JMS562 + StarTech SDOCK2U33RE

[xetal]

Hello,

i'm considering of buying a StarTech usb3/esata docking and cloning station SDOCK2U33RE [/url] https://www.startech.com/eu/HDD/Duplica ... DOCK2U33RE [/url] . according to the product page, it uses JMicron JMS562 chipset.
* is this chipset supported by HDSentinel?

eSATA operation with two hard drives installed, requires an eSATA host controller with Port Multiplier support.

* when 2 hard drives are connected, do HDSentinel sees both of them (assuming Port Multiplier is supported by motherboard)?

[hdsentinel]

Generally there should be no problems with most JMicron chipsets, even with single and dual drive enclosures/adapters and RAID enclosures built around those chipsets.

There can be some limitations of some special JMicron chipsets but according the experiences, StarTech devices contain the "good" chipsets so yes, both drives and their status information should be completely detected and displayed in Hard Disk Sentinel.
Yes, if the SATA port supports Port Multiplier, then both drives should be accessible, detected and displayed.

Maybe if you have the opportunity, I'd recommend to use Report menu -> Send test report to developer option when the device used.
This way it is possible to examine the raw results, verify if things can be further improved / optimized (as some rare JMicron chipsets may respond slower and may need further optimizations to speed up detection / access in general).

Also then it is possible to show the device (if working or not working) on the hardware compatibility page ( https://www.hdsentinel.com/compatibilit ... _disks.php )

[xetal]

thanks, for the reply
i ordered the unit, will arrive at the beginning of august.

Maybe if you have the opportunity, I'd recommend to use Report menu -> Send test report to developer option when the device used.
This way it is possible to examine the raw results, verify if things can be further improved / optimized (as some rare JMicron chipsets may respond slower and may need further optimizations to speed up detection / access in general).
Also then it is possible to show the device (if working or not working) on the hardware compatibility page ( https://www.hdsentinel.com/compatibilit ... _disks.php )

ok, but:
1) should i use the latest version of HDSentinel?
2) "Send test report to developer option" means HDSentinel has inner email server? as i'm mostly behind router and firewalled connection, this means configuring the options in hdsentinel, also changing router and firewall settings
3) can it be done easier? for me, i mean. save report file, and attach it in webmail and voilaa?
4) is it different, what connection i use: usb2/usb3/esata?

[hdsentinel]

> 1) should i use the latest version of HDSentinel?

Yes. Generally the compatibility pages reflect the status with the latest version of the software and generally the detection of devices improve with newer and newer versions.
It is possible that newer devices (for example such dual drive devices, RAID controllers, newer NVMe SSDs etc...) are not yet recognised in older versions - but work perfectly with newer/newest versions.

So I'd recommend to check with the latest 5.01 version and if things are not perfect or the status is partial/missing, I'd try the latest possible beta version (5.01.5 now) as generally updated betas always have improvements for particular devices - so it is possible that things will be better with it.


> 2) "Send test report to developer option" means HDSentinel has inner email server?
> as i'm mostly behind router and firewalled connection, this means configuring the options in hdsentinel, also changing router and firewall settings

I can confirm that there is no need to change any setting or so.
No, it is not sent in e-mail (so no need to have any e-mail configuration or so): the software automatically sends via HTTP connection.
I mean that if (from your browser) you can access www.hdsentinel.com then the report sending should work - without changing any settings (maybe you'd only need to enable network access in the firewall when asked).


> 3) can it be done easier? for me, i mean. save report file, and attach it in webmail and voilaa?

The easiest way is to use the Report menu -> Send test report to developer option, as then you can immediately send
If you prefer, you can create, save and send: please open Configuration -> Send test report page and there it is possible to create test report, save to file - and you can send the created file as attached to a mail.


> 4) is it different, what connection i use: usb2/usb3/esata?

Generally there should be no difference - but in some situations, yes, there can be difference, depending on the USB (or eSATA) controller.
I'd suggest to please try as you prefer to use (for example eSATA) - and if things are not perfect, you may attempt to check on USB, just to verify if things are different in any ways. This may reveal (for example) if the eSATA controller is not really port-multiplier compatible.

[xetal]

received the unit today
first impression: visually nice, but ....

Dell Latitude E4310 and docking station PR02X (usb2)
HDSentinel 5.01 pro portable evaluation.
Windows 7pro 64bit
no S.M.A.R.T. info visible not via esata, nor via usb2

appllication can't send the test report. seems connectiong the SDOCK2U33RE (no matter, usb or esata) disconnects or disrupts usb g4 modem
will send test report via email

sent to the startech technical support a query about SDOCK2U33RE compatibility with HDSentinel

actually i'm quite disappointed, the whole thing of buying such a pricy unit was aside the cloning function, the dual interface: esata and usb3/2! but without visible disk health information, the purchase seems to turn whole of waste maybe the unit is somehow defective, or future versions of HDSentinel can get to the s.m.a.r.t., but right now it seems that amazon should meet its "money back guarantee" obligation....

[hdsentinel]

Thanks for the information and thanks for sending the reports in e-mail!
Yes, I see the situation: the JMicron chip does not respond to the detection (designed for JMicron chips), regardless of connection.
I expect complete status on USB connection, usually things should work better there.

Generally chips of JMicron were all supported by Hard Disk Sentinel for years. There were no troubles in detection of complete status both with
single and multi-drive (RAID) external USB / eSATA enclosures.

Last year I noticed that some newer JMicron chips do not work as expected: the previous detection codes and some special methods (designed exactly for JMicron chips) also do not work.

Because of this, I immediately (over a year ago - and since then periodically) contacted JMicron about this issue. I can say for years we had good relationship and we could discuss technical issues. But from 2016, received no real answer - and have no idea about what happened.
It seems maybe some functionality / features removed from their chips and/or things may have changed there.

I'm still researching these newer chipsets and try the best to add support for them as personally I feel the most important is to monitor the problems, temperature and so. (I outlined the importance of this for JMicron too of course). But I'm afraid without their cooperation, the status detection will be not possible.

Personally I'd ask the support of the manufacturer (StarTech) about the situation (I'll do so now, outline the technical background too for them).
They may have different information, technical details - or maybe a firmware update which "unlocks" the required functions of the JMicron chip.

Hopefully they can provide such technical information - and/or may ask JMicron to provide further details (or a firmware upgrade) to help in this case.

Sorry if I was too long or boring - just wanted to explain things...

Personally I really hope things can be improved in a later version - I'm doing my best for that.

[xetal]

thank you for the reply
could it be, the unit is somehow defective and thus malfunctioning?

[hdsentinel]

No, I'm afraid generally the device is working: if I'm correct, the hard disk can be read and written - so generally usable.
"Just" it does not support an "extra" function - even if it is important for us.

I received answer from StarTech (I'll quote below). They mentioned that the issue may be related to the hard disk - so may worth a try with different hard disk drive, but personally I suspect there will be no difference.
They unfortunately have no firmware update - which could help in this case.

They recommended SDOCK2U313R device instead, which has completely different chipset (ASMedia), not JMicron.
With that, there is no such issue, the self monitoring S.M.A.R.T. data can be accessed with that.
If possible, I'd recommend to try asking for replacement for that particular model.

I'm sorry about the situation. Personally I really hope JMicron can fix the issue by making a proper firmware update. Otherwise I worry that both users and manufacturers (who may receive complaints about the missing functionality) will replace their chipsets from other manufacturers.

[hdsentinel]

Quote from StarTech support:

Thank you for contacting StarTech.com. I am sorry to hear that you are seeing this issue with our docking station and would be glad to help.

Also if you happen to know the make and model of the drives being used currently that would be good for us to know as well. I do know that some drives can be locked down so that SMART data cannot be read from them. These kinds of drives are ones that are usually found in pre-built computers where manufacturer’s don’t want this information to be readable, so it would be good to make sure this isn’t the case either.

To answer your question regarding the firmware, unfortunately we do not have any firmware updates for this docking station that would "unlock" these features in the chipset. We do keep our website up to date with the latest drivers and firmware that are released from chipset manufacturer’s, so if more recent firmware did exist then we would have it. Unfortunately this chipset does not have any firmware updates available for it, and if SMART data can’t be read then it will be a limitation of the chipset.

One of my colleagues has informed me that in the past they have tested reading SMART data with our SDOCK2U313R which uses an ASMedia – ASM1352R chipset and did not run into the same issues as you are seeing with the SDOCK2U33RE. Here is a link to the product page: https://www.startech.com/SDOCK2U313R

I would like to add as well that I do not have any additional details on the testing done with the SDOCK2U313R and we do not market it as being capable of reading SMART data. There are a few variables involved with making sure that it can properly read the data (chipset on dock, drive being used, software being used) so not all testing scenarios will be the same, but it sounds like there might be a higher chance of this dock working instead.

[pimjoosten]

I recently purchased the same model duplicator dock. I was surprised (and a bit frustrated TBH, because this was the first time I had this issue with any of my many docks, enclosures and adapters) there were no SMART data available using HDS 5.20 PRO with either USB 3.0 or eSATA with Port Multiplier. Has your contact with JMicron been restored by any chance? Unfortunately, there is no new firmware available on StarTech's website. The alternative suggested by StarTech as described in your post unfortunately is not an option for me as it is at least € 20 more expensive and does not have eSATA. Also, I do not see the benefit of USB 3.1 Gen 2 for hard drives, which is what I use the duplicator dock for.

Thanks in advance for your reply.
Best regards,

Pim

[hdsentinel]

I'm terrible sorry about the situation

Personally I do not really understand the reason why things move backwards instead of improving....

No, even that I contacted JMicron numerous times, received no response at all about this topic. I'd be more than happy if I can assist and would do the best - but if the firmware of chip is limited and there is no update to "unlock" the required functions, we can't do too much.

Maybe if possible, please use Report menu -> Send test report to developer option, I'd check the "raw" response of the chip in the device when the detection started. This way I can surely confirm if there is anything to do on my side, verify if the firmware (and the response of the chip) is similar to the devices tested or slightly different (which may open some possibilities).

[pimjoosten]

Thank you for your reply. I have just sent you the developer's report directly from HDS Pro. I hope it is something you can work with.

[hdsentinel]

Thanks for the report, I just checked.

Yes, seems that the JMicron chipset does not respond at all for the detection.
As I see the other JMicron chipset (which manages a RAID) responds, so the 2 x 4 TB drives could be detected and their status displayed, but the status of the drives in the dock missing.

Will try to find different firmware which may be used for this device, just with JMicron chipsets, this is not really easy....
Will let you know any possible results or info.

[hdsentinel]

The updated version 5.30.2 has a completely new, different detection method for such devices, so it may worth a try:

https://www.hdsentinel.com/beta5/hdsent ... 2-ajxm.zip

To use this version, please just completely close the current version by File -> Exit and install this version to the same folder, where the previous used, overwriting all older/smaller files. This way the new version will automatically use all statistics, settings, license (if present) etc.

The best would be to please use Report menu -> Send test report to developer option again to confirm things (or if something is not correct, it may always help).

[Muad'Dib]

A heads-up on using the eSATA port with a StarTech dock: I have a StarTech SATDOCK4U3E (4 bays, eSATA and USB 3.0 ports). It works fine (even reports SMART values back to HD Sentinel). However, when I connected it to a newer laptop and used the eSATA port, I noticed that certain parameters started incrementing very rapidly (I only use WD Black and HGST drives):

• 4 Start/Stop Count (WD & HGST)
  192 Power off Retract Cycle Count (HGST only)
  193 Load/Unload Cycle Count (WD & HGST)

These values increased into the 20,000's over several months before I noticed it (HD Sentinel still reported the drives as operating at 100%). I first suspected something when I seemed to hear some excessive activity coming from the drives in the dock. I started to monitor some of the values and noticed the rapid increase in the three mentioned above.

When I switched over to the USB 3 port, the values behaved normally. I'm not sure if the cause was my laptop's internal eSATA port or the PC Express eSATA card (which I had used in my previous laptop), and this may only be a problem with this particular model of dock, but you should at least be aware of it, in case it applies to your dock(s) as well.

FYI, here's the original post I made on this issue from a little more than a year ago: www.hdsentinel.com/forum/viewtopic.php? ... 742#p15742

[hdsentinel]

Thanks for your message and sharing the experiences.

Not sure, but I suspect the issue is related to the internal power management function. This can frequently cause that the Start/stop count, Load/unload cycle count attributes (and maybe some others) increase very quickly and frequently.

As it depends on the actual disk controller (the eSATA port controller and its driver) yes, it is possible that things may be different on USB line.

You may try to
1) open Disk menu -> Advanced Power Management page (if this option available, which means that the hard disk supports this function) and drag the slider to right. This usually prevents the disks from unloading and prevents increasing of the attributes

If the above option is not available (the disk may not support it or the driver of the disk controller may block the appropriate command even if should be supported)

2) please open Configuration -> Disk control and in the "Do not allow spin down of disks" field, specify a
*
This would cause a periodic command to be sent to the device, which then will not enter to sleep mode, will not allow parking the drive heads. So the effect is generally same and this works regardless of the hard disk controller / driver / APM setting of course.

[chuff]

Hi all,
i have the SDOCK2U33RE connected to USB3 pci-express card (asmedia chipset 1142).
I can confirm the smart info is available since i upgrade the box with the firmware jms562 found in the support page of hdsentinel site.
also i'm running version 5.30.4, external box detected as RAID jmicron interface.