 Linkstation NAS |
| Review Date: January 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: William Christopher, Baton Rouge, LA |
The 2TB Linkstation Pro Duo does everything the folks at Buffalo say it will. The configuration utility is a simple web based utility like used on many routers. The setup offers many powerful features like adding numerous user accounts with varying permissions to different shared folders. I have used this feature to give each person their own backup folders for their PC's in addition to putting all our digital pictures in one place for everyone to use.
Out of the box it comes setup for Raid 0, non mirrored, 2TB capacity. Change over is easy but did take about 5 hours for the drive to perform disk tests. Once completed, it has a 1TB capacity and all the data is mirrored on both drives so you won't loose data (why I bought this drive).
One default I changed on the drive was to set a static IP address for the drive, otherwise a router reboot might cause the IP address to change which can cause problems with breaking your mapped drive (found this out on a print server a few years ago).
For everyone who complains that Vista won't work with this product, TURN OFF the Antivirus/Firewall. Turns out my Trend Micro firewall was on and I couldn't get the install to work. Once I figured it out, everything started working fine. If you have a firewall in your router there is no need for using the Windows or Antivirus firewalls.
Drive is quiet - I have it on top of my entertainment center, where the router is, in the living room and can't hear it run. Works fine with wireless access thru the router but that makes it slower that being direct connected. Not really an issue except for the first time you do a full image backup of the computer, then it's worth running the cable to make this go faster (takes a long time to copy 100 Gig!!!)
Web Access is the coolest feature of all, I can upload or download files remotely with nothing but IE or Firefox. You can even setup an account that is Read Only so others can see your pictures but can't delete them by accident. I'm not a big network kind of person so it took me a while to figure out how to do this but it does work!
Good Product at a Great Price! |
Easy set up and whisper-quiet operation
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| Review Date: March 18, 2008 |
| Reviewer: P. McAllister, US |
I researched NAS options and read countless reviews on various products for months before taking the plunge and buying this device. I was somewhat apprehensive about what might be involved with the technical setup. I am somewhat tech-savvy, but by no means an IT expert. I wanted a NAS that I could configure to support two computers via a Linksys router.
Due to limited desk space, I was forced to place this unit right beside me rather than across the room as I had hoped. I was pleasantly surprised to find out it is quiet, even when it is working. The unit is surprisingly small and compact and takes up little space. It looks huge in the photo, but it is smaller than a toaster - it looks/feels more like a hefty book.
The setup went easily enough, after an initial brief panic when I discovered all the .pdf documentation on my installation disk was in Japanese. After I calmed down, I just went to the Buffalo Web site and downloaded the .pdf in English. (This was probably just a fluke with my unit.)
The instructions for setting this up this NAS were clear, short and simple. So far I've had no problems or issues with the device.
Pros:
1. Small, unobtrusive profile
2. Runs quiet and cool
3. Easy instructions (at least when they are in the right language:)
Cons:
1. Expensive compared to a simple external hard drive; however, I think the storage benefits as far as networking two computers outweigh this con.
2. There's a big pitch about the "free" included Memeo backup software, but when I installed it, I discovered it's only a 30-day trial - so no real bonus there.
So far I think I made the right decision in this purchase, but another update may be warranted after I have used it for a few months or years. |
All you need, probably
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| Review Date: March 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Kermanshahi, Buffalo, NY |
Buffalo Technology LS-W2.0TGL/R1 2TB LinkStation Pro Duo Shared Network Storage (Black)
I was looking for a RAID 1 (I do not trust the rest in this price range) and as large as possible. Ran into many in Amazon and this brand had better review than the others. This model showed up recently and the price (309$)was tempting, it only had four 5 Star review which makes it risky, but I received it yesterday and pretty happy with the result.
What I like about LinkStation:
Easy setup: You do not need to install the supplied software if you are geek enough to find the IP address in router menu. Web Interface is pretty easy with its help if you do not understand any parameter. I changed it from RAID 0 to RAID 1 in 2-3 minutes but the check disk after that took a long time (6-7 hours). It can easily be administered and the files system can be accessed from PC, Linux (I tested it with Ubantu 9.1, Open Suse 11, Yellow Dog 6 and all work fine) and MAC (I have not used it with MAC). It also has FTP that is more efficient protocol for bulk data transfer, with many different front end software in the market that makes it as easy as a file system.
Media Server: It has a DLNA (UPnP protocol) Media Server inside that makes it way more valuable. My TV (Sony XBR6) can only play photos on the Media Server, so I bought a SONY Play Station 3 (a Gaming Console + Blue Ray Player + Web Browser + UPnP media render) to play the media (Music, Photo and Video) stored in the LinkStation on my TV, and it works awesome. There are many cheaper solutions ( around 160$) if you just want the wireless access and play on TV. Also consider Sony XBR9 has a built-in Media Server client (Ethernet Only) in it. I am not sure it matches the speed of a PS3, because the XBR6 photo player is pretty slow. So the combination of PS3 and Linkstation works well, both wireless and wired.
Scalability: You can add as many LinkStation to your network and instead of RAID 1 have a scheduled backup between LinkStations weekly, considering the home media is not changing every day.
What I do not like about LinkStation:
Documents coming on CD are outdated.
You can not take a Disk out to test your RAID (call me paranoid)
P.S. Use of RAID 1 is expensive, especially in this price range, so do not expect it to be high speed in writing; However it looked to me faster than many USB external disks, but definitely slower that ATA second disk (7200 RPM) I have in my laptop. Also I was using Wireless G and not connected directly to my Gigabit router.
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Great NAS Solution as File and Media Storage and Server
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| Review Date: May 14, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Carsten Cumbrowski, Fresno, CA USA |
I also have the LinkStation Live model, which is a bit cheaper and as some flaws that I was not very happy about. The Pro Duo does not have the same flaws like its sister and also has a few additional features, such as the Media Server.
The Media Server feature was a positive surprise for me and something I am going to play around with more. The setup was easy, even within my not so simple network environment. Administration was simple and straight forward as well.
The device is much larger than the Live model with the same capacity, but that was expected, because the Pro Duo has TWO hard drives instead of just one (hence the name DUO). The reason for that is to provide real fail-over raid support or hard drive mirroring using two separate pieces of hardware for increased fail-over insurance. If your data are precious, then you will appreciate this feature.
I also own another NAS, called SimpleShare and must say that the Pro Duo is the clear winner of all three. |
Fast and quiet
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| Review Date: April 13, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Alan R., Texas, USA |
I replaced an old Snapserver with this guy. I changed the RAID settings to disk mirroring of 500GB -- the default was RAID0 giving 1TB of storage.
Pros:
* Quiet, very quiet.
* Fast. However, I'm not running videos or other really large files. Music, pictures, and office files mostly. I have not noticed any slowness compared to local drives. My network is 100Mbps; it should even be faster if running 1000.
* FTP server over the internet. I can easily drag files to a special folder I created, and send a link via email, and people can download from the linkstation.
* Administration is easy via the HTML interface. Security-wise, I can keep the kids and visitors out of financial folders, and grant read-only access to pictures.
Cons:
* CD software. I have no clue what purpose the CD software serves. I have uninstalled it after the initial configuration and renaming the hostname to something you can remember. I use my browser perform all config.
* Offline files and folders are not supported, as windows-based file systems are not supported.
* Administration via web browser runs a bit slow. |
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