Iomega's StorCenter ix2-200 Network Storage device is a harbinger of
things to come, as enterprise features continue to move down the data
storage food chain.
New in the ix2-200 is iSCSI support approved for use with VMware's
vSphere (and older) Virtual Infrastructure platforms, along with
Microsoft's Windows Server 2008 R2 with Hyper-V and Citrix XenServer
server virtualization products.
A recent Gartner report on server virtualization pointed to small
and branch offices as a growth area for server virtualization in 2010.
Organizations with no more than 25 users will likely find that the $700
StorCenter ix2-200 could fill the need for network shared storage in a
quiet-running, field-serviceable unit. The StorCenter ix2-200, which
started shipping on Oct. 8, comes in a 1TB, 2TB and 4TB model. I tested
the 4TB unit.
The ix2-200 comes with myriad features that make it suitable for
small-office use. Among the most important are device-to-device
replication (called Copy Jobs" in StorCenter parlance), iSCSI support
and Apple TimeMachine backup support.
In my tests, I found that the biggest drawback to the ix-200 is that
the administrative interface, which is entirely Web-based, is painfully
slow. I dreaded every configuration interaction needed to put my
ix2-200 into service. And, it's been a long time since I commented on
documentation, but the cumbersome and poorly prepared user
documentation is dreadful.
Advanced Features
The ix2-200, which measures 8 inches by 4 inches by 5 inches, is packed with enterprise-class firsts for the ix2 form-factor.
The two hard drives in the ix2-200 are field-serviceable, although
they are not hot-swappable. I powered down the unit and removed the
drives by easily removing the two screws per drive holding the sleds in
place.
A small fan helps with cooling, although the relatively
slow-spinning (5,900 RPM) drives and new, user-configurable idle-drive
spin-down control help ensure that the ix2-200 is cool, quiet and
energy-efficient. During my tests, the unit generally ran at about 100
degrees Fahrenheit and generated little more than a whisper of
sound.
The 4TB unit I added as an iSCSI target to the eWEEK Labs VMware
vSphere 4 test infrastructure was configured as RAID 1, thus yielding
an effective storage capacity of 2TB.
Configuring iSCSI on the ix2-200 was a simple procedure, and I was
able to integrate the iSCSI target into the storage associated with my
vSphere 4 environment. It's worth noting that both Iomega and VMware
are owned by EMC, which explains in part the appearance of these useful
enterprise-class features in an otherwise SOHO device.
Those who use Apple Mac hardware will appreciate the new support for Time Machine, Apple's backup utility.
The ix2-200 presents itself as an Apple discoverable device via Bon
Jour; this meant that, during tests, no Iomega software needed to be
installed on my MacBook Pro to use the ix2-200.
After connecting the ix2-200 to the network, I simply opened
Preferences and browsed to the preconfigured Time Machine folder on the
ix2-200. After using Time Machine, I added the ix2-200 to the eWEEK
Labs Microsoft Active Directory domain, which is not a supported
configuration. While the ix2-200 is inexpensive enough that mixed
Windows and Apple users could probably spring for a device per
department, it was disappointing to lose Time Machine support when I
joined the ix2-200 to the Windows Domain.
New to the ix2-200 is a front-accessible USB port and Quick Copy
button. I backed up a variety of USB drives by just connecting the
drive and hitting the button. Subsequent backups of the same device
copied only new or changed files. For power users with a fair number of
USB thumb drives and portable hard drives, the convenient,
no-muss-no-fuss Quick Copy will be a real time and data saver. I used
the ix2-200 to safely store information from my rather vast collection
of USB thumb drives in a central, easily managed central repository.
What's in the Box
The ix2-200 can also be a print server, and it has two rear-mounted USB ports that can be used to connect to additional storage.
Replication and copy job utilities can be managed from the
StorCenter Manager or accessed directly without the need for Iomega
management software. The ix2-200 also comes with an unlimited client
license for EMC Retrospect Express Backup software and a three-year
limited warranty.
Additional software and utilities support automatic uploading of
files from most digital cameras. In addition, a surveillance camera
utility enables the ix2-200 to store and manage video. (Cameras are not
included with the device.)
The applications and utilities included with the ix2-200 sweeten the
pot and make the network storage device a nice fit for a modest-size
organization with data storage and sharing needs.
Technical Director Cameron Sturdevant can be reached at csturdevant@eweek.com.
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