JMR Fortra Two Bay Drive Enclosure.

In the world of drive enclosures, few can be called truly attractive. In most cases, enclosures are little more than functional boxes that have the appearance of a box designed to hold smaller boxes. The Fortra, from JMR Electronics, is an attractive exception to the basic rule.

Although the Fortra provides the same basic functionality, the design of the enclosure is probably the most attractive currently available with a pedestal base and a broad top, almost suggesting the appearance of a Roman column. The removable drive carriers have a sculpted look, with a curved shape, a curved handhold for removing the carrier, and a light pipe that provides access to the 3-color status LEDs below it. The overall look is very attractive. Further enhancing the overall appearance of the Fortra system is the availability of custom colors and materials, enabling an integrator or OEM to develop a system using the company's own colors.

According to JMR, Macintosh users who use multiple towers as docking stations for removable drives have embraced the 2-Bay Tower. Using the 2-bay system and appropriate software, a complete backup of one drive can be made to the second drive. Once copied, the drive, installed in a hot-swappable carrier, can be removed and transported to a location with another 2-bay system. Again, once work is completed, the drive can he backed up to a second drive and the canister again removed. In this way, a fully mirrored backup can be stored on the system last used and the drive in its removable canister can be used to carry the most recent work between locations. When the drive is inserted into the Fortra 2-bay, both drives can be updated.

The Fortra 2-bay, as well as the 4-bay and other available versions, uses mid-plane technology that supports Fibre Channel, SCSI Ultra 2 and 3, LVD and Single-Ended interfaces with SCA drives. The drives are now available.