Axagon ADSA-M2C44 USB4 docking station for 4x M.2 NVMe SSDs, cloning

USB4 docking station for 4× NVMe SSDs

Fast docking and cloning station AXAGON ADSA-M2C44 CLONE MASTER with USB4 interface for working with up to four M.2 NVMe SSD drives simultaneously. Cloning can be performed without connecting to a computer from one drive to up to three target drives simultaneously. After connecting to a computer, you get up to four new storage drives at once. The station solves situations where you need to quickly format, erase, test or prepare a larger number of NVMe drives - for example during data migration, system installation, servicing or backup. Stable operation is ensured by a combination of the USB4 interface and active cooling, which maintains performance even under long-term load with minimal thermal throttling. The package also includes a USB-C 40Gbps cable.

Cloning without a computer to up to 3 drives simultaneously

The station allows you to clone one NVMe SSD to one to three drives simultaneously without using a computer or laptop. Simply insert the source drive into the NVMe Source slot and the target drives into the NVMe Target slots, start cloning with the button and monitor the progress on the LED indication. Thanks to standalone cloning without intervention by the operating system, the process is safe and stable - the data are not affected by OS intervention. Button start also minimizes the risk of an unintended operation. The result is an exact copy of the drive including the operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux). The station clones the entire contents of the drive block by block (LBA), so the cloning time depends on the capacity of the source drive, not on the amount of stored data. The target drives must have the same or higher capacity than the source drive.

Performance divided for parallel work with drives

The USB4 interface offers a theoretical throughput of up to 40 Gb/s. With this station, performance is optimized for working with multiple drives simultaneously, not for the maximum speed of a single SSD. During cloning or work with multiple drives, throughput is divided between individual operations. The achieved speed depends on the PCIe generation of the NVMe drives used and the number of active slots. At the heart of the cloning station is the high-end ASMedia ASM2464PDX chipset, which maintains stable speed even under high load and during long-term use. The result is transfer without fluctuations and efficient use of performance during parallel work.

Drives in the system, quick replacement and wide compatibility

After connecting to a computer, all inserted NVMe drives appear as separate drives, which you can work with independently and simultaneously, copy data to or use for storage management. The open design enables quick SSD replacement without screws, saving time when working with multiple drives. Four slots also allow you to configure software RAID for example for higher data protection in Windows and macOS. To configure this protection, use the "Storage Spaces" tool in Windows or "RAID Assistant" in Disk Utility in macOS. The station is compatible with older USB standards and the Thunderbolt 3, 4, 5 interface. It supports M.2 NVMe SSD drives without capacity limitation and modern technologies UASP, TRIM (NVMe DEALLOCATE) and S.M.A.R.T. Plug and Play and support for standby mode are a matter of course.

Erase function for absolute erasing of drives

The station is equipped with the Erase function, which enables simple erasing of the contents of up to four inserted SSD drives simultaneously without the need to use a computer. During this operation, the addressable space of the drive is overwritten, so the data cannot be recovered by common means as with conventional quick erasing. This option is ideal for preparing drives before further use, testing, deployment in a new device or sale, when you want to minimize the risk of data leakage.

Active cooling for stable performance

When working with multiple NVMe SSD drives, higher thermal load is generated. Cooling is handled by an active folding fan with magnetic fixation, which helps maintain the optimal operating temperature of the inserted drives and at the same time allows easy folding to compact dimensions when not in use. Thanks to efficient cooling, the risk of overheating and drive slowdown due to thermal throttling is reduced. The aluminium body also dissipates heat from the station itself. This helps maintain stable performance and at the same time extends the lifespan of SSD drives.

Complete package contents for quick start-up

In the package you will find everything needed for immediate use: the cloning station, a USB-C 40Gbps cable for connecting to a computer, an external power adapter and a multilingual manual.

Input:
• USB 40Gbps (USB4), connector USB-C female.
• Compatible with USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, USB 20Gbps, Thunderbolt 3 / 4 / 5.

Device support:
• 4x NVMe M.2 SSD drives,
• designed for M key or B+M key card formats,
• 4x NGFF 75-pin M key slot for M.2 drives.

Disk content cloning function:
• Cloning takes place without connecting the station to a computer.
• S1 slot NVMe Source - for connecting the source drive.
• T1, T2, T3 slots NVMe Target - for connecting one to three target drives.
• Target drives must have the same or larger capacity than the source drive, otherwise cloning cannot be started.
• The total time required to clone a drive depends on the speed of the drives used and the capacity of the source drive, not on the amount of data on the drive.
• Approximate cloning time for 1 TB of data: 1->1 drive approx. 10 min, 1->2 drives approx. 15 min, 1->3 drives approx. 20 min (tested with a PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD with speed above 4000 MB/s and large cache memory capacity).

USB4 chipset with PCIe lane speed distribution for NVMe drives:
• USB4 chipset ASMedia ASM2464PDX with distribution of PCIe 4.0 lanes to the individual NVMe slots of the docking station.
• Each NVMe slot uses only one PCIe 4.0 lane from the chipset with a maximum theoretical speed of up to 16 Gbit/s.
• The total maximum throughput of the chipset is up to 40 Gbit/s.
• When using PCIe 4.0 / PCIe 5.0 (or newer) NVMe SSD drives, the speed is determined by the generation of the PCIe 4.0 lane in the docking station chipset.
• When using PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD drives, the speed is limited by the PCIe generation of the drive used (max. speed up to 8 Gbit/s).

Erase function:
• The recessed Erase button enables safe start of erasing disk contents directly on the station, without the need to connect to a computer.
• The Erase function overwrites the entire addressable space of the NVMe SSD with zeros (Zero Fill / Write Zeroes).
• The level of data sanitization corresponds to the "Clear" method, according to NIST SP 800-88.
• Erasing can be started simultaneously on all four inserted NVMe SSD drives at once.

Other features:
• Support of M.2 disks with sizes - 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110 mm.
• Support of both one-sided and double-sided M.2 SSD disks.
• Compliant with PCI Express Base Specification Revision 4.0.
• Compliant with NVM Express 1.4c specification.
• Compliant with USB Mass Storage Class specification.
• Support for BOT (Bulk-Only Transport).
• Support for UASP (USB Attached SCSI) for faster data transfer in Windows 8 and later.
• Support for the TRIM command (via UNMAP and NVMe DEALLOCATE operations) to limit the gradual degradation of SSD performance over time.
• Support for S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology), a system monitoring disk status.
• Support for booting from an SSD in the external enclosure.
• Full Plug and Play support.
• Active cooling of M.2 disks using an integrated fan with a folding magnetic hinge.
• Switch for turning the integrated fan off and on.
• A higher surface temperature of the docking station is not a defect - thanks to the aluminium body, heat generated by drive operation is better dissipated and transferred to the surroundings.
• USB type C male / USB type C male cable with a length of 30 cm is included in the package.
• Compatible with software Windows RAID (Storage Spaces) and macOS RAID (Disk Utility RAID Assistant).

Other information:
• Docking station dimensions 87 × 101 × 35 mm (W × D × H).
• Docking station weight 300 g (without cable, without drive).

Power supply:
• Power supply via the included external AC/DC adapter 5V-3A with a 150 cm long cable.

LED indication:
• 1x LED indicating power supply of the docking station.
• Insufficient power supply indication (POWER and T1 LED flash).
• 4x LED at each drive indicates its connection (steady light) and data transfer (flashing).
• 4x LED indicating gradual cloning progress 25 % - 50 % - 75 % - 100 %. After cloning is complete, the LEDs light steadily.

Supported operating systems:
• Windows 8.1 / 10 / 11 and later, macOS, iPadOS, iOS, Linux, Chrome OS and Android.
• Compatibility depends on an updated operating system and support from the device manufacturer.

Package contents:
• USB-C 40Gbps docking station for 4x M.2 SSD,
• USB-C / USB-C cable with a length of 30 cm,
• power adapter 100-240V / 5V-3A,
• multilingual manual CZ / DE / DK / ENG / ESP / EST / FIN / FR / GR / HR / HU / IT / LT / LV / NL / NOR / PL / PT / RO / SK / SLO / SRB / SWE / TR / UA / ALB / BG / BOS / CN / ARA,
• packed in a cardboard box.