All in cube
I have repeatedly raised the topic of home network drives - it’s good if I helped someone figure out. And for those who are still tormented by the agony of choice, today I will talk about another good option - NETGEAR Stora .
The first time I found out about this device more than a year ago was that after the announcement of a drive to some of the exhibitions, I ran over an obscure note. The only thing that was deposited in memory then was the appearance of the device - whatever one may say, but you will not confuse a cube with anything) And for some reason it has remained in memory that this cube is just huge - the cause was once the cause photos in perspective without anything for size comparison. In general, the closest association to be born is an office safe.
But recently I happened to use this device live. Well ... in fact, this is really a cube, but in size it is very, very far from the safe - at best, it is a small safe.
')
In the configuration, everything is standard - the device itself, the adapter and the power cord, as well as the meter patchcord, a CD with software and a little bit of paper.
The “skin” is made entirely of plastic, but under it, for structural rigidity, there is a strong metal frame. Speaking of the "skin" - it is not clear what the engineers were guided by when they created the drive case. I mean its glossy walls - one front and two side, they are actually mirrored, though not very easily soiled ...
In my opinion, in this case, the glamor is absolutely not justified by anything - even the fact that the device is stationary and is practically not intended for active pulling away with unwashed hands. And this is all despite the fact that the other walls of the case are matte.
Here, for example, the top "cover", or rather everything that is left of it (it contains as many as 456 holes for ventilation of the discs; recount, perhaps I lost my account somewhere). Below it is a noiseless 60mm cooler with automatic regulation of the rotation speed, which was pleasantly surprised.
Below - a couple of rubber feet on special ledges - thanks to the resulting grooves, the device is easy to carry. There is also a sticker with a unique serial number on the bottom and many more vents - through them air is drawn in, blows the discs and is brought up.
Returning to the front - in addition to the device name, power indicators and two disks, there is a USB port to which you can connect something like a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, or a printer. With light effort, the entire front panel is removed, after which both disks become visible. More precisely, in my case, the disc was one - on 1TB ( Seagate Barracuda LP ). In principle, inside is quite spacious - the third disk would easily fit in ... but once or twice, then two - thanks to this space, it is easy enough to arrange a good cooling. It is also possible to assess the strength of the structure - the entire body consists of metal walls and L-shaped profiles with a thickness of 1 mm.
On the back side of the device there are two plastic levers that allow you to pull out the discs - pull it gently and the disc leaves the front side. Such a mechanism allowed us to get rid of rack cassettes, which were, for example, in the drive NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo . In this case, the disks in this case are removed and inserted back without problems - click and that's it.
Also at the back is a gigabit RJ-45 port, a power and reset button, as well as a power connector (from the adapter). Some kind of green controller can be seen inside, but as I didn’t see a flashlight inside, I didn’t see any inscription) Of course, they are not on the other side of the board. The drive works on the Marvell 88F6281 ARM processor with a clock frequency of 1 GHz, the amount of RAM / flash memory is 128 / 256MB, respectively.
In general ... in reality, the “safe” turned out to be very compact (175x150x146 mm with a weight of 2 kg), easily fit on the desktop - a practically silent cooler only contributed to this. And everything would be fine, but here is the glossy case ... IMHO, an amateur.
I connect the adapter and stick the power cord.
The device is turned on by a button on the rear panel - for me personally, this arrangement of functionally important buttons is now a plus, since the child does not see them and, accordingly, does not make any surprises) After switching on, by and large, only the disk itself is heard (or two, if you put the second one) - the noise level from the cooler is very comfortable. The indicators are not very bright, although they will be noticeable in the dark.
Start and initialization pass quickly enough. After inserting the disc from the box into the drive, I launched the installer. At the very beginning, the softphone asks you to enter the serial number (which is written on the bottom of the device) and the desired device name.
If there are no problems with registration (and it, by the way, passes through the Internet), then the installer offers to enter data for an administrator account. Then check for software updates and ... and, in fact, everything - you can start working. Now, by the way, if you wish, you can go to your drive from almost any place where there is a connection - to do this, go to% storaname% .mystora.com. Readers of my twitter had the opportunity to mock in a test mode - they poured naked aunts until one of them changed the password for the account.
After the computer restarts, a new icon appears in the tray - the Stora Agent program; It is also responsible for the three network drives (X, Y, Z), which are automatically mounted at system startup.
All of them are equal in size - 930GB, from which we can conclude ... that's right - the “MyComputer” disk will be your personal file storage, “FamilyLibrary” - the “family” disk for files of wife-mother-son-daughter, and “MyLibrary” - apparently under own media files. Accordingly, only the “family” folder is public, and all the others are personal to each account. Not the most obvious logical structure (as well as the method of connecting to the system is also very controversial), but this is only a “home” drive - you don’t have to mess around with mounting the name in DDNS. In addition to network drives, you can connect via FTP.
When you click on the same tray icon, a menu appears - if you click LogOut, then the disks from the system will turn off. If the administrator has created other accounts, you can switch to them from the menu.
The item “Explore My Stora Folders” allows you to view a list of storage resources, and “Open Desktop Mirror” launches a simple (intuitive) program for backing up files from a computer. If you use this tool, then all files will be copied to the drive in the folder “My Computer”.
"Open Stora application" opens the web interface of the device, which was previously available when accessing via a browser by name or IP.
So, the main page of the drive in the browser. Slightly gloomy ... a little later it turns out that it was made entirely on a flash. Before us are three large buttons - Albums, My Library and Preferences. I will not describe everything in detail, only briefly.
Albums - in case you come from the sea and drop numerous pictures into the created virtual structure (the file on the server can be one, but the photo itself can be in different albums) - the name, description, background, access settings, etc. are set . After that, you can watch it (slide show and everything), you can share a link to it with friends from anywhere in the world - in general, this is really such an album, no more, no less.
In My Library, all the other files - in fact, there is implemented a primitive file manager that allows you to manipulate downloaded files. Delete-move, file properties, search, different display methods, media filter, folder tree, etc. - everything is.
Additionally, you can watch photos, play music and some videos (full list - jpeg, png, gif, mp3, mov, mp4, flv; iTunes from the FamilyMusic folder will easily play mp3, aac, m4a and wav).
The remaining Preferences item contains ... do not believe ...) In general, again, only a couple of screenshots, since almost everything is obvious.
Having access to the admin panel, you can remotely turn on / off the device (including on a schedule), create-edit accounts, manage backups. For about $ 20 a year, you can get a Premium-service from MyStora, which will give you a bit more advanced functionality - SFTP, integration with a couple of services like Facebook and Flickr, something even there ).
It is a pity, but even after updating all the firmware and software, the Russian language did not appear anywhere. In July, the manufacturer promises a new version of the firmware, but for now nothing remains but to wait.
As for speed performance - for the test, I used Intel NAS Performance Tool 1.7.1, the results are as follows:
The average return of 20-30Mb / s is very healthy, at least against the background of many other entry-level devices. And the drive can not only dump all the necessary and unnecessary files - through DLNA it will completely go for the device from which you can directly watch movies, the benefit of even the wildest Blu-ray images have a stream of up to 50 Mbit / s.
I didn’t have a second hard disk for the RAID array, but you can find data on high-speed measurements on the Internet. In short - the speed becomes about 10% lower, because RAID-1 is organized by software. In the new version of the firmware of the two disks you can also make a JBOD array.
Very unusual and attractive appearance;
Reliable design, pre-installed silent cooler
Sufficient performance for most household tasks;
Easy installation, access from Internet without unnecessary settings;
TimeMachine compatibility;
Low cost;
Glossy surface;
Unobvious first time folder structure;
To get started, you need an internet connection (?);
Non-localized shell.
In other reviews it is said that the device has problems with Cyrillic file names - perhaps this problem was on old firmware, but I have never encountered such a thing all the time. It could be attributed to the minuses and the software implementation of the array ... but I rummaged so ... and did not find a device of this level with a hardware solution.
The price for a “safe” without disks is 4-5 thousand rubles, and already for 7-8 you can buy a version with a 1TB disk. This pricing is quite interesting - for with this money you get a fully ready to use device, so to speak, out of the box.
There was already one network drive from this company and I wrote about it - it was a great, but fairly expensive ReadyNAS Duo . Therefore, as far as I understood, Stora was released only with the aim to occupy a segment of the market of cheaper devices, so that it is straight to every home. On the package there is an inscription “Home Media Network Storage” - perhaps there is no more appropriate definition. Indeed, the drive, really with the most domestic (even, perhaps, family) sight, is really able to perform certain multimedia functions, as indicated by the inscriptions DLNA, UPnP AV and Windows Media Connect on the same box.
NETGEAR is not the first day on the network market and they have experience in creating various devices with RJ-45 holes) The Stora drive is no exception - everything works like a clock, everything is fine ... but, I repeat, absolutely no frills and extravagances - only for people who need to store information somewhere, but I don’t want to bother with the settings. For a home or for small businesses, this is a really good choice (including for the price) —wired up the wires and now a new drive has appeared in the system.
More advanced users (which, I hope, the majority of Habrazhiteli are) this device is suitable only for simple file storage, for everything else (torrents, messing around with third-party software, more thorough configuration and everything else) all devices of another class will be required. Well, or some handmade solutions;)
Successes!
The first time I found out about this device more than a year ago was that after the announcement of a drive to some of the exhibitions, I ran over an obscure note. The only thing that was deposited in memory then was the appearance of the device - whatever one may say, but you will not confuse a cube with anything) And for some reason it has remained in memory that this cube is just huge - the cause was once the cause photos in perspective without anything for size comparison. In general, the closest association to be born is an office safe.
But recently I happened to use this device live. Well ... in fact, this is really a cube, but in size it is very, very far from the safe - at best, it is a small safe.
')
In the configuration, everything is standard - the device itself, the adapter and the power cord, as well as the meter patchcord, a CD with software and a little bit of paper.
Appearance
The “skin” is made entirely of plastic, but under it, for structural rigidity, there is a strong metal frame. Speaking of the "skin" - it is not clear what the engineers were guided by when they created the drive case. I mean its glossy walls - one front and two side, they are actually mirrored, though not very easily soiled ...
In my opinion, in this case, the glamor is absolutely not justified by anything - even the fact that the device is stationary and is practically not intended for active pulling away with unwashed hands. And this is all despite the fact that the other walls of the case are matte.
Here, for example, the top "cover", or rather everything that is left of it (it contains as many as 456 holes for ventilation of the discs; recount, perhaps I lost my account somewhere). Below it is a noiseless 60mm cooler with automatic regulation of the rotation speed, which was pleasantly surprised.
Below - a couple of rubber feet on special ledges - thanks to the resulting grooves, the device is easy to carry. There is also a sticker with a unique serial number on the bottom and many more vents - through them air is drawn in, blows the discs and is brought up.
Returning to the front - in addition to the device name, power indicators and two disks, there is a USB port to which you can connect something like a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, or a printer. With light effort, the entire front panel is removed, after which both disks become visible. More precisely, in my case, the disc was one - on 1TB ( Seagate Barracuda LP ). In principle, inside is quite spacious - the third disk would easily fit in ... but once or twice, then two - thanks to this space, it is easy enough to arrange a good cooling. It is also possible to assess the strength of the structure - the entire body consists of metal walls and L-shaped profiles with a thickness of 1 mm.
On the back side of the device there are two plastic levers that allow you to pull out the discs - pull it gently and the disc leaves the front side. Such a mechanism allowed us to get rid of rack cassettes, which were, for example, in the drive NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo . In this case, the disks in this case are removed and inserted back without problems - click and that's it.
Also at the back is a gigabit RJ-45 port, a power and reset button, as well as a power connector (from the adapter). Some kind of green controller can be seen inside, but as I didn’t see a flashlight inside, I didn’t see any inscription) Of course, they are not on the other side of the board. The drive works on the Marvell 88F6281 ARM processor with a clock frequency of 1 GHz, the amount of RAM / flash memory is 128 / 256MB, respectively.
In general ... in reality, the “safe” turned out to be very compact (175x150x146 mm with a weight of 2 kg), easily fit on the desktop - a practically silent cooler only contributed to this. And everything would be fine, but here is the glossy case ... IMHO, an amateur.
I connect the adapter and stick the power cord.
Turn on and work
The device is turned on by a button on the rear panel - for me personally, this arrangement of functionally important buttons is now a plus, since the child does not see them and, accordingly, does not make any surprises) After switching on, by and large, only the disk itself is heard (or two, if you put the second one) - the noise level from the cooler is very comfortable. The indicators are not very bright, although they will be noticeable in the dark.
Start and initialization pass quickly enough. After inserting the disc from the box into the drive, I launched the installer. At the very beginning, the softphone asks you to enter the serial number (which is written on the bottom of the device) and the desired device name.
If there are no problems with registration (and it, by the way, passes through the Internet), then the installer offers to enter data for an administrator account. Then check for software updates and ... and, in fact, everything - you can start working. Now, by the way, if you wish, you can go to your drive from almost any place where there is a connection - to do this, go to% storaname% .mystora.com. Readers of my twitter had the opportunity to mock in a test mode - they poured naked aunts until one of them changed the password for the account.
After the computer restarts, a new icon appears in the tray - the Stora Agent program; It is also responsible for the three network drives (X, Y, Z), which are automatically mounted at system startup.
All of them are equal in size - 930GB, from which we can conclude ... that's right - the “MyComputer” disk will be your personal file storage, “FamilyLibrary” - the “family” disk for files of wife-mother-son-daughter, and “MyLibrary” - apparently under own media files. Accordingly, only the “family” folder is public, and all the others are personal to each account. Not the most obvious logical structure (as well as the method of connecting to the system is also very controversial), but this is only a “home” drive - you don’t have to mess around with mounting the name in DDNS. In addition to network drives, you can connect via FTP.
When you click on the same tray icon, a menu appears - if you click LogOut, then the disks from the system will turn off. If the administrator has created other accounts, you can switch to them from the menu.
The item “Explore My Stora Folders” allows you to view a list of storage resources, and “Open Desktop Mirror” launches a simple (intuitive) program for backing up files from a computer. If you use this tool, then all files will be copied to the drive in the folder “My Computer”.
"Open Stora application" opens the web interface of the device, which was previously available when accessing via a browser by name or IP.
So, the main page of the drive in the browser. Slightly gloomy ... a little later it turns out that it was made entirely on a flash. Before us are three large buttons - Albums, My Library and Preferences. I will not describe everything in detail, only briefly.
Albums - in case you come from the sea and drop numerous pictures into the created virtual structure (the file on the server can be one, but the photo itself can be in different albums) - the name, description, background, access settings, etc. are set . After that, you can watch it (slide show and everything), you can share a link to it with friends from anywhere in the world - in general, this is really such an album, no more, no less.
In My Library, all the other files - in fact, there is implemented a primitive file manager that allows you to manipulate downloaded files. Delete-move, file properties, search, different display methods, media filter, folder tree, etc. - everything is.
Additionally, you can watch photos, play music and some videos (full list - jpeg, png, gif, mp3, mov, mp4, flv; iTunes from the FamilyMusic folder will easily play mp3, aac, m4a and wav).
The remaining Preferences item contains ... do not believe ...) In general, again, only a couple of screenshots, since almost everything is obvious.
Having access to the admin panel, you can remotely turn on / off the device (including on a schedule), create-edit accounts, manage backups. For about $ 20 a year, you can get a Premium-service from MyStora, which will give you a bit more advanced functionality - SFTP, integration with a couple of services like Facebook and Flickr, something even there ).
It is a pity, but even after updating all the firmware and software, the Russian language did not appear anywhere. In July, the manufacturer promises a new version of the firmware, but for now nothing remains but to wait.
As for speed performance - for the test, I used Intel NAS Performance Tool 1.7.1, the results are as follows:
The average return of 20-30Mb / s is very healthy, at least against the background of many other entry-level devices. And the drive can not only dump all the necessary and unnecessary files - through DLNA it will completely go for the device from which you can directly watch movies, the benefit of even the wildest Blu-ray images have a stream of up to 50 Mbit / s.
I didn’t have a second hard disk for the RAID array, but you can find data on high-speed measurements on the Internet. In short - the speed becomes about 10% lower, because RAID-1 is organized by software. In the new version of the firmware of the two disks you can also make a JBOD array.
Advantages and disadvantages
Very unusual and attractive appearance; Reliable design, pre-installed silent cooler Sufficient performance for most household tasks; Easy installation, access from Internet without unnecessary settings; TimeMachine compatibility; Low cost; Glossy surface; Unobvious first time folder structure; To get started, you need an internet connection (?); Non-localized shell.In other reviews it is said that the device has problems with Cyrillic file names - perhaps this problem was on old firmware, but I have never encountered such a thing all the time. It could be attributed to the minuses and the software implementation of the array ... but I rummaged so ... and did not find a device of this level with a hardware solution.
The price for a “safe” without disks is 4-5 thousand rubles, and already for 7-8 you can buy a version with a 1TB disk. This pricing is quite interesting - for with this money you get a fully ready to use device, so to speak, out of the box.
findings
There was already one network drive from this company and I wrote about it - it was a great, but fairly expensive ReadyNAS Duo . Therefore, as far as I understood, Stora was released only with the aim to occupy a segment of the market of cheaper devices, so that it is straight to every home. On the package there is an inscription “Home Media Network Storage” - perhaps there is no more appropriate definition. Indeed, the drive, really with the most domestic (even, perhaps, family) sight, is really able to perform certain multimedia functions, as indicated by the inscriptions DLNA, UPnP AV and Windows Media Connect on the same box.
NETGEAR is not the first day on the network market and they have experience in creating various devices with RJ-45 holes) The Stora drive is no exception - everything works like a clock, everything is fine ... but, I repeat, absolutely no frills and extravagances - only for people who need to store information somewhere, but I don’t want to bother with the settings. For a home or for small businesses, this is a really good choice (including for the price) —wired up the wires and now a new drive has appeared in the system.
More advanced users (which, I hope, the majority of Habrazhiteli are) this device is suitable only for simple file storage, for everything else (torrents, messing around with third-party software, more thorough configuration and everything else) all devices of another class will be required. Well, or some handmade solutions;)
Successes!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/95200/
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