Storage World

The QNAP TS-239 Pro reminds us of nothing so much as an easier-to-use version of our home-rolled FreeNAS server. Unlike most NAS boxes we’ve reviewed, with their little ARM embedded processors and 512MB of RAM, the
TS-239 Pro packs a full gigabyte of RAM and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor. Furthering the impression that it’s a mini computer is the VGA-out port, which, when combined with a USB keyboard, lets you configure the QNAP’s Linux OS directly. Essentially, the QNAP TS-239 Pro is a two-bay Linux home server, with all the features you’d expect from a home or SMB NAS box, from UPnP and iTunes streaming to FTP and web servers and even some features you wouldn’t necessarily expect, like support for networked cameras.

Like most NAS boxes, the web GUI is the key to configuring and using the TS-239 Pro, and QNAP’s web interface is better than most. The fi rst screen you see when you log in offers wizards for creating groups, users, and shares, and configuring FTP access and backups. A side menu tree off ers status, disk and hardware management, and more. System logs and S.M.A.R.T. disk info are easy to find.

The QNAP TS-239 Pro ships with several shares enabled by default, helpfully, these all start with Q: Qmultimedia for media, Qweb for websites the NAS is hosting, Qusb for USB devices plugged into its two ports, etc. Both the included iTunes and UPnP media servers scan Qmultimedia out of the box, but you can change this. User and group permissions are one of the QNAP NAS’s strengths; it’s easy to set per-user permissions for fi les and folders, unlike some similar NAS boxes.

The TS-239 Pro doesn’t ship with any drives by default. We tested ours with two 1TB Samsung Spinpoint HD103UJ drives in RAID 1. File transfers were quick, as you’d expect from a 1.6GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, we copied a 2.79GB fi le from our PC to the NAS in just one minute, 20 seconds, and 650MB of smaller files
in 18 seconds, both faster than the Synology DS409+, with its ARM processor. Of course, the QNAP also consumes far less power.

While the web GUI is laid out differently from Synology’s, the features offered are largely the same, although the Synology DS409+ is a little more feature-rich, with iPhone apps, support for more networked cameras, etc. and useful if you need pointless if you don’t.

We dig the locking drive trays and sleek style of the TS-239 Pro, but it gets a bit loud during file transfers. The TS-239 Pro has a powerful processor, plenty of ports, a great web interface, and a lot of options, though having only two drive bays means you won’t be using RAID 5. At $500 for a two-bay NAS with no drives, it’s approaching Windows Home Server prices, but the TS-239 has enough power (and enough features) that it’s worth buying

Checkout the QNAP TS-239 Pro Turbo NAS specification.

Tags: Portable Disk, hard disk

Most of us prefer to have NAS device with at least three-bays to support RAID 5.

But this two-bay drive is an exception: being palm-sized, it makes use of smaller 2.5-in drives, which means lower power consumption and heat during data access.

The portable box has all the usual features of a NAS device including being hot-swappable, Gigabit LAN, FTP and media server. This means that you can change disk without power off or disrupted the services.

Using a two-bay NAS box means slower access speed compared to a three or four-bay NAS, but is good enough for home use.

Click THECUS miniNAS N0204 Pocket RAID Storage to check out the lower price.

Tags: storage

This is the world’s first combo NAS device which you can either make use of three 3.5-in drives or three 2.5-in drives.

The first option gives more storage room while the second mean more energy savings. It has the usual NAS features plus dual Gigabit ports, a fast 1.6GHz processor, LCD display and very fast data transfer speeds.

For better price and information, click N0503 Combonas

Tags: hard disk

The StorCenter tries to take out the complexity of NAS setup with a simple-to-use interface which hides the technical jargon.
But this also means that it is harder to do the technical tweaks when required. When trying to setup remote access, I could not get into the router to change the setting.

Lots of cool features here includes four-bay RAID 5 capability and a built-in search tool to find your files fast. In additional, there is also support for Apple’s Time Machine, twin Gigabit ports, media server, good backup software and an LCD panel that shows IP address of the NAS box at a glance.

It comes pre-installed with four-500GB disks, a three year warranty and a phone helpline to walk you through the technicalities.

Click for more information: Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 4 TB Network Attached Storage 34560 (Black)

Tags: storage

A good four-bay NAS device with all the basic features inside. The Oled display at front shows that IP address of the NAS box so that I can access it by directly enter IP address into the browser without having to check the assigned IP through the router. It is very easy to install the hard disk, just pull out the bay, put in the disk and slot it back again.

It comes with Gigabit Ethernet and has four-bay RAID 5 for flexibility. It also acts as a DLNA-compliant media server and FTP server for remote access and has good data transfer speeds.

Since D-Link also makes routers, there is a common user interface when you setup the router and NAS box if you use the same brand.

Click for more details: D-Link 4-Bay Network Attached Storage Enclosure DNS-343

Tags: hard disk

Technically, Droboshare falls outside the scope of what we consider a NAS device, an integrated box with at least one hard disk and an Ethernet connection so you can share the device on a network.

Nevertheless, the Drobo deserves mention. This USB direct-attached storage appliance, Droboshare, provides a four-bay enclosure for adding your own drives to the unit. The Drobo uses data virtualization in lieu of RAID to provide data redundancy over multiple drives, as well as to monitor drives for disk failure.

Rather than release a dedicated NAS, Data Robotics came up with the Droboshare. This add-on lets you link up to two Drobo units to your network. The Drobo’s simple dashboard software automates the network configuration process. Since it’s not a native NAS device, you don’t get features like FTP, Web server, print server, or even Web-based drive management. But you can unplug the Drobo from your network.

Click for more: Droboshare, Network Attached Companion for Drobo

Tags: hard disk

Time Capsule is primarily intended as a storage device for Mac owners using the Time Machine backup program included with OSX. However, it can also be used with Windows PCs or on a mixed Mac and PC network.

Basically, Time Capsule is an an 802.11n wireless router with a network hard disk built into it so that everyone on the network can share data. In this review unit was the 500GB model, but there’s also a 1TB version. Apple is often criticized for high prices, but Time Capsule compares well to similar devices such as Freecom‘s wireless Storage Gateway, which costs $224 for its 500GB version.

As you’d expect from Apple, the Time Capsule is easy to set up and use. A simple installer program guides you through the process of creating a new wireless network or adding the Time Capsule to an existing network. The unit also has three Gigabit network ports for wired connections, and a USB port that can be used to connect and share additional devices on the network, such as a printer or another hard disk.

Setting up the Time Capsule is easy and straightforward enough, but although it features a Wan port for cable broadband users, it doesn’t include a built-in modem. ADSL broadband subscribers will need to connect the Time Capsule to an existing modem and router in order to maintain their internet connection.

If you’ve already got a wireless router, you would probably be better off buying a standalone network-attached storage drive, because a 500GB models can be picked up for just over $100. This leaves Time Capsule as an option for people who want to upgrade a wired network, but even then its lack of a built-in ADSL modem means it will only live up to its full potential when used in conjunction with a cable broadband service.

For more details, click Apple Time Capsule MB276LL/A 802.11n 500 GB Network Backup Hard Drive

Your small or mid size business will get a whopping 3TB of storage from the four hot-swappable 750GB SATA II drives in the Iomega StorCenter 150d and the price is certainly right. The NAS device which uses an embedded Linux operating system, supports external USB drives which has two ports in the front and two in back, also has a Gigabit Ethernet port in the back.

The included and easy-to-use management console software comes in both Windows and Mac versions and lets you perform the setup, a simple process from any PC on the network. The 150d fully supports Linux, Mac, and Windows file shares as well as Active Directory, so you can import users and groups from an Active Directory store. And IT professional will like the way you can make any share available in multiple protocols: By simply checking a box, you can open the NAS to AFP, FTP, and NFS in addition to CICS.

What you won’t find is the easy OS update capability or advanced reporting and logging that a Windows Storage Server system provides. And while the 150d proved very fast on write operations over a Gigabit network, managing 26-MBps and 17.2MBps throughput with 32MB and 1GB files, respectively, read numbers were mixed (22.4 MBps and 13 MBps). Overall, though, the box performs more than acceptably. That, along with the huge capacity and very reasonable price, makes it a definite recommendation for SMBs needing a big storage resource for standard business duties.

View for more: Iomega 33610 StorCenter Pro 150d Series I TB NAS Server

If you just want a cheap media-serving and Web-sharing solution, you will get it with the LaCie Ethernet Disk mini–Home Edition. The hardware, which is LaCie’s and the software (HipServ from Axentra) come from different sources, but LaCie needs to do a much better job of integrating the two. Also, the dismal installation process needs lots improvement.

Still, the slick HipServ software offers better sharing and media serving than Windows Home Server. The HipServ portal combines private and public features. You can publish content and restrict access to users with accounts on your NAS. Via a contact database, you can also assign shares to others and even send e-mails inviting people to see new content. Considering the unit’s low cost, performance is adequate, varying from an average write throughput of 14.1 Mbps with 32MB files to 10 Mbps with 1GB files. Read speed went from a little over 18 Mbps to 12.5.

LaCie’s offering lower price, but relying on just one drive limits expandability, and more important, redundancy. For folks who can’t spend more than $200 on home network storage and need only a single-disk storage bin, the LaCie might be the way to go. But if you need data redundancy, look elsewhere.

Click more: LaCie 301138U Ethernet Disk Mini 500 GB Ethernet/USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

NAS appliances offer you the storage advantages of a home file server without the need for a second PC, ideal if you want an always-on device to share and back up large collections of videos, music, or photos. The Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo is a 1TB (two 500GB, 7,200rpm SATA drives) NAS appliance that supports a RAID 0 or 1 configuration. It features several other networking goodies, including a built-in Web server with free remote access from www.buffalonas.com, an integrated FTP server, and support for UPS connectivity.

The black-clad LinkStation Pro Duo weighs in at 6.8 pounds, and at 3.9 inches wide, it was easy to find a place for the NAS device near our router. It features a Gigabit Ethernet port, and Buffalo includes setup software that configures the NAS to your network. After running the configuration software, you open a Web-based GUI to configure the network features of the LinkStation Pro Duo. To set up remote Web access, we only had to click the Web Access button, select Service Setup, and choose Enable; the LinkStation Pro Duo then configured the firewall on the UPnP router and registered itself on the Buffalo Web site. For remote streaming, the Buffalo Web service has an integrated Flash player to let you stream audio files from the NAS to PCs and mobile phones.

The NAS comes with an Auto/Manual power switch; when set in Auto mode, the LinkStation Pro Duo senses Buffalo’s NAS Navigator software (installed with the setup software) to let the unit turn on and off based on the power conditions of the computers in your network. The original LinkStation Pro Duo sent to us couldn’t use the Auto power function (Buffalo thought the unit may have been damaged in shipping), so Buffalo sent us a second model that responded to the power status of our PC.

Overall, most people like the features found in the LinkStation Pro Duo, and its price tag is affordable for a terabyte of networked storage.

Read more at 1TB Linkstation Pro Duo Nas Gbe 2X 500GB Raid 0 1 Web Access