Freecom SilverStore Two-Drive NAS

Freecom, a Mitsubishi Kagaku Media company, launched the SilverStore 2-Drive NAS, a network storage center featuring two removable hard drives encased in a silver-colored enclosure.

The multi-configuration dual-drive design reliably stores up to 6TB of data from an entire home network in one central location and features the Gigabit and USB 3.0 host interface standard. The NAS drive makes it easy for multiple users to download large files, store and access documents, and sharing videos, music, photos and presentations.

Many people rely on hard drives to store all kinds of information, but if their drive crashes these important files can be lost. With the SilverStore 2-Drive NAS, users can protect their data from this danger by programming it so that one drive automatically makes an exact copy of the other.

The NAS can also be configured so that the two drives can be used as one single volume to maximize the amount of storage space on the network. Alternatively, the drives can be used for separate purposes – for example, they could be assigned to different family members so that data is kept segregated, or they could simply be used to store different types of files. Users can also organize and control access to their data by assigning individual usernames and passwords to ensure that their individual content remains secure

Furthermore, a secure private home cloud option enables users to access information remotely through their smartphones or tablets, even while they are out of the house. This functionality without additional end-user fees (i.e. subscriptions) is enabled by the free embedded Tonido Software on the SilverStore 2-Drive NAS.

"The growing popularity of smartphones and tablets is changing the way we access data," said Dennis Slagers, technical product manager HDD at Freecom. "For many people, who own mobile devices, it’s not enough to be able to access files from networked computers – they also want to share information with friends and family when they’re on the move. With the SilverStore 2-Drive NAS, we have made it as easy as possible for people to share files wherever they are by incorporating a private home cloud option into the functionality of the drive. Flexibility is a key driving factor behind the design of the drive. That’s why we’ve enabled users to set up a system that works best for them – whether it’s to safely backup important files or maximize the amount of storage capacity they have for photos, videos and music."

The SilverStore 2-Drive NAS connects to a network router or switch, and installation software makes it easy for any user to set up in minutes. The product is DLNA-compliant to allow for seamless video and audio streaming to playback devices such as the Xbox 360, PS3 and networked media players. Apple computers are supported by ‘Transmission backup’ and an included iTunes server. It also comes with a built-in FTP server and BitTorrent client so that users can download large multimedia files directly to the drives even while their computer switched off.

While this NAS drive features USB 3.0 technology on the front, which is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0, there is a second USB 2.0 port positioned at the back for extra storage devices. The unit contains a 1 GHz Marvell 6283 processor that runs with low power consumption.

Additional features of the drive include:

• Gigabit LAN, RAID and iSCSI technology
• One or two HDDs in RAID-0, RAID-1, Single DISK, JBOD
• Windows File Sharing (CIFS/Samba), Linux File Sharing (NFS) and Apple File Sharing (AFP & Time Machine) compatible

The units are available with 2, 3 or 6TB, MSRP being €289, €359 et €639 respectively.