October 10, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Buffalo Technology is no novice at network-attached storage devices. Its previously released LinkStation and TeraStation models have all been well received, and the newest iteration, the TeraStation Pro II packs even more inside for better performance and a wider access.
Let's emphasize right off the bat that this isn't just a box of disks attached to a network. The TeraStation Pro II has smarts inside in the form of a Marvell Orion CPU, 128MB of memory and 4MB of flash -- which holds a version of Samba Linux. Unlike the PowerPC processor that ran the older TeraStation, Marvell's chips are promoted as "media vault platforms that allow users to instantly access rich multimedia and data content throughout the home."
The TeraStation Pro IIWhile you shouldn't disregard the home-use aspect of the TeraStation, the Pro lineup is actually aimed at small to midsize businesses -- especially in its available 1TB and 4TB sizes. As shipped, the TeraStation Pro II that I received contained four 250GB drives, for a grand total of 1TB, 650GB of which was usable storage space. It arrived configured for RAID 5 (of a possible RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10) for maximum data security with minimal drive redundancy.
In case you missed the seminar, RAID 0 writes data alternately to two drives for a bit of added speed; RAID 1 writes data to one drive and then makes a mirror image of it in the second drive for data protection; RAID 10 is a combination of RAID 1 and 0, writing alternately to, in this case, two drives and then mirroring their contents to the two other drives.
RAID 5 writes data across the four drives and keeps parity information about the contents of each drive. In this way, should one drive fail, you simply remove it and replace it (Buffalo will sell you spare drive trays if you want to keep extra drives at the ready), and your RAID 5 configuration will rebuild the data that you theoretically "lost" on the crashed drive while you're in operation. As you might suspect, getting all of that done is processor intensive but insourcing the overhead to the CPU and memory of the TeraStation, rather than your PC, makes it painless.
Painless also describes the installation. If you're willing to accept the default configuration, you'll be up and running in less than six minutes, waiting simply for the TeraStation to boot and then running through a minimal number of questions from the installation software provided on CD. (Alternate configurations may require reformatting the drives, and that could take hours in some cases.) The TeraStation proliferates itself as a device on your network as part of the installation. In my case, all seven of my stations saw it and could access it without any additional work on my part.
Should you change your mind about anything -- adding users, modifying access permissions (group and user level access are available) -- you can return to the TeraStation software to initiate those changes or access the unit directly through your browser via its IP address. (This is, essentially, what the software does.) The procedure is password-protected for safety and prompts you with choices in plain English, not IT-ese. As an adjunct to this browser availability, you can also FTP files to and from the drive remotely through its IP address, also using password protection for security. (If you have an AppleTalk network, the TeraStation will talk to it as well.)
If you're already implementing a backup strategy, switching to the Memeo Automatic Backup software provided by Buffalo might not be a high priority but it's worth a look. It has multiple backup options, a single-click restore should your computer crash (or, according to Memeo, should you want to clone your data to a new computer), keeps redundant data if that's what you want it to do and also has a very straightforward user interface. Its simplicity could be a plus for your deployment.
Whether or not the TeraStation is fast is relative. You'll need to make a few assumptions: Four 7200 rpm SATA 3.0Gbit/sec. drives, even bundled in RAID 5, should be fast when guided by a processor and operating system designed specifically to handle the task. So it is fast, inside the box. But that's really irrelevant for a NAS system. The important rating is that which is associated with the access route you're taking to the box.
The TeraStation is 10MB/100MB/1,000MB capable. On a 100Mbit/sec. line, the transfer time for a large (939MB) MPEG 2 file is tolerable. At 54Mbit/sec. over a wireless G connection it works, but it's suitable for a shower and a quick lunch break. As you start moving up the food chain (wireless draft N and then Gigabit networking speeds), life begins to feel good. Overall, with my Linksys Gigabit switch and router, and computers with their own Gigabit LAN ports, the TeraStation is at the top of its class.
A rear view of the TeraStation Pro IIFor added convenience, Buffalo includes two USB 2.0 ports on the back of he unit. They're touted as being able to handle additional attached (USB) hard drives or a USB-based UPS monitoring/power backup system. You can't use the TeraStation as a printer server. It's not wired that way. And don't forget the little one-line LCD screen up front to keep you apprised of the device's status.
This should be an easy sell. The TeraStation is convenient, quick and simple to implement. As for its briefly aforementioned home application, some ad hoc testing proved it can stream video and music files effortlessly -- again, provided your interface is able to handle it.
Pricing shouldn't give you much pause: The 1TB unit I tested here can run you anywhere from $650 to $750 and the price range for the 4TB TeraStation starts at about $2,000. That's comparable to competing products, and Buffalo's "humanized" user interface gives it an edge over some of the IT-centric boxes out there competing for your dollars.
