User’s Manual
Package Contents: Quad 3.5” SATA to USB 3.0 & eSATA External Hard Drive RAID Enclosure w/ Fan 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NexStar HX4R Enclosure USB 3.0 Cable eSATA Cable Power Adapter User’s Manual Installation Screws Foam Spacer 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 TRADEMARKS MS-DOS, Microsoft, Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7 are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Apple, Macintosh and Mac are trademarks of Apple Computer. NexStar is a registered trademark of Vantec Thermal Technologies.
Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 02 2. Specifications/Features 03 3. System Requirements 04 4. Parts Layout 05 5. LED Indicator 06 6. Installation 07 7. RAID Mode Guide 10 8. RAID Rebuild 17 9. Hardware Formatting Guide 18 10. Disconnecting the NexStar HX4R 23 11. Warranty 24 12.
1.Introduction: Introducing the NexStar HX4R – a quad 3.5” SATA to USB 3.0 & eSATA External RAID Hard Drive Enclosure designed to keep all your hard drive safe and cool. This enclosure features a hard aluminum shell that effectively draws away the heat while an active controlled 80mm fan on top exhausts the hot air from the enclosure ensuring your hard drive is protected and cooled. Integrated with USB 3.0 & eSATA technology; transfer files to and from your computer at blazing fast speeds.
Quad 3.5” SATA to USB 3.0 & eSATA External RAID Hard Drive Enclosure w/ Fan Features: • • • • • • • • • • Aluminum Casing Cools Down Your Hard Drive Vents To Intake Cool Air Maximum Transfer Rates Up to 5 Gbps w/USB 3.0 Maximum Transfer Rates Up to 3Gbps w/eSATA Active Large 80mm Fan To Exhaust Heat Easily Add Storage to Any System with USB 2.0, 3.0 or eSATA Backwards-Compatible with USB 2.0 or 1.
3.System Requirements: Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 Mac OS 10.6 & greater 1. For USB 2.0 speeds, the system must 1. For USB 2.0 speeds, the system must support USB 2.0 specifications support USB 2.0 specifications 2. For USB 3.0 speeds, the system must 2. For USB 3.0 speeds, the system must support USB 3.0 specifications support USB 3.0 specifications 3. For eSATA Speeds, the System Must 3. For eSATA Speeds, the System Must Support eSATA Specifications Support eSATA Specifications 4.
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5.LED Indicator: Quad 3.5” SATA to USB 3.
6.Installation: Quad 3.5” SATA to USB 3.0 & eSATA External RAID Hard Drive Enclosure w/ Fan WARNING: All data will be deleted on each hard drive during Hard Drive Mode change. Please back up your hard drive(s) before adjusting RAID mode. New hard drives must be formatted before use. *Refer 5.1.Hardware Installation: Installing the hard drive: (1) Push lock to the left to unlock the HDD tray.
(3) Carefully install the hard drive into the tray. Be sure the fasten the NOTE: If necessary, please use the hard drive foam spacer if the hard drive cannot be mounted stably. Refer to image for foam spacer placement. (4) Reinsert the HDD tray into the case. (5) Push lock to the right to lock the HDD tray.
Connecting the NexStar to your computer: USB 3.0 NOTE: (1) Connect the type (B) USB connector to the For new hard drives, you will need to initialize and partition your hard drive before it will appear in Windows Explorer or on your Mac desktop. Please refer to your hard drive manufacturer’s documentation or read the”Creating a New Partition” section of this manual. NexStar and the type (A) USB connector to an available USB port on your system.
7.RAID Mode Guide: Quad 3.5” SATA to USB 3.0 & eSATA External RAID Hard Drive Enclosure w/ Fan RAID Modes: Individual Pg. 11 Shows all hard drives as separate individual Hard Drives JBOD Pg. 12 Just a bunch of drives, Read/Write to each HDD independently Sum of 4 hard drive capacity RAID 0 Pg. 13 RAID: Read/Write on each HDD simultaneously Capacity: Multiply the smallest capacity by 4 RAID 10 (1) Pg.
Individual(Normal) Drive Mode: This mode enables each Hard Drive to be seen as separate single drives with separate Hard Drive capacities. ( figure 7-A) ( figure 7-B) NOTE: Normal If you are using Indvidual Drive Mode with eSATA interface, your eSATA port on the system must support Port Multiplier to see more than one drive.
JBOD Mode: This mode concatenates a series of physical drives as a single large volume; Hard Drive 1 through 4 are combined into a storage capacity that is equal to the sum of each of the physical hard drives. Switching to this mode will prompt to initialize and format the hard disks. If you choose to add a second hard disk at a later time, you will need to format the entire array of disks again.
RAID 0 Mode (Striped): This mode splits data evenly across the four Hard Drives resulting in capacity that is the sum of 4 times the smallest volume. Data access speed is increased however at the cost of no data redundancy. Four equal hard drives: The capacity is equal to the sum of all hard drives. Switching to this mode will prompt to initialize and format the hard disks.
RAID 10 (1) Mode (Mirror): This mode allows the device to automatically copy data to 2 sets of 2 hard drives running RAID 0. It stores all data in duplicate on the two sets of RAID to protect against data loss due to drive failure. It provides the highest level of data protection for critical data that you cannot afford to lose if a hard drive fails. The capacity is equal to the smaller of the four hard drives. Switching to this mode will prompt to initialize and format the hard disks.
RAID 3 Mode (Byte-Level Striping) This mode performs a byte-level striping with a dedicated parity disk. This mode is generally used when application requires highest transfer rates in long sequential read and writes. Capacity is equal to the smallest multiplied by (4-1). ( figure 7-H) ( figure 7-I) RAID 3 NOTE: All data previously stored on the hard drive will be lost! Please back up all data to a separate storage before continuing.
RAID 5 Mode: This mode uses block-level striping with parity data distributed across all disks. The capacity is equal to the smallest disk multiplied by (4-1). ( figure 7-J) ( figure 7-K) RAID 5 ON NOTE: All data previously stored on the hard drive will be lost! Please back up all data to a separate storage before continuing.
8.RAID Rebuild: Quad 3.5” SATA to USB 3.0 & eSATA External RAID Hard Drive Enclosure w/ Fan RAID Rebuild RAID rebuild can only be performed under RAID 3, 5, and 10 configuration. Please follow the following steps to start rebuilding. 1. Power off the NexStar HX4R. 2. Remove failed hard drive. 3. Install a functional hard drive. 4. Turn on the power and the NexStar HX4R will automatically start rebuilding.
9.Hard Drive Formatting Guide Quad 3.5” SATA to USB 3.0 & eSATA External RAID Hard Drive Enclosure w/ Fan • You may format your Hard Drive by using the USB connection. • Please make sure your External Enclosure is turned on and connected to the PC before formatting the Hard Drive. In order to use a disk volume larger than 2 TB’s, you will need an operating system that supports GUID Partitioning Table. Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP 64bit, Mac 10.4, and Mac 10.
STEP3: Right-click on the “Unallocated” box and select “New Partition”. (Disk number may vary) STEP4: The “New Partition Wizard” will appear.
STEP5: Once the Hard Drive formatting procedure is completed, the Hard Drive will be recognized as a “New Volume” (New Volume drive letter may vary i.e. “New Volume (Z:)” ) STEP6: Double-click “My Computer”. You will see “New Volume” appear on your PC (Drive letter may vary i.e. “New Volume (Z:)”) This will conclude the Hard Drive Formatting guide.
For Mac Users: STEP1: When you connect the NexStar HX4R to a Mac with a new hard drive, the dialog “Disk Insertion” will appear. Please select “Initialize”. (A formatted HDD will not display this dialog) STEP2: Select which HDD you want to erase.
STEP3: Click “Erase” at the upper right side. Select which kind of format from Volume Format. Please input the name you wish to name your new Volume. Click “Erase” at lower right side. STEP4: After you hit “Enter”, the dialog “Erase Disk” will appear. Please click “Erase” to begin formatting your hard drive. WARING: All data will be erased after the format Select how you want to use your new Volume or click “Cancel” if you want to use default settings. This will conclude the Hard Drive Formatting guide.
10.Disconnecting the NexStar HX4R: Quad 3.5” SATA to USB 3.0 & eSATA External RAID Hard Drive Enclosure w/ Fan Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7: Mac OS: Make sure all operations using the hard drive within the NexStar has ceased. Make sure all operations using the hard drive within the NexStar has ceased.
11.Warranty: The NexStar HX4R comes with a 1 year limited warranty ( 90 day parts ) . If your unit should become defective within that time frame, please go to www.vantecusa.com for information on how to receive warranty exchange or repair. Cosmetic defects and missing parts are not covered under this warranty. Please check the contents of the unit to make sure you received all parts. Also, check for any cosmetic flaws.
