NIJ Report
About the
FireFly IDE and FireFly SATA
 The increasingly popular FireFly (available in IDE and SATA models) has earned the reputation of the most widely respected write blocker in the computer forensic industry. The FireFly provides a hardware-based write-protected environment for the forensic imaging and processing of the attached IDE or SATA hard drive. Digital Intelligence is proud to announce the next generation FireFly write  blocker. The FireFly is a significantly faster device which supports both FireWire 1394a (400 Mb/s) and 1394b (800 Mb/s). The FireFly is a more flexible device which can be selectively configured for either Read-Only or Read-Write functionality. The FireFly also provides increased diagnostic information which includes Write Protect indication and Read/Write activity indication. Packaging for the FireFly has also been improved and is actually smaller than the original FireFly!
Since the FireFly operates as a 1394a/b mass storage device, support is provided directly from the Operating System itself. Full Operating System support provides complete device accessibility by all of the major Forensic Tools (including EnCase and FTK) and also any other tools which can be run from within that environment. The Windows, Linux, and Mac Operating Systems all provide resident FireWire 1394 support.
 You can daisy chain (cascade) multiple FireFly devices. To accomplish this connect your first FireFly to the PC using the appropriate cable.
Then use a bilingual FireWire 800 (9-pin to 9-pin) cable to connect the first FireFly to the second FireFly. Additional FireWire devices can be daisy chained
using this technique.
 FireFly SATA
The new FireFly SATA adds native support for SATA devices. The FireFly SATA is also a flexible device which can be selectively configured for either Read-Only or Read-Write functionality.
Versatile Operation
In Write Protect mode, the FireFly will prevent ANY and ALL writes from reaching the attached IDE device. It is compatible with all Windows 98se, Windows ME, Windows 2K/XP, and any O/S that supports IEEE 1394 and has a compliant card and drivers. In Read/Write mode (non-Write Protected), it can be used to attach a drive to be used for receiving images on your FireWire chain.
The FireFly is shipped by default in a Read-Only (write blocking) configuration. However, it can be configured to enable Read-Write operation as well. To prevent unwanted alteration it necessary for the customer to make a modification to the housing to enable the Read-Write operation.
SWITCH 1
OFF = Read Only (write blocking enabled)
ON = Read/Write |
SWITCH 2
OFF = Unit reports errors if writes are attempted
ON = Unit suppresses errors if writes are attempted |
SWITCH 3
OFF = Unit reports Write-Protect (WP) status in code page
ON = Unit supresses Write-Protect (WP) status in code page |
SWITCH 4
Reserved |
FireFly Kit
Power can be supplied to the FireFly and your drive via a standard 4-pin Molex PC power connector or via the included external standalone power supply (110/220v). Simply connect the FireFly device to the back of your IDE or SATA drive, connect your power source, and the FireWire data cable.
The FireFly Kit comes complete with Power Supply,
FireWire 1394b (800Mb/s) Cable,
9-6 pin and 9-4 pin FireWire 1394a Adapters
As with ALL FireWire write blocking devices offered by Digital Intelligence, the firmware provided in the FireFly is specifically designed to achieve full FireWire 800 speeds and circumvent known problems introduced with Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2. While other vendors are removing FireWire devices from their product offerings because of this Windows problem, Digital Intelligence is providing specially engineered FireWire devices capable of full throughput in this environment.
Please NOTE: The external power supply may only be used to
power one FireFly and one Hard Drive. Do not attempt to use
a single external power supply to power more than one FireFly
and Hard Drive! |
