Iomega StorCenter Network Storage (NAS) Gigabit Ethernet 1TB (2HD X 500GB) - 33872

List Price: $293.99 Discount Price: $259.92

Features:

• Hard Drive - SATAII
• Network Ports - 1
• Network Speed - Gigabit
• Dimensions - 7.875" x 3.15" x 4.92"
• - Journaling File System: Journaling File System prevents data loss in the event of a power failure

Accessories:
LaCie 301257U 1 TB 2big Network Attached Storage Hard Drive with 2-disk RAID	LaCie Big Disk Extreme+ 301199U 1 TB USB 2.0/FireWire400/FireWire800 RAID System

Customer Reviews:

Great for mass storage [Posted on 2008-07-12]
I bought this drive about 8 months ago after banging my head on other Iomega NAS drives. Compared to the 150D series, it is a snap to put up. Also it doesn't disappear when you make any network changes. I never turn it off, and it has been running solidly with no problems through a couple of power failures.

I use it for storing AVI files and backups with RAID turned off. Have had no problems with any file types. I did gain some experience with Iomega set up when I was working on the 150D, so I probably had a step up with the Iomega software. Other than that, no problems whatsoever.

Good functional drive for the price but very noisy [Posted on 2008-07-18]
This is a great drive for it's capacity and functionality, especially if you can find it on sale. I haven't tested all of it's functionality such as security or UPnP because I returned it back for the problematic issue you can read about below.

It has integrated print server functionality and all of the settings can be configured through the web interface. Setup of the drive, it's printer service, setting up user accounts and general configuration was a snap.

Contrary to some other reviews here you don't need to run Iomega software every time you reboot your computer to access the drive, nor do you even need to have it installed on your computer.

The one great problem with the drive is that is supposed to be constantly on (that' the whole point of having networked storage such as this), otherwise you could just as well designate any of your standalone computer to perform the same functionality. And here where the problem was - just like the other reviews had mentioned the drive was very very noisy. Did I mention it was noisy? Let me do it again.

This minuscule drive was generating so much noise it easily drowned two other computer mid-towers I had running at the same time. And my other two computers had multiple hard-drives and dvd/cd-rom drives each, 400W power supplies, and at least 3 fans to each computer. I had to shut it down at night, because I could hear it work in the office room across from our bedroom.

And the drive was also running hot regularly even though it was not doing much. Even though it had an option to power down the drives on inactivity this didn't seem to reflect much on the level of noise it was still generating. In the end, I returned it back.

Good value despite limitations as NFS server [Posted on 2008-07-20]
Physically, this is a nice product - good package, runs very quiet (despite other comments here), and consumes a very low 17 watts of AC power.

Quick Start Guide is laughable -- very brief, but entertaining as it is in about 16 languages. User manual on CD is better, but it definitely does not tell the whole story if you are interested in advanced use, such as with NFS. If you already know the ropes, you will manage OK, however.

I am using this box as an NFS server for my Linux-based network. However, there are many limitations. Mainly, it does not support much of the normal NFS service. It does not store incoming files' UID/GID. All files have UID=GID=254. File update times are not preserved.

If you want to use rsync for file mirroring, as I do, you will find that the NFS issues above will prevent normal operation unless you specify --size-only, and even then protections and file ownership info will be lost. (There is always tar!)

I am putting up with this because the price is right, and the package is nice. In principle, you can rip out the drives and build your own NAS around a convenient PC, and it would provide full NFS capability.

Does what it is supposed to do [Posted on 2008-09-20]
I have had this drive for about a week now. Contrary to the CNET review, very easy initial setup with the assistance of the iomega online chat help (the written and online documentation are awful). I used them 4 or 5 times for questions. There was little to no wait and they were very helpful. I am accessing the drive over my home network from a mac desktop, a windows XP laptop and a windows vista laptop without any real problems. The only issue I have is that vista does not remember the logon password so it prompts you for this everytime you log into the computer - and this is a vista issue not an issue with the drive. Also, the print server does not support multifunction machines so if you intend on using it with a printer-fax-copier then you are out of luck. Finally, the blue light on the front of the drive is very bright and annoying - for the life of me I can't figure out why this is necessary. It is not noisy and does not run hot (I coppied 30GB from a non-network external USB drive to the Iomega drive and it was barely warm after writing for several hours straight). This external drive is connected directly to the Iomega drive BTW and is therefore also accessable over my network - a really nice feature.

Bottom line - this is a relatively inexpensive network storage solution that works as advertised. So far I am very happy with it.

OK for the basics only [Posted on 2008-09-23]
If you're only looking for basic NAS functionality, then this unit will do the job. However, don't be surprised by the following:

1. The web interface is clunky and sparse. There aren't many functions to use or settings to change. For example, you can't browse the device contents from the web interface.
2. A lot of space is chewed up by the system. For the pair of 500GB drives, I have them in Raid 1 (mirrored) and have only 454GB available.
3. Gigabit is in name only. Don't expect to get more than 130Mbps, not 1000Mbps.
4. Support on the device is horrible. I tried working with them to get the network speed issue figured out, and they were terrible. There is also a sparse amount of documentation and no revised firmware.

That said, if you're looking to back up a bunch of stuff at home and want a very basic device to do it, then this will be OK. I bet there are other units out there that offer more, and don't even think about it if you have a small business.

UPDATE: After a horrific experience with IOMEGA support, they sent me an email follow-up that was partly apologetic and explains the network speed. Here's an excerpt from the note:

"...this particular device does not have a extremely fast processor or large amount of RAM because these are designed for a specific market, and will not get the same speed you would get transferring to a full server. The types of speeds are you seeing are common for the environment you are working in. The Gigabit speed is only the the theorhetical speed and in reality, speeds such as you are getting are common for a gigabit connection with this device."

In other words, 130 MBps is about all you will get out of the unit by design. I'm going to leave my rating at 3 stars, since it's a reasonable amount of mirrored storage for the price, but I doubt I'll be shopping IOMEGA in the future.

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