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June 30, 2006

External SATA Enclosure Access For All Review: Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA Adapter for Macintosh and Windows (AAU2ESA) By Arthur Whalem

Addonics is shipping the USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter model AAU2ESA ($29.95). This adapter allows users to connect a SATA hard drive enclosure with an eSATA data cable to any Macintosh or Windows computer with a USB 2.0 port. The adapter supports both direct connect SATA hard drive enclosures as well as SATA 5-bay port multiplier enclosures. SATA hard drives provide a fast and reliable method for storing large amounts of data. The problem in the past has been that SATA enclosures required an external SATA connector that many computer models did not provide. With the availability of this new inexpensive Addonics adapter any Apple computer with a USB 2.0 port can be connected to an SATA enclosure. During this review, several Apple Macintosh computer models were used with the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter model AAU2ESA to evaluate

how it might perform with Apple computers. System Requirements Mac OS X 10.2.x - 10.4.x or Windows XP. Requires a USB 2.0 port. Supports eSATA direct connect or 5-bay eSATA PM enclosures. Supports Hot-Swap. Supports Disk Utility in Mac OS X . Compact design with no extra power source required. Compatible with Notebooks or Desktops. Requires eSATA data cables. Can be used with optional SATA to eSATA cable. What's Included? The Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter model AAU2ESA includes the USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter, a USB 2.0 extension cable and a user manual. No drivers are required for using the adapter. What is SATA PM? A SATA port multiplier also known as "SATA PM" is a device that allows several SATA hard drives to use a single port on a host adapter. Port multipliers typically reside in an enclosure and are transparent to the hard drives. Port multipliers support all standard SATA hard drives. This allows SATA hard drive systems to accommodate many more hard drives than the direct connect method, which requires a single SATA host adapter port for each hard drive connected.

As you can see in the image above, up to five SATA hard drives can connect to a 5X1 port multiplier board located inside a SATA PM enclosure. A single eSATA data cable attaches the SATA PM enclosure to the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter model AAU2ESA, which is connected to any Macintosh USB 2.0 port. AMUG has reviewed the Addonics Storage Tower model ST5X1PM, the Sonnet Fusion 500P, the DAT Optic Sbox-P and the WiebeTech SilverSATA V. You can view these articles to learn more about each units characteristics.

Install Installing the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter (AAU2ESA) is as easy as connecting the eSATA data cable on one end of the adapter and plugging the other end into a Mac mini, iBook, MacBook, iMac, eMac, PowerMac G4 or G5. Once connected the hard drive(s) in the SATA enclosure will mount on the desktop of the target computer. Users will find that Disk Utility can be used to erase or create RAID sets when using the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter. While SATA data transfer rates will be considerably slower than when using a SATA enclosure with a host adapter, this method provides instant access to data on any external SATA hard drive that was previously unavailable to USB 2.0 connections before.

Features The Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter supports SATA 150 and SATA 300 hard drives. It will work with any external eSATA hard drive enclosure and can be used with SATA "Type L" ports with the proper adapter cable. The adapter supports hot swap, SATA PM, spread spectrum clocking and is RoHS compliant. It is compatible with USB 2.0 specifications and uses a type A plug. The adapter provides a power and drive activity LED while utilizing 5V of bus power. The compact design of the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter allows it to be used with portable devices as well as desktops. The Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter opens up the world of SATA enclosures to every single Apple computer currently sold. PowerMac G4 and G5 users with SATA host adapters can easily share data on external SATA enclosures directly with their other computers without having to be concerned if they have a SATA host adapter installed. SATA enclosures do not require a bridge board which makes their simple design less subject to failure. Now every computer you own can be connected directly to a SATA enclosure when needed. Users that wanted a SATA enclosure before but did

not have a host adapter can now utilize a SATA enclosure via their USB 2.0 port. A Mac mini setup as a server is a wonderful candidate for use with an Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter. Imagine the extra hard drive space that is available when using a 5-bay SATA PM enclosure and with a Mac mini, iMac or a notebook. For those that are new to SATA PM enclosures, AMUG has complied a list of models below. Each enclosure is listed for comparison. Clicking on the image of each model will introduce you to an AMUG review for that particular SATA PM enclosure. Port Multiplier Enclosures

SilverSATA V Dual 3SA + 5x1 Sbox-P Fusion 500P

5 Bay eSATA 6 Bay eSATA 5 Bay eSATA 5 Bay eSATAThe WiebeTech SilverSATA V port multiplier enclosure is a five bay SATA PM enclosure with a single eSATA connection on the rear.

Includes an Addonics ST5X1PM ($199) and two 3SA cages ($180) to create a 5 bay SATA PM enclosure plus an extra SATA Bay. Two 80mm fans added ($20).

The DAT Optic Sbox-P is a five bay SATA PM enclosure with a single eSATA connection on the rear.

The Sonnet Fusion 500P is a five bay SATA PM enclosure with a single eSATA connection on the rear.

Hot Swap Supported Hot Swap Supported Hot Swap Supported Hot Swap SupportedSATA PM is built into the backplane design. Uses a single 5" SATA cable to connect the backplane to the rear eSATA port.

Backplane mounting. Uses 11" SATA cables to connect each drive to port multiplier.

Backplane mounting. Uses 11" SATA cable to connect each drive to port multiplier.

Backplane mounting. Uses 8" SATA cable to connect each drive to port multiplier.

One PM eSATA port PM eSATA port plus 1 One PM eSATA port One PM eSATA port

96-100 degrees 114-118 degrees 111-116 degrees 114.8 - 120.2 degrees

Supports Sleep Mode Supports Sleep Mode Supports Sleep Mode Supports Sleep Mode

Louder than PowerMac

Quieter than PowerMac

Little louder than PowerMac

Quieter than PowerMac

Advantage: 5 bays in a single enclosure. Temperature alarm. Keeps hard drives very cool. Drive activity and power lights. Small foot print. Sturdy design. No assembly required other than installing hard drives.

Advantage: 6 bays in a single enclosure. Can add a quiet fan upgrade. Drive trays protect hard drives and are easy to mount drives in. Temperature alarm. Can be used in a single cable per drive configuration by using a different rear panel cover.

Advantage: This is a quiet five bay PM enclosure. Provides DirectAir SATA hard drive trays. Temp. alarm. Temperature and RPM LCD on each tray. Sturdy design. No assembly required other than installing hard drives.

Advantage: This is a quiet five bay PM enclosure. Provides drive activity lights and user configurable fan. Small foot print. Sturdy design. No assembly required other than installing hard drives.

Stability During this review a Sonnet Fusion 500P was used to test how the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter performed when hot swapping drives in and out of a SATA PM enclosure. This test was completed with an Apple Mac mini 1.42GHz model. When individual hard drives were mounted in the SATA PM enclosure they were able to be hot swapped in and out of the enclosure without turning off the computer. However, each time a hot swap occurred it was necessary to turn off the SATA PM enclosure, perform the hot swap and turn the SATA PM enclosure back on to mount the hard drives. When the hot swap was performed in this manner, all of the hard drives in the 5-bay SATA PM enclosure mounted each time. The Mac mini was able to erase hard drives in the SATA PM enclosure and create RAID sets using Disk Utility. The Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter functions similar to a host adapter except through the slower USB 2.0 interface. Next, a RAID mounting stability test was completed. A five drive striped RAID set was created using the Mac mini and the SATA PM

Cons: Is not quiet. No easy way to modify power supply fan noise. Expensive.

Cons: Is not quiet with the standard fan configuration. Requires assembly. No hard drive activity lights.

Cons: No drive activity lights. Full size foot print.

Cons: Inserting trays into the enclosure may seem stiff in some bays.

$999.95$399 = ST5X1PM and two 3SA, fans & eSATA cable.

$485 $499.95

enclosure. The hard drives were ejected and placed back in the enclosure in a different order. In each test the SATA PM enclosure needed to be turned off and back on for the Mac mini to mount the striped RAID set. These tests show that the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter does support hot swap as long as the power to the SATA PM enclosure is reset after any changes are made to the hard drive configuration. The Mac mini was not required to be restarted in any of these tests. Sleep Sleep mode was also tested with the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter using a Sonnet Fusion 500P SATA PM enclosure. An Apple Mac mini using Mac OS X 10.4.6 was able to sleep with the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter attached. The five hard drives mounted in the SATA PM enclosure powered down when entering sleep mode. Once the Mac mini 1.42 was awake the hard drives in the SATA PM enclosure were available for use within 32 seconds. If the drives were dismounted before placing the Mac mini in sleep mode, they were able to be mounted again using Disk Utility once the Apple Macintosh was awake.

Performance In this test, a Mac mini 1.42 GHz running Mac OS X 10.4.6 was used with the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter to mount five hard drives in a Sonnet Fusion 500P SATA PM enclosure. The hard drives used in this test were Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 160GB SATA II model HDT722516DLA3. The hard drives were tested individually and as a striped RAID set. DiskTester 10GB read and write tests were performed using a run area test. DiskTester measures the combined performance of the hard drives and the Mac OS X operating system. It is a Terminal application which requires using a command line executable. Using the command: ./disktester run-area-test --chunk-size 128M --test-size 10G --delta-percent 10 DriveName, puts DiskTester 2.0 to work testing how the RAID will perform when empty, 10% full, 20% full and so on. This same test was also run using the PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0GHz with the Sonnet Tempo SATA X4P host adapter installed for comparison. Hitachi 160GB 5 Drive Striped RAID - DiskTester 10GB Test

Mac mini 1.42 AAU2ESA PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0GHz Tempo X4P

Area Full write read write readempty 15.9 15.6 220 24110% 16.1 15.6 222 24120% 16.1 15.7 221 24030% 16.1 15.6 222 240

Results are shown in MB per second. Five Hitachi 160GB model HDT722516DLA3 hard drives were used above in a Sonnet Fusion 500P SATA PM enclosure. The Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter (AAU2ESA) was used with the Mac mini.

As you can see in the table above, the USB 2.0 interface is limited to about 16MB per second on a Mac mini 1.42 when using a 5 drive striped RAID set. If you need speed and have a PowerMac G5 with a SATA host adapter installed the SATA PM enclosure will perform best on it. However, the fact that you can even use a 5-bay SATA PM enclosure via a USB 2.0 port is pretty amazing. Using the Mac mini with an Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter can provide huge storage capability when a SATA PM enclosure is attached. Hitachi 160GB Single Drive - DiskTester 10GB Test

Results are shown in MB per second. A single Hitachi 160GB model HDT722516DLA3 hard drive was used above in a Sonnet Fusion 500P SATA PM enclosure. The Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter (AAU2ESA) was used with the Mac mini.

The single drive test shown in the table above demonstrates that the Mac mini USB 2.0 interface has a limit of about 17.9MB per second continuous write speeds. It is clear that USB 2.0 is slower than a SATA connection but most of us already knew that. The Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter will not provide increased performance with a striped RAID set as its bandwidth has already been saturated with a single hard drive. The data in the tables above may lead some users to believe that the USB connection is uncomfortably slow. If you are trying to create digital video with it, I would probably agree. However, for most normal desktop usage the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter performs very well when utilized with an external SATA hard drive enclosure. I only notice the slowness of USB 2.0 when working with very large files or when copying

40% 16.1 15.8 221 23950% 16.1 15.6 222 23860% 16.1 15.7 222 23570% 16.1 15.6 220 22280% 16.1 15.7 192 20090% 16.1 15.5 170 178Average 16.08 15.64 213.2 227.4MSRP $29.95 $299.95

Mac mini 1.42 AAU2ESA PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0GHz Tempo X4P

Area Full write read write readempty 17.9 17.8 59.3 60.210% 17.9 17.8 57.7 58.520% 17.9 17.8 55.7 56.330% 17.9 17.8 53.5 53.940% 17.9 17.8 53.4 53.850% 17.9 17.8 50.5 50.960% 17.9 17.8 47.4 47.870% 17.9 17.8 43.3 43.580% 17.9 17.8 39.5 39.790% 17.9 17.8 34.5 34.6Average 17.9 17.8 49.48 49.92MSRP $29.95 $299.95

several gigabytes of data at once. Discussion SATA enclosures provide very fast data transfer rates and great reliability. New computer models are moving to SATA hard drives and away from ATA interfaces. The only drawback with SATA enclosures for Apple users has been the lack of compatibility across all Apple Macintosh models. That issue has just been solved by using the USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter. The Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter allows me to utilize any eSATA external enclosure with any Macintosh with a USB 2.0 port. That opens up the use of eSATA enclosures with all currently shipping Macintosh models. With this adapter everyone can enjoy the storage expansion capability that SATA PM enclosures provide. I enjoy having the ability to share my eSATA enclosures with my other Macintosh computers. With the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter, I can use my eSATA enclosures to backup data and to provide additional storage. A Mac mini with a quiet 5-bay SATA PM enclosure can provide an awesome home video server. In addition, once all shipping computers have external SATA connectors users will be able to enjoy the fast transfer speeds of a SATA interface without having to upgrade their enclosure. External SATA enclosures provide a great way to store and access data. The Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter can expand the usage of any hot swap eSATA hard drive enclosure. Pros Compatible with all USB 2.0 Macintosh and Windows computers. Provides SATA compatibility to portables or desktop computers. Works with direct connect or SATA PM enclosures. A single adapter can mount up to five hard drives. Compatible with SATA I and SATA II hard drives. Supports hot swap and sleep. No extra power adapter required. No driver installation required. Compatible with Disk Utility. Compact Design. Uses standard eSATA connector. Drive activity and power LEDs. Supports Spread Spectrum Clocking. Inexpensive easy to use SATA connection solution. Cons Does not support booting on PPC Macintosh models. Does not pass SMART temperature data. USB 2.0 is slower than a pure SATA connection.

PPC Mac models may have a slower USB 2.0 bus than MacTel models.

Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA gets 4 AMUGs out of 5! There are a few new products that come out each year that provide awesome computer functionality at a low cost. Products that make you think, "I could really use this". The Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter is that kind of product. It provides a great value to anyone who already owns an external SATA enclosure and wants to have the flexibility to be able to share data directly with USB 2.0 devices. In addition, those users that would like to purchase a 5-bay SATA PM enclosure for massive storage capability but did not have a SATA host adapter, can now use the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter with any USB 2.0 Macintosh. I believe that eventually every computer will have SATA external connectors. However, until that day becomes a reality, we will all be able to use the Addonics USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter to expand our storage options. Contact Information: Addonics Technologies 2466 Kruse Drive, San Jose, CA 95131 USA 408-433-3899 addonics@addonics.com http://www.addonics.com Copyright 2006 Arizona Macintosh Users Group, Inc. (AMUG). Visit AMUG at www.amug.org for news, discounts and friends. JOIN AMUG!