Drive duplication and erasing can be done from any system, but having a dedicated hardware device to do so can be a lot more convenient than having to rely on normal software solutions. The new StarTech Drive Duplicator and Eraser does that with both USB and SATA drives directly as well as across the interfaces.
The new StarTech device has several erase and duplicate protocols, easily accessible through the four buttons and built-in LCD display. It can help users manage data by enabling them to copy, compare, and verify data directly from a 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SATA or USB drive without connecting it to a computer. There are four duplication modes to choose from, including Quick Copy, All Partitions, Sector-by-Sector (whole drive), and Percentage Copy. The six erase modes are Quick Erase, Single Pass Overwrite (full erase), Three-Pass Overwrite (DoD), Three-Pass Overwrite and Compare, Secure Erase, and Seven-Pass Overwrite.
The compact duplicate and erase device isn’t just useful, it also meets the DoD (5220.22-M) standards and the criteria set forth in NIST 800-88. Verification operations for duplication and erase tasks make sure that everything happens as it should.
The whole thing is powered by a Xilinx Spartan-6 and it has a maximum data transfer of 6.6 GB per minute. If you’re thinking of connecting multiple drives through port multipliers, then you can forget about that. While it would have been nice to extend the number of drives you can work at once, it isn’t supported.
The new StarTech drive duplicator and eraser is available as pre-order through their own website and soon it will be available at places such as Amazon and Dabs too. However, it doesn’t come cheap at $796.99.
