1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. OWC Manuals
  4. Enclosure
  5. ThunderBay Flex 8
  6. Support manual

OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 Support Manual

Hide thumbs Also See for ThunderBay Flex 8:
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
OWC ThunderBay Flex 8
Support Manual
Introduction
1.1 System Requirements

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the ThunderBay Flex 8 and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Related Manuals for OWC ThunderBay Flex 8

Summary of Contents for OWC ThunderBay Flex 8

  • Page 1 OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 Support Manual Introduction 1.1 System Requirements...

  • Page 2: Package Contents

    : Supports one card up to half-length, single-width, full-height • Mechanical : x16 PCIe slot • Electrical : x4 PCIe 3.0 • NOTE : Cards with drivers must be Thunderbolt-aware & GPUs are not supported 1.2 Package Contents • OWC ThunderBay Flex 8...

  • Page 3: Front View

    • Thunderbolt cable • External power supply • Power cable • Security lock keys • 3 Years of SoftRAID Premium Access (License located on bottom of device) 1.3 Front View Power LED – Power LED – LED will display white when powered on without a data connection. The LED will display blue when powered on with a data connection.

  • Page 4: Rear View

    USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Ports – Supports USB devices with a Type-C connection Media cards – Use the top slot for CFexpress Type B card; use the bottom slot for SD-compatible media (up to SD 4.0). 1.4 Rear View PCIe Slot Cover –...
  • Page 5 DisplayPort 1.4 – connect a DisplayPort display here. Kensington Security slot – Attach a Kensington Security lock. Power Port – Connect the power cable to power the device Power Switch – Engage and disengage power to the device Power light –...

  • Page 6: Getting Started

    • All drives are configured as a SoftRAID RAID 5. • If the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 is assembled with (7) SATA drives and (1) U2 Shuttle containing (4) NVMe drives. • The SATA drives are configured as a SoftRAID RAID 5, and the U2 Shuttle is configured as a SoftRAID RAID 0.

  • Page 7: Assembly Options

    • If the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 is assembled with (2) U2 Shuttles containing a total of (6) NVMe SSDs. • All drives are configured as a SoftRAID RAID 0 Plug the power cable into the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 power port located on the back and into a power outlet.

  • Page 8: Assembly Steps

    (8) SATA HDDs configured as a SoftRAID RAID 0, 1, 10(1E), 3, 5, 6, 30, 50, 60, Single Disk, or JBOD • (4) NVMe M.2 SSDs assembled in a U.2 adapter (OWC Shuttle) configured as a SoftRAID RAID 0, and (7) SATA HDDs configured as a SoftRAID RAID 5 •...
  • Page 9 2. Turn the key clockwise, then pull it towards you. The faceplate will swing open.
  • Page 10 3. Once the faceplate has swung open as far as it will go, lift to remove it.
  • Page 11 4. For each tray you wish to remove, turn the thumbscrew counter-clockwise until you no longer feel resistance. Then hold onto the thumbscrew and pull the drive tray out.
  • Page 12 5. Set the drive tray on your work surface as shown. If you are replacing an existing hard drive, unscrew it from the drive tray at this time. Note: the highlighted screw holes are for 2.5-inch drives (SATA or U.2). The holes for 3.5-inch drives are highlighted in green (Step 7).
  • Page 13 6. Place the hard drive inside the drive tray as shown. The label should face up and the SATA connectors should be on the far rear corner of the drive. 7. Fasten the drive into the drive tray using six of the included screws (three per side). 2.5-inch drives require four of the fine-thread screws.
  • Page 14 8. Slide the drive tray back into the rails in the ThunderBay Flex 8 and push until it is seated fully, then push in on the thumbscrew and turn it clockwise until it stops turning. If you encounter resistance, do not force the drive tray. Remove it, check to make sure there...
  • Page 15 The Power LED will illuminate a solid white. 10. Connect the included Thunderbolt cable into one of the two Thunderbolt 3 ports located on the back of the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 and into a system. The Power LED will illuminate a solid blue.
  • Page 16 2. Remove the side cover and set it aside. 3. Remove the PCIe slot cover then set the screw aside. Store the slot cover; it will not be needed to complete this installation.
  • Page 17 4. Align your PCIe card’s connector with the open slot then install the card as you normally would when installing into a desktop computer. 5. Use the screw from Step 3 to affix the card’s bracket to the case.
  • Page 18 6. If your PCIe card has I/O Ports, double-check the back of the device to ensure the bracket is level / that none of the ports are obscured by the plating on the back of the case. If needed, loosen the screw you set in Step 5, re-align bracket as needed, and re-tighten the screw.

  • Page 19: Raid Configuration Options

    SoftRAID and the bundled Premium Access. • SoftRAID will assist with formatting the installed drives and setting up a RAID volume. • NOTE : The OWC SoftRAID license is located on the inside of the Security Faceplate. Mac OWC SoftRAID Setup • Download...
  • Page 20 Please review and follow the steps outlined in OWC SoftRAID Installation for Mac • Please review and follow the instructions outlined in Creating a macOS OWC SoftRAID Volume Mac RAID Configurator Open the “Disk Utility” application on your Mac. Choose “File” and select “RAID Assistant”.

  • Page 21: Device Management

    Device Management 3.1 Drive Failure • If the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 was configured as a RAID 0, the data on the array is lost and the disk is no longer usable. • If the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 was configured as a RAID 5, the RAID card will alert the user with a beeping tone.
  • Page 22 • NOTE: The OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 needs an active data signal to remain powered on. If it is disconnected from the computer, or if the computer goes to sleep or turns off, the device will power off. To...
  • Page 23 • Insert an OWC Atlas SDXC memory card into the SD Media Slot of the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8. Align the memory card notches with the internal card reader connections. The gold contacts should be facing left when the memory card is inserted.

  • Page 24: Usage Notes

    Before accessing the firmware updater folder, open the instructions and proceed through the provided steps. • For additional information regarding the OWC Innergize for Mac firmware update please consult the support article based on the system: " Innergize for Mac: Firmware Update ".

  • Page 25: Support Resources

    Begin troubleshooting by verifying that the power cable is connected to the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 and to a power source. If the power cable is connected to a power strip, make sure that the power switch on the strip is turned on. Then, verify that the Thunderbolt 3 cable is properly plugged into the computer and the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8.

  • Page 26: Contacting Support

    To ensure that your files are protected and to prevent data loss, we strongly suggest that you keep two copies of your data: one copy on your OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 and a second copy on your internal drive or another storage medium, such as an optical backup, or on a second external storage unit.

  • Page 27: Safety Precautions

    • Environmental (Operating) • Temperature (ºF): 50º — 95º • Temperature (ºC): 10º — 35º • Environmental (Non-Operating) • Temperature (ºF): -40º — 149º • Temperature (ºC): -40º — 65º • Always unplug the device from the electrical outlet if there is a risk of lightning or if it will be unused for an extended period of time.

  • Page 28: Terms And Conditions Of Sale

    OWC reserves the right to make changes or revisions in the product design or the product manual without reservation and without obligation to notify any person of such revisions and changes.

  • Page 29: Copyrights And Trademarks

    OWC. © 2020 Other world Computing, Inc. All rights reserved. OWC, the OWC logo, and ThunderBay are trademarks of New Concepts Development Corporation, registered in the U.S.

Table of Contents