Infrant Technologies ReadyNAS NV

Want to make storage exciting? Run out of it, or lose some data. If your small business doesn't need that sort of thrill, however, the ReadyNAS NV will keep you happily bored. This Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliance is no bigger than a toaster, but can hold four SATA drives. It supports RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Drives) levels 0, 1, and 5, letting you decide whether you want high-performance data access, heavy-duty data integrity, or something in between. My test unit came with four 250MB drives.

Few NAS boxes at this price can hot swap, but I yanked a bad drive and popped in a new one while the NV ran with no problem. Another plus: The OS and configuration information are held in integrated memory, not on drives, so they stay put if drives crash. That comes in handy, especially when doing restores where you have to start from scratch. Drives are easy to reach (just swing open the front door), and quick-release latches on all the carriers speed the process even more.

The firmware and software are stellar, and that's what really makes the NV stand out from the competition. Several automated features significantly ease implementation, even for inexperienced administrators. The RAIDar installer auto-detects the NAS, and the impressively thorough setup Wizard walks you through configuration.

Setting up the NAS is as straightforward as it gets, with the system walking you through a series of setup screens that ask about your network configuration, time zone, and security particulars. Once you go through the setup screens, the regular administrative Web interface gives you access to all configuration options. Here you can create or import users and groups, configure your RAID array, and watch the overall system status.

While going through the install wizard, I was pleasantly surprised to see a Windows file security mode selector that provides three choices. One gives you simple share security with a single password. The second option is a better fit for an office scenario, because it lets you limit access based on user and group privileges. The third option is intended for departments in corporate environments that want to tie it into Active Directory for login authentication.

I was impressed with the thoroughness of the setup wizard, but the 13 screens might be a bit overwhelming for those new to networking. A slightly trimmed down version of the wizard that puts some configuration details on an advanced settings page would be beneficial.

The NV's DHCP server is smart enough to bow out if your network already assigns IP addresses, so you won't have problems with active clients. And Infrant's X-RAID technology adjusts the RAID config (a tough task if you're new to that technology) when, say, you expand storage.

The NV includes a host of other features that truly impressed me when I had it on the lab bench. I like the ability it gives you to schedule automatic backups to an attached USB drive or share and even define volume snapshots (complete backups) to secure your data. You can even configure the system to e-mail feedback when backups complete.

You can immediately initiate a backup by pressing a dedicated button on the front of the case. Depending on how you've configured the unit, all data from your backup share (the portion of the NAS you've designated for backing up) will be copied to an attached USB drive, or the contents of the attached drive will be backed up to the NAS. In addition to the backup button, the NV has one Gigabit Ethernet port, three USB ports, four drive LEDs, and one status indicator.

Small businesses, departments in big companies, tech-savvy people with home multimedia networks—here's your shopping list for a small NAS: the ReadyNAS NV.