PC Perspective - Video: Thecus N5200B Network Attached Storage (NAS) Review

	Video: Thecus N5200B Network Attached Storage (NAS) Review
	Author: Ryan Shrout Date: May 22, 2009 Subject: Storage Manufacturer: Thermalright

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Video Review and Specifications

Video Review

Today we are taking a look at a NAS (network attached storage) device from Thecus, the N5200B. I have included both the video review (posted right below this) and a more traditional written evaluation on the following pages. There are more details in the written portion including shots of the administration pages and more angles on the NAS itself.

Enjoy! If you have any feedback on the video please let us know!

Introduction

A network attached storage device (NAS) is really just what it sounds like - dedicated storage that exists on a networked environment that allows for easy sharing of data between various computers. The Thecus N5200B we are reviewing today is one of the more high-end NAS options available to the everyday consumer with support for five hot-swappable hard drive bays, dual Gigabit networks, RAID 5 and 6 and expert user and configurations options.

Specifications

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 : 2 x Gigabit RJ-45 Connector N5200 RouStor^TM: 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)
Media server	* Supports uPnP AV streaming protocol * Works with DLNA-certified players
Physical	Lockable Disk Tray
Operating Environment	0℃ - 40 ℃ 20 – 85﹪Relative Humidity (non-condensing)
Power Supply	Server-rated AC Power Supply 100/220VAC, 50/60 Hz, Auto detect
Power Consumption	Standby mode: 87W Full Loading: 194W with 1.5TB Seagate * 5 HDD installed
Sound Pressure Level	Without HDD: 37.8 dB(A) With HDD: 38.7 dB (A) with 1.5TB Seagate * 5 HDD installed

Next Page - External Evaluation

Click here for the Detailed Review