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Chapter 1 – Introduction and System Requirements
Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase! The Echo III Desktop is a
Thunderbolt 3 expansion system for PCIe cards. Through its
PCIe slots, you may connect three non-GPU adapter cards to any
computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports to expand its capabilities and
add connectivity beyond what’s offered through its native ports.
Mac
®
Compatibility
• Macs with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Macs with Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt ports via an Apple
Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter plus
Thunderbolt cable (both sold separately)
• macOS
®
10.12.6+
Windows
®
Compatibility
• PCs with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Windows 10 (64-bit Edition Version 1809 or greater)
Important Note
: Windows computers require the latest BIOS
and Thunderbolt drivers to support this product. Check with
your computer manufacturer for update information.
Linux
®
Compatibility
• Linux computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Linux Kernel 5.0+
System Requirements
While Echo expansion systems require no drivers beyond those
pre-installed in your computer’s OS, most expansion cards you
install do; Thunderbolt-compatible drivers to enable them to
work properly through the Thunderbolt interface are required.
More information on which cards are compatible with the
Echo III Desktop is available at: https://sonnettech.com/support
Preparing to Use the Echo Chassis With a Mac
Computer
The drivers required to support the Echo chassis are installed as
part of macOS; there are no preparation steps beyond updating
your computer to macOS 10.12.6 or newer.
Preparing to Use the Echo Chassis With a Windows
Computer
1. Update Windows. You must use Windows 10, 64-Bit
Version
1809
or newer. To check the version number, type winver in
the search bar and click enter.
2. Update your computer’s BIOS to the latest version. If you
need help updating your BIOS, contact your computer
manufacturer.
3. Update your Thunderbolt Bus Driver to the latest version;
you will need version 16.3.61.275 or newer. To check
your driver version, go to Settings:Apps:Thunderbolt(TM)
Software and you will see the version number. If it is not
16.3.61.275 or newer, then you need to update it. Check with
your computer manufacturer for an update.
Preparing to Use the Echo Chassis With a Linux
Computer
The drivers required to support the Echo chassis are installed as
part of Linux Kernel 5.0 and later; there are no preparation steps
beyond updating your computer to Linux Kernel 5.0 or later.
