PMS 711
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10.25.12
CRU Mark
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11 Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Can I hot-swap drives with this product?
A:
RAX 3QR units support hot-swapping over USB and
FireWire connections. If the eSATA/SATA host supports
this feature, the drives can be hot-swapped via eSATA.
Third-party host cards may or may not support this
feature. Motherboard SATA connections often do
not support hot swapping, so a discreet host card is
recommended.
Q:
I’ve attached my unit and can see the volume, but it
shows up twice. Which one is real?
A:
If you are seeing your volume mounted twice, chances
are the product is connected to the computer using
both the eSATA and FireWire connections. When this is
the case, the OS may attempt to mount the unit twice,
resulting in two volumes appearing. Simply turn off the
unit and unplug one of the connections to resolve the
problem.
Q:
Why does my eSATA device appear as a Parallel SCSI
device in Mac OS System Profiler?
A:
The “Serial ATA” tab in System Profiler shows devices
attached to the internal SATA bus, but not always
devices attached to an eSATA host card. Sometimes
these devices will appear under the heading “Parallel
SCSI” instead. This is entirely normal and does not
indicate a problem with the device or its drivers.
Q:
Why is my hard drive experiencing data corruption?
A:
Many things can cause data corruption on hard drives,
whether they are inside your computer or inside an
external storage product. Malicious software, OS bugs,
failure to properly disconnect external devices, or for no
apparent reason at all. Data corruption or loss is therefore
not covered by warranty.
The first thing to try is to restart both the computer
and the external device. If the data is still corrupted, try
running built-in OS utilities on the hard drive (such as
Mac OS X’s Disk Utility First Aid or Windows’ Check
Disk tool with the setting “Scan for and attempt recovery
of bad sectors” enabled).
If the OS utility doesn’t help, you may need data recovery
software. However, if there is a true hardware failure of
your hard drive that prevents it from communicating
with your computer, there is no software solution in
existence that can fix this problem.
Q:
Why won’t the computer let me eject or unmount my
drive?
A:
There may be a software application running in the
background with an active link to the drive. Sometimes,
you may see a message such as “The disk is in use and
could not be ejected. Try quitting applications and try
again.”
9 RAID Is Not A Backup
Because your RAX 3QR unit features redundant RAID modes
which protect against a hard drive mechanical failure, it is an
excellent part of any backup strategy. However, a RAID is not,
in itself, a backup strategy. Many things besides hard drive
failure can damage or erase your data:
• Corruption caused by unexpected disconnection during
data access (e.g. a cable is unplugged during a data
transfer, or the computer crashes or loses power while
writing to the drives)
• Corruption or destruction caused by viruses or other
malware
• Sabotage by a disgruntled employee or acquaintance
•
Theft of your RAX 3QR unit
• Natural disasters such as fire, flooding, etc.
Considering these possibilities, any single copy of your
important data must always be considered at risk. That’s why
backing up is so important. Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule. Data
should exist in three different places on two different storage
media and at least one of those copies should be maintained
offsite.
Without an effective backup strategy, recovering data may
be impossible, or the cost of data recovery may be quite
expensive. The CRU warranty does not cover costs associated
with data loss (nor do the warranties of other data storage
manufacturers).
Plan accordingly and backup data to minimize downtime!
10 Rack Mounting Warnings
Elevated Operating Ambient Temperature: The operating
ambient temperature of the rack environment may be greater
than the room ambient temperature if the unit is installed in
a closed or multi-unit rack assembly. Install the equipment
in an environment compatible with the maximum ambient
temperature of 40° C.
Reduced Air Flow: Do not block or inhibit the air flow required
for safe operation of the unit.
Mechanical Loading: Ensure that the unit is secure and level
in the rack.
Circuit Overloading: Do not overload the circuits. Refer to the
name plate ratings on the equipment.
Reliable Grounding: Maintain reliable grounding of rack-
mounted equipment by using indirect connections to the
branch circuit (i.e. UPS battery backups, power strips).
Removing the Cover: Turn off and unplug the unit before
removing the cover.
