Inexpensive NAS appliances: Worth it?

Iomega, Buffalo, SnapAppliance, etc. These are all manufacturers who make inexpensive 1-2 Terrabyte NAS appliances. Should you buy one?

As an IT professional, I have worked with some of these devices. Here's what to look for in them to determine if it will work in your environment:

1. Can you reboot it remotely? Some of these appliances do not let you restart them internally. Instead, you have to be physically at the device to power it off and on. This definitely makes for a problem in remotely supporting it.
2. Does it support CIFS, NFS, etc? Some of these appliances only support CIFS. Some also support NFS. You need to evaluate the protocols you intend to use in your environment to know if these devices will work for you.
3. Can you upgrade the Firmware? These appliances almost always have firmware updates. The issue is frequency and stability. Some of the manufacturers release seemingly untested firmware that simply doesn't perform or operate as expected.
4. Does it support RAID? Some of them support various levels of RAID. Check the device to find out if it supports what you need.
5. Does it have a Gigabit interface? Some of these devices only support 100Mbps or less networking. Check it closely to determine.
   

I have tried out both Buffalo and Iomega devices. These inexpensive devices, while the idea looks great on paper, are designed and built poorly. They have limitations and inherent firmware problems that make it a bad choice if you're trying to use it as a small office file server. Many of these devices are built using Linux under the hood. This means that to support CIFS, it has to use Samba. Samba is a tricky beast to configure. If the manufacturer doesn't configure it 100% correctly, it simply won't function properly. This means, your Windows shares may not work properly (or at all).

Of course, they do have lots of storage. What good is that if the devices don't perform well, are crash prone and have connectivity issues. So, be wary of choosing a NAS appliance solely on price. You might end up being sorry.

Vendors who produce quality appliances include SnapServer and Network Appliance. Both of these manufacturers have much higher prices, though. But the price you pay them is well worth the stability and features they offer. Shop around and compare, read the forums of the manufacturer before you buy. Look for reviews in places like PC Magazine or other trade and industry publications. It could save you a lot of headaches.