With such a strong feature set, it's unfortunate that this device's performance was underwhelming. The DataNAS LE couldn't outperform the InoStor ValuNAS 6000, even with almost twice the available bandwidth. CIFS testing was squarely in the back of the pack, and overall, this unit surpassed only the single-port FIA PopNetServer 1000, though it did do well on the NFS and NWC Custom tests.
The DataNAS LE comes with a one-year ship-in/ carry-in warranty. Warranty upgrades are available, as well as next-business-day on-site service for an additional fee. At a price of $3,340 (configured as tested), the disappointing performance won't necessarily be a barrier if you aren't concerned about the test results.
DataNAS LE. Excel Meridian Data, (800) 995-1014, (972) 980-7098. www.excelmeridiandata.com
The FIA POPnetserver 1000 is at the bottom of First Intelligent Array's POPnetserver NAS line in every way. This unit's size, form factor, speed and capacity all point to its small-business target market. It's the tiniest unit we received, both in size and capacity. It was the only non-rackmount unit, and it's so small that we'd put it in the "breadbox" category--it measures just 6.75 inches high, 7.5 inches wide and 10.5 inches deep.
The POPnetserver's hardware isn't anything to brag about, but at its price point, that doesn't matter much. It runs on a single 1.7-GHz Intel Celeron processor, with 256 MB of memory (compared with 512 MB for the other units tested) and only one 100-Mb Ethernet port. The unit can be fitted with an optional internal tape drive with a cartridge capacity of 66 MB compressed. The POPnetserver comes in three capacities: 120 GB, 240 GB and 360 GB. We tested a 240-GB model that employs two 120-GB IDE hard disks.
Setting up the POPnetserver 1000 was easy, and it required just a single illustrated installation sheet. FIA provides a CD with its POPassist and POPsearch utilities, which let you find the POPnetserver and set its IP address if you don't want to use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). Then you can manage the unit from any Web-based platform.
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