The EnhanceTech TS800 IP is an enterprise-level solution for iSCSI attached storage. Resembling a full-size ATX case, the TS800 contains three gigabit network controllers, an onboard computer and web server, a RAID controller capable of level 6 arrays, and a hot-swap backplane with room for 8 SATA drives. The novel aspect here is the use of the iSCSI standard, essentially using an existing TCP/IP network infrastructure to pass packets of data that mimic a more traditional SAS solution. Part of this process is specialized software on the client end to attach the device as a volume. Continue reading

I have been familiar with ThermalTake products for years, having built my first custom computer using one of their Xaser-II cases. I’m also familiar with their typical over-engineering. In the case of the Xaser-II, the front door was made of ¼-inch cold-rolled steel, and weighed close to five pounds. Throughout the years, that case has served many purposes and held together perfectly due to its stellar build quality. Up now is the BlacX Duet, an external hard drive dock for internal SATA hard drives. The “Duet” is for two drives being simultaneously accessible by eSATA and USB with this product. Continue reading

Laptop users are increasingly using external hard drives to tote around their digital lives. While the data on your computer is marginally secure with login passwords and perhaps even data encryption, external hard drives are easily accessible when physical access is obtained. The NexStar Vault from Vantec offers to remedy this solution with a simple hardware-based locking system to secure data, while still offering the convenience of a system without passwords or slow software-intensive encryption techniques. Continue reading

As our digital lives grow beyond the confines of our internal hard drives, more and more we turn to external solutions to carry the weight. A simple external hard drive is a convenient choice, but offers the risk of data loss if it incurs damage. To backup data entirely, twice the space would need to be purchased; RAID solves this problem elegantly by distributing the data across multiple disks, but requires dedicated hardware to accomplish the rapid and complicated process of distributing data and parity bits across multiple disks. Storing the disks in a clean, working, and elegant system is another common problem. As a university student, I eschewed this process and settled for a pile of hard drives on top of a Tupperware bin. While functional, enterprise users will be attracted to a product such as the TowerRaid, which is decidedly less “ghetto fabulous” than my solution. Continue reading

Once, accessing data off of spare hard drives took more effort than it was worth. The introduction of inexpensive external enclosures made swapping hard drives much easier than opening up the computer was, but enclosures can still be a hassle for those hard drives you only need quick access to files. Like recovering files when Windows won’t boot, or grabbing a single document or picture off of an old hard drive. Enter: the hard drive dock. Hard drive docks allow hard drives to be swapped quickly and easily, without screws or tools, making them ideal for those brief times you need to use an internal drive externally. Today we will be looking at Thermaltake’s BlacX SATA hard drive dock. Continue reading

While being a fairly new company, QNAP has quickly established a reputation in the industry for quality NAS products. While most of their NAS solutions tend to be for use in businesses, they also have several products geared towards the home user. Today we will be talking a look at the QNAP TS-119 Turbo, which is one such product. Continue reading