hot swap cage of the brand Icy Dock, the Icy Dock MB324SP-B ExpressCage. This mobile rack is able to accommodate four SSDs. Excited? We also. Therefore, we proceed directly to the Icy Dock MB324SP-B ExpressCage review.........Read More
How to customize and optimize a computer forensic workstation with CASELAB's Merlin SM8 and ICY DOCK's SSD/HDD high density storage kits for intensive digital forensic data analysis?
In today's digital world, protecting your data is of utmost importance. This is especially true when it comes to protecting data that is used in a court of law. Computer forensic investigators rely on forensic computer systems to collect, analyze, and preserve data to presenting them in the court. For this reason, forensic computer systems must be reliable in terms of delivering effective results and minimizing the margin of error that may occur. One of the problems that computer forensic investigators are currently facing is the amount of data that is collected onto a single forensic system. In order to analyze the vast amount of data on a single computer system users will not only require more processing power, but additional drives as well to support amount of data that is being analyzed. Therefore, having the option to run multiple processors, enough space to hold a plethora of storage drives, and the ability to read/write various data types all on a single computer system is the end goal for an ultimate forensic computer system.
This takes us to CASELAB's Merlin SM8. This unit is a heavy duty full aluminum computer case that is currently being appointed and use by many computer forensic investigators including the FBI Computer Analysis Response Team. What makes this case so good for this purpose is that it caters to the individual's preference in terms of customization. With a spacious interior, users can practically install any type of add-on into this case!
Add-on Capability
Computer forensic investigators use dedicated forensic computer systems to analyze and store data. If the CPU-processing-power-hungry forensic system overheats during this process, data may end up being corrupted or lost. Therefore, in order to prevent any hardware from overheating and possible corrupting important data, an effective CPU cooler is needed. CASELAB's Merlin SM8 is specifically designed to accommodate any type of CPU cooler such as the Cooler Master V8 GTS.
Similarly, for the graphic processor unit, an oversized cooler can be installed to prevent overheating on the unit. An example would be the Colorful iGame GTX 680 which provides the best cooling performance.
In addition, the case is also equipped with a fully removable motherboard tray. This will give users an easier time when installing their motherboard and other components such as G.Skill Ripjaws X series SDRAM, Samsung XP941 M.2, and more.
Radiators and fans can be installed on the open space at the top of the case. You can install up to 4x 120mm fans on the top or even a radiator to ensure effective airflow and maximum cooling. Products such as Crosair's Hydro Series or Noctua Fans can provide this level of cooling.
As you can see, the versatility of CASELAB's Merlin SM8 allows computer forensic investigators to be able to fully customize their workstation according to their needs, which will make their work easier and much more efficient without the problems heating can cause on data integrity.
Frontal Bay Accessibility
Going to the exterior of the Merlin SM8, the SM8 offers enough frontal access to support different types of devices such as card readers, drive caddies and more. It will allow all of the investigative works to be completed easily and without the need to dissemble the computer apart, making an effective and efficient forensic workstation.
An example such as the Tableau T35689iu forensic SATA/IDE/SAS/USB/FireWire Bridge allows drive connectivity outside of the host unit. It also works for legacy drives such as IDE drives and offer connectivity for Firewire 400 and 800. Computer forensic investigators can also use write blockers to prevent contamination of evidence data when accessing data thru USB or Firewire. The Tableau TB- R2 Forensic USB Bridge useful for this purpose.
Similarly, ICY DOCK's DuoSwap MB971SP-B offers benefits but focus more on the SATA hard drives. It allows 1x 2.5" drive and 1x 3.5" hard drive to be inserted in a 5.25" bay simultaneously. Equipped with a front panel release buttons for both 3.5" and 2.5" drive and a small manual on/off button for each of both drive bays, users can hot swap their drives and control the activity of the drives within a push of a button.
If a 3.5" drive such as Western Digital Red, Green, Blue and Black series requires a frontal hot swap, ICY DOCK's full metal TurboSwap MB171SP-B can get the job done securely. It is has a full metal construction and is equipped with an 80mm cooling fan (also supports a 120mm fan with optional screws holes) with frontal control buttons for the fan and hard drive's power. Designed to be hot swappable in a tray-less design, forensic investigators can easily switch drives in and out with ease. One can access many drives in a short amount of time, saving time and money on investigating critical cases.
Please see below for more ICY DOCK 3.5" hard drive mobile racks:
With multiple 2.5" SSD or HDD installed, computer forensic investigators can build RAID configurations to improve their systems data processing capability. By using 2.5" drives, which provides better space efficiency as oppose to 3.5" drives, various RAID modes can be configured for different applications while it occupies only a small portion of the frontal bays. You can use a reliable RAID controller card and ICY DOCK's ToughArmor series to complete this task. A suggested RAID controller card such as LSI MegaRAID series is able to help provide maximum performance and reliability for the various RAID configurations.
So why choose ICY DOCK's ToughArmor series for this purpose? ICY DOCK offers 2.5" HDD/SSD cages that hold up to 8x drives and consume only a single slot of your frontal 5.25" bay! ICY DOCK's ToughArmor series is made with all-metal design and provides hassle-free experience during installation and maintenance. Many tier-one companies such as GE, HP, Google, and Intel have integrated these products into many of their flagship workstations. Therefore, it is a must to choose ICY DOCK ToughArmor series for its reliability and longevity which are essential for a mission critical computer forensic system!
Please see below for more ICY DOCK ToughArmor Series 2.5" HDD/SSD mobile rack cages:
With CASELABS Merlin SM8's capability to provide extravagant physical space and it's extremely customizable design, it is able to handle multiple 3.5/5.25” devices, full size CPU cooler(s), high-end graphic card(s), full size motherboard, high performance RAID card(s), and anything you can think of! When combined with Icy Dock’s ToughArmor series, anyone can easily come up with a powerful workstation that will best match their needs. The limitation on the capability of these workstations is no longer physical and only your imagination can unlock the limitless potential of these workstations!
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us by email at tech@icydock.com or through our Live Chat(M-F 9-5pm PST)
Originally hot swap mobile racks were used in large servers to rapidly respond to hard drive failures and to be able to replace the affected hardware easily. But quickly the hard drive caddy found its way into home user computer cases. Be it for testing various hard drives or for better hard drive cooling by the integrated fan. Today Icy Dock delivers the mobile rack TurboSwap, a model which we would like to test for you in the following review. And maybe this product finds its way to your computer case as well.........Read More
ICY DOCK MB322SP-B REVIEW – DUAL 2.5″ AND 3.5″ BACKPLANE
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
by PATRICK KENNEDY
Today we are taking a look at the Icy Dock MB322SP-B which is a unique design in the hot swap bay market. The Icy Dock MB322SP-B combines the ExpressBay feature we liked in our recent Icy Dock MB324SP-B review with an additional 3.5″ option. The market is rife with clones of 4-in-1 (4x 2.5″ in 1x 5.25″) bay designs and 6-in-1 bay designs. Branching out and offering a unique combination of drive capabilities is what makes the Icy Dock MB322SP-B a particularly interesting option.......Read full artilcle
The ICY DOCK ToughArmor EX MB492SKL-B dual bay 2.5” mobile rack is built specifically for industrial small form factor systems that require exceptional drive security. It uses heavy duty metal construction, which is considered to comply with flammability requirements and is capable to withstand the harshest environments. The metal key lock prevents unauthorized access your important drives and the thumb screw lock adds extra protection from impact, and reduces drive tray vibration which increases drive stability during transportation. Our removable drive tray allows interchangeability of data between multiple systems.
The ICY DOCK MB492SKL-B supports both SAS and SATA hard drives/SSDs at 6Gbps and is backwards compatible to 3 Gbps drives and hosts. The MB492SKL-B fits two drives in a single 3.5” front bay making it the perfect storage device for enterprise small form factor applications. It maximizes space in industrial small PCs, surveillance, embedded systems, automation systems, aerospace systems and mobile DVR systems.
Removable Design with Maximum Protection
The removable drive tray design supports hot-swap and makes maintenance completely hassle free which is extremely beneficial in the case of a hard drive failure. It reduces overall down time which is precious for time sensitive applications. The trays are also designed to accommodate 7 to 9.5mm height hard drive and SSD, creating dual 2.5” hot swap bays for any standard SATA/SAS hard drives and SSDs.
The metal key lock on the tray prevents unauthorized access your drive. The unique thumb screw locks the metal tray into the device to minimize the drive tray vibration, and to prevent accidental drive tray ejection providing the ultimate protection for your hard drives or solid-state drives.
The ToughArmor EX MB492SKL-B is an ideal mobile rack for RAID configurations for systems that require higher drive security and have limited space to work with such as mobile systems and embedded systems.
Convenient Utility with Full Metal Construction
The front of the ToughArmor EX includes a status LED when the drive is powered on, off and being accessed. Active Power Technology (APT) allows the status LED to be on only when a hard drive is inserted into the enclosure. We have also included drive ID plugs so user with multiple MB492SKL-B units in their system can give each drive tray a unique ID number.
Ensuring the material used can be relied upon for many years after its deployment, the MB492SKL-B is capable of holding up in the harshest environments, with heavy duty metal construction throughout the entire device. The ToughArmor EX’s full metal design is perfect for industrial devices that may require a flammability rating since all-metal already complies with flammability requirements. Because of the high build quality, it can be used in various enterprise systems including: military and law enforcement deployment. It can also be used in manufacturing conditions such as embedded control systems and factory automation systems such as: military and law enforcement deployment.
Key Features
* Low profile design for small form factor applications such as industrial small PCs, surveillance, embedded systems, automation systems, aerospace systems and mobile DVR systems
* Fits two drives in a single 3.5” front device bay which is perfect for RAID configurations
* Dual Lock Design - Metal key lock (for drive security) and thumb screw lock (for impact/vibration)
* Removable drive tray design allows easy maintenance and fully supports SATA hot-swap
* Unique drive ID plugs for drive trays are included (#1 - #8)
* Fits 2 x 7mm to 9.5mm height 2.5” SATA HDD or SSD in a 3.5” floppy drive bay
* Supports SAS or SATA HDD/SSD at 6Gbps and is backwards compatible with SATA 3Gbps drives and hosts (SAS host is required for SAS drives)
* Heavy Duty Full Metal construction, perfect for enterprise applications
* Multi-Flow Technology - provides excellent passive cooling
* Anti-Vibration Technology - creates a safe environment for hard drives or SSDs
* Active Power Technology (APT) - individual led only powers up if there is drive installed in the drive bay
* EMI Grounding - protects hard drives from electrical damage
* Locking latch for both SATA 7 pin data port and SATA 15 pin power port
The ICY DOCK ToughArmor EX MB491SKL-B 2.5” mobile rack is built specifically for industrial small form factor systems that require exceptional drive security. It uses heavy duty metal construction, which is considered to already comply with flammability requirements and is capable of withstanding the harshest environments. The metal key lock prevents unauthorized access to your important drives and the thumb screw lock adds extra protection from impact which reduces drive tray vibration, increasing drive stability during transportation. Our removable drive tray allows interchangeability of data between multiple systems.
The ICY DOCK MB491SKL-B supports both SAS and SATA hard drive/SSDs at 6Gbps and is backwards compatible to 3 Gbps drives and hosts. It is an ideal solution for enterprise level small form factor applications since it maximizes the use of space in industrial small PCs, surveillance, embedded systems, automation systems, aerospace systems and mobile DVR systems.
Removable Design with Maximum Protection
The removable drive tray design supports hot-swap and makes maintenance completely hassle free in the event of a hard drive failure. With a simple swap of the hard drive, your overall down time is greatly reduced which is especially useful for time sensitive projects and applications. The trays are designed to accommodate a 7 to 15mm height hard drive or SSD, creating a 2.5” hot swap bay for any standard SATA/SAS drive. While the tray is not installed to the MB491SKL-B, the Anti-Dust Flap helps prevent dust from entering the device.
The metal key lock on the tray prevents unauthorized access your drive. The unique thumb screw design locks the metal tray into the device to minimize the drive vibration, and to prevent accidental drive tray ejection, providing the ultimate protection for your hard drives or solid-state drives.
The removable drive tray design combined with our dual layer drive security system makes the ToughArmor EX MB491SKL-B a great mobile rack for mobile servers and military grade systems.
Convenient Utility with Full Metal Construction
The front of the ToughArmor EX includes a status LED when the drive is powered on, off and accessed. Active Power Technology (APT) allows the status LED to be on only when a hard drive is inserted into the enclosure. We have also included drive ID plugs so users with multiple MB491SKL-B units in their system can give each drive tray a unique ID number.
Ensuring the material used can be relied upon for many years after its deployment, the MB491SKL-B is capable of holding up in the harshest environments, with heavy duty metal construction throughout the entire device. The ToughArmor EX’s full metal design is perfect for industrial devices that may require a flammability rating since all-metal already complies with flammability requirements. Because of the high build quality, it can be used in various enterprise systems including: military and law enforcement deployment. It can also be used in manufacturing conditions such as embedded control systems and factory automation systems such as: military and law enforcement deployment.
Key Features
* Low profile design for small form factor applications such as industrial small PCs, surveillance, embedded systems, automation systems, aerospace systems and mobile DVR systems
* Dual Locks design – Metal key lock (for drive security) and thumb screw lock (for impact/vibration)
* Removable drive tray design for easy maintenance which fully supports SATA hot-swap
* Unique drive ID plugs for drive trays are included (#1 - #8)
* Fits 1 x 7mm to 15mm height 2.5” SATA HDD or SSD in a 3.5” floppy drive bay
* Supports SAS or SATA HDD/SSD at 6Gbps and is backwards compatible with SATA 3Gbps drives and hosts (SAS host is required for SAS drives)
* Heavy Duty Full Metal construction, perfect for enterprise applications
* Multi-Flow Technology - provides excellent passive cooling
* Anti-Vibration Technology - creates a safe environment for hard drives or SSDs
* Active Power Technology (APT) - individual led only powers up if there is drive installed in the drive bay
* EMI Grounding - protects hard drives from electrical damage
* Anti-Dust Flap prevents dust from entering when device not used
* Locking latch for both SATA 7 pin data port and SATA 15 pin power port
