The Icy Dock 5.25” Hot Swap Drive Caddy for a 2.5” and a 3.5” SATA Drive – DuoSwap MB971SP-B

In preparation for the 2^nd Annual Home Server Show Meet-Up this year I was asked to review the Icy Dock 5.25” Hot Swap Drive Caddy for a 2.5” and a 3.5” SATA Hard Drive or SSD -- DuoSwap MB971SP-B (“DuoSwap”). Details of the DuoSwap can also be found at Icy Dock’s site.

Contents:

Specifications of the DuoSwap

Test Platform HP ProLiant MicroServer N40L

Parts List of MicroServer (as demonstrated October 20, 2012 at HSS Meet-Up)

Performance MicroServer

Test Platform GA-Z77X-UD5H (“Colossus”)

Parts List of Test Platform GA-Z77X-UD5H (Colossus)

Performance GA-Z77X-UD5H (Colossus)

Conclusion

2012 HSS Meet-Up Links

Reference

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Specifications of the DuoSwap

Icy Dock provided a list of specification and product detail that I found very intriguing including 3TB hard drive support, hot swap support, plug & play support, and SATA III – 6Gb/s support. All in a 5.25” half-height form factor yet holding a 2.5” and a 3.5” drive simultaneously – each with their own SATA III connection!

Test Platform HP ProLiant MicroServer N40L

In reviewing the impressive list of specifications I could see how the DuoSwap would be useful in the 5.25” Optical Disk Drive (“ODD”) bay of the HP ProLiant MicroServer N40L (“MicroServer”). The ODD is located above the HP logo on the front of the MicroServer.

In the past I’ve described how to set up the MicroServer in order to fully utilize all 6 of its SATA II ports at full speed for a large variety of builds spanning the landscape of business, home, and testing OS configurations.

At the end of HP MicroServer N40L Build and BIOS Modification from March 22, 2012, I concluded that the MicroServer is a great little file server for the small business and the home as well as an excellent test platform to learn with. I’ve found it to be very reliable and easy (and fun!) to work on.

In the article Installing Windows Home Server 2011 on a SSD in a HP MicroServer N40L from July 25, 2012, I described how I set up the MicroServer with 5 3TB drives plus an SSD drive.

A common thread throughout all of my builds is that I’ve used the ODD bay area, 5.25” half-height, of the Microserver to locate the 2.5” SSD drive and one of my 3.5” spindle drives. Unfortunately, while the 4 drive bay in the MicroServer uses caddies that make the installation, removal and exchange of Hard Drives simple and straight forward my installation and exchange of drives in the ODD space was not quick and simple.

The 4 drive bay is clearly visible.

A typical installation in the ODD space (note the top cover on the MicroServer has been removed) with the SSD mounted on top of the 3.5” spindle drive with yellow electrical tape. There is also space where the SSD can be mounted below the 3.5” spindle drive in the area behind the HP logo but I found it more difficult to get to if I wanted to change out SSD’s for different OS configurations often.

The DuoSwap removed from its box and in front of the MicroServer.

The 3.5” and the SSD have been removed from the ODD space. The DuoSwap only requires one 15 pin SATA power connection so the split connector that I needed before was no longer necessary so I would also be switching out to a single connector for the DuoSwap. The DuoSwap feels solid and the design is clean.

One feature of the DuoSwap that I found to be a good indication of the Engineering design thought that went into this product was how the 2 SATA III connections on the back of the DuoSwap were mirrored so that angled connectors could be used, if desired, without conflicting with each other. Meaning that it wasn’t necessary to use straight-in SATA III connectors.

Removing the metal panel that protects the plastic cover for the ODD bay area is relatively simple with a screwdriver and patience – you’ll want to take your time in order to not bend the metal frame next to the USB device openings on the right of the ODD opening (above).

Moving the 4 MicroServer 5.25” device mounting screws that are used to mount a device in the ODD bay area.

Installation of DuoSwap in ODD bay, drives, and case cover.

Parts List of MicroServer (as demonstrated October 20, 2012 at HSS Meet-Up)

· HP N40L ProLiant MicroServer

· 16GB RAM – G.Skill F3-1333C9D-16GAO

· WD PCIe USB 3.0 Card

· Icy Dock DuoSwap MB971SP-B

· Intel PCIe NIC – Intel EXPI9301CTBLK 10/100/1000Mbps

· 18” SATA Cable

· eSATA to SATA Cable – Tripp Lite Model P952-18I 18” SATA to eSATA

· Adaptor: StarTech 6” 4-Pin Molex to SATA 15-pin Power Cable

Configuration A:

· OS Drive: Corsair GT 60GB SSD

· VM’s Drive: ST3000DM001

· Test Drive: 2*ST3000DM001 Mirrored

· Host OS: Server 2012 Storage Server Standard

· Client Machines: WHS 2011, WHS-V1, S2012E

Configuration B:

· OS Drive: Crucial M4 128GB SSD

· Test Drive: WD15EADS

· Host OS: Server 2012 Essentials

Demonstration of the DuoSwap in the MicroServer at the 2012 Meet-Up

Performance MicroServer

At the meet-up the inherent versatility and ease of use provided by the DuoSwap was demonstrated by going from a powered up state in “Configuration A” (see Parts List MicroServer above) to “Configuration B” (see Parts List MicroServer above) in a few minutes by simply turning the MicroServer off, quickly exchanging the SSD’s and HD’s and powering up the MicroServer (on the first power up after the change be sure to remember to hit F10 during Post and go into the BIOS Menu and check the Boot sequence). Afterwards the MicroServer was opened up so all participants at the meet-up could check out the DuoSwap as well as the MicroServer motherboard and connections.

The performance of the Corsair Force GT 60GB SSD is identical when connected directly to SATA II Port 5 in the MicroServer versus connected to the same Port through the DuoSwap.

The performance of the ST3000DM001 via the DuoSwap is identical (if not a little better – actually I believe the slight difference in performance is the differences in what was running in hyper-V during the times of the tests and other activity on those drives) to that seen when directly connected to the MicroServer.

The performance of the Crucial M4 128GB SSD when directly connected to the MicroServer is identical as when connected through the DuoSwap.

Test Platform GA-Z77X-UD5H (“Colossus”)

To test the SATA III capability of the DuoSwap I chose to mount the DuoSwap in my hyper-V test platform “Colossus” which has 2 SATA III Ports and 4 GSATA III Ports in addition to 4 SATA II Ports.

The installation of the DuoSwap in the Lian-Li PC-K9WX was very easy and didn’t require any tools. As often as I am changing the configuration of Colossus the DuoSwap would be quite handy and it increases the hard drive capability of the K9WX by 1*3.5” drive and 1*2.5” drive for a total capacity of 7*3.5” drives and 5*2.5” drives (in addition to the 2 remaining 5.25 drive bays). By moving the Gigabyte USB 3.0 ports from one of the 5.25” drive bays to the back of the box another DuoSwap would increase the hard drive capacity of the K9WX to 8*3.5” drives and 6*2.5” drives – an impressive number of drives in a moderate sized box!

Parts List of Test Platform GA-Z77X-UD5H (Colossus)

Main List

· LIAN-LI Lancool First Knight Series PC-K9WX

· GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard;

· Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000

· G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL10Q-32GBZL

· SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W

· Optical Drive: SATA II Port 2: LITE-ON Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support

· Icy Dock DuoSwap MB971SP-B

· OS Drive: GSATA III Port 0: Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F240GBGT-BK 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

· VHD Drive: SATA III Port 1: Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5″

Miscellaneous Parts

· StarTech USB3SPLATE 2 Port USB 3.0 A Female Slot Plate Adapter

· StarTech USBPLATE4 4 Port USB A Female Slot Plate Adapter

· Adaptor: Nippon Labs SATA Adaptor Molex 4-Pin PC Power Cable to 2xSATA 15-pin Converter Cables I used the Splitter to power both the ODD and the DuoSwap from 1 4-pin Molex

· Assorted SATA III rated cables and 2 10-foot CAT6 Network cables

· I also used a 5.25 to 3.5 inch drive bay convertor I borrowed from a Lian-Li PC-A70F

Host OS: Server 2012 DC

Hyper-V Clients: Assorted -- up to 25

Performance GA-Z77X-UD5H (Colossus)

Performance of the Corsair GT 240GB OS Drive connected directly to the SATA III Port 0 and connected via the DuoSwap.

Performance of the ST3000DM001 Drive connected directly to the SATA III Port 1 and connected via the DuoSwap. I believe the slight difference between the before and after of the ST3000DM001’s in the MicroServer and Colossus are related to what was running (in Hyper-V) between the tests.

Conclusion

The performance of the DuoSwap in the MicroServer (with SATA II Ports) and in the GA-Z77X-UD5H (“Colossus”) (with SATA III Ports) is outstanding.

The DuoSwap feels solid and has taken something of a beating by being moved about between machines and being poked and prodded by many especially at the 2012 Meet-Up. Still, the DuoSwap kept on performing very well. By utilizing a 5.25” drive bay the DuoSwap expands the number of 3.5” and 2.5” hard drives that can be put into a build. When installed in a MicroServer ODD bay the DuoSwap enhances the ease of use and versatility of everything from business and home production systems to multiple test builds with the MicroServer.

I can see many practical everyday applications for the DuoSwap in business and in the home. This would make a good addition to a spec list for a future build as well as upgrading a current machine.

2012 HSS Meet-Up Links

The HSS Meetup 2012 – Indianapolis

Meetup 2012

The 2^nd Annual Home Server Show Meetup in Indianapolis Indiana October 20^th 2012

Some pictures that I used from the meet-up were provided by: VinylFreak & HomeServerShow

For Reference

HP Microserver N40L Build and Bios Modification

Installing Windows Home Server 2011 on a SSD in a HP MicroServer N40L

Installing Server 2012 Release Candidate on the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H

More Interesting MicroServer Links

HP MicroServer N40L