Duo Pro Drive

User Guide
document version 1.0 (071011)
Copyright © 2007 Fabrik, Inc. All rights reserved. This publication is protected by copyright and international
treaty. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form by any means, or provided to any third
party, without prior written authorization from Fabrik, Inc.

Trademarks: Apple, Mac and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft,
Windows 2000, Windows Vista and Windows XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other
trademarks mentioned in the document are registered trademarks of their respective companies

Change notice: The content of this document is for information only and is subject to change without notice.
While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of this document Fabrik assumes no liability
resulting from errors or omissions from this document or from the use of the information contained herein.
Fabrik reserves the right to make changes in the product design or the product documentation without
obligation to notify any person of such changes or revisions.

Compliance statements:

Canada: This class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing
Equipment Regulations

USA: (FCC statement) This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following conditions:
1. The devices may not cause harmful interference.
2. The devices must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and has been found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio and television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try and correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures.
–Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
–Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver
–Connect the equipment to an outlet different from that to which the receiver is connected
–Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help
Modifications to this product not authorized by Fabrik could void the FCC and Industry Canada regulations
and negate your authority to operate the product.

Japan: This is a class B product based on the standard of the Voluntary Control Council for Interference from
Information Technology Equipment (VCCI). If this is used near a radio or television receiver in a domestic
environment, it may cause interference. Install and use equipment according to the installation manual.

Manufacturer’s Declaration for CE conformity: Fabrik declares that this product conforms to following
European standards: Class B EN60950, EN55022, EN55024, EN6100-3-2: 2000, EN61000-3-3: 2001. With
reference to the following conditions: 72/23/EEC Low Voltage Directive, 89/336/EEC EMC Directive. The
WEEE symbol (FPO) on the product packaging indicated that this product must not be disposed of with your
other household waste. Instead it is your responsibility to dispose of your waste equipment by handing it over
to a designated collection point for the recycling electrical and electronic equipment. The separate collecting
and recycling of your waste equipment at the time of disposal will help to conserve natural resources and
ensure that it is recycled in a manner that protects human health and the environment. For more information
about where you can drop off your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local city office, your
household waste disposal service, or the shop where you bought the product.
 Contents

Introduction
Health and Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
General Use Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Understanding Rated Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Liability Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Duo Pro Drive Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Using the Duo Pro
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Package Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Views of the Duo Pro Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
LED Behavior (Front Panel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
eSATA Cables and Interface Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Connecting and Starting Your Duo Pro Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Understanding and Changing RAID Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Backup Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Using the Kensington Lock Slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Reformatting for Write-Access on the Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Troubleshooting and Support
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Contacting Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Index

Duo Pro Drive User Guide iii

iv Duo Pro Drive User Guide
 Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of your new Duo Pro Drive with eSATA and
USB. This high-performance, high capacity hard drive is ideal for your high
performance storage needs whether you are a creative professional or just
trying to protect your digital content.

Health and Safety Precautions

• Do not attempt to modify or disassemble Duo Pro Drive in any way.
Doing so will void the manufacturer warranty
• Never insert any metallic object into the drive. Electrical shock, fire or
short circuiting may result.
• If the Duo Pro Drive appears to be defective or malfunctioning, consult a
qualified SimpleTech Technical Support representative before attempting
to physically repair the drive.
• Never expose Duo Pro Drive to rain or use it near water or in a damp
environment. Doing so may result in risk of electrical shock, fire or short
circuit.
• Make sure that your computer and Duo Pro Drive are electrically
grounded to avoid increased risk of electrical shock.

Introduction 5
General Use Precautions

General Use Precautions

• Do not expose the Duo Pro Drive to temperatures outside the range of 5c
to 35c (41f to 95f); or to operational humidity beyond 5-80%, non-
condensing, or non-operating humidity beyond 10-90%, non-condensing.
Doing so may damage the Duo Pro Drive or damage its casing. Avoid
placing the drive near a source of heat or exposing it to direct sunlight.
• Rated cooling for altitudes up to 2000 meters
• Use only with the power adapter supplied with the drive.
• Do not use the Duo Pro Drive near other electrical appliances such as
televisions, radios or speakers. Doing so may cause interference which
will adversely affect the operation of those devices.
• Do not place the Duo Pro Drive near sources of magnetic interference such
as computer displays, televisions or speakers as it can affect the operation
of your Duo Pro Drive.
• Do not place heavy objects on top of the Duo Pro Drive.
• Do not expose your Duo Pro Drive to excessive dust.
• Please replace defective materials directly through Fabrik/SimpleTech.
Any unauthorized opening or modifications to the case will void the
manufacturer’s warranty.

Understanding Rated Capacity

A disk drive requires a little space for internal housekeeping so the usable
capacity for your data is slightly less than what is advertised on the box. The
difference is very small but this explains why your computer may report that
your drive has slightly less capacity than you expected.

Liability Disclaimer
Any loss, corruption or destruction of data while using any
Fabrik/SimpleTech hard drive is the sole responsibility of the user and
under no circumstances will Fabrik Inc. be held liable for the recovery
or restoration of data stored on a Fabrik drive.

6 Duo Pro Drive User Guide

 Duo Pro Drive Features and Benefits

Duo Pro Drive Features and Benefits

With SimpleTech’s Duo Pro Drive, you’re in control. Choose to use Duo Pro’s
double disks for smooth video edit sessions with minimal dropouts, an ultra-
responsive Photoshop® scratch disk, or complex 3D and special effects
rendering, just select the RAID 0 setup for lightning speed. And if it’s
protection your after, choose RAID 1 to simultaneously back up everything on
each disk every time you save it.
And, with local backup and Fabrik Ultimate Backup, you get the same two-
level protection the pros use. So, no matter what happens to your drive – a
spilled drink, a curious toddler, a theft or a natural disaster – you know your
files are still safe and secure online and off-site. Fabrik Ultimate Backup keeps
encrypted copies of your files on our dedicated off-site servers. And it’s always
working even when you’re not, so you get constant, near real time backup that
won’t slow down your system.
Duo Pro Drive ’s secure stackable design ensures a snug fit with Fabrik’s
SimpleDrive and Pro Drive so you can always add more storage without
taking up more desk space.
List of Features:
• High Performance Storage and Backup
• Two Drive Solution for Ultimate Performance (RAID 0) and Protection
(RAID1)
• High Speed USB 2.0 and 3Gb/s eSATA
• Smart fan for quiet reliability
• Fabrik Local Backup - Easy backup to Duo Pro Drive
• Fabrik Ultimate Backup service protects your data online
• Security lock slot
• Stackable design also stands vertically

Introduction 7
Duo Pro Drive Features and Benefits

8 Duo Pro Drive User Guide

 Using the Duo Pro

System Requirements
Windows:
• Windows 2000/XP/Vista
• USB 1.1 or 2.0 port
• eSATA II port (may require optional eSATA card upgrade)
Mac:
• OS 10.3 or higher
• USB 1.1 or 2.0 port
• eSATA II port (may require optional eSATA card upgrade)
Power requirements:
• 100-240 V – 1.5A, 50-60 HZ power
• Supply voltage fluctuations should not exceed +- 10% of the nominal and
transient over-voltages according to over-voltage category II

Package Contents
• Two 7200RPM external hard drives in a single enclosure
• USB 2.0 Cable

Using the Duo Pro 9

Views of the Duo Pro Drive

• Fabrik Ultimate Backup (downloader)

• Fabrik Local Backup (preloaded)
• Warranty Card
• AC Adapter
• Quick Installation Guide
• Mac Formatting Notes

Views of the Duo Pro Drive

All of the connectors, switches, and security lock are located on the rear panel
of the Duo Pro Drive and are described in the following illustration.

Power
ON/OFF

RAID switch:
Speed (RAID 0) or
Protection (RAID 1) (RAID 1)
(RAID 0)

Connect USB
OR eSata cable
between drive
and computer

(not included)
Model No.: xxxx-xxxxx-xxx
Security
lock slot
(optional)

DC input
socket for
AC adapter

Rear Panel View

10 Duo Pro Drive User Guide

 LED Behavior (Front Panel)

The front panel contains the LED status indicator.

LED Status
Steady White Glow: Ready
Blinking: Drive active (read/write)

Front Panel View

LED Status
Off: Normal
Red: Single drive failure (RAID 1)

LED Behavior (Front Panel)

The upper LED on the front panel of the drive has two states:
• Steady white glow: The drive is on and ready for use
• Blinking: The drive is active (read, write, rebuild)
The lower LED on the front panel of the drive has two states:
• Steady red glow: Single drive failure (only applicable when drive is
configured for RAID 1 mirroring)
• Off: Normal operation

Using the Duo Pro 11

eSATA Cables and Interface Cards

eSATA Cables and Interface Cards

In order to use your Duo Pro Drive with eSATA it may be necessary to install a
SATA II PCI, PCI X or PCI Express card. Most computers do not ship with
external SATA ports so a PCI card must be installed to use this feature. For
more info on expansion cards, visit www.simpletech.com/support.

Connecting and Starting Your Duo Pro Drive

Setting up your Duo Pro Drive is quick and easy.

◗ To set up your drive:

1 Plug the AC power into the appropriate AC outlet, connect the power
cable to the power port on the back of the drive (see illustration) and turn
on the Duo Pro Drive using the power button (see illustration)
2 Connect a data cable (only one) between the drive and your computer.
a. eSATA connections: Make sure you have an available eSATA port on
your PC and connect an eSATA cable (not provided) between your
drive and the computer. For more information about eSATA, refer to
eSATA Cables and Interface Cards on page 12.
a. USB connections: Connect the USB cable (provided) between your
drive and a USB port on your computer.
Your Duo Pro Drive should be ready to access in My Computer (Windows) or
on your Mac desktop as a new disk drive volume.

Understanding and Changing RAID Policies

Your Duo Pro Drive comes pre-configured with RAID 0 as the default RAID
policy in order to achieve full capacity and deliver the best performance. You
have the option of switching your RAID policy to RAID 1 for extra data
protection, also known as “mirroring”. If you change to RAID 1 your
computer will only see half the total capacity of the drive, but will keep two
copies of any file placed on the Duo Pro Drive.

RAID Basics
RAID 0 provides improved performance over standard single drive
configurations. A second disk within the enclosure allows for higher
bandwidth and greater throughput.

12 Duo Pro Drive User Guide

 Understanding and Changing RAID Policies

RAID 1 (often called “mirroring”) provides protection from disk errors and
single disk failure. With RAID 1, maximun capacity is limited to the size of one
of the two drives inside the enclosure. For example, a 1TB Duo Pro Drive is
limited to 500GB capacity (the size of each of the two drives inside the
enclosure) when used in RAID 1 mode. Total capacity is reduced because all
data is duplicated (“mirrored”) on both drives inside the enclosure.
The hard drive continues to operate so long as at least one drive is functioning.
However, if the LED on the front panel glows red, it means there is a failure in
one of the two drives of the RAID 1 configuration. If this occurs, you should
copy your data to another storage device and call Technical Support for
assistance.

Changing RAID Policies

You can change RAID policies at any time but you must do it properly or you
might lose data. The instructions that follow will guide you through the
process. Be sure and allow several hours for the rebuilding process to finish.
You can use the drive during this time, but it will add to the time it takes to
complete the policy change operation.

◗ To change RAID policies:

Remove the hard drive partition before the mode change to remove the
existing data from the host – WARNING, all data will be lost when you change
RAID Policies. We strongly suggest that you back up any data currently on the
drive to an external location such as Fabrik Ultimate Backup or another hard
drive.
1 Remove the existing disk partition.
For Windows:
a. Right-click on My Computer (Computer in Vista) and select Manage.
b. On the next screen select Disk Management.
c. Find the Duo Pro Drive listed in the lower middle section of your
screen.
d. Right-click on the box to the right of the drive listing and select Delete
Partition.
e. A message will confirm that “All data on the drive will be lost.” Be
sure you wish to do this and then click Yes.
f. Once complete use the Safely Remove Hardware process to remove
the drive.

Using the Duo Pro 13

Understanding and Changing RAID Policies

For MAC:
a. Double-click MacHD on your desktop.
b. Double-click Applications.
c. Double-click Utilities.
d. Double-click Disk Utility.
e. On the left side you will see the list of hard drives available on your
Mac. Find the Duo Pro Drive. It will show the drive size (in GB). Click
once on the line with the size (in GB) for the Duo Pro Drive.
f. Click Partition at the top of the screen.
g. In the Format field select Free Space.
h. Click on Partition at the bottom of the screen.
i. You will get a confirmation message and select Partition again.
j. Eject the drive.
2 Turn the Duo Pro Drive power switch to the OFF position.
3 Slide the RAID switch to the desired position. (See Views of the Duo Pro Drive
on page 10 for an illustration of the rear panel containing this switch).
4 Turn the Duo Pro Drive power switch to the ON position.
5 Press and hold the Reset button for 5 seconds and then release it.
6 Create a new partition.
For Windows
a. Right-click on My Computer (Computer in Vista) and select Manage.
b. On the next screen select Disk Management.
c. Find the Duo Pro Drive listed in the lower middle section of your
screen.
d. Right-click on the box to the right of the drive listing and select New
Partition.
e. A New Partition Wizard will guide you through creating and
formatting the drive. Accept all of the default parameters.
The formatting will start and will be busy until complete. You can
monitor this progress in disk management.
For MAC
a. Double-click MacHD on your desktop.
b. Double-click Applications.

14 Duo Pro Drive User Guide

 Backup Solutions

c. Double-click Utilities.
d. Double-click Disk Utility.
e. On the left side you will see the list of hard drives available on your
Mac. Find the Duo Pro Drive. It will show the drive size (in GB). Click
once on the line with the size (in GB) for the Duo Pro Drive.
f. Click Erase at the top of the screen
g. Select the desired volume format.
MacOS Extended is for use on Mac only; MS-DOS format is for use
with both Mac and Windows systems.
h. Change the name of the drive if desired.
i. Click Erase at the bottom of the screen. After viewing the warning
message that appears, click Erase again.
Erasing the drive will take a few minutes and then the rebuild process
will begin automatically.
7 Depending on the size of the drives, it will take a few hours to rebuild the
RAID structure (rebuild speed is approximately 80GB to 100GB per hour).
If at the start of this procedure you copied data to another drive,
remember to copy that data back to your newly formatted drive after the
rebuild is complete.

Note: The Duo Pro Drive can accomodate ormal read/write activities after
the mode change (during the rebuild) but the transfer rate will be slower.

Backup Solutions
Your Duo Pro Drive comes with unbeatable online and local backup software.
• Fabrik Local Backup (FLB)
FLB is an easy to use local backup program for backing up and restoring
files from an external hard drive. Information on how to use FLB is
available in the online help which can be accessed from any screen within
the software. Once you have set up your initial backup, you can schedule
regular backups to occur at the time of your choice.
• Fabrik Ultimate Backup (FUB)

Using the Duo Pro 15

Using the Kensington Lock Slot

FUB is a powerful offsite backup service that enables you to backup your
files to an offsite server securely. You are entitled to a free limited storage
account with an option to upgrade to an unlimited storage plan for a low
monthly fee. For more information on Fabrik Ultimate Backup, visit
backup.fabrik.com.
To begin the installation, double-click the launcher located in the Fabrik
Backup Solutions folder of the Duo Pro Drive. For additional information visit
www.simpletech.com/support

Using the Kensington Lock Slot

Included on the Duo Pro Drive is a Kensington security lock slot. This slot is
compatible with Kensington locking devices (sold separately). For more
information on the Kensington Security Slot and available products visit
www.kensington.com.

Reformatting for Write-Access on the Mac

Duo Pro Drives come pre-formatted with NTFS. For full read/write access to
Duo Pro Drive on a Mac computer you must reformat your Duo Pro Drive.

◗ To format your Duo Pro Drive for a Mac:

1 If your Duo Pro Drive is not turned on and connected to your Mac
(remember: Mac OS 10.3 and later are required), do that now.
2 Double-click the Duo Pro Drive icon on your desktop.
3 Drag the Backup Solutions folder to your desktop.
4 Double-click the MacHD on your desktop.
5 Double-click Applications.
6 Double-click Utilities.
7 Double-click Disk Utility.
8 Find your Duo Pro Drive on the list of hard drives on the left and select
the line that shows disk capacity (in GB).
9 Click Erase.

16 Duo Pro Drive User Guide

 Reformatting for Write-Access on the Mac

10 Select the desired format – MacOS Extended for Mac use only; MS-DOS
for use on both Mac and Windows computers. Note: choosing MS-DOS
format assures maximum platform compatibility, but performance is
reduced so it should only be selected if you really need read-write
compatibility on both platforms.
11 If desired, you can change the drive label too.
12 Click Erase and click Erase again in the second window that appears.
Reformatting begins and typically lasts 2-4 minutes.
13 When formatting is complete, drag the Backup Solutions folder from the
desktop (from Step 3) back to your Duo Pro Drive.

Using the Duo Pro 17

Reformatting for Write-Access on the Mac

18 Duo Pro Drive User Guide

 Troubleshooting
and Support

Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting information is based on real customer experience and is being
gathered now by our Support organization. This document will be updated
online soon with the new information.

Contacting Technical Support

Technical Support is available Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 5:30
PM (PST).
Phone: 949 477-7700 or 877-486-1555
E-mail: Go to www.simpletech.com/support and click the Technical
Support/RMA request and choose Need Technical Support.

Troubleshooting and Support 19

Contacting Technical Support

20 Duo Pro Drive User Guide

 Index

Duo Pro Drive User Guide 21