Tech Focus
Iomega Scores with NAS
Iomega recently released the StorCenter ix4-200d that is a pleasure to use, if you can get past a few caveats
By Brian Sheinberg
Storage pioneer Iomega, now a part of EMC, recently announced a new four-drive NAS appliance—the StorCenter ix4-200d. Based on enterprise-class technologies from EMC, the device offers advanced storage and protection features. CRN Test Center reviewers really like the ix4-200d, but offer a few caveats.
First up
Measuring 7.9x7.7x6.6-inch, the ix4-200d is shaped more like a box than the tower design of most of its competitors. Network connectivity is accomplished by two Gigabit Ethernet ports in the back that can be aggregated for speed, configured for network fail-over or used on separate subnets.
There are two USB 2.0 ports in the back, as well as a third in the front. The large, bright LCD on the front panel is easy to read and offers information on a rotating basis.
It should be noted that we chose to forego the installation wizard on the included CD, which should make installing the ix4-200d a breeze. Even without the wizard, it wasn't very difficult to get the device up and running. Because of the way our network security is set up, reviewers became aware of a small error in the labeling of the NIC ports. A small decal on the unit shows the MAC addresses for LAN ports 1 and 2 respectively but, at least on our unit, the two addresses were inverted. This won't cause any problems for most users, especially the target customer, but it's worth pointing out for any tech-savvy users.
Test in progress
After connecting the NAS to our network and power, we simply pointed a Web browser to its IP address, which is clearly displayed on the LCD, and were greeted with the intuitive dashboard interface. On the first connection, users are prompted via a simple wizard to complete the initial configuration, including naming the device and setting the time. From that point on, the vast feature set can be monitored and configured via this console.
One of the most noticeable first impressions of the ix4-200d is the lack of noise emanating from the case. The large fan mounted in the back keeps the unit relatively cool, but doesn't really make any discernable noise. About the only time we were able to hear the device is when the hard drives started up and powered down (power down is after one hour of inactivity by default, and is configurable).
Besides the hard drives installed in the four internal bays, which can be set up in either RAID 5, RAID 10 and JBOD configurations, external drives can be accessed over the network via the three USB ports. In addition, up to two USB printers can be connected to the device, making them accessible over the network too. Other features include Windows Active Directory Support, the ability to capture and record video from up to six Axis network security cameras and VMware certification.
Everything we tried on the ix4-200d was intuitive and worked smoothly. The dashboard is a pleasure to use and easy to navigate. The issues we alluded to earlier in this review have to do with the remote access feature. Configuring remote access is extremely easy.
Unfortunately, Iomega chose to limit users to subscribing with a single company for Dynamic DNS services. When enabling remote access, the NAS is automatically configured, and the user is signed up for a free one-year subscription to TZO DNS. At the end of the first year, if the user wants to continue using the remote access feature, they must renew with TZO.
With many free services available, we find it objectionable to force users into paying this fee to continue accessing their data. While we acknowledge that the device is being marketed towards non-tech-savvy customers, and the configuration is the easiest we've ever seen, this limitation will likely be a turn-off to the more knowledgeable user.
In addition, if the device can't automatically configure the router's port forwarding setting, the user must do it manually. Although this is not a difficult thing to do, it still requires someone to have enough confidence to work in their router's administration console.
Furthermore, the NAS will only use port 443 for remote access. This could be another issue for the more technical user; the device can’t be configured to use a different port.
Conclusion
Aside from the remote access issues, which should not be of concern to the typical, nontechnical, person, the StorCenter ix4-200d is a powerful NAS that has all the features of its competitors, plus a few more to boot. It is fast, quiet and the dashboard is a pleasure to use.
The StorCenter is currently available configured in three capacities: 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB, priced at Rs 45,000, Rs 59,000 and Rs 1,39,000 respectively. |