Posted on Thursday 11 June 2009
Beginning at $750 for 2TB, the Seagate BlackArmor 440 / 420 is potentially the most reasonable high-capacity, top of the range NAS server. A drawback to the BlackArmor is that its write speed might be better compared to its read speed. Note : The device is sold in 2TB, 4TB, and 6TB capacities. Now , you’ll need to provision your own drives to reach 8TBs, as Seagate hasn’t released that model yet. Also, the NAS’s high 1st price point, while not a difficulty for companies, may stress most shopper’s pocketbooks. If you’re searching for a straightforward NAS for the home, we promote the WD My Book World or the Iomega Media Home Network drive. For most home businesses the BlackArmor has what you want. The BlackArmor NAS server has a bold-looking design with 4 bays on its front and a top that sticks out further, showing off its small LCD. Each bay can hold one SATA drive of any capacity, suggesting now the device can hold up to 8TB of storage.
You may hot-swap any drive when the device is in operation in the event of hard-drive failure.
Seagate recommends you only use its hard drives and only provides tech support when you use its hard drives, but both BlackArmor versions work with SATA hard drives from any seller. Considering its giant size, the BlackArmor’s fan is shockingly quiet. Also, it’s the first NAS server we have seen that allows you to replace its cooling fan. This is a helpful feature, as over time the fans have a tendency to collect dust, become noisier, or merely stop working. On the back of the BlackArmor are 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 3 USB ports, with another USB port on the front for speedy and convenient thumbdrive connectivity.
The BlackArmor’s backup solution is predicated on Acronis’ glorious True Image and includes a license for 10 PCs.
Thanks to the included discovery software application, setting up the BlackArmor was an easy task.
You may also use the discovery application to launch the BlackArmor’s Web interface, but this is where the simplicity ends. Sadly , you’ll need to work out a lot by yourself as we found the NAS server’s manual rather limited on details.
