Connecting drives & starting Atola TaskForce

This page provides information about Atola TaskForce start up procedure to ensure safe and effective operation of the unit.

Powering on TaskForce

The power switch is located on the back panel of the unit. To start TaskForce, turn the power switch on.

Booting

The booting process takes up to 3 minutes.

Once booting is completed, the IP screen on the front panel will display either "Standalone mode" message or the IP address if the unit be connected to the Ethernet. At this point, the unit is ready for operation.

TaskForce screen

The Microsoft Surface Pro tablet that serves as TaskForce's screen is switched on and off independently from the unit, by pressing the button in the tablet's top panel.

Connecting drives

TaskForce supports SAS, SATA, USB, and IDE drives via its 17 ports, as well as other storage devices via Thunderbolt, Apple PCIe, and M.2 SSD extension modules.

To ensure both TaskForce and the devices connected to it are used properly and safely, read the instructions below.

Connecting USB devices

TaskForce system must be powered on before a USB device is plugged in. As soon as booting is finished and the IP address is displayed you can plug the USB device into any of 4 USB ports available.

If you connect a USB device before starting TaskForce, the imager will not be able to boot correctly.

Connecting Extensions

Before connecting an extension module, make sure TaskForce is powered off. Plug the extension module into the extension slot located on the back panel of TaskForce and power the unit on.

Connecting evidence drives

Each port is equipped with an individual Source switch enabling hard write protection on the port. To make sure data on the drive is not overwritten, make sure the port is in the source before you connect the evidence drive.

Connecting SATA & SAS drives

TaskForce has 6 SATA and 6 SATA/SAS ports. Before connecting evidence and target devices to the imager, make sure the ports are switched to the right mode.

When a drive is connected to a running TaskForce imager, the port is by default powered off. To identify the device plugged into the port, click the Devices button in the top panel of the TaskForce interface, and TaskForce will start to identify all connected drives. The system ensures sustainable overall power consumption in the situations when many drives are plugged in.

Powering off TaskForce

If TaskForce is not running any processes, it is safe to power off the unit by turning off the power switch. Any sessions that were active at the moment the unit was powered off (whether it is due to an outage or the power switch being turned off) will not be stopped correctly and cannot be resumed later.