The most recent articles from PC Magazine

HP Storageworks NAS 1200S

Alex Arias — 2004-02-03T10:37:33.000Z

Alex Arias, PC Magazine, Tuesday 3 February 2004 at 10:37:33

Fast NAS for beginners.

HP's StorageWorks NAS 1200s is an entry-level Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliance, part of the revised HP StorageWorks range and based on similar hardware to the low-end NAS 1000s. It is primarily an update to take advantage of Microsoft's Windows Storage Server (WSS) 2003 operating system.

WSS offers a range of new or improved capabilities, such as the Volume Shadow copying service, to provide redundancy and fast data recovery. There's enhanced support for all major file serving protocols, and enterprise-level capabilities such as Storage Area Network (SAN) integration and clustering capability. Aside from the standard functionality provided by WSS, redundancy in the NAS 1200s has been enhanced with dual OS partitioning as well as the ability to perform a quick factory restore using the supplied DVD-ROM.

Although it uses a 1U rackmount chassis, the space available has been fully utilized for storage, with four drive bays. Unfortunately, minor details - such as the inability to lock the front bezel or the drives - are a little disappointing, and the limited space means there is no redundant power supply.

The drives are hot swappable and housed in a custom caddy that interfaces to the proprietary backplane. As it's based on standard Ultra ATA technology, it should be possible to replace drives speedily and cost effectively.

HP supplies the unit in three fixed raw capacities of 1TB, 640GB and 320GB. Our 320GB review system was populated with four Maxtor 80GB Ultra ATA/133 hard drives.

The OS, data partitions and redundancy features take a large chunk out of the raw storage capacity and we were effectively left with 200GB for data storage. Although it uses a software RAID array it still performed far better under heavy loads than a typical entry-level server.

Management is via a browser interface run by WSS, although the keyboard/video/mouse connections on the server are functional, unlike some other NAS appliances. Therefore, you can administer the server directly, while the underlying Windows operating system is not locked down.

HP has also included start-up wizards that should help to configure the system quickly. Support for HP Openview and other enterprise management software is provided through SNMP.

Existing NAS 1000s customers shouldn't worry about missing out on the benefits of WSS, as a software upgrade kit is available (£609 ex. VAT).

Overall, the NAS 1200s provides a high-performance entry level NAS solution for small businesses or workgroup environments, although the fixed capacities available may be too restricted for some.

Contact: HP (0845) 270 4222

www.hp.co.uk

Specifications:

Form factor: 1U rack-mount chassis
Processor: Intel 2.4GHz Pentium 4
Chipset Serverworks Grand Champion CIOB-E SL
Memory: 512MB ECC DDR266
Storage 320GB, 640GB or 1TB models available
Networking: Dual integrated Gigabit Ethernet interfaces
Expansion: 1x64-bit/100MHz and 1x64-bit/100MHz PCI-X expansion slots
Additional I/O: Adaptec 29160LP Ultra160 SCSI PCI Card
Protocol support: CIFS, NFS, NCP, AFP, HTTP, FTP
Warranty: Three-year parts, one-year on site, one year carry-in.
Price 320GB - £1,935; 640GB - £2,409; 1TB - £3,015 (all ex. VAT)

Storcase Infostation SATA

Alexander Arias and Dave Bailey — 2003-10-29T13:39:54.000Z

Alexander Arias and Dave Bailey, PC Magazine, Wednesday 29 October 2003 at 13:39:54

High capacity serial ATA RAID enclosure.

Storcase's InfoStation SATA is the first RAID enclosure PC Magazine has seen that offers both Ultra ATA and Serial ATA options. Designed for multiple storage environments, it offers high performance and a 3Terabyte (TB) capacity with currently available drives.

The InfoStation is a 12 bay, 4U 19in. rack mount system with an Ultra ATA/100 or Serial ATA backplane (specified on ordering) connecting to the host system via dual Ultra160 SCSI channels. The drives connect to the backplane through a proprietary connection intended to improve their reliability.

The InfoStation can be managed locally through a serial connection by either a Java-based, easy-to-use Data Master Storage Manager GUI, or through a terminal emulation program like HyperTerminal. Alternatively, InfoStation can be configured via the front panel.

A maximum of four arrays can be created, each containing up to eight partitions - the next point release will allow you to create multiple arrays simultaneously. Performance was impressive in our tests, with an 81 per cent improvement over a PCI-based Serial ATA RAID array (see Figure 1), but you should bear in mind the cost difference.

Redundancy comes in the way of two hot-swappable power units and fans. The environmental status of these and other system parameters can be monitored via the free browser-based utility InfoMon. The InfoStation can be configured to send email, fax, page or SMS alerts to system administrators via a modem when out-of-bounds conditions occur. Remote management of up to 16 InfoStations is possible using the modem. It can also be rebooted remotely, but the ability to shut down the system remotely is missing. There's an additional 5.25in. bay at the top of the InfoStation for an optional backup tape drive.

Storcase's InfoStation SATA provides a solid enclosure with good performance and flexibility. However, don't forget the cost of the drives which, although slightly cheaper than SCSI, is still a significant additional cost.

Contact: Storcase (01932) 738900

www.storcase.com

Specifications:

System requirements: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, Red Hat Linux 7, Sun Solaris
Form factor: 4U Rack mount or Tower
Onboard memory: 128MB PC133 SODIMM (maximum 512MB)
Number of drive bays: 12 Serial ATA or Ultra ATA/100
Maximum capacity: 3TB
Raid levels: 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10
Array configuration: Up to 4 arrays and 16 LUNs
Warranty: 7 years RTB (fans & power supply 3 years)

USB Memory Watch

Tony Westbrook — 2003-09-09T10:17:01.000Z

Tony Westbrook, PC Magazine, Tuesday 9 September 2003 at 10:17:01

USB based memory product.

USB-based memory products that allow you to move data around from PC to PC have become more popular with the advent of Windows XP and its Plug-and-Play support. Today you can buy generic products of this kind for around £35 (ex. VAT). However, one the big bugbears is that their portability is also their downfall - they're easy to carry and easy to lose.

So, how about something that integrates USB flash memory with something you'll always have on you? A watch, for example?

Thus, the USB Memory Watch was born. Costing £78.98 (inc. VAT) from Memix, you pay a premium for the Japanese-sourced watch, which contains a standard flash USB product. The watch is an acceptable quartz device with a neat black or grey case and a nifty strap that incorporates a USB cable - but try getting a replacement for that at your local jewellers. The manual also helpfully suggests that although the Memory Watch is water resistant, your should make sure your USB connector is dry before using it.

The USB Memory Watch ships with Windows partition and password protection software, a user manual (in English and Chinese) and device drivers for Windows 98, ME and Linux. None are required for Macintosh or Windows 2000/XP.

So, if you need to carry data between work and home, this could be a great way to do it. And although it's a decent-looking watch, if you're currently sporting a Rolex on your wrist, you'll probably be reluctant to make the swap to a less prestigious product, even if it has a nifty red LED that flashes when it connects to your PC.

Contact: Memix (0790) 069 8038

www.memixdirect.com

Specifications:

OS: Windows ME/98/2000/XP, Linux, MacOS 8.6 and above
Capacity: 128MB
Interface: USB 1.1
Accessories: Driver/utility CD-ROM, 1m USB extension cable