Buffalo LinkStation Quad 4 TB (4 X 1 TB) Network Attached Storage LS-Q4TL/R5(Black)
From BUFFALO
A four drive, home multimedia shared network attached storage (NAS) device that allows you to store pictures, video and music securely and enjoy content from your PC, Mac, iPhone or any other digital entertainment device on your network. The Direct Copy function allows you to send images or video from your digital device via USB at the touch of a button. Web Access enables you to access content via the Internet from your PC, Mac or iPhone. The in-built Media Server can stream content to DLNA compatible network televisions, PS3 or to a Buffalo LinkTheater in your living room.low for a drive replacement without the need for shutting down the unit.The LinkStation Quad comes loaded with features! With its built-in web access feature (optimized for iPhone), you can access your files anytime via web browser from anywhere - best of all, you can also upload files while away from home! A built-in DLNA multimedia server allows you to stream multimedia content directly to any DLNA player on your network and the BitTorrent client lets you access and download multimedia files without the need of a PC running during the download. A DirectCopy function enables the Quad to automatically save multimedia files from USB attached storage devices to its internal hard drives.The LinkStation Quad has a heavy-duty cooling system, which allows the unit to run cool and quite at the same time. The LinkStation Quad is best suited for home and SOHO users who want a reliable RAID5 NAS, as well as the ability to stream multimedia content to their entertainment devices.
Size: 4 TB (4 X 1 TB) Brand: Buffalo Model: LS-Q4.0TL/R5 Platform: Windows Format: CD Dimensions: 9.37" h x 10.47" w x 12.68" l, 14.85 pounds Hard Disk: 1TB
Buffalo’s LinkStation Quad offers up to 8 TB of secure, centralized storage for your home or professional network. Your data is remotely accessible and kept safe with the peace of mind of RAID technology. RAID levels 0/1/5/10 give you complete control over the degree of security and available capacity. RAID 5, the default RAID level for the Quad provides the best balance between redundancy to protect your data and storage capacity. The LinkStation Quad is ideal for users who want reliable shared storage with the ability to steam multimedia content to entertainment devices. Compact Stylish Design View larger image. Four Hard Drives for Performance and Reliability View larger image. Loaded with Features The LinkStation Quad is loaded with easy to use multimedia and data management features. It allows you to instantly store, access, back up and share all of your favorite and important files and documents from any PC or Mac on your home or professional network. With capacities up to 8 TB and a new unique compact design, never were you able to save more data onto such a small, stylish device. Access Your Content The LinkStation Quad features a new BitTorrent client enabling you to download multimedia files from the Web without your computer running. With the built-in DLNA™ multimedia server, you can stream your favorite music and movies directly to any DLNA player on your network. For easy import of photos, use the DirectCopy feature to automatically transfer and save content from camera USB connected device directly to the LinkStation Quad. Plus, with Buffalo’s Web Access feature, you will never be far from your music, videos, photos or important files. You can connect instantly on the Internet from any web browser and even from your iPhone! View larger image View larger image The LinkStation Quad ships in RAID 5, providing the best balance between security and available storage space by default. However, the Quad also supports RAID 0/1/10 and JBOD modes. Additionally, the LinkStation Quad features a heavy-duty cooling system, allowing the unit to run cool and quiet at the same time. A snap-off front plate allows for a quick and easy drive replacement without shutting down the unit and a USB port on the back of the unit allows you to easily expand capacity with a simple USB hard drive. The LinkStation Quad is perfect for home or SOHO users who need fast, dependable network storage The LinkStation Quad network storage solution is backed by a one-year limited warranty and lifetime 24/7 technical support. Key Features and Benefits Simplified File Sharing on Your Home or Small Office Network RAID 0 (Striping), RAID 1 (Mirroring), RAID 5 (Parity) and RAID 10 (Striped Mirrors)/li> Seamless Integration with iTunes and a DLNA Server for Streaming Media BitTorrent™ Client for Downloading Torrent Files Directly to LinkStation without a PC Direct Copy Feature Automatically Transfers Media Files from a USB Device on to the LinkStation Print Server to Print Files from Anywhere on your Network Expand Storage or Backup by Adding a USB Hard Drive Works with Time Machine™ Memeo™ AutoBackup Software for Windows or Macintosh What’s in the Box LinkStation Quad, Setup CD-ROM, Quick Setup Guide, Ethernet Cable, AC Adapter, and Warranty Statement
Reasonable RAID solution for home server Good product for the price (paid $404 from Amazon). The price attracted me to this, since the "real" RAID 5 solution w/o performance issues are around ~$600~$800 w/o the hard drives. Bought it to protect my distributed data around 5 computers, and enough performance to keep all the files from the computers on the networked NAS drive, and protected. RAID 1 (mirroring) was not my preference, and RAID 5 (parity, N+1 protection) was, which limited my choices to quad drive models. Positives - Easy management via browser, reasonable security and read/write privilege settings, even without setting up SMB server or equivalent (did not test the SMB server authentication yet). - DLNA - for those who have DLNA TV, and TV connected to home network, the expected DLNA functions (content discovery, streaming, etc) worked well. - Worked well with other SATA drives. Originally came w/ 4 x 250 G WD drives, and I put 500 G Maxtor, Seagate, WD, and Samsung drives, and all got recognized and ran without any issues. - USB expansion -- I have a few of USB drives, that got instantly upgrade to NAS operation by connecting them (2) to this unit. Seems to handle mixed file systems fine: at least for NTFS and FAT32. Power on/off the external units as I need them. Neutral - Performance is reasonable -- works near 100% bandwidth in peaks over Fast Ethernet (100 Mb/s), but at Gigabit Ethernet speeds, it only peaks around 150~220 Mb/s. In human perception terms, no noticeable delay using files on NAS for editing or streaming music or video, but copy (e.g. back up) of 500 G data takes about 7~8 hours (compared to local disk to disk copy taking about 1~1.5 hrs). - Performance during disk fault recovery operation is very good -- When fully operating, I removed a drive (simulated disk fault), and added a different drive (500G). The file server (access, copy from and copy to NAS) degraded performance was NOT noticeable during the fault recovery (as it shouldn't). A large directory copy (~20 G) was measurably noticeable (about 20~25% longer copy time). - Performance per price point is reasonable that is. Negatives - RAID 5 should work on 3 or more drives. LinkStation Quad only supports RAID 5 on 4 drives. So, my original plan of using 3 drives for protected (and recoverable) data (e.g. family photo, work files), and 1 drive for bulk storage media (e.g. mp3 music, family video, etc) is not an option. So I configured RAID 5 over 4 internal drives, and put external USB drive for unprotected bulk storage. - RAID initialization takes several days, YES, SEVERAL DAYS!. Manual warns about this, and it is true. I had several extra 500G drives, and had uses for 250G drives, so I bought the cheapest LinkStation Quad (1 TB model), and replaced it w/ 500G drives to get 2 TB (raw, before RAID). This replacement forced me to do format and the RAID initialization -- in my case, it took 2.5 days straight. The break down is about 1.5 days for individual drives to be low-level formatted to XFS (for 500G), and about 1 day to get RAID initialized (for 4 x 500 G) RAID 5 mode. - Major ISSUE for Power users, but minor for casual users: Tested the gradual upgrade of the system capacity -- meaning start w/ 4 x 250 G, and start replacing each drive with 500 G, allowing to recover each time. When all 4 drives are replaced higher capacity drives, the unit SHOULD use higher capacity automatically, but it DID NOT. Had to remove all data, re-init the RAID 5 array (again 1 day), at which time the system reported higher capacity, and then put back the data (again about 1 day for 500 G). Short Recommendation on selecting models (circa 01/2009) based on Price and Time only: I bought 1 TB model, because I could use 4 x 250 G on my desktop PCs. But all the headaches and time does not justify the price difference. The 2 TB model is the best option (price, capacity, and upgrading w/ your own drives, all considered) if you have no use for the 4 x 250 G drives. 4 TB model seems to be the same price as if you bought 1 TB model plus 4 separate 1 TB drives (and you end up w/ "free" 4 x 250 GB drives. Again valuable only if you have use for those). Not yet tested but will test: - Access to this NAS storage behind home router from my work that has both firewall (incoming and outgoing), using both Buffalo's portal as well as fixed IP configuration. If this works well, my extended family could pull family photos directly from my home server, and I could access my personal documents on this NAS from work! Great Media Device - IMO - Even A little Better than HP Media Smart Server I initially bought the NAS to use for additional storage and for the RAID capabilities. I currently also have an HP Media Smart EX470 Home Server that I use to backup my home PC's and as a Media Server to stream audio and video through XBOX. I wanted a backup of the server so that I would not have to spend countless hours re-ripping my entire DVD and CD collection in the event of a Server crash. However, once I received the Buffalo Linkstation - I noticed that it is actually superior to the HP Media Smart device when used as a media server. It is designed with a network interface (like you use with your router) and the setup is extremely simple. I noticed a significant improvement in video quality when streaming video to XBOX. I am using a D-Link Dual band Wirless N Router and a D-Link DAP 1522 wireless dual band switch - streaming the video signal on the 5.0 ghz band. The video quality is amazing! The Buffalo Linkstation also allows you to access your files remotely via the internet. Again the setup was simple. Once configured, I successfully logged into the Linkstation remotely with my Laptop and was able to download a 1.5 gb video file in about 15-20 minutes. Not great - but far better than anything I can achieve with the HP Media Smart Server, as the HP device does not support remote access with Windows XP unless you're using Media Center 2005 - or with Windows Vista unless you have Vista Ultimate or higher. Like the Media Smart Server, the Linkstation also has the ability to interface with itunes and can be used to play your music files remotely. It even works with iPhone! I cannot speak to the backup software that is included as I have not tested it and do not plan to use the NAS for that purpose. The linkstation performs so well as a media server that I will strictly use it for that purpose and will continue to rely on the HP Media Smart Server (and the Windows Home Server software) to be the backup solution for my home network. The Linkstation is also a greener alternative to the Media Smart Server. The Linkstation has an "auto" setting that shuts down the server when the pc's on the network are powered down or hibernated - saving energy. Once any of the pc's configured on the network "wake up" or are powered on - the Linkstation automatically powers up and becomes available again on the network. I have tested this with both pc's and both laptops on my network and the feature worked perfectly each time. This device would have achieved a 5 star rating if it were not for three reasons. 1) The device is very slow when doing direct data transfers. If you are looking for a speedy device - look elsewhere. Download speeds over the gigabit port when moving files from the HP device to the Linkstation are excruciatingly slow. I choose to do my file transfers overnight when sleeping in order to avoid frustration over the slow transfer speeds. I did notice that if I first copy files from the server to a sata hard drive and then move the files from the hard drive to the Linkstation that the transfer speeds improve significantly. 2) The choice of hard drives included with the product. The unit ships with Hitachi Deskstar hardrives (nick-named "deathstar" as they are notorious for premature failure). I will be replacing the drives with more reliable Western Digital or Seagate Sata drives. 3) No E- Sata support. E-Sata would have dramatically improved the data file transfer speeds when moving files between devices. The HP Media Smart Server does have some advantages over the Linkstation. 1)The Windows Home Server interface and add-in capabilities. 2)The HP device is much faster at data transfer (once the recommended memory and processor upgrades are performed). If you are a media smart owner and have not performed the hardware upgrades, you can find detailed step-by-step instructions (with pictures)to perform the upgrade at [...] I am actually a big fan of Windows Home Server - but personally I don't take advantage of the add-ins in Home Server so I probably over-paid for the server in terms of actual use. I find that the web-interface of the Buffalo device gives me all the access I need to a NAS/Media device. All-in-all, Good Job Buffalo! Definitely recommended. Slower than a big $$$ NAS, but excellent value for the money I'm using this as a 450GB RAID 10 (mirrored/striped)array. If you are curious as to why RAID 10 rather than 5, take a look here: http://miracleas.com/BAARF/RAID5_versus_RAID10.txt Unit was up and running 10 min after it came out of the box. It took about 2min to break down the the factory array configuration, around 6 min to rebuild as a RAID 10 array, around 85 min. to verify array integrity and around 15 min to work my way through the on-disk documentation and through the admin utility to get everything set up to my liking. Life should always be like this, it does not get much smoother or less painless than this installation! This unit does NOT allow hot-swaps, by default the array shuts down if a drive failure is detected (this setting can be overridden). Additional external USB drives are supported, and this worked flawlessly for me. but you cannot specify one as a hot spare. Per the docs you can also use the NAS as a print server, I have not tested this fucntion. To date I've not pulled a drive to determine how fast a rebuild would be, and I don't know if you could migrate to larger drives in the RAID 10 configuration - another reviewer notes that you can't do this in a RAID 5 array. On my Gigibit net copy throughput at the factory default settings is around 180 Mb/sec for a 2BG directory with a mix of file sizes up to 10Mb - quite respectable IMO for inexpensive NAS but only around 40% of the throughput of something like a HP at 2-3x the dollars. Still, it's doing what I need at a *very* attractive price.
