Product ReviewsRemovable Storage
Buffalo's LinkStation Pro Duo is a 1TB Network Attached Storage (Nas) box which hooks up to your network using Gigabit Ethernet and can be configured as Raid 0 to maximise performance, or Raid 1 to provide a mirrored backup of your data. It has a USB port, to which extra storage drives can be connected and accessed over the network. In contrast with some of its competitors it ships with support for Mac OS X's Bonjour automatic recognition feature. Also, like Thecus' N299, it has a web-access feature built in, allowing you to upload and download files using a web browser from any Internet-connected computer. In addition there's an FTP server, providing flexibility if you or a client prefer to transfer files, using CyberDuck, Fetch or Transmit. But unlike the N299 it doesn't have a UPnP or iTunes server. Those features are reserved for Buffalo's pricier Live which isn't Mac compatible. Despite housing two 500GB drives and an internal power supply with heatsink and fan, the LinkStation Pro Duo is very compact. And while, like all Nas boxes, you may prefer to keep it shut away in a cupboard, it won't take up too much space on a desk nor look horribly out of place. Setting up the Pro Duo is remarkably easy thanks largely to the included CD and printed manual. The CD includes a Mac-specific set-up utility and by
The drives are configured as Raid 0 by default and there's one read-only and one writable share already in place. By connecting as a guest you could use the Pro Duo in this configuration as a regular networked-volume and never have to concern yourself with getting your hands dirty in the drive's configuration settings. It's more likely though that you'll want to set-up users and groups, access privileges and shared folders, and maybe change the unit from a Raid 0 to Raid 1 device. All these tasks are performed from a web browser by typing the IP address of the Pro Duo into the browser's address bar, which is where that text document with the settings details comes in handy. The interface for the configuration pages is reasonably friendly but you'll need to read the manual to make sure you click the right boxes to set things up the way you want. We encountered one or two hiccups, such as missing help files and shared folders that appeared in the Finder but to which we couldn't connect. However, we were able to resolve all the issues we came across with the help of the manual and a little patience. The Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo isn't an all-singing, all-dancing home network storage solution. The lack of a UPnP server means that it isn't suitable as a place to house your movies and music if you want to access them from standalone media streaming devices. On the other hand if all you want is a place to house files and folders in order to access them from different machines on your network or over the Internet, the LinkStation Pro Duo is good value and easy to use, and will fit the bill nicely. By Kenny Hemphill
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