Drobo: An Alternative Approach to NAS
Network sled: The Droboshare turns Data Robotics' Drobo direct-attached drive into a network-shared drive.Photograph: Marc SimonTechnically, Data Robotics' Drobo falls outside the scope of what we consider a NAS device--namely, an integrated box with at least one hard disk and an ethernet connection so you can share the device on a network.
Nevertheless, the Drobo deserves mention. Priced at $500, this USB direct-attached storage appliance provides a four-bay enclosure for adding your own drives to the unit. The Drobo uses data virtualization in lieu of RAID to provide data redundancy over multiple drives, as well as to monitor drives for disk failure.
Rather than release a dedicated NAS, Data Robotics came up with the DroboShare. This $200 add-on lets you link up to two Drobo units to your network (Linux support is still in beta). The Drobo's simple dashboard software automates the network configuration process. Since it's not a native NAS device, you don't get features like FTP, Web server, print server, or even Web-based drive management. But you can unplug the Drobo from your network.
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