NAS Attack: Network Storage From Thecus And Western Digital
Network-attached storage (what we commonly refer to as NAS) is probably the easiest way to make data easily accessible in a connected environment, as it facilitates the exchange of files and eliminates redundant storage. It often also introduces additional network features, as most NAS boxes aren’t just simple storage devices anymore.
Thecus believes that NAS devices powered by small and quiet 2.5” hard drives make the most sense, and Western Digital sent us its latest high-capacity NAS product for review.
Network Storage for All
The market for NAS devices has undergone a similar fragmentation as the hard drive market, as there are devices for consumers, prosumers, and small business applications. Simple NAS devices utilize a single hard drive, while more versatile and powerful boxes utilize at least two drives, adding a redundancy option through RAID 1. Professional NAS solutions are typically RAID 5-capable and support between four and eight hard drives, enabling high-capacity storage as well as a comforting degree of data safety.
We received Western Digital’s MyBook World Edition II, which is based on RAID 0 or RAID 1 and two 2TB 3.5” WD Caviar Green hard drives. The second candidate in this review is the Thecus N0204, a BYOD-type product (build your own device), meaning that you can use two 2.5” SATA drives of your choice. There are few similarities between this pair, apart from the fact that both are NAS devices.
High Capacity by WD, Small Dimensions by Thecus
The MyBook World Edition II offers significant storage capacity starting at around $500 (for the 4TB model), offering a dual drive 3.5” solution. Thecus instead focused on reducing the physical footprint of external storage with its miniNAS N0204. The enclosure starts at roughly $150, but you still have to add two drives, which will effectively take you to $250-400. You’ll find detailed product information, feature discussion and performance evaluation on the following pages.
I've lost faith in the W-D MyBook type devices recently - having had several that have failed due to issues with the circuitry in the case (NOT with the hard drive itself).
It also has a whole lot of features.
I like the idea of a NAS, but haven't seen any company produce one for a price that is in line with performance they offer.
Can you comment on fan noise? Is it audible when the devices are idle?
Asking cause I live in a cozy Manhattan studio
But lets get to the real nitty gritty... Nas is all about network performance, so where are the details about the inbuilt processors and technical specs? There is so much more to account for when buying and setting up a NAS item than just 'Oh look, we can open this box... OOOHHH!!!'
Talk about N00B article... FAIL!!!
You obviously have no understanding of RAID and its configurations... No offence intended but go read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID#Standard_levels
IMHO raid 1 or 5 is for consumers that really want their data, or for businesses. 0 is for people that don't care about data, gamers for fast map load times, or Ninja's:)
(had to have some fun
Obviously there are other uses, for both, but I think those are the most common.
IMHO raid 1 or 5 is for consumers that really want their data, or for businesses. 0 is for people that don't care about data, gamers for fast map load times, or Ninja's:)
(had to have some fun)
Obviously there are other uses for both, but I think those are the most common.
have it as a FTP server, that way I can access files across the LAN and WAN. The NAS came
with MIONET, which in my opinion it simply sucks!! I want to give users the right to download
files across the internet, you could use that with MIONET, but first of all the interface
sucks, it requires JAVA, and it's slow. Plus, in order for me to give a user permission
to access a folder on my NAS, that person must first create an account on MIONET,
WHAT KIND OF CRAP IS THAT ???? Now, I am trying to find a way how to do this without MIONET.
The manual says you can do this but it says you must be an "advanced user", I called Western Digital
customer support and they said they can't provide me with that information because only
advanced users can do this and I must know how to do this myself. WHHHAAAT!!!
I can't seem to find anything on google so I am asking all of you if you can perhaps help
me set this up, I have already been able to access my NAS from the WAN by opening ports 21
on my router and enabling FTP on my NAS, however, it is extremly unsecured, Why? because
any person can simply type in my private ip address in their browser and somehow they
are able to access my NAS. I don't know how this happens, it's driving me nuts. really. I want
users to access my NAS with a password and username. Can someone Please help me with this problem,
I would gladly appreciate it. PLEASE HELP!!! Thank You.
http://highlevelbits.free.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=42&Itemid=68&lang=en
Mac's won't mount after (1st few days) the WD MyBook II World Edition 4TB NAS
Well - I did not receive any responses via the forum, I realize these take some time, so I called Western Digital Support Directly today and though they had to accellerate me to 3 different support levels over 60minutes - they were very helpful.
The Senior Technician in Calif. stated that the WD MyBook II has a problem with APPLE AIRPORT EXTREME wireless basestations (router).
Still seems weird that Everything worked flawlessly for 3 days - but then after that, NO Mac would mount the drive, the only way was to connect via smb:\\ IP which is not what you want to see as you loose all of your 'mac' like look and feel and every file now looks like a unix file (like MS word doc without the .doc)
Unfortunately - the Sr. Tech stated that they have nor will be working on a solution for this - which is a Sad statement as the drive showed great potential at first, I had been surprised that it was so cross-platform compatible initially.
Luckily - I purchased it from BUYDIG and they have a wonderful return policy - so I'm sending it back! I think I'll just bit the bullet and go with the more expensive QNAP product. Sometimes saving money and buying the 'deal' is just not the ticket.
Oh well - best wishes to everyone, but being a dual platform user (Mac and Win) I need a NAS solution that's solid.
Thanks to Western Digital - you're about 90% there but you really need to go the next step as if this had worked you would have had a Great Home Media Server Solution.
See you in the QNAP forums...