The sensible: The Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ v2 offers good performance, includes a convenient drive bay style, and supports USB three.0. Its X-RAID2 configuration makes it simple to manage the server's storage.
The bad: The Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ v2 is spartan in its options and noisy in its operation.
The bottom line: The Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ v2 makes an honest NAS server for homes and tiny offices that require several cupboard space.
Priced at around $400 with none storage, the new ReadyNAS NV+ v2 is slightly cheaper than the older however higher-end ReadyNAS Ultra four whereas providing higher storage capacities and additional options. Where it has to catch up, however, is its performance: though not slow, the NV+ v2 was considerably slower than the Ultra four in our testing.
To make up for that, the ReadyNAS NV+ v2 sports simply front-accessible drive bays, and USB 3.0 connectivity, and its versatile X-RAID2 configuration makes replacing and upgrading the server's internal storage a nonissue. The server conjointly includes a nice backup mechanism and supports Apple's Time Machine. On high of that it currently options Netgear's sleek new RAIDiator five operating system for NAS servers. whereas easier to use than its predecessor, RAIDiator five does not add several additional options, however, and therefore the server continues to be behind competitors' servers during this regard, missing widespread choices like PC-less download and support for IP cameras.
If you are looking for a comparatively reasonable server with several cupboard space, and do not mind the intermittent loud noises its fan emits, the ReadyNAS NV+ v2 may be a tight alternative. For higher performance and additional options, conjointly investigate the Synology DiskStation DS410.
Design and setup
ReadyNAS NV+ v2 has virtually precisely the same style because the ReadyNAS Ultra 4: it's as compact as a four-bay NAS server may be. On the front the server includes a giant door that opens to reveal the hard-drive trays, which might be pulled out simply while not using any tools. Once a tough drive is put in, a tray may be locked into its place firmly with a latch. you are doing want a screwdriver and 4 proprietary screws to connect a tough drive to a drive tray, though fortunately the server comes with enough of them for all four drives.
Below the drive bay door, there is a tiny LCD that shows the IP address of the NAS server and therefore the current standing of the interior laborious drive. On high of the drive bays are a USB a pair of.0 port and a Backup button that quickly copies a USB drive's contents into the server's internal storage. On the rear, the server has 2 USB three.0 ports to host additional storage via external laborious drives. The NV+ v2 is that the 1st NAS server we have seen that supports this new and far faster USB customary.
Unlike the Ultra four, that comes with 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports, the NV+ v2 has only 1. this implies it does not have the fail-safe or load-balancing networking feature, that isn't a terrible shortcoming, since most NAS servers haven't got that, either.
The NV+ v2 comes with a CD of facilitate materials and a desktop application known as RAIDar you'll use to detect the NAS within the network, browse its share folders, and launch its net interface to additional customise the server's options. For the server's audience, tech professionals, the NV+ v2 is simple enough to work out.
The reviewed unit comes with one 1TB laborious drive however the server will handle up to four laborious drives of up to 3TB every (as against the 2TB of the Ultra 4) for a complete most cupboard space of 12TB. (In most cases, when all four bays are occupied with 3TB laborious drives, you will get regarding 9TB of storage out of the server; usually the opposite 3TB are used for redundancy overhead.) The server, however, works even when there is only 1 laborious drive put in.
Regardless of what number laborious drives you employ, even though it's only one, the server by default can set them up in Netgear's proprietary X-RAID2 configuration. equally to Synology's Hybrid RAID or LaCie's AutoRAID, X-RAID2 permits you to dynamically expand the quantity while not having to copy or restore the present content. The configuration automatically safeguards the setup against a single-drive failure. Obviously, you will need a minimum of 2 laborious drives for the XRAID a pair of to be effective. during this case the 2 drives are going to be came upon in an exceedingly RAID 1-like configuration (also known as a "mirror," during which solely 1/2 the entire capability is available). currently if you add another laborious drive, the quantity are going to be dynamically expanded and altered to a RAID 5-like setup, that is balanced between knowledge integrity and most cupboard space. And you'll keep doing that till the bays are all occupied.
X-RAID2 permits changing the hard-drive setup anytime, even when the server is running, as long as you merely add or subtract one drive at a time. you'll even replace an existing drive with another of larger capability, creating this a good thanks to upgrade the server's storage while not having to rebuild the RAID from scratch. Note, however, that after a replacement laborious drive is added, it takes a awfully durable for it to be synced with the present RAID. This means, betting on the capacities of the drives, it may take up to some days for you to switch all four drives. the nice news is that the server still works, though at slower speed, throughout this method and you'll keep track of this method via the front LCD.
Features
The ReadyNAS NV+ v2 does not have abundant to supply in terms of options. Nonetheless, the server will go together with a totally new user interface compared with the Ultra four. It's sleeker and additional or less resembles the UI of an operating system. Once logged in you will be greeted with the Dashboard showing the server's operating condition. On top, you will find four self-explanatory tabs, Configure, Documentation, Community, and How To. The Configure tab is, obviously, the foremost vital since it takes you to all or any the server's settings.
The server offers a straightforward thanks to add or take away users and share folders. Once every new item is added, you will be ready to assign the access privileges (Read-only, Read/Write, No access) of every user to every folder with some clicks. for every share folder, you'll conjointly activate the ReadyDLNA feature, which allows streaming digital content stored in that folder to DLNA-compliant streamers within the network. All in all, we tend to found the new interface abundant easier to use than the Ultra 4's.
source : cnet reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment