Managing data storage is just as much of a task (or greater) as managing the servers themselves. It makes sense to centralise management in larger organisations wherever possible. Enter the storage area network (SAN).
Thecus' N5500 is, like all of Thecus' lines, best suited to the professional user who doesn't mind tweaking the unit to get the most out of it.
A fascinating development in the rather ragged history of Windows Home Server, HP's StorageWorks X500 Data Vault range has been pointed at the small to medium business.
The Barracuda XT is a 7200rpm 3.5-inch desktop drive featuring 2TB of storage capacity and a fast Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/second interface.
While the lack of supported online expansion and de-dupe is a concern, if you need your tape backups to go faster, Tandberg's DPS1200 VTL may deliver what you need.
Adaptec has upped the enterprise storage ante by incorporating an SSD as a cache on its 2 and 5 series controllers, calling the technology MaxIQ.
Although Seagate BlackArmor is difficult to use for networking novices, it is a good choice for small business and advanced users.
The SmartStor NS4600 ticks the required feature boxes for being a NAS, but is in dire need of an interface overhaul and some features simply don't work.
The N7700 is one heck of a NAS box if you need something to take seven drives and have nowhere to put a rack mount unit.
The ReadyNAS NVX is a highly capable network storage appliance that will work equally well in a small or medium-sized business or at home.
The QNAP TS-509 Pro comes highly recommended — it's a flexible NAS with an interface that's gaining usability as time goes on.
The Synology DS209 is an excellent little unit, with a more complex than necessary set up routine. Still for those looking for a highly featured, high performing NAS with an easy to use and flashy menu, it's certainly a compelling choice.
With the ReadyNAS Pro, Netgear has proven it's still king of the hill. However, some interface quirks, inelegant recovery from catastrophic volume failure, and poor volume, user and share management may put some users off.
The Fusion-io ioDrive is in a performance field of its own. Home users are much better off RAIDing a few SSDs together; however, for those running servers that need extra throughput now, the Fusion-io represents an expensive, but justifiable saviour.
HighPoint's RocketRAID 2340 is designed for those running a file server on the cheap. While it doesn't haul massive throughput thanks to its lack of hardware grunt, and the lack of Solaris support is lamentable, for the price it does the job admirably.
LG's external Blu-ray writer is huge, but does the job. We're still not in the age of Blu-ray though, and we wonder if we ever will be.
The Iomega Home Media Network Drive, a single-volume NAS server, is easy to set up and use for even the most novice user; however, its lack of advanced features might lessen its appeal to savvy users.
Apple Time Capsule is a convenient and simple wireless router and NAS server combo for your home. Unfortunately, especially in the case of the 1TB version, you can find better deals on devices that offer greater storage space and many more features for the price.
The Western Digital My Book World Edition is a fast, simple to use, plug and play NAS that unfortunately lacks many features and has sub-par remote access performance.
Although it's expensive and requires networking experience to use, the Synology DS209+ offers excellent throughput and nearly all the features you're likely to need in a small-business NAS server.
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