Netgear ReadyNas Duo v2 network storage Netgear’s ReadyNas Duo v2 appears to be identical to its predecessor from the outside, yet it actually represents a rather radical shift in hardware design for the company. This dual bay ReadyNas model does away with the Infrant Technologies IT3107 SPARC processor featured on earlier models and replaces it with a 1.6GHz ARM CPU …
I was thinking that the specs were a bit stingy compared to the QNAP I have sitting here (2GHz ARM, 512MB of RAM). But then it's just over half the price of it so I can't complain too loudly. The problem is that 256MB of RAM precludes running a lot of things - I run a Serviio DLNA server on mine, but there's no way it would run in 256.
I have a 211j with 2x2TB drives in RAID 1 mode and it's perfect for home use. The j stands for Junior but I can't say I've had any issue with its performance at all. Best thing about it is the software which covers the basics but also lets the box be used as a DLNA media server, mail server, web server, torrent downloader etc., all through a nice GWT based HTML user interface.
With the exact same processor one can also find:
* The Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ v2 : a ReadyNAS Duo v2 that can accomodate 4 disks
* The D-Link DNS-345 which has also 4 HDD bays but 512 Mb RAM instead of 256, but lacks USB 3.0
* The more expensive Synology DS-212 (not the DS-212j), also a 2 bays NAS with USB 3.0 and a SD card reader. For this price you really get a powerful OS with lots of function that you don't have in the Netgear' v2 stuff.
Choices, choices, always have to make choices... ;-)
On the tech front, it may be of interest here that a number of Synology NAS boxes run on ARM processors (in the case of our DS110j, a Marvell one), and have done for a good few years.
Certainly doesn't seem to harm the DS110j - a very useful machine, and our home network would certainly miss it if it ever went "pop" (or, in the case of the drive inside, "scrunch"). Er, actually, that reminds me: it's only a 1-bay NAS, so I really need to look at my backup arrangements... :-|
Very nice, I like that speed. Regarding data sharing, this will be limited by your internet upload speed, usually much smaller than download speed. Also, will Netgear release security patches ongoing ? A system that is never updated should not really be facing t'internet, even through proxies.
Do you go "pah" at Windows GUIs? Long for that commandline "goodness"? Then you too can spend hours of your time building your own NAS!
Well, actually, if you're really hardcore (and think FreeNAS is for newbs), you build your own redundant Linux NFS cluster. Start by stripping down two old desktop Celeron (or Via C3) PCs and bundle their motherboards into a 3U rack case (stick one mobo to the bottom the normal way up and then the other to the inside of the case top upside-down), put in two low-power desktop PSUs, some fans, some cheap networking cards (most desktop PCs have at least three PCI slots, you will need two LAN cards per mobo for redundant LAN links for the cluster) and a SCSI card per mobo (old Adaptec cards are always on eBay and usually work fine with Linux). Then add some SCSI disks (best four per mobo, total eight), split into two chains off the SCSI cards (you may decide to buy a pair of old SCSI shelves like the hp ds2100, again cheap on eBay). SAS is an option but probably much more expensive unless you can find onboard SAS/SATA controller mobos. Install the Linux flavour of your choice (cough*Red Hat*cough) along with Samba, cluster and mirror between the two SCSI chains, and - voila! - you have your own highly-redundant "array appliance", ready to serve up NFS to Linux, UNIX and Windows users, probably all for the cost of a few bits off eBay, missing out on several evenings down the pub with your mates, and a lot of grief from your missus. Tremble in fear, NetApp! :)
I bought the QNAP TS-210 for around 130 quid and it's been fine. Looks awful unless you're into white plastic bricks but has all the functionality including Time Machine and NFS. Filled it with 2TB drives. I liked it so much I bought another one to back it up. Now have my stuff on at least five hard drives so fairly secure unless there's a fire or Johnny Darko incident...
I do like the look of this machine though and the drive bays are smart; but without NFS it's effing useless.
Based on a glowing review I purchased a Tecus N2200Plus and it has been an unmitigated disaster. They ported the GUI from the N2200 but the hardware architecture for the N2200Plus is completely different so lot's of things don't work. That includes user supplied modules too. Thecus can't even get iTunes working! Back in September they told the disgruntled customers that new firmware would be available "in weeks" to fix the issues. It's now January and still no sight of the promised firmware.
Based on this very poor experience I'm reluctant to part with more cash to buy a replacement which is unproven and has little community support. However, I am going to buy a replacement and one thing is for certain - it ain't going to be a Thecus!
If you're in the market for this sort of thing AND you know your way around Linux, you could consider an HP MicroServer N40L. Currently £140 from Dabs after a £100 cashback. Much faster CPU, more RAM + 250GB drive and allows for 4 drives.
http://www.dabs.com/products/hp-proliant-microserver-g7-n40l-nhp-eu-svr-7RMD.html
A reasonable amount bigger than this and obviously doesn't come with the ReadyNAS software (which for some people is a bonus), so I understand that that it isn't a direct alternative .
Just puttin' it out there :-)
Will I be downvoted for suggesting WHS as an option on a HP MicroServer? ...mitigating factor = I don't have that setup, but if you only like M$oft, then it's an option.
Gloat - I've got Vmware ESXI 5 running on mine.
Justification- I prefer my backups on VHD's as they are easier to move/ manage than their physical counterparts.
I only recently bought another ReadyNAS unit (SPARC based) for home use to compliment an exitsing ReadyNAS, fitted with 4x2TB drives in X-Raid ( Raid 5 for the sake of argument ) and get well over 6TB usable. Superb streaming performance over CIFS, AFS and DLNA. I have two of these fully populated 4bay units perfect for dumping your ripped DVDs and music libraries. You can also install things like Torrent clients and such like ( TorrentFlux can be installed in the unit! )
Tested the hot-swap just after I bought them and it worked flawlessly. One thing is to make sure is that you buy an extra drive the same as the others you put in as drive manufacturers have a nasty habit of updating the drive firmwares and ReadyNAS can be picky about drive firmwares on some drive models.
"4x2TB drives in X-Raid ( Raid 5 for the sake of argument ) and get well over 6TB usable"
You get over 6TB of usable space? Where's the magic extra space coming from?
I'm generally suspicious of patented RAID solutions though, and prefer to have ones where I can swap the RAID controller and know it'll continue to work..
I have a couple of the old SPARC-on-a-chip ReadyNAS Duos, which I find to be good units. They don't manage very impressive network speeds but are very functional (and DO support NFS) and consume very little power while idle (~10W with the disks spun down). Can anyone say what the power consumption of the new Atom-based units is?
I see that the review says that the Atom based Duos are limited to 6TB capacity with 2x3TB drives. The older SPARC units were limited to 2TB with 2x2TB mirrored drives -- does this mean that the new units can run without mirroring (a la JBOD) or do you actually mean that the limit is 3TB useful capacity with two 3TB of drives?
Beer because ... well, why not?
I have a Netgear WNDR3700 router and I want to use the Readyshare option. This would allow me to connect an external hard drive to the router and access it from other computers, but my
-Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1 TB USB 3.0 Ultra-Portable External Hard Drive in Black STAA1000101
-Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST910004FAA2E1-RK
doesn't seem to work with my router. I would prefer to use a seagate drive even if I have to buy a third. But if none reliably work, Can any body help me out.
I have the Gen 1 ReadyNAS duo and while I've wanted to love the device a lot (it is super cool in lots of ways) the processor performance was always a let down. The built-in web server control panel is painfully slow at times and could not handle a situation where a DivX movie was being streamed to a TV for example, and files saved to the device at the same time.
The switch to ARM thankfully enables 3TB drives which was another let down on the SPARC architecture (where it was limited to 2TB).
Overall this takes the unit to being 'great' in my view. Annoying that I now have to buy a new one.
Another vote here for the HP Microserver.
Have mine running Ubuntu Server 11.04 and it handles my Squeezeserver (far more responsive than it ever ran under Windows), streams video to my Samsung TV via TVMobili and acts as a time capsule for my MB Pro.
You can actually add a 5th disk by removing the DVD drive and using a 3.5" to 5.25" fitting kit and running the SATA cable.
It's practically silent and only cost me £99 after a fantastic cashback deal last year.
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