ReadyNAS Rackmount Storage For The Small or Medium Business
| Page Highlights: | |
|---|---|
| Product Snapshot | Review Video |
| Product Application, Pros & Cons | Feature List |
| Bottom Line | Where To Buy |
| Review Detail | Related Products |
Product Snapshot
|
Netgear ReadyNAS 2100 |
  Buy A RNRX4450 Now |
 Buy A RNRX4410 Now |
 Buy A RNRX4420 Now
|
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | RNRX4450 | RNRX4410 | RNRX4420 | ||||||||||||
| Installed Disks Max: 4 |
4 x 500GB non-enterprise class |
4 x 1TB enterprise class |
4 x 2TB enterprise class |
||||||||||||
| Capacity * GB = Gigabyte TB = Terabyte |
(Usable)
|
(Usable)
|
(Usable)
|
||||||||||||
| Expandable | USB Only | USB Only | USB Only |
Ideal Application:
- Small Business to Medium Business, Enterprise
Pros:
- Netgear ReadyNAS – Solid, reliable, feature rich, easy to use
- Intel embedded CPU
- ECC Memory
- Compact, energy efficient
- 2 – High speed gigabit ethernet (10/100/1000) ports
- Hot swap, redundant drives (if configured RAID1, RAID5, X-RAID2)
- External USB support
- Supports Windows, Mac & Linux computers
- iSCSI target with expansion support
- Native SATA II support
- Enterprise class hard drives
- Attach a USB printer to share
- Handles media sharing, streaming well
- Snapshot with scheduling
- Windows AD integration support
- VLAN support
- Internal Power Supply
- 5 year warranty
- Active online support forum
Cons:
- Lack of RAID6 (very minor)
Bottom Line:
The Netgear ReadyNAS 2100 is an exceptional network storage device that is perfectly adequate to base an entire small business network around, or provide a very cost effective SAN for medium size businesses or an enterprise.
For the most part, the ReadyNAS 2100 is the equivalent of the ReadyNAS NVX only in a rack mount form factor. The hard drives you get in the 2100 are enterprise class drives that are more reliable than ordinary consumer models.
With RAID5 you have the comfort of knowing that no data is lost if you lose just one drive and get it replaced promptly, but who needs that hassle? A more reliable drive gives you better piece of mind.
This NAS is a solid, versatile and reliable performer. With more businesses moving to a virtual server environment, the iSCSI capability makes the 2100 an ideal network storage device for virtual machines.
Review Detail:
The Netgear ReadyNAS 2100 utilizes some of the most advanced network storage technologies available. Intel embedded CPU, a healthy 1GB of RAM, 2 gigabit network connections and iSCSI capability tell you that this NAS is ready for business up to the enterprise level.
It supports SATA I & SATA II hard drives, with native support for SATA II. This network storage device performs well.
You can attach external USB hard drives and create shares on those drives as well. Keep in mind that performance will not be as high as the internal drives, nor will there be benefit of RAID technology on those external drives.
In a business environment, I would only use those external drives for on-site backup or for offloading seldom used data that is backed up somewhere else but you want to have ready access to.
Obviously this can be less than ideal in a rack environment, but at least you have the option.
One of the benefits of buying any ReadyNAS product is the auto-expandable X-RAID technology. The 2100 has the newer X-RAID2. While you can configure the drives as a larger, non-redundant data store (RAID0), doing so means that if a hard drive fails you lose data. This is not acceptable to me, but you can decide for yourself.
I highly recommend letting the X-RAID2 give you the optimum storage size while maintaining disk redundancy. This is actually the easiest option for you as well.
Probably the most exciting feature of the ReadyNAS 2100 is the ability to simultaneously operate with standard volumes and iSCSI support.
Virtual machine technology is super hot, and having a SAN with these features and this price point is very attractive.
Uses:
The ReadyNAS 2100 is designed for the business environment but can acually offer the same media handling features as the desktop family of ReadyNAS network storage devices.
If you have a small business with a planned or existing equipment rack and you need to either store data on a more reliable platform than just your PC or need to share files with coworkers, the ReadyNAS 2100 is an extremely competent network server to build your network around.
The ReadyNAS can function as your file server, print server, DHCP (network addressing) server and provide software and storage for individual PC backup.
The ReadyNAS 2100, like it’s desktop sibbling NVX, can even replace a Microsoft Server or Small Business Server if you decide you want to simplify and save on maintenance, licensing and consultant costs.
Backup Options:
The Netgear ReadyNAS 2100 really shines, as all model in the ReadyNAS family do, when it comes to data backup. Remember, RAID1/RAID5/X-RAID is NOT data backup! It is data reliability and availability. RAID1 (otherwise known as mirroring) means that hopefully you never have to restore a backup due to media (drive) failure. It does not protect you against data corruption (virus, power loss) or accidental deletion by the user.
Let’s face it, network attached storage is all about your data. So to make it available and reliable, we use redundant disk technology (X-RAID2 in the 2100). To make sure we do not lose it to fire, theft, natural disaster or even our own error, we back it up.
Backup with any ReadyNAS network attached storage device can be done using any combination of the following methods:
- Local backup to an attached USB hard drive
- Backup to another ReadyNAS unit, local or in a remote location
- Online backup (in the cloud backup) using the built in support for ReadyNAS vault online backup service based on ElephantDrivetechnology
Medium sized business and enterprises find the ability to synchronize with another ReadyNAS at a remote site extremely valuable for disaster recovery planning.
Review Video:
Features:
Hardware:
- Intel Embedded CPU
- 1 GB ECC Memory
- 4 Hot-swappable locking disk trays
- 2 – 10/100/1000 Ethernet port
- 3 – USB 2.0 ports
- SATA I & II drives supported natively
RAID:
- Auto-expandable X-RAID2
- RAID levels 0/1/5 (Flex-RAID configuration)
- Multiple volume support (Flex-RAID)
- Hot-swap support
- Background sync and Smart Sync resume
- Life Support mode
Volumes:
- Single volume auto expansion (X-RAID2)
- Journaled file system
- User and group level quotas
Network File Services:
- Windows, Mac & Linux client support
- CIFS/SMB for Windows & Mac OS X
- AFP 3.1 for Mac 9 and OS X
- NFS v2/v3 for Linux/UNIX
- HTTP and HTTPS for web browsers
- FTP and FTPS
- Rsync
- WebDAV
- ReadyNAS Remote
- Print Sharing
Media Streaming:
- ReadyDLNA
- SqueezeCenter
- Network DVD player compatible
- Apple iTunes server
- Sony PlayStation® 3
- Microsoft® Xbox 360, MCE
- Sonos Digital Music System
- Netgear EVA Digital Entertainer HD
Network Security:
- Selectable security mode
- Windows ADS/Domain security support
- Windows ACL
- Encrypted network logins
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
Network Options:
- DHCP or static IP
- NTP
- WINS Server
- DHCP Server
System Management:
- RAIDar™ discovery and monitoring agent
- Frontview™ Setup Wizard and Advanced Control
- Configurable performance options
- Device health status
- Comprehensive enclosure and disk monitoring
- Email alerts and event logs
- Network UPS monitoring
Backup:
- Integrated Frontview™ Backup Manager
- Backup over CIFS/NFS/FTP/HTTP & Rsync
- Backup to/from USB Disks
- Built-in support for Time Machine
- Syncing between multiple ReadyNAS devices
- Full and incremental backups
- Built-in support for ReadyNAS Vault™
Software Included:
- NTI Shadow for ReadyNAS (Windows/Mac)
- ReadyNAS Photos
- Embedded BitTorrent client
USB Device Support:
- Hard disks and flash drives
- Support for FAT32, Ext2, Ext3, and NTFS
- Cameras
- Printers
- UPS
Power:
- Approximate 74 Watt usage
- Internal Power supply
- Disk spin down option
- Power on scheduling
- Automatic shutdown initiated by UPS low battery
Warranty & Support:
- 5 Year coverage
- Exceptional online support forum
Where To Buy:
| Netgear ReadyNAS 2100 RNRX4450 (4 x 500GB) | Buy at Amazon.com |
|---|---|
| Netgear ReadyNAS 2100 RNRX4410 (4 x 1TB) | Buy at Amazon.com |
| Netgear ReadyNAS 2100 RNRX4420 (4 x 2TB) | Buy at Amazon.com |
Related Rackmount Storage Products: