WiebeTech SIS4-FH User manual

SilverSATA IV FH User Manual - 1 -
SilverSATA™ IV FH
USER’S MANUAL
Revised 11/17/2006
Features
•Dual RAID controllers allow each pair of drives to be
independently set to either JBOD or RAID 0 (striped).
•Fast FireWire 800 (1394b) interface; two pairs of dual ports.
•In JBOD mode, you can “hot swap” the trays to change out
drives quickly. The trays are interchangeable with other
products in the SilverSATA series.
•Its attractive design takes up little desktop space, occupying
a tiny footprint for so much storage capability (up to 3
Terabytes).
•Sturdy aluminum case provides excellent heat dissipation
and rugged durability.
Table of Contents
Before Installation 2
Contents of the box 2
Identifying the parts of the product 2
Installing Hard Drives 3
Connecting to a Computer 4
Changing the RAID Type 4
Usage with Macs 5
Usage with Windows Computers 5
LED Indicators 6
Warnings and Notices 6
Technical Specifications 6

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Before Installation
1. Check the accessories with your SilverSATA IV FH. Please contact WiebeTech if any items are
missing or damaged. The box should contain the following items:
SilverSATA IV FH enclosure 1
Removable trays (inside enclosure) 4
FireWire 800 cables (long) 2
FireWire 800 jumper cable (short) 1
FireWire 800 to 400 converter cable 1
Power cord 1
Packet of keys and drive screws 1
Manual and Warranty information (on CD)
2. Familiarize yourself with the parts of your SilverSATA IV FH. This knowledge will be useful
during hardware setup.
WARNING: Do not block the v
fan during operation. Overheating
damage the device or hard drives.
entilation
may

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Installing Hard Drives
You may skip this section if you purchased the product with hard drives preinstalled.
1. Remove a tray from the SilverSATA IV FH enclosure. Insert the included key into the lock hole to
release the tray’s handle and then slide the tray straight out.
2. Remove the plastic insert from the tray. The plastic inserts help protect the trays during
shipment. They are not needed to operate the unit, and must be removed before drives can be installed.
3. Install your SATA hard drive into the tray. Lay the drive into the frame of the removable tray,
making sure it lays flat. Align the 4 screw positions then use the included screws (#6-32) to secure the
drive into position.

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4. Insert the tray into the SilverSATA IV FH unit. Gently push the tray along the sliding track into the
hard drive compartment and then close the tray, as illustrated below. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for the
other tray.
Connecting to a Computer
Plug in the FireWire cable and power cord. The SilverSATA IV FH connects to your computer through
FireWire 800. Ideal usage would be connecting the top half of the unit and the bottom half of the unit to
the host computer through two separate FireWire channels. If the SilverSATA is the only FireWire device
attached to the computer, you can also daisy-chain the top and bottom halves of the unit so that only one
connection to the computer is required.
The SilverSATA can also be used with a FireWire 400 host if the enclosed converter cable is used for the
host connection.
If your computer does not have FireWire ports, you will need to install a FireWire host bus adapter (HBA)
before you can connect the SilverSATA to it. Such HBAs are available from WiebeTech
(www.wiebetech.com).
Your SilverSATA IV FH is now ready to use! Turn on the power switch on the back of the unit. If your
drives are already formatted, you can begin using them right away. New hard drives will need to be
formatted before they can be used.
Changing the RAID mode
By default, both of the SilverSATA’s RAID controllers are set to JBOD mode. This allows you to use all
four drives as separate, independent volumes. If you would like to combine one or both pairs of drives
into a single usable volume, you may do so by changing the RAID mode to RAID 0 via the switches on
the rear panel. RAID 0 (also known as “striped” RAID) will split the data between a pair of drives, which
can result in faster data speeds. However, if one drive were to fail, the data on both drives would be
irretrievably lost. After changing the RAID mode, you will need to reformat the hard drives.
WARNING: Always back up data before
switching RAID types. You must
reformat your hard drives afterwards.

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Usage with Macintosh computers
Compatibility
The SilverSATA IV FH is Plug-and-Play compatible under Mac OS X. No additional drivers are needed.
The USB2 port is USB 1.1 compatible.
Mounting and Unmounting Volumes
When you connect the unit to the Mac for the first time and turn on the power, you
may see a message saying that the disks are unreadable. This is because new
drives must be formatted before use. The easiest way to do this is with Mac OS
X’s Disk Utility. Select “Mac OS Extended” as the format type. After the volume is
formatted, an icon representing the drive volume will appear (mount) on the
desktop. You can now use the volume just like an internal hard drive.
Unmount each volume before powering down the unit by dragging the volume’s
icon to the trash bin, or by selecting the volume then pressing Command-E.
Shutting down the unit without first unmounting the volume can result in data loss.
Booting to the SilverSATA IV FH
Some Macs support booting from a FireWire device. To activate this feature, you must first install OS X
on the external volume. The easiest way to do this is to clone an existing system drive using a utility such
as Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper. Next, go to System Preferences ÆStartup Disk. A window will
list the available bootable volumes. Select the volume from which you wish to boot. Another method is to
hold down the Option key during startup. A screen should appear that allows you to select the volume
you wish to use. This is useful if you wish to boot from your SilverSATA only some of the time.
Usage with Windows computers
Compatibility
The SilverSATA IV FH is Plug-and-Play compatible with Windows XP. No additional drivers are needed.
The USB2 port is USB 1.1 compatible.
Mounting and Ejecting Volumes
On first usage, or after switching RAID types, the hard drives will need to be formatted. This is easily
done using Disk Management (right-click My Computer then select Manage). Select the format “NTFS”.
Note: The drives will appear as one logical volume because of the RAID. After the volume is formatted,
you can find it by double-clicking the “My Computer” icon. You can begin using it right away.
Eject the volume before powering down the unit by single-clicking the green arrow
icon on the task bar, then selecting “Safely remove….” Windows will indicate when
it is safe to disconnect or turn off the SilverSATA IV FH. Shutting down the unit
without first ejecting the volume can result in data loss. (Windows XP)
Booting from your SilverSATA IV FH
A few PC motherboards support booting from an external FireWire device. To activate this feature, you
will need to adjust the motherboard’s BIOS settings. Check with your motherboard’s manufacturer or
owner’s manual for details.

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LED Indicators
•The power indicator will glow blue if the power is turned on. It will turn purple in the event of a
drive problem.
•HDD Access LED will flicker when the computer accesses data on the hard drive.
Warnings and Notices
•Use only hard drives that are in perfect condition. Avoid using drives that have ever developed
bad sectors during previous usage. This could lead to possible device failure or loss of data.
•The SilverSATA IV FH supports drives of various specifications and different capacities. However,
if you wish to use the drives in RAID 0 mode, we recommend using drives of the same brand and
type for optimal performance. If drives of different capacities are used, the capacity of the
smallest drive will determine how much of each drive is used. The additional capacity on the
larger drives will not be used by the RAID.
•Setting the unit to RAID 0 mode will allow you to use the full, combined capacity of the drives, and
offers the best data transfer speeds. However, RAID 0 offers no protection for the data. If one
drive fails in a RAID 0, the data on both drives is irretrievably lost.
•If you set the unit to RAID 0 mode, do not attempt to hot swap trays. Drives must be kept together
in a RAID 0, or data loss will result.
Technical Specifications
Product name & Code SilverSATA IV FH (SIS4-FH)
Data Interface & Speed 1394b (FireWire 800): up to 800Mbs
Chipset Dual Oxford OXFW-924DS
RAID modes Dual hardware RAID controllers. Each can be set to RAID 0 or JBOD, configurable
via switches on the rear panel.
Drive Types Supported 3.5” SATA (Serial-ATA ) hard drives up to 750GB in size; total of four
Hot-Swappable Trays Yes (rebooting computer is not required)
Operating System
Requirements Windows XP, Server 2003
Mac OS X
Cooling Fan 80mm ball bearing fan
Operating Temperature 50 – 85° Fahrenheit (10 – 30° Celsius)
Operating Humidity 5% to 95%, noncondensing
Power Supply Input: 100-240VAC
Output: 200 Watts
Compliancy CE, FCC, RoHS
External Material Aluminum alloy case
Shipping Weights 10 pounds, sans drives
15 pounds, with drives
Dimensions (124mm W x 210mm D x 166mm H)
Warranty 1-year limited warranty. See warranty statement for details and limitations.
WiebeTech offers 90 days of free phone support (1-866-744-8722). After 90 days,
email support is available at supp[email protected].
SilverSATA is a trademark of WiebeTech LLC. Other marks are the property of their respective owners.
© 2006 WiebeTech LLC. All rights reserved.

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FCC Compliance Statement: “This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This
device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.”
SilverSATA IV FH
Tested to comply
with FCC standards
FOR HOME OR OFFICE USE
In the event that you experience Radio Frequency Interference, you should take the following steps to resolve the problem:
1) Ensure that your unit is plugged into a grounded electrical outlet.
2) Use a data cable with RFI reducing ferrites on each end.
3) Use a power supply with an RFI reducing ferrite approximately 5 inches from the DC plug.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact [e-mail] for technical support. If
you are interested in purchasing more WiebeTech products, check our website or contact
[email protected]. We appreciate being able to serve you!