Storage Devices

Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB Review (ST2000DL003)

2011-02-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

Just before the end of the year, Seagate released an update to its eco-friendly line of hard drives. Formally known as Barracuda LP (Low Power), Seagate has moved to a more mainstream brand Green Barracuda. The Barracuda Green is not just a marketing message, however, 3.5 "hard drives feature capacities up to 2 TB SATA 6Gb / s interface, 64 MB cache and 5900 RPM rotation speed. This combination of specifications of Seagate's claim leads to Green Barracuda to be the best performing drives on the market green.

A bold statement for sure, but the old LP of Seagate the graphics performance of several, but paid dearly for the energy that comes in last among all the green units. As we know, both as a headline performance tends to be, in the use of green energy space is a concern. In some cases it is even more important than performance, especially when used in media servers and other devices that spend most of their lives on.

While the 2 TB Verde we are reviewing today will not have a SATA 6Gb / s interface and 64 MB cache, note that all green Barracuda line is very diverse in terms of capacity, and memory interface cache. The 2 TB, for example, comes in a SATA 3Gb / s SATA 6Gb / s interfaces. We soon will break the current capacity Barracuda Green, interface and cache to compare the most obvious model numbers.

ST2000DL003 - 2TB, SATA 6Gb/s, 64MB cache
ST32000542AS - 2TB, SATA 3Gb/s, 32MB cache
ST1500DL003 - 1.5TB, SATA 6Gb/s, 64MB cache
ST31500541AS - 1.5TB, SATA 3Gb/s, 32MB cache
ST31000520AS - 1TB, SATA 3Gb/s, 32MB cache

ST2000DL003 Specs

Interface SATA 6Gb/s
Cache 64MB
Capacity 2TB
Areal density (avg) 422Gb/in
Weight (typical) 622g (1.371 lb)
Spin Speed 5900 RPM
Sustained data transfer rate 144Mb/s
Average latency 4.16ms
Random read seek time <12.0ms
Random write seek time <13.0ms
I/O data transfer rate 600MB/s
12V start max current 2.0A
Average idle power 4.5W
Average operating power 5.8W
Operating 0°–60°C
Acoustics (Idle Volume) 2.1 bels
Acoustics (Seek Volume) 2.3 bels

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Home Network Storage System

2011-02-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

Product Overview

The Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Home Storage System is a network-connected external hard drive. It is available in 1TB (MSRP $159.99) and 2TB (MSRP $209.99) and 3TB ($269.99) capacities. It looks like a standard 3.5-inch external hard drive but with a dock that has an Ethernet port.

Inside the box:

GoFlex Home Network Storage System (includes network base and hard drive)
Ethernet cable
Power supply
Quick start guide
GoFlex Home install CD
2-year limited warranty

System Requirements:

Router with an available Ethernet port
WiFi router required for wireless file access and backup
Internet connection for activation and Internet file sharing
Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 3.x, Chrome 4.x, Safari 3 or later web browser
Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later operating system
Build Quality and Operation

The FreeAgent drive fits snugly in the included dock. It feels as sturdy as it can, given the enclosure is made of plastic; but since it should not be treated roughly anyway, this is of little concern. The drive has a refreshingly nondescript look and does not call attention to itself sitting on a desk, bookshelf or wherever else it may reside within the home or small office.

The drive is quiet and makes minimal noise when reading and writing. It will shut off after a few minutes of inactivity to save power and takes about five seconds to wake up from sleep.

Pros:

Integrates with Windows Explorer
Creates user accounts to access the drive
Intuitive use
Supports Apple Time Machine
DNLA support

Intel X25-M Solid State Drive 160GB

2011-02-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

Intel® Solid-State Drives (Intel® SSD) represent a revolutionary breakthrough that delivers a giant leap in storage performance. Unlike traditional hard disk drives, Intel SSDs have no moving parts, resulting in a highly rugged, quiet, and cool storage solution that also offers faster system responsiveness. Intel SSDs also feature low write amplification and a unique wear-leveling design for higher reliability, meaning Intel SSDs not only perform better, they last longer.

Drawing from decades of memory engineering experience, and industry-leading, compute-quality NAND Flash memory manufacturing processes, Intel SSDs are designed to deliver outstanding performance for a wide range of computing applications and different target-end customer segments.

Technical Overview

Intel X-25M Mainstream SSD Specifications:

Capacity 80 GB and 160 GB
NAND Flash Components Intel® Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND Flash Memory
10 Parallel Channel Architecture with 34nm MLC ONFI 1.0 NAND
Bandwidth Sustained Sequential Read: up to 250 MB/s
Sustained Sequential Write: up to 70 MB/s (80 GB drive) and up to 100 MB/s (160 GB drive)
Read Latency: 65 µs
Write Latency: 85 µs
Random 4 KB Reads: up to 35,000 IOPS
Random 4 KB Writes: 80 G X25/X18-M – up to 6,600 IOPS
Random 4 KB Writes: 160 G X25/X18-M – up to 8,600 IOPS
Interface SATA 1.5 Gb/s and 3.0 Gb/s
X25-M: 2.5¨ Industry Standard Hard Drive Form Factor
- 7 mm – 76 grams +/- 2 grams
- 9.5 mm – 80 grams +/- 2 grams
Compatibility SATA revision 2.6 compliant. Compatible with SATA 3 Gb/s with Native Command Queuing and SATA 1.5 Gb/s interface rates
Life Expectancy 1.2 million hours (MTBF)
Power Consumption Active: 150 mW Typical
Idle (DIPM): 75 mW Typical
Operating Shock 1,500 G/0.5 ms
Operating Temperature 0°C to +70°C

Aesthetics

The Intel X25-M G2 SSD has a clean aluminum body with a plastic trim ring secured to the top border of the drive. The X25-M has a very basic OEM look to it without a lot of the flashy looks of other SSDs currently on the market. What it does offer is a down-to-earth design that looks sophisticated and durable.

Case durability is excellent and besides the SATA connector you could probably toss this drive at a wall and cause more damage to the wall than the X25-M. The case has no give at all and feels like a solid block of metal. The bumper ring around the top allows the drive to fit multiple form-factors depending on the requirements of the desktop or laptop it is being installed in. The drive height without the bumper is 7mm while the height with it installed is 9.5mm (standard notebook drive height).

VTrak E/J-Class for Mac OS X

2011-02-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

PROMISE is committed to developing storage solutions for best-in-class for users of Mac OS X. The A / V professionals who need enterprise class storage for the home user needing external storage, office PROMISE provides proven solutions for storage of your storage infrastructure.
The Promise VTrak for Mac is an enterprise-class Fibre Channel storage system designed to provide the basis for your storage infrastructure. Developed from over two decades of experience in RAID, Promise VTrak for Mac offers performance, reliability, scalability and ease of use right of the box for Mac users. Cured with high availability features and blistering fast data access, the Promise VTrak subsystems are certified for use with Apple's Xsan and Final Cut Studio products.
The promise SmartStor DS4600 is a complete 4-bay Fire wire / USB / eSATA RAID solution with four 1TB drives SATA 7200 rpm and a powerful hardware RAID engine for small servers, creative pro workstations, users Power and consumers who need fast external storage ardent, increased data capacity and a robust data protection.

HP StorageWorks D2D Backup Systems - Specifications

2011-02-12T04:26:00.000-08:00

The HP StorageWorks D2D Backup System provides reliable protection and consolidated data for up to six servers in a single device for self-management. It works with backup software to fully automate daily backup jobs, requiring fewer resources to manage your daily backup jobs. It also increases the reliability of your backups by reducing the risk of human error that often occurs when managing daily backup to multiple tape devices. Compatible with your current IT infrastructure, it also allows you to leverage your existing investments in data protection software and hardware with minimal changes needed to improve the overall reliability of data protection.

The disk backup solution lets you easily restore lost or corrupted files from online backups within minutes. The HP D2D Backup System gets users back to work quickly, reducing downtime costs and frustration while contributing to the overall productivity of your business.

The HP StorageWorks D2D Backup System emulates up to 6 LTO tape autoloaders allowing you to consolidate backup of up to 6 servers on a single device connected to the network. This eliminates the need to manage multiple backup and ensures that backups are completed on time. In addition, D2D Backup System can be managed remotely via a user interface based on a browser, giving you anywhere, anytime access to your backup jobs.

This simple solution works directly with HP LTO tape drives to create a solution D2D2T data protection. It includes an export function of data in the user interface that allows you to download data directly to an LTO tape drive connected, providing an additional level of data protection to meet your disaster recovery and archiving . Less than half the cost of comparable solutions, the D2D Backup System provides an affordable storage solution that will simplify and improve the reliability of your data protection strategy today.

What's New

* Three new HP StorageWorks D2D130 Backup System models with 3TB of total storage capacity.
* Support for LTO-3 autoloader and emulation.
* Supports up to six virtual tape drives or autoloaders, backup to supply up to six servers simultaneously.
* Increased data transfer rate to 50MB / s.
* Increased capacity virtual tape cartridge to 800 GB per virtual.
* The shipping D2D Backup System with Data Protector Express software kit now includes a license for the optional Data Protector Express D2D2any.

Features and Benefits

* Simplify your life with "hands free" daily backup: Automating the backup process simplifies your data protection process. The implementation of automatic daily backup is especially good for companies with limited resources.
* Make your backups more reliable: Automation also makes data protection for your process more reliable by reducing the risk of human error and problems associated with tape hardware and media, the two main causes of failed backups. Backups happen when they should, day after day.
* Take an affordable step toward consolidating your IT resources: Schedule daily backups to the HP D2D Backup System to provide automated backup for up to six servers at less than the cost of a single LTO autoloader. It's an affordable way to consolidate your daily backups on a single disk-based device, with the possibility of consolidating your tape backup as well.
* Restore lost data faster: Disk data protection provides online access to your backup data, allowing lost files or damaged to be restored in minutes rather than hours or days. This means you can get your end users get started quickly after data loss, reducing downtime and its impact on productivity.
* Back up multiple servers faster: Backing up six servers simultaneously to a disk instead of one after another through a tape drive or autoloader that all backups are completed within your backup window.
* Manage your backup system more easily: A browser-based application lets you monitor your backup device from anywhere, locally or remotely. Check the capacity, available on request and change device setup, add or change e-mail alerts, and easily update firmware.
* Reduce the time you spend on routine maintenance: Moving backups to a disk-based device with an integrated tape drive combines all the advantages of disk with the full protection of the band. Use your backup application to copy data from the D2D Backup System to tape, or use the facilities of the unit direct copy at any time of day without slowing down the network.
* Integrate disk-based backup seamlessly into your current environment: The HP D2D Backup System makes your current system of data protection more effective without major changes to your software or processes. Your backup application views this device as a single tape drive or autoloader, so you do not need to retrain your staff or completely change your backup regime.

External Hard drive

2011-02-12T04:17:00.000-08:00

External hard drive is a good option for individuals or small midsize businesses seeking an economical way of storing data / files.

Some companies also called "portable hard drive. It is portable in a sense, but I think you'd better not use it as portable because of the delicacy of the real hard drive in and the preciousness of your data. So when you buy a portable hard drive, make sure you understand the difference in size and weight between the hard disk portable external hard drive. Portable hard drive is only palm size and weight about 200 grams only, but an external hard drive is much larger and weighs about 2 kg.

External hard drive also comes with different interfaces: mainly, USB 2.0 and Firewire, as well as portable hard drive. The main difference lies in that the use of external hard drive 3.5 "portable hard drive then use the hard disk drive 2.5", hence the external hard drive is bigger, much heavier, but generally provided in large capacity, a 120 GB external hard drive is quite common.

The cost per GB of external hard drive is also much smaller than the laptop hard disk, so please do not be fooled by the cheap price of large-capacity "portable drive", it is actually external hard drive. Now the cost of 120 GB USB 2.0 hard drive cost about £ 190, amounting to only about 1.6 pounds / GB compare to those of tap backup products that cost at least £ 400, much cheaper and better too! Again Allcam external hard drive is again the best prices on the market.

As the capacity of external hard drive is usually high, so it is reasonable to have a discussion on the speed of data transfer. External hard drive with USB interface may not enough for those people who have a lot of data to date backup, so USB 2.0 or Firewire is the best choice. USB 2.0 has the advantage of being downward compatible with USB port, and a theoretical maximum speed of data transfer, in reality, the FireWire interface works even faster.