Cisco-Linksys Storage Link for USB 2.0 Disk Drives NSLU2
by Linksys
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cisco-Linksys Storage Link for USB 2.0 Disk Drives NSLU2
Customer Review: Great low power backup NAS drive for running 24x7
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this unit to run as a backup NAS drive and it is perfectly suitable for this purpose, especially since I keep it running 24x7 (it uses very little power).
I have this currently attached to a 320GB WD drive (in a Rosewill RX353-S enclosure) and have been using it for a few days now. The speed is more than sufficient for my use - especially since the backups are run at night.
Note that the drive is formatted as EXT3 - this gives the best performance compared to others. Also, I find that there are a few "windows drivers" available that can read EXT3 drives - which is great in case the NLSU2 fails, I will still have access to the files from Windows. (much better than NAS drives based on ReiserFS - did not any good Windows drivers for those).(There is always the LiveCD approach to recovery in any case).
Here are some metrics for those who are interested.
Power Consumption (based on actual measurements using P3):
NSLU2 + 320GB External Drive = 13W (or 9.522kWh monthly), about $1.58 per month in electricity.
A barebones AMD Sempron based file server = 76W (or 55.384kWh monthly), about $9.20 per month in electricity costs.
(Electricity costs includes generation, transmission and applicable fees and taxes)
Transfer Speed:
I did a simple test transfering a 4571MB iso file and recorded the time it took (all within the same local 100Mbs network).
1) PC to another PC - 8 mins (34.38GB/hr)
2) PC to a laptop via wireless-G - 34 mins (8.84GB/hr)
3) PC to NLSU2 - 20 mins (13.7GB/hr)
4) PC to *turbo* NLSU2 - 17 mins (16.13GB/hr)
Note *turbo* in (4) indicates the results after I modified the hardware (removed resistor) to increase clock speed (voids warrantee). Also after I increased the clock speed, I noticed that the web browser interface loads much faster (very noticable compared to changes in transfer speeds).
I also tested accessing the files such as playback of MP3, DIVX (HD), MPEG2, WMD-HD (720 and 1080) and DVD iso files as well as viewing of photos etc. All worked fine.
The current setup is configured with firmware release 2.3 R63. This is the official latest firmware. The con is that this firmware has not been officially updated since 2005 although there are unofficial beta release floating around (i.e. R76).
Customer Review: Great Product, some minor gripes
Summary: 4 Stars
The NSLU2 does what it is supposed to. I had no problem with standard Western Digital IDE drives in generic USB 2.0 enclosure boxes plugged into the NSLU2. Security settings are very easy to use if you have experience with that sort of thing, but probably more difficult for those without such experience. Backup can be easily set to automatically happen every night if you have two drives (highly recommended). If your primary disk fails, you just swap in the second disk.
Some have commented on the transfer rate being slower than direct USB 2.0, but they're comparing apples to oranges. If you want to plug a USB drive into one PC, you don't want this product. Just plug the drive directly into the PC, duh! However, if you want to share data across a network of multiple PCs, without having to worry about which PC is turned on or has the disk plugged into it at any given time...the NSLU2 is a good solution. It is comparable in performance to setting aside a "server PC" that just serves files over the network...only it costs less, uses less energy, backs itself up easily, and is totally silent.
Now, some minor gripes that are relevant:
- The backup drive is not accessible at all unless you turn off backups. Read-only access to the backup drive would be very helpful for easily retrieving files that were accidentally deleted since the last backup, or just reassuring yourself that the backup files are actually there.
- The box keeps poor time, drifting over an hour in less than a week. Linksys says if you set the box to recycle periodically it will pick up the correct time...but that is a kluge.
- Use of the non-Windows (ext3) filesystem on the drives is a bit of a downer, since it would be nice to unplug a drive from the NSLU2 and plug it into a laptop when travelling. There are supposedly programs that will allow Windows to read ext3 disks, but I haven't tried them.
None of these gripes would keep me from buying the box again, and all should be fixible by Linksys with a firmware upgrade (though I don't expect the filesystem ever will be).
For the uber-geeks, check out the TomsHardware article "Hacking the NSLU2" for how to log in and directly access the Linux server running on this box, giving you the ability to tweak it to your satisfaction. Very cool!
Customer Review: Cheap, easy sharing/backup solution
Summary: 5 Stars
I got one of these, added a couple of 400Gig USB drives, plugged it in, and now backup for my home network is trivial, and always done! This is a great bargain for real peace of mind.
I have a home network with 6 computers attached. They are all used by family members, and none are left turned on 24/7. We had two problems, sharing files (like photos), and backup (which got done about monthly). This device, when used with appropriate software (I HIGHLY recommend SmartSync Pro, smsync.com) solves both problems with minimal hassle. Since this system is on 24/7, everyone can turn their own computer on or off and still have the shared files available.
You need a few basic computer skills to set this up, but not that many. I found getting the Storage Link and two 400Gig USB drives set up and plugged into the router very easy. It is down in the basement with the WiFi router. It even came with the Cat-5 cable. The 400Gigs is currently way more than enough for all the home computers, so I configured the NSLU2 to mirror the first 400Gig to the second. I've got triple backup capability.
It would even be a good idea to get a third 400Gig drive, and swap the two mirrored drives on some schedule to get offsite backup. With big drives getting cheaper all the time, this is an extremely affordable solution.
You do need some good backup software. I found SmartSync Pro very easy to set up and use. It can essentially mirror your computer's hard drive on a very flexible schedule, depending on how you use your own system. I have it perform the mirror backup 15 minutes after I start my computer. After the first time, it usually takes just a few minutes of background activity to complete. I don't backup up everything - not the Program Files, for example - but it is all up to you, and easy to set up.
Now there are faster network disk arrays, but this one is really cheap, reasonably fast, and reasonably simple to set up. I believe this is one of the cheapest and easiest solutions for file sharing and backup of a small home system. Do your self a favor, and set up a network drive!
Ok, now all I need is a system that can fetch MP3's direcly off this drive without needing a computer running and play them on my audio system
Customer Review: Everything you need to know about the NSLU2
Summary: 4 Stars
I've used the NSLU2 for about six months. If you buy this product, there are a couple of things you need to know.
First, when it works, it works well, and it is very useful to have a large drive accessible by all of the computers on your local network.
Second, it doesn't work well with every USB Drive. I have personally tested the Seagate 160GB drive, the Maxtor One Touch drive, and the Maxtor One Touch II drive.
With the Seagate 160GB drive, it will recognize the drive only once. If you ever reboot the NSLU2, it will not recognize the drive the second time and all of your data will be lost.
With the Maxtor One Touch drive, it will recognize the drive fine, but on large data transfers, the speed will slow to a crawl and eventually you'll get an error that says something to the effect of the network path not being found. Its very irritating.
With the Maxtor "One Touch II" drive (which I just bought), it seems to work great.
The moral of this story is that you should test your drive very thoroughly before you use this for storage of anything you don't mind losing. Set the drive up and reboot it several times to make sure that it continues to recognize the drive. Then, perform several copies of large amounts of data from and to the drive (copying all your mp3's and digital photographs over and over again will work) and make sure that it doesn't give you an error message. If all that works, you probably have a drive that works well.
Third, the device does format the drive with a proprietary linux based format, so you won't be able to disconnect the drive from the NSLU2 and hook it up to your computer to access your files.
Fourth, make sure you have the latest firmware, or the internal clock on the device may lose time.
Fifth, if you're interested in hacking the device, look for several articles at www.tomsnetworking.com that talk about how to hack into the device and add new functions. Just search for NSLU2 at that web-page.
Sixth, the device does not have a defrag function. If you have the money, a better choice is the Linksys EFG120, which does have an internal defrag function as well.
Customer Review: Need more stars! Um...read update
Summary: 5 Stars
(UPDATE 10-20-08) Yep, it's a great little box. However - and these are big howevers - there are a couple of issues. 1) Mine will not keep the date once rebooted. That's a problem when backup software compares dates. It keeps resetting to 1969! It will hold the date if not rebooted - but that brings us to 2) If I don't reboot at least every other day, it drops off the network. For whatever reason, the little box just won't stay up. Could be my router, who knows. and 3) CAN'T HANDLE LARGE FILES. Keep in mind this is a linux box and unless you update firmware to the latest version, both drives must be EXT3 formatted. That means no files larger than 4gb. Which means I can't copy full disk backups to the drives. What a pain.
All in all worth the money (less than fifty bucks) I paid, but it's not a great solution. I'm tempted to use one of my old machines and Windows Home Server and see how that works. (END UPDATE)
What a great little box. NAS on the cheap. Hooked it up, connected two USB drives to it and fired up the CD. OK, since my subnet was set up different than the default on the NSLU2, I had to direct-connect my laptop first, but so what. After that, it was full speed ahead.
Within twenty minutes, the first drive was formatted and the second one, a 500gb WD, was on its way. Some time after that and I was backing up everything I had onto those drives.
What I like is to have one central repostitory for the entire family's store of music, photos and videos. This thing streams all with no issues. So, so easy to setup and maintain. True 'nuff, I had some initial issues with backup, but they were all attributed my dang router. Once solved, this thing is amazing. Plus, there's tons o' mods available all over the internet. One powerful little box.
Once I'm done here, I'll have two 500gb drives on it - one backing up to the other. I'll have one for the families stuff, and one for backup, just in case. Just imagine never having to explain to mom why her precious photos are now gone cause her laptop died. Or to Jr why all his 'legally obtained' music is lost due to him deleting the folder from his machine. So worth the money.