Francis Chu

IT managers looking for flexible and inexpensive NAS products should consider the NetDevice NAS from Novell Inc. NetDevice NAS, part of a new breed of software-based network-attached storage systems for the midrange storage market, makes it easy to convert almost any hardware platform into a storage appliance. Not only can IT managers choose the computer […]

Sites that seek a quick, easy way to add file storage to their networks should look at Quantums latest Snap Server 2200 NAS appliance, which offers up to 160GB of storage with RAID support. Built by Quantums subsidiary, Snap Appliances, the 2200 is priced at $1,499, or approximately $10 per gigabyte—not a bad investment for […]

When I first wrote about the LTO format—developed jointly last year by Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Seagate—I was impressed with the Linear Tape Open Ultrium specifications but was skeptical about LTOs ability to penetrate the tape backup market because Quantums DLT was the standard tape media at the time. However, the consortium recently announced shipment of […]

UVNetworks Inc.s WebBox 1000 Internet server appliance combines ease of use with the Solaris platform to provide Internet service providers and small companies an inexpensive way to securely host Web sites. However, the WebBox 1000s performance wasnt quite up to par with competing Intel Corp.-based appliances in eWeek Labs tests. The WebBox 1000 is the […]

Lancope Inc.s StealthWatch G1 intrusion-detection appliance taps Linux-based software to monitor data traffic, detecting both known and unknown threats to IP networks. This easy-to-use tool was simple to set up in eWeek Labs tests, allowing us to quickly get to work stopping malicious hackers and new virus strings in their tracks while also preventing misuse […]

For those who believe bigger is better—and biggest is best—Maxtor shattered the storage capacity barrier in the hard drive market last month by releasing a 160GB hard drive. The biggest drive in Maxtors DiamondMax D540X series, this 3.5-inch behemoth runs at 5,400 rpm, a little slower than the 7,400-rpm, 80GB D740X, but both drives support […]

I had to look for a replacement for the aging Pentium II processor in my PC, so I began to do some research on the latest chip offerings from Intel and AMD. I found that it is becoming difficult for the average consumer to clearly see the differences among processors behind all that marketing smoke. […]

ClickArray Networks Inc.s Array 1000 appliance integrates several Web traffic acceleration components into one device saving smaller companies money as well as simplifying network management. However, for sites where a one-box system isnt a good fit—such as those that cannot afford a single point of failure in their Web infrastructures—other types of content accelerators, such […]

Companies that want to get a handle on the front-end building blocks of their Web sites should look to ClickArray Networks Inc.s Array 1000, an integrated Web service device that can save money and IT resources by consolidating hardware into a single, easy-to-set-up and managed device. Array 1000 is the first appliance eWeek Labs has […]

Instead of buying new file servers, many small and midsize companies are turning to lower-cost NAS appliances to fulfill their storage needs. Until recently, however, this meant a trade-off: Most workgroup-class network-attached storage appliances cannot be scaled easily and lack the redundancy found in file servers. Now, a pair of NAS products—Dell Computer Corp.s PowerVault […]

When it comes to archiving files in Windows, most users are probably more familiar with WinZip or PowerArchiver, but PKWares PKZip 4.5 has more features for advanced users. Whats more, the PKZip file manager interface is simple to use, with customizable icons in the tool bar. In tests, the archive window listed the files in […]

Large level 2 caches are usually seen on processors used in powerful back-end servers, such as Intels Xeon chips, but Intel recently increased the L2 cache size on its Pentium III server processors. Designed for rack-optimized, one-way and two-way servers hosting front-end Web applications in server farms and data centers, the 1.26GHz PIII server processor […]