Network Storage Device

[JimmyBoy13]

Hi all

I am looking to buy a new network storage drive but I am not sure which one to get. I have listed my two favorites so far below. They are fairly similar but have a few differences. For example, the Maxtor looks to be easier to install but the NetDisk is much more secure. I just had a few questions before I pick one to buy. How important is it that the drive is secure? Are networked drives easy to hack into (I would have this plugged into a wireless network)? Does anyone have any experience with either one of these drives or if not do you have experience with a good drive that you would recommend? Thanks for your help.

NetDisk Portable 400GB External Hard Drive (NDU10-400)

Maxtor 320GB Shared Storage II (STM303204SSAB0G-RK)

 

[Nelviticus]

The Maxtor is a 'proper' Network-Attached Storage box (aka NAS) but it looks like the Ximeta NetDisk is actually a Direct Attached Storage box (aka DAS) with extra software that allows it to be shared over a network. Which type is best depends on what you want to use it for - DAS is quicker and more convenient if you want to back up files from one PC at a time and want portability, a NAS is usually slower (since transfers are limited to your network speed) but all PCs on your network can access it at the same time.

If I'm right about the Ximeta NetDisk then you'll only be able to access it when the PC it's attached to is turned on.

As for security, you should worry about the security of your network rather than of the devices attached to it. If other people can even see your NAS or DAS then your network security has been breached so wondering about how hackable the boxes are is not really relevant.

That said, many NAS boxes have things like built-in FTP and web servers which you can make visible to the outside world (these are usually turned off by default). If you're going to do that and you're worried about security you'll need to do a bit of research on the specific device you're interested in. I'd start with a Google search along the lines of 'hacking the <insert name here>'.

Regards

Nelviticus

 

[kmcferrin]

Here's a good review of the NetDisk:

http://reviews.cnet.com/external-hard-drives/ximeta-netdisk-portable-400gb/4505-3190_7-32017033.html

It looks like you can connect it to the network and then any PC on your network can read from it IF they have the special software installed. If you want them to be able to write to it then there is an additional "key" number that needs to be put into the software. I find this a very odd system, but apparently it is faster than other solutions.

Unfortunately, I have yet to see an explanation of how this works from a technical standpoint, so it's hard to say how vulnerable this device would be when connected to the network. Windows machines may not be able to see it directly, but it has to be advertising it's presence somehow, which means it could be accessible.

The notion that you need to install special software to access it is a huge turnoff too. I'm a firm believer that if you buy a USB or NAS storage device you shouldn't need any software to access it. Windows XP and later has USB Mass Storage drivers built in to cover USB connections. eSATA devices show up just like SATA hard disks. If a device can connect to the network and you can connect to the network then you shouldn't need anything else to make the two devices talk. That's the whole point of a network that uses standard protocols to begin with. All of that extra software that companies like you to install shouldn't be necessary at all. While it might provide some extra functionality, most people won't use that functionality and it ends up just being a drain on system resources (just like the crapware that comes with printers these days...all I want is a PCL or Postscript driver, not all that other crap).

 

[JimmyBoy13]

Thanks for the help guys. I think I will try to NetDisk out since it will be faster (I'll be sure to make sure I can return it if need be). I'll let you know how it goes a little bit later on. Thanks again for the help.