Buffalo Linkstation Mini

I've just been looking at this nw NAS storage device from Buffalo called the Linkstation Mini, and it looks pretty cool.

It is much smaller than previous NAS devices and silent. This is achieved because the unit uses a pair of 2.5" SATA laptop style drives which are quieter than 3.5" drives, and don't require additional cooling, so no case fans making any noise.

The unit is available in 500GB and 1TB sizes.

You can read more about it here.

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Buffalo have also updated their TeraStation NAS unit with the new TeraStation Live. This is now available up to 4TB! Now that is a nice amount of storage to have!

It also now uses SATA drives meaning faster quieter drives.

You can find out more about it here.

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They also have another new NAS called Linkstation Pro Duo, which is closer to their older Linkstation range, and available up to 2TB. It is a 2 SATA drive unit so can be set in RAID 0 or 1 configurations.

You can read more here.

You remember that I had the TeraStation 1GB? After some testing I send it back after one week. RAID5 + zillions of files = Snail :(

Yes, I remember. However I'm wondering if these new ones handle smaller files better.

However I think the issues with the speed of smaller files is to do with the TCP/IP protocols and not just the TeraStation as other makes of NAS have similar issues with lots of small files. One solution is to rar the lot up, copy over the single archive, and then unrar them on the NAS.

Dread-locked Rasta

Wo Yo Yo, Wo Wo Yo Yo, Wo Yo Yo, Yo Yo Yo Yo Yo

:tease:

Do these NAS drive have bittorrent support? Cos that'd be ace if you could torrent onto the without having the main PC switched on - I'm sure I heard of this. If I dreamt it..... someone should probably get to it.

Umm, not sure. I doubt they do. Although they are standalone units running a cut down version of Linux they don't AFAIK have any torrent support built into their OS as standard. Maybe one of the hacked Linkstation OSs does, but not the official ones.

As standard they have ftp and printer server support so you can run an ftp server directly from them and share a usb printer over the network.

Torrent support would definitely be good as you could just leave this little unit on in the corner 24/7 downloading and seeding away with next to no noise.

Originally Posted by Harrison:
However I think the issues with the speed of smaller files is to do with the TCP/IP protocols and not just the TeraStation as other makes of NAS have similar issues with lots of small files.

Of course, I was not denouncing the TeraStation, but meant NAS drives in general. I tested it with movies (avi files), and that was as fast as with a usual external USB drive.

Drobo just released their newest generation of storage solutions. This could be more interesting as a usual NAS, as you can also use different sized disks. Price is also Ok, 899$ for the 2TB solution.

Main site

Drobo Demo (nice chick!)

I've read some good things about the Drobo, except most reviews say it is too expensive considering it doesn't come with any drives! Also you have to consider that it isn't a NAS out of the box, but only an external storage solution. To add NAS abilities to it you need to by the Drobo Share which connects to the base of the Drobo.

It is a great unit, and with the ability to use any sized HDs and be able to hot swap them it is an amazing piece of kit. However it is quite expansive at the moment.

Personally if I want another NAS I am going to consider building my own using either one of the small slimline PCs you can now get, or a mini-itx system, and installing the FreeNAS OS. Full OS control, full HD configuration as you wish it to be, and it can also be used for Torrents.

Have you seen the offers here?

http://www.drobo.com/offer/

Drobo + 4TB for $1,075 (£550). Now that is sounding better!

The other huge benefit of the Drobo is that as standard it isn't a NAS so you are connected to it directly via USB2 or firewire. This means small file transfer should not be an issue, and you have the share option if you did want to turn it into a NAS.

I saw the prices and I thought that it wasn't so expensive, I paid more for my TeraStation, but that's almost 2 years ago. I can even get it in a shop here in Luxembourg, so no need to pay shipping or customs duty.