Seagate business 4-Bay NAS storage (diskless)

Seagate informed us that it will launch an update firmware in a matter of weeks to resolve performance issues mentioned in this review. The server will be re-evaluated once the firmware is available. Seagate four business storage Bay NAS Server 4-Bay is the replacement for former BlackArmor NAS 440 company. Despite the name, it is a device of simple network storage that can benefit consumers and business users. In fact has fewer functions related to the business than other advanced servers consumer I have reviewed, as Synology DS412 + or the Pro of QNAP TS-469, and is also slower.

The new Seagate server comes in a much lower range of prices, however, starting from only $400 (in comparison with $650 or more than the other two). On top of that, it includes a powerful backup application and has a slot for storage module Universal (USM) that can be used with portable drives Seagate Backup Plus to offer a system of quick backup offsite.

If you are looking for a storage server based on networks of workhorse used mainly for local backup and data sharing, the Seagate NAS storage company is a cost-effective option. Those who want to get more out of a NAS server must pay more for one of these alternatives. USB 3.0 support (2), Universal (USM) storage of Gigabit Ethernet module slot (2), iSCSI, DLNA, machine, remote access media server time (native) Seagate NAS discovery, Seagate BlackArmor Backup 2011; mobile applications for Android and iOS devices.

Design
Seagate business storage 4 Bay NAS has a typical design of the server medium four-Bay and resembles a little to its predecessor, the BlackArmor 440. On the front, a big door opens up to four bays in front. Each of these bays have a tray that can be easily out where you need to install or replace the hard drives, and no tool is needed for the job.

The server can accommodate four standard SATA hard drives of any capacity, what with the hard drives may be as large as 4 TB, the new server can provide up to 16 of raw storage space. The server is available from 0TB (no disk) up to 16, with the cost ranging from $400 to $1,500. The NAS server is more affordable four bays on the market right now.

The server supports RAID configurations more standards available for sets of four units: RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10 and JBOD. (For more information about raids, check this post). Since these are all standard attacks, be sure to choose a space of initial storage that is big enough to use in the long term. This is because it is not possible to expand the ability of the server to switch to disk drives greater capacity hard without RAID rebuild from scratch. Other servers NAS like Synology, or Netgear, offer a way to dynamically increase server storage space without even shut down the server. They also allow you to use hard disks of different capacities.

Also at the front, the server has a small LED screen resolution of two lines and two navigation buttons. The display shows the status of the server, such as your IP address, disk health and so on, and you can use the buttons to move between the different pages of the display. Each page contains two lines of information. You press and hold a button for the screen displays details of the subject. For example, by pressing and holding "NetworkStatus" displays the current IP of the server address and oppressed "Backup" will begin a fast backup job.

The business of Seagate storage can perform fast backup through the slot of the storage module Universal (USM), which is located on the top of the small LED screen. Seagate, presented at CES 2011, USM slot allows portable Seagate drives work as removable storage media, such as Zip drives were working with a Zip drive, but at the speed of SATA 3 (6Gbps), which is as fast as the speed of two internal hard drives when used inside a computer. When a Backup Plus portable drive is inserted into the slot of the USM, your content will be shared with all network (with restriction options), or you can make backup copies of certain folders of internal storage for the server in it. You can select which folders of backup of the handheld unit via the Web interface of the server.

The server has two USB 3.0 ports, one in the front and another at the back. These ports can be used to hold more storage or printers. You can also use the front USB port with other external storage device for quick backup function.

As a network, the business of storage storage device 4-Bay NAS has two ports Gigabit Ethernet on the back. Only one of the ports is necessary, but the two can be used together for purposes of security or load balancing. Unfortunately, not are they used together to increase the data rate of the server, a feature available on some other high end NAS servers.

I checked a version of total storage of business 4 Bay NAS, and it came with a CD containing applications NAS discovery of Seagate and Seagate NAS Backup. The first helps to identify the server in the network (by revealing your IP address) and launches the Web interface. You can also do so by pointing a browser to the IP address of the server. The latter is its powerful name backup software called Seagate BlackArmor Backup 2011, which is based on Acronis True Image 2011. This allows you to support all Windows computer and restore it to another computer or to another hard disk. For Mac, Seagate enterprise storage servers support Time Machine natively. In total, it was fairly easy to storage business 4-Bay NAS already in operation. Those who need further help can consult the included QuickStart Guide.

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Younity 1.5 could render cloud storage obsolete

As we’ve become a more mobile society—working from virtually anywhere on our smartphones and tablets—we’ve also embraced various cloud storage and file sharing tools, so we can access and collaborate on our data. Younity has an entirely different approach, and it could make cloud storage obsolete. Is that sensational hyperbole? In a word: no. But, it really depends on your data, how you use it, and who you need to share it with. I use a variety of cloud storage services. I rely primarily on Box, but I also have accounts with Dropbox, Microsoft SkyDrive, Google Drive, Amazon Cloud Drive, and others.   Younity is a "personal cloud" that lets you access all of your data.

I appreciate that my data synced to Box is available on my MacBook Air and my Windows 8 tablet as well as my iPhone, iPad, and other devices. I frequently use it as a means of sharing files with others—uploading the data to Box, and then sending an email link to the individuals I want to share with. The fact that my data is in the cloud rather than stuck somewhere on a local drive back at the office has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion.

In order for data to be accessible from the cloud through Box, SkyDrive, Dropbox, or any other service, however, you must first remember to put it there. You must store the data in the designated folder or folders on your local computer for it to be automatically synced, or have the presence of mind to manually upload the data to the cloud.

As great as cloud-storage and file-sharing services are, they require some degree of planning and forethought to choose which files will be available. Younity changes all of that: It simply indexes all your data wherever it’s stored on Mac OS X or Windows PCs, and then it makes that data—all of it—accessible and shareable from your iPhone or iPad.

I’ve been a fan of Younity since it first launched. But the original version had one fatal flaw for my purposes: It could not index external drives. Since my MacBook Air and Samsung Series 7 Slate both have only 128GB of onboard storage (via SSDs), I rely heavily on external storage. The new version of Younity released this week adds scanning and indexing of external storage, so Younity just jumped to the top of my favorite apps list.

Another advantage Younity has over cloud storage is security: I don’t have to rely on a third party to protect my data, or concern myself with configuring and maintaining separate security controls. Younity doesn’t store any of my data, so Younity could suffer a devastating security breach, and it wouldn't impact me in the least. My data will be safely stored on my computer, external hard drive, or wherever I keep it.

The PCs storing your data, however, must be powered on and connected to the Internet in order for the app to access or share the data. If the computer is turned off, Younity will still display the file in its index, but it will labeled as unavailable since the PC can’t be reached.

Younity also falls short from a business security and compliance standpoint: It’s a great tool on an individual level—and many users will install and use it on business computers and mobile devices—but it doesn’t provide any of the centralized management and security controls that IT admins need to enforce policies, protect data, and maintain compliance.

The upside, though, is that because it’s not a cloud-storage service, the user's data remains on the PC and any drives attached to it, where the IT admin does have control and can enforce policies and compliance. IT admins still have to be able to monitor and restrict how data is shared, who it can be shared with, and what happens after it’s shared, and Younity does not provide that kind of oversight—at least not yet.

I spoke with Erik Caso—co-founder of Younity developer Entagled Media—and he shared his broader vision for the product. Younity is iOS-centric now. The scanning agent works on Windows and Mac OS X, but the apps for accessing and sharing data exist only for iOS devices. In the future, there will most likely be an Android version, and possibly the ability for the Windows and Mac PCs to not just scan, but also view, access, and share data from other connected systems.

Tony is principal analyst with the Bradley Strategy Group, providing analysis and insight on tech trends. He is a prolific writer on a range of technology topics, has authored a number of books, and is a frequent speaker at industry events.

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