LaCie 5big Storage Server NAS Review
by Ganesh T S on November 8, 2010 9:26 PM EST- Posted in
- NAS
- LaCie
- 5big
- storage server
- Windows Storage Server
We took a look at the performance of the LaCie 5big storage server. It lives up to most of the marketing claims made by LaCie. The system is a good choice if it is going to be primarily used in a Windows / MAC environment. The issues with NFS performance prevent us from recommending it for Linux workgroups.
The unit can currently be purchased from Newegg for $1475. Is it worth the cost? As small business owners and IT support staff often say, the money is not for the product alone, but for the quality, warranty and after-sales support. Unfortunately, our review can't evaluate the last two two metrics except to note that the unit we received has remained up and running without issues for the last four weeks.
The price is much higher than the previous generation model, but this can be explained by the added cost of the Windows Storage Server 2008 license, and the improved performance. This OS brings along with it a multitude of features (which we didn't get an opportunity to test out) such as Active Directory support, MS Bitlocker encryption and DFS (Distributed File Systems, making it ideal for branch offices). The unit also provides an eSATA extension port for attaching further storage. The USB ports can be used for attaching keyboards / mice and also for attaching additional storage.
With transfer rates of almost 90 MB/s, the 5big Storage Server is quite an effective NAS. LaCie seems to have built upon their experience in this space by taking care of all the shortcomings of their previous generation product. In the professional storage appliance space, there are factors beyond the actual performance which decide the success of the unit. That said, the LaCie 5big storage server has a solid foundation to build its reputation upon.
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DanNeely - Monday, November 8, 2010 - link
On the server management screenshot on page 2, what is the 31MB disk5? Did someone go digging through the junk drawer for the smallest USB drive they could find, or is it something else?ganeshts - Monday, November 8, 2010 - link
That is the USB drive I use to quickly transfer files from one review unit to the other (considering that this setup was isolated from the rest of our network) :)mcnabney - Monday, November 8, 2010 - link
$1475 for an available 3.5TB ~ $2.37/GB which is about how much SSDs cost for storage.Other options for the same money -
$100 WHS or Vail
$100 nice case
$75 nice PS
$25 1 GB RAM
$75 nice mATX MB with lots of SATA ports
$25 optical drive
$50 expansion cards for extra SATA ports
$25 fans and extra cables
$1000 - Ten 2TB drives
____________________
$1475 total
So at the very least TRIPLE the storage (if everything is duplicated) and superior access times when using my option.
ganeshts - Monday, November 8, 2010 - link
If I personally want 18 TB of storage, I would definitely go with your configuration :) However, the professional storage appliance market is different. People are ready to pay as long as the seller guarantees uptime of the storage. At my workplace (not AnandTech), vendors have turned up at 2 AM on a Sunday night to replace failed drives in our SAN. Of course, to get such response, one needs to purchase some extended maintenance options. However, these options aren't available unless one purchases the original unit from the company.That said, LaCie has had a history of catering to the Apple market. So, you know that the likely customers would be graphics design firm which are heavily Apple oriented. (And Apple customers are those who don't mind spending a premium) -- At least, this is my opinion (not what LaCie told me)
mcnabney - Monday, November 8, 2010 - link
What you are saying makes a lot of sense, but this isn't a big service oriented server vendor like HP or Dell. I checked out LaCie and the box comes with a 1 year parts and service warranty. For an extra $150 you can stretch that out to two years.There is no on-site repair option available. If something goes wrong you check the faq online and then call tech support. Support will go through the usual list (is it plugged in, did you turn it on....) before issuing you a RMA number. There is absolutely no guarantee of uptime or anything close to policies designed to keep the data available at all times. I don't know about you, but once that box is populated it is never going back to a service center for 'warranty work'.
A product like this is going to require someone in the office to be able to setup and troubleshoot a NAS-like product or the IT support vendor that has been used in the past will need to understand it. I just don't see the LaCie brand to do much more than I would expect of NewEgg. For me, I build my own because I support my own. I get the best price and exactly what I want/need. Since we are talking about critical data here I think that only Dell/HP types can really offer one-stop shopping with guaranteed on-site service. Also, don't forget that there is nothing in this box that could even remotely be considered to be server-grade - starting with the footwarmer power supply.
ganeshts - Monday, November 8, 2010 - link
I believe LaCie has some sort of on-site maintenance plan too. This is mainly targeted towards people who don't have full time IT staff or lack the technical know-how to build and maintain one themselves.LaCie also has a Pro line (12-rack NAS server) which fits the 'server' grade criteria.
All said, I personally don't think the unit is worth that much money, but there are probably features in Windows Storage Server (available only to OEMs) which some small / medium business owners may be willing to pay for.
mcnabney - Tuesday, November 9, 2010 - link
I found something comparable to it. It costs $25 more and is also made of the same grade of consumer parts.http://www.bigbruin.com/content/seagatenas440_1
It also provides 12TB of storage and includes the footwarmer power supply.
Also, what is it about these consumer-grade NAS appliances and pokey network speed? I assume it is related to the RAID functionality. Every WHS box I have assembled can saturate gigE with large files and runs at over 60MB/s when backing up (which includes lots of small files).
ira176 - Monday, November 8, 2010 - link
Just change the blue to red....Kaurin - Monday, November 8, 2010 - link
If AnandTech did a comparison of this type of commercial solution VS FreeNAS. (Preferably using same hard drives as in the LaCie tested).ganeshts - Monday, November 8, 2010 - link
Will keep this in mind for a future review.