Atola Taskforce Forensic System
SKU: D3010
The Atola TaskForce is a high-speed evidence acquisition tool capable of working with both good and damaged media, developed specifically for forensic use. Supports direct imaging of SAS, SATA, USB, and IDE drives via 18 ports. Support for Thunderbolt, Apple PCIe SSD, and M.2 SSD storage devices using Atola extension modules.
TaskForce can be operated either in standalone mode or by multiple users from any number of devices within the same local
network. The built-in 10 Gbit Ethernet connection ensures super fast network access for device control or imaging.
The system consists of TaskForce hardware unit and software accessible in Google Chrome browser.
TaskForce Web API enables automation of forensic acquisition and start of artifact analysis by software like Magnet AXIOM, X-Ways, Autopsy, etc.
12+ simultaneous imaging sessions
Atola TaskForce combines vast multi-tasking capabilities with the fastest imaging engine in the forensic market.
Its server-class hardware enables launching and managing 12 or even more parallel image acquisition processes.
- 15 TB/hour cumulative speed of imaging
- Imaging up to 5 targets
- Source/target switch on all ports
- Write protection in Source mode on all ports
- 2 x 10Gb Ethernet ports
- Forensic imaging to E01 and RAW files
- Express mode when every next imaging starts with no clicks
- Automation via Web API
Damaged drive support
Hard drives with physical damage and problematic solid-state drives require a complex imaging approach. Atola TaskForce's imaging engine is designed to achieve the best results getting as much data as possible. It includes the following features:
- Imaging data from good heads only
- Imaging freezing drives
- Imaging drives with surface scratches and firmware issues
- In-depth drive diagnostics
- Current sensor on all SATA, SAS/SATA, IDE ports
- Automatic overcurrent and short-circuit protection
TaskForce hardware comes equipped with full circuit protection that prevents a malfunctioning storage device attached to the unit causing damage to the system or to the storage device itself.
The Atola Taskforce includes:
- The Taskforce unit
- Power supply
- SAS/SATA cables (Qty 14)
- Hitachi password extraction adapter
- 3.5" to 2.5" IDE adapter
- IDE power cable
- IDE interface cable
- RS-232 serial cable
- Cat 7 Ethernet cable (Qty 2)
- Flash card reader
- Microfiber cloth
- One-page installation instructions
To support multiple simultaneous imaging sessions and other processes running on its 18 ports at top speeds, TaskForce unit is built on extremely robust, high-capacity components that include a server-grade motherboard, 8-thread Xeon CPU 3.7 GHz and ECC RAM. To ensure high quality and efficiency of our tools, we test them on hundreds of storage devices.
The device can be used in standalone mode via touch screen on top of the device.
Ports, indicators & switches
Ports:
- 6 SATA
- 6 SATA/SAS
- 4 USB
- IDE
- Extension slot (for Atola Thunderbolt, Apple PCIe SSD and M.2 SSD extension modules)
The second indicator is located on the front panel, its blinking reflects busy/idle status of the attached device.
Source/target switch on each of 18 ports enabling write protection in source mode.
LED indicators: two indicators for each of 18 ports. One indicator is located next to the port’s source/target switch and lights up when source mode is enabled.
Two 10Gb Ethernet ports
Other ports: Serial RS232, IDE power, VGA, RS-232, DC IN 24V
Supported hard drive interfaces: SATA I/II/III, SAS3 (12Gb), USB 2.0/3.0, IDE
Power switch
Flash card support via card reader attached to any USB port
Displays
Main display: Microsoft Surface Pro 4
- Screen: 12.3" PixelSense Display
- Resolution: 2736 x 1824 (267 PPI)
- Touch: 10 point multi-touch
IP display: OLED (20x2 characters)
Physical / Environmental
- Dimensions (including screen): 12x10x3 inches (30x25x7,5 cm)
- Weight (including screen): 4.5 lbs (3.6 kg)
- TaskForce working temperature range: 0°C – 40°C (32°F – 104°F)
- Screen working temperature range: 0° – 35°C (32° – 95°F)
- Power consumption: 60 Watt average, 280 Watt peak
- Supply Voltage: 100 - 240 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz
Other specs
- Internal OS: Linux running a custom kernel
- Control interface: web-based TaskForce application
- Detachable 250 GB SSD for internal case management database
- WiFi 802.11n 150 Mb/s adapter in access point mode for easy connectivity
Inside TaskForce
TaskForce hardware unit is essentially a small server grade computer running Linux. But because neither BIOS, nor Linux kernel was designed to handle hard disk failures, we have invested a significant amount of research and development efforts which allowed us to build a highly customized and fine-tuned Linux kernel that fully overcomes these issues. Additionally, this kernel features:
- Full low-level control over SATA, USB and IDE ports
- Full native SATA support
- Reset and SATA PHY control for best handling of severely damaged hard drives
- High-speed DMA data transfers, 500+ MB/s
- All BIOS and standard kernel functions are disabled
TaskForce also features Atola's proprietary circuitry for ultimate drive's power control:
- Current sensor for in-depth hard disk diagnosis
- Automatic overcurrent and short-circuit protection
- Overvoltage protection
These features are a must for proper handling of damaged drives.
For instance, low-level control of the SATA, USB and IDE ports allows TaskForce to deal with devices that do not properly initialize, have many bad sectors, or frequently freeze due to internal (mechanical) failures. SATA PHY control allows resetting a frozen hard drive without a power cycle which saves quite a bit of time while imaging, and reduces the chances of further hard disk degradation and failure. Current sensing allows TaskForce to diagnose a failed drive even if it has electronic or mechanical damage.
Overcurrent protection detects when the drive draws abnormal current and stops it to prevent any further damage. Overvoltage protection circuit ensures that in the unlikely event of the TaskForce unit malfunction, the attached drives are not damaged in any way. TaskForce unit is fully controlled by the software via Chrome browser, therefore no Linux experience is required to operate it.
