Iomega ix4-200d Doubles Storage Capacity, Triples Performance and Adds Replication; Not Just another SMB NAS Device
It was only back in February that Iomega with great fanfare released its StorCenter Pro ix4-100 targeted at the SMB market. Now, only 6 months later, Iomega announces an updated version of the ix4-100 appropriately named the StorCenter™ ix4-200d. The ix4-200d doubles the storage capacity and triples the processing power of the ix4-100d but it is the addition of replication to its EMC LifeLine software that really makes the ix4-200d stand out from its competitors.
The Hardware Basics of the Iomega ix4-200d
The four-drive ix4-200d (the 'd' on the ix4-200d stands for 'desktop') is a souped up version of the ix4-100 that supports up to 50 users and represents an increase of 25 users over the current ix4-100. To accommodate these additional users, the ix4-200d boasts both a faster processor and dual Ethernet ports.
The storage capacity of the new ix4-200d represents a two-fold increase over the ix4-100 (8 TBs versus 4 TBs) while its CPU is now 1.2 Ghz versus the 400 Mhz CPU found on the ix4-100. This should help the ix4-200d better respond to the workloads and additional storage requirements created by these additional users. The list price for each capacity is $699 (2 TB), $899 (4 TB) and $1,899 (8 TB), respectively.
Its dual Ethernet ports are a nice new touch as they can be configured together to provide high availability and fault tolerance. Each network interface can also be put on a separate network which allows SMBs to place the device in a DMZ (demilitarized zone) where one port is exposed to the Internet for remote access and the other is only used for internal file sharing.
This setup is great for those SMBs who have folks on the road that need to gain access to files back in the office. They can do this securely as file transfers are encrypted using the same RSA-based encryption technology found in current StorCenter NAS products.
For those individuals in the office that are responsible for managing the ix4-200d, the ix4-200d now includes an LCD screen on the front of the device. The LCD display provides instant status updates of the unit's total available storage capacity as well as statistics of its current network performance.
The lone downside I saw on the new ix4-200d was that it kept the 512 MB of RAM found on the current ix4-100. In speaking to Iomega about this, they said it was a design decision to help keep ix4-200d's costs down. My only concern was that it could negatively impact those environments that have a lot of users concurrently reading and writing files to the ix4-200d.
Replication - An Awesome New Feature for an Affordable SMB NAS
Iomega has, over the last year, added iSCSI block-level storage support to its StorCenter family of NAS appliances but the awesome new feature that it adds in this release is replication which comes at no additional cost. This is a huge new feature for SMBs that need the ability to store mission critical data at an off-site location that is now built into the EMC LifeLine OS.
Using only a few clicks of your mouse, an SMB can quickly setup replication between its primary ix4-200d and another ix4-200d or to an externally attached USB drive. It even gives an SMB the option to copy data to another network target using rsync-powered replication. The idea of replicating data to an externally attached USB drive is not necessarily an earth-shattering advancement.However, for an SMB this can be a simple way of eliminating tape drives and cartridges and going to completely disk-based backups.
A simple push of the QuikTransfer button on the front of the ix4-200d enables backups to be performed on-demand to an attached USB drive. Once the "backup" is finished, the SMB can disconnect the USB drive and take it to an off-site location for safe keeping. This new feature nicely compliments the unlimited client license EMC Retrospect Express backup software that already comes with the ix4-200d.
Other Hidden Gems in the ix4-200d
You're probably thinking what else could be hidden in this little gem? Well, Iomega hasn't dropped any of the previous features that existed in the ix4-100. This includes Windows Active Directory support, print server and media server support (iTunes, bitTorrent), RAID options for data production redundancy, and folder quotas for handy capacity management.
If storage space does become a problem then the ix4-200d can be expanded by attaching up to 3 externally-attached USB drives. There are 2 USB ports available in the rear and 1 on the front of the unit. Further, it is one of the only dual NAS/iSCSI-based solutions that is VMware certified for ESX 3.5.
Iomega has been busy this past year and they are holding to their CEO's pledge made earlier this year of providing new feature upgrades every 6 months. The ix4-200d delivers many of the features that an SMB would want and even a little bit more than one might expect from a storage appliance at this price range. So, if you have been putting off on purchasing a NAS storage appliance or waiting for the right SMB NAS appliance for your business, the ix4-200d gives you some compelling reasons to act now.
The Hardware Basics of the Iomega ix4-200d
The four-drive ix4-200d (the 'd' on the ix4-200d stands for 'desktop') is a souped up version of the ix4-100 that supports up to 50 users and represents an increase of 25 users over the current ix4-100. To accommodate these additional users, the ix4-200d boasts both a faster processor and dual Ethernet ports.
The storage capacity of the new ix4-200d represents a two-fold increase over the ix4-100 (8 TBs versus 4 TBs) while its CPU is now 1.2 Ghz versus the 400 Mhz CPU found on the ix4-100. This should help the ix4-200d better respond to the workloads and additional storage requirements created by these additional users. The list price for each capacity is $699 (2 TB), $899 (4 TB) and $1,899 (8 TB), respectively.
Its dual Ethernet ports are a nice new touch as they can be configured together to provide high availability and fault tolerance. Each network interface can also be put on a separate network which allows SMBs to place the device in a DMZ (demilitarized zone) where one port is exposed to the Internet for remote access and the other is only used for internal file sharing.
This setup is great for those SMBs who have folks on the road that need to gain access to files back in the office. They can do this securely as file transfers are encrypted using the same RSA-based encryption technology found in current StorCenter NAS products.
For those individuals in the office that are responsible for managing the ix4-200d, the ix4-200d now includes an LCD screen on the front of the device. The LCD display provides instant status updates of the unit's total available storage capacity as well as statistics of its current network performance.
The lone downside I saw on the new ix4-200d was that it kept the 512 MB of RAM found on the current ix4-100. In speaking to Iomega about this, they said it was a design decision to help keep ix4-200d's costs down. My only concern was that it could negatively impact those environments that have a lot of users concurrently reading and writing files to the ix4-200d.
Replication - An Awesome New Feature for an Affordable SMB NAS
Iomega has, over the last year, added iSCSI block-level storage support to its StorCenter family of NAS appliances but the awesome new feature that it adds in this release is replication which comes at no additional cost. This is a huge new feature for SMBs that need the ability to store mission critical data at an off-site location that is now built into the EMC LifeLine OS.
Using only a few clicks of your mouse, an SMB can quickly setup replication between its primary ix4-200d and another ix4-200d or to an externally attached USB drive. It even gives an SMB the option to copy data to another network target using rsync-powered replication. The idea of replicating data to an externally attached USB drive is not necessarily an earth-shattering advancement.However, for an SMB this can be a simple way of eliminating tape drives and cartridges and going to completely disk-based backups.
A simple push of the QuikTransfer button on the front of the ix4-200d enables backups to be performed on-demand to an attached USB drive. Once the "backup" is finished, the SMB can disconnect the USB drive and take it to an off-site location for safe keeping. This new feature nicely compliments the unlimited client license EMC Retrospect Express backup software that already comes with the ix4-200d.
Other Hidden Gems in the ix4-200d
You're probably thinking what else could be hidden in this little gem? Well, Iomega hasn't dropped any of the previous features that existed in the ix4-100. This includes Windows Active Directory support, print server and media server support (iTunes, bitTorrent), RAID options for data production redundancy, and folder quotas for handy capacity management.
If storage space does become a problem then the ix4-200d can be expanded by attaching up to 3 externally-attached USB drives. There are 2 USB ports available in the rear and 1 on the front of the unit. Further, it is one of the only dual NAS/iSCSI-based solutions that is VMware certified for ESX 3.5.
Iomega has been busy this past year and they are holding to their CEO's pledge made earlier this year of providing new feature upgrades every 6 months. The ix4-200d delivers many of the features that an SMB would want and even a little bit more than one might expect from a storage appliance at this price range. So, if you have been putting off on purchasing a NAS storage appliance or waiting for the right SMB NAS appliance for your business, the ix4-200d gives you some compelling reasons to act now.
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