nas server

The state of networking and storage, and what to expect at CES 2013

It's been an exciting -- and busy -- year for networking and storage, two very important categories in consumer electronics. Important because they are at the core of information technology -- without either, most or all of your gadgets will come to a grinding halt. And as far as I know, we haven't yet seen the limit of what they can do.

That said, here is a quick roundup of the current state of this sector and what we can expect, based on my educated guesses, heading into CES 2013.

Networking

802.11ac This year will be remembered … Read more

WD ships 8TB My Book Live Duo NAS server

Following its recent announcement of the availability of a new 4TB hard drive, Western Digital today announced that its RAID-capable NAS server, the My Book Live Duo, now offers up to 8TB of storage space.

The My Book Live Duo is the dual-bay version of the single-volume My Book Live and originally had a storage cap of 6TB.

The server houses two user-serviceable 3.5-inch hard drives and supports both RAID 1 and RAID 0 configurations. The top 8TB capacity is available only in the RAID 0 setup, which is fast but provides no redundancy. If you want data safety, … Read more

Storage buying guide

Information runs the computing world, and handling it is crucial. So it's important that you select the best storage device to not only keep your data, but also distribute it. In this guide, I'll explain the basics of storage and list the features that you should consider when shopping. But if you're ready to leave for the store right now, here are my top picks.

Hard-core users hoping to get the most out of a home storage solution should consider a network-attached storage (NAS) server from Synology, such as the DS1511+, DS412+, or the DS213air. Both offer … Read more

Iomega ships 2 new business StorCenter NAS servers

Iomega today announced the availability of the StorCenter px2-300d and the StorCenter ix4-300d NAS servers for business environments, ranging from small offices to enterprises.

The former is a dual-bay NAS that offers up to 6TB of storage space and the latter is a four-bay with a top capacity of 12TB. Both servers are available in a diskless configuration, leaving users the option of picking the type of hard drive and the capacity on their own. Both also offer Iomega's Personal Cloud feature, which was first introduced with the Home Media Network Drive more than a year ago.

Iomega says … Read more

IoSafe unveils disaster-proof, Synology-based dual-bay NAS server

If you want the best network-attached storage (NAS) experience, get a Synology NAS server like the DiskStation DS412+. But if you want to guard data from even the worst disaster, an IoSafe storage device, such as the Solo G3, will fit your needs. In fact, you can use those two combined for the best of both worlds.

Now, what if you just need a single device that offers both a great user experience and top-notch data security? There's something you can look forward to: the N2 that IoSafe announced today.

This is a new NAS server, which the disaster-proof … Read more

Western Digital ships NAS-specific WD Red hard drive

If you have a network-attached storage (NAS) server, such as the Synology DS 1511+, and are wondering what hard drive you should get for it, here's another easy answer: the WD Red.

Western Digital announced today the new 3.5-inch SATA hard drive that's specifically designed for home and small office NAS systems of up to five drive bays. WD says the WD Red has been tested with "top NAS box manufacturers" and is optimized for power and performance.… Read more

Synology five-bay NAS server gets more power and USB 3.0

The top-notch NAS server DS1511+ that won CNET's Editors' Choice award has just probably become top-notch no more. But that's good news.

Synology announced today the brand-new successor, the DS1512+ NAS server, which shares the same five-bay design as the DS1511+ as well as most of the features. On top of that the new server now supports USB 3.0 and has a faster processor to promise the performance of up to 192MBps write and 194MBps read.

Similar to its predecessor, the new DS1512+ can natively host five SATA hard drives to offer up to 20TB of storage … Read more

Synology DS1812+ NAS server: More TBs than you can count with your digits

Synology announced today its first eight-bay DiskStation NAS server, the DS1812+.

This is one of the first, if not the first, consumer-friendly NAS server on the market that offers eight native hard drive bays. This means that when populated with all 4TB hard drives, the server can offer up to 32TB of storage space.

Most computers have just about 1TB of storage space, which is enough (and then some) for most users. The DS1812+, by itself, can host 32 times that much, more TBs than you can count with your fingers and toes.… Read more

Iomega StorCenter ix2 angles for business users

LAS VEGAS--Iomega here at CES today announced the new Iomega StorCenter ix2 Network Storage, which offers up to 6TB of storage space.

This is the upgrade to the previous version of the same server.

Iomega says the new server comes with many advanced business capabilities, including video surveillance capability and support for online storage services, including Mozy, Amazon S3, and EMC Atmos-enabled cloud backup services offered by service providers. On top of that the server itself can also work as a "personal cloud."… Read more

WD My Book Live NAS server now supports RAID

Western Digital today announced an upgraded version of the WD My Book Live that can host two internal hard drives.

The new NAS server is called My Book Live Duo and comes in 4TB or 6TB capacities. The server's two internal hard drives can be combined in a RAID 0 configuration for maximum storage space and performance or in a mirror RAID 1 configuration for double data backup. These two RAID setups are a common feature of any dual-volume storage solution.

Like the original My Book Live, the My Book Live Duo supports personal cloud storage, meaning remote users can access data stored on it from anywhere in the world by pointing a browser to www.wd2go.com. It comes with WD mobile apps for iOS-based devices and Android-based mobile devices.

The My Book Live Duo features a built-in DLNA-compliant media server that can broadcast digital content to a networked media player, such as a WD TV Live player, a Blu-ray player, a PlayStation, or an Xbox 360.

The new My Book Live Duo is compatible both Windows (XP or later) and Mac OS (10.5 or later) and is available now, costing around $400 for the 4TB version or $500 for the 6TB version.… Read more