ray
67 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
67 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
# USB Drive Enclosures & Docks — Linux Compatibility Guide
|
||
|
||
## Chipset Rankings for Linux
|
||
|
||
| Chipset | UASP | SMART Passthrough | Reliability | Verdict |
|
||
|---------|:----:|:-----------------:|:-----------:|:--------|
|
||
| **ASMedia ASM1153E / ASM235CM** | ✅ Excellent | ✅ `-d sat` | ✅ Rock-solid | **Gold standard** |
|
||
| **ASMedia ASM1351** | ✅ Good | ✅ `-d sat` | ✅ Good | Found in TerraMaster, QNAP enclosures |
|
||
| **JMicron JMS578 / JMS561** | ⚠️ Good | ✅ `-d sat,12` | ⚠️ Occasional UAS abort storms | Acceptable with quirks |
|
||
| **Realtek RTL9210B-CG** | ⚠️ Mixed | ❌ Poor for SATA | ⚠️ Intermittent disconnects | **Avoid for HDDs** |
|
||
| **VIA VL812 / VL822** | ⚠️ Fair | ❌ Often fails | ⚠️ Inconsistent | Not recommended |
|
||
|
||
### Key insight
|
||
**ASMedia is the only chipset that "just works"** on modern Linux kernels with full UASP + SMART passthrough. JMicron works but can produce the same `uas_eh_abort_handler` errors seen with failing USB drives — making it hard to distinguish a bad chipset from a bad drive. Realtek's SATA mode is unreliable.
|
||
|
||
## Recommended Models
|
||
|
||
### Single-bay (for one IronWolf Pro / single backup drive)
|
||
|
||
| Model | Chipset | Price | Notes |
|
||
|-------|---------|-------|-------|
|
||
| **Sabrent DS-UB3C1** (dock) | ASMedia ASM1153E | ~$18 | Most popular dock on Linux |
|
||
| **Sabrent EC-UASP** (enclosure) | ASMedia ASM1153E | ~$20 | Well-tested enclosure |
|
||
| **UGREEN CM121** (enclosure) | ASMedia ASM235CM | ~$24 | Newer chip, runs cool |
|
||
| **Startech SATDOCKU3SEF** (dock) | ASMedia ASM1153E | ~$32 | Heavy-duty build |
|
||
|
||
### Two-bay (JBOD — drives appear as separate devices)
|
||
|
||
| Model | Chipset | Price | Notes |
|
||
|-------|---------|-------|-------|
|
||
| **TerraMaster D2-320** | ASMedia ASM235CM + JMB575 | ~$75 | **Best choice** — full UASP + SMART, hardware JBOD dip switch, no kernel quirks |
|
||
| **Yottamaster D35-2C** | Realtek RTL9210B-CG | ~$65 | Cheaper, but Realtek bridge can have AMD XHCI disconnect issues |
|
||
| **Sabrent DS-2BCR** | ASMedia ASM225CM | ~$100 | Premium build, tool-free trays, silent fan |
|
||
| **Mediasonic ProBox HF2-SU3S2** | JMS539 (BOT only, no UASP!) | ~$60 | **Avoid** — no UASP, unreliable SMART |
|
||
| **ORICO 2-bay** | VIA VL812 lottery | ~$45 | **Avoid** — chipset lottery, underpowered 24W PSU |
|
||
|
||
## Power Supply Notes
|
||
|
||
- **Two 3.5" HDDs peak at ~25W each during spin-up** (12V × ~2A)
|
||
- Minimum safe PSU for 2-bay: **12V/3A (36W)** — adequate but marginal
|
||
- Recommended: **12V/5A (60W)** brick (~$15 upgrade) for headroom
|
||
- ORICO's 12V/2A (24W) PSU is dangerously underpowered for two HDDs
|
||
|
||
## SMART Verification
|
||
|
||
After connecting, verify everything works:
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
# Confirm UASP driver loaded
|
||
lsusb -t | grep uas
|
||
|
||
# Full SMART data
|
||
sudo smartctl -a -d sat /dev/sdX
|
||
|
||
# Check temperature and power-on hours
|
||
sudo smartctl -a -d sat /dev/sdX | grep -E 'Temperature|Power_On_Hours'
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
If `smartctl` returns no data or errors, the enclosure chipset doesn't support SMART passthrough.
|
||
|
||
## JBOD Mode vs RAID
|
||
|
||
- **JBOD** (Just a Bunch Of Disks) = each drive appears as a separate `/dev/sdX` — what you want for "backup + backup of backup"
|
||
- **RAID 0** = striping (fast, no redundancy)
|
||
- **RAID 1** = mirroring (redundant but both drives show as one device — NOT what you want for independent backups)
|
||
- **RAID mode on the enclosure does NOT replace software backup** — use it in JBOD mode and let rsync/rclone handle the actual backup logic
|