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: Performs well with the right firmware
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been using this product for about a year. I bought it specifically to use with a single drive for backing up my main PC.
Taking it out of the box and getting it set up was very easy and straightforward. I had it working within a few minutes. Everything seemed to work the way I wanted it to. A couple of days later it got very slow and un-responsive. I would try to connect to one of its network shares and it would literally take 5 minutes to refresh the folders in any directory. This was obviously unacceptable, so I made sure I had all the latest firmware and contacted support. After exchanging numerous e-mails, they determined that the hardware was bad and I should send it back to be replaced.
In the meantime I had discovered a 3rd party Linux firmware for the device called Unslung (NSLU2-Linux). Since Linksys had said it was hardware, I figured I'd give the Unslung firmware a quick shot just to make sure. I installed the Unslung firmware and it started working great and continues to work great until this day. The basic Unslung firmware has all of the same web configuration pages that the stock Linksys firmware has, but it actually works properly. Linksys may have released better firmware since, but I've been using the Unslung firmware ever since and haven't looked back.
In summary, it's a really nice device. It's small and convenient, and is easy to set up and get working very quickly. You can do full or incremental scheduled backups from windows/samba shares without any software on the PC. The only thing holding me back from rating it 5 stars is the performance problems with the stock firmware. If you buy this, I would highly recommend updating to the latest Unslung firmware.
Customer Review: Great for Network Filesharing / Drives
Summary: 5 Stars
It worked well once I got it set up. I think it performs about as well as you are going to get concerning drive access over wireless or ethernet. Setting it up, though, was a little tricky. Some of the tricks are:
You have to set the name of the network on your computer and the name of the network on the NSLU2 the same. On my XP system I left the default computer selected name as: Mshome
I have Norton System Utilities including Norton Firewall. You have to enable file sharing within Norton Firewall or you won't be able to get the NSLU2 to work. Before I installed the Norton Firewall I don't recall any settings changes required within the Windows Firewall causing problems, but the Norton Firewall needs to have that change.
Linksys tech support was pretty friendly and knowledable, but after a very extended period of time spent on the phone I got shuttled off and was promised a call back. It never came. Ultimately I got the thing to work by myself. I think perhaps my PC was pretty messed up. I reformatted the hard drive and started over with it. Finally I did have success and it works better now than ever, and I got the NSLU2 installed to boot.
By the way the device currently supports drives formatted for your PC (NTFS & FAT32) so you can exchange drives back and forth when necessary between the NSLU2 and the PC. The utilities associated the NSLU2, though, only work with drives reformatted with their proprietary system.
I think you'd better be pretty tech savvy or have a geeky friend to help you with the installation should you buy this, but it makes for a very nice addition to one's system. Perhaps you might get lucky and have things work out with no glitch.
Customer Review: An Up to Date review - Old reviews no longer relevant
Summary: 5 Stars
BACKGROUND
While the unit is great, the documentation is not. To be fair to yourself and the unit, you should do a search on the words nslu2 slug and unslung. There is a WEALTH of info online (This is the most important thing I can tell you.)
Currently there are two known versions of this product. The original, and the ones produced after about May 2006. The old version had the CPU reduced to half the normal speed, the new one runs it at full speed. (the old one can be modified though)
The unit you buy may have sat on the shelf for a year or two, so plan on having to Flash the firmware.
COMMON MYTHS
- You have to reformat the drive. (you do not)
- You cannot use FAT32 or NTFS
- You must have a drive connected to flash the unit (It is actually better not to)
- The NSLU2 is slow. (it is acually your network, a 10/100 network maxes out well below 100Mb a second, so a USB 2.0 device connected directly to your PC will be way faster.)
- It is complex to use. It can be as simple or complex as you want, really!
USES
This Unit can be a simple network storage device, or a bigger workhorse than most peoples PC. Functions people often use them for... Print Servers, Web servers, ITUNES servers, Mail Servers, Home PBX's(astrix) and the list goes on and on!
MY SUMMARY
Great for Everyone except those not willing to do ANY reading about the device. This unit is cheap for what it does.
The first thing I would do is upgrade the firmware.
Using it as a Storage device is low work and a no-brainer.
The possibilities are endless for the more curious or the hacker.
Customer Review: Mixed bag
Summary: 3 Stars
I wanted a file server that I could leave up and running 24/7 on my home network. First, I tried the Ximeta 160GB NetDisk, but it wouldn't work on one of my machines (a month later, I'm still working with tech support to try and figure out the problem. Their tech support is to be congratulated for sticking with it so long, though!) Since the Ximeta is not working out, I decided to try the Linksys Storage Link. Here's what I've found:PROS:
-It's dead silent and uses little power, unlike running most PCs as a server.
-You don't need special drivers on the other machines unless you want to access Flash drives with it
-It works with all my systems, unlike the Ximeta (so far)
-It can be set up to act as a webserver to the net
-You can adjust it more accurately to your storage needs than with the Ximeta
CONS
-The fact that it uses a Linux/proprietary format for the drives is a drag, but not a deal-killer.
-You'll need a second USB2.0 drive to do backups on if you want them to happen in a timely manner.
-Not hot swappable. You have to power down the device to add or remove USB devices.
-Can't be used as a fast local back-up drive like the Ximeta.
-Takes up more space and has more wiring than the Ximeta.
NOTES
-Data transfer rate seems slower than a full-bore PC, but I haven't tried any benchmarks to confirm this. Note that you will NEVER achieve anything like USB2.0 speeds; you have to compare it to transferring from other devices on your network.
So there you have it. If the Ximeta worked for me, it would definitely be a more elegant solution, except for the fact you have to install drivers and it's a lot trickier to upgrade.
Customer Review: Great device... once you figure out how to use it.
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this device along with Maxtor OneTouch 120GB external hard drive for use with my laptop and the wireless network that I have setup in my house. This little gadget is what actually allows you to wirelessly transmit your files over the network. It's simply great! I run my backups automatically at night, and have not had any problems with it so far. It can also be used a webserver, as one of the reviewers had already mentioned. There are, however, a couple of things on the downside. First of all, you MUST reformat your drive (in my case it was a brand new external drive, so I didn't care) before starting using this item. It is documented everywhere, but I can see how it can be of inconvenience to some people. Second, the setup. For me, it was a bit of a challenge. I do have over 10 year of IT experience, but I still had to call Linksys support to resolve a few problems that occurred during the installation and conflicts with my existing wireless setup. The support people, however, were very patient and knowledgeable, and were able to help me in a timely manner. Third problem, and I think that I'm the only one to notice it (or maybe the only one to have it?) - if you don't use it for a while, it powers off by itself. I've had several occasions when I didn't use it for a few days, and then the next time I tried to access it, I couldn't. I had to reboot it (and my laptop), and then it would work fine again. It never happened during the backup/file transmission though. As I said, it seems to be behaving like this only when you don't use it for a number of days, so it's only a minor inconvenience. Otherwise, I think it's a great product and deserves a recommendation.