Server at its best

Thecus N5200BR NAS Server

As digital media increases in popularity, so will the demand for larger storage options, whether in the form of increased hard drives capacities or through the use of expandable network storage devices. The last time we broached the topic of NAS was with our article on two impressive SOHO units from QNAP. While not industrial strength solutions, both QNAP models offered a balance of hardware and software features that made them excellent solutions for both home and small business users. However, with the TS-101 being a single drive solution and the TS-201 being a two-drive option, they are limited when it comes to ease of expansion and growth in a user's storage needs. This is where the Thecus N5200BR NAS Server steps in.

The Thecus N5200BR NAS Server targets end-users with more demanding network storage needs. To offer a more universal solution, Thecus designed the N5200BR with five SATA II bays supporting numerous RAID options, an LED status read-out, router capabilities and a host of other features to make it a serious contender for home users and in the commercial environment where a highly configurable NAS unit is a must. On the surface, the Thecus N5200BR looks to have what it takes to fit a wide variety of NAS needs. In the pages ahead, we'll look below the surface to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the Thecus N5200BR NAS Server, with a goal of providing a complete and clear picture of what a unit like this can deliver.

Thecus N5200BR NAS Server Specifications and Features

HDDs 5 x 3.5" SATA II HDD, Hot-swappable eSATA port 1 x eSATA connector for capacity expansion USB ports 2 x USB A type (Host mode) 1 x USB B type (Client mode) Ethernet ports N5200 RouStorTM : 1 x Gigabit RJ-45 Connector 4 port Gigabit switch LCD Control Panel For basic configurations and status display Network File Protocols Microsoft Networks (CIFS/SMB) Apple Filing Protocol (AFP 3) Network File System (NFS v3) File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Secure Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTPs) Authentication Microsoft NT Domain Controller (PDC)* Microsoft Active Directory Authentication (AD)* Network Client Type Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 Unix/Linux/BSD MAC OS X, OS 9, OS 8.6 Network Configuration Fixed IP Address Dynamic IP Address Disk Management Power Management (Disk idle spin-down) Disk Status Monitoring (S.M.A.R.T.) RAID RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and JBOD Auto Rebuild Hot Swappable Hot Spare Disk Roaming RAID Level Migration RAID Expansion Disk Capacity Supported : 80/120/160/200/250/300/400/500/750/1000 GB

Folder Management Share Folder Level Permission File Level Permission Public Folder Quota Management Share Folder Quota Control Backup Thecus Backup Utility (Microsoft Windows XP/2000 /MAC OS X) Thecus Nsync System Management Web GUI Multilingual Support (English, French, German, Italian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish) Event Notification Email Notification Buzzer Notification LCD Supported USB Devices USB Printer External HDD/Flash disk USB IEEE 802.11 b/g dongle w/ AP mode support ** Setup Utility Windows 2000 / XP / 2003 MAC OS X Safety and Environment CE, FCC, BSMI, C-Tick, RoHS Compliant Dimension 230 x 190 x 230 mm (H x W x D) Physical Lockable Disk Tray Operating Environment 0 - 40 C 20 – 85 Relative Humidity (non-condensing) Power Supply Server-rated AC Power Supply 100/220VAC, 50/60 Hz, Auto detect *PDC/AD support: Works as a client member in an Microsoft NT 4.0 domain/Active Directory domain, allowing the N5200 to utilize the domain users and groups setting for authentication to the system and authorization to the share folders.