Buffalo's LinkStation offers an extremely easy and economic way to add 120GB of network-attached storage to your wired network (wireless networking requires a router). Quick and easy to install and configure, the LinkStation is a excellent way to share files with colleagues, backup data, and to turn your local USB PostScript printer into a network device. And if 120GB is not accommodating enough, Buffalo Technology offers 160GB, 250GB and 300GB versions. Alternatively, you can even add more external drives using the two built-in USB 2.0 ports. The LinkStation sets the standard in low-cost network storage solutions - as long as you don't need high-end features such as built-in RAID, IPP support, or a DHCP server.

Pros: All-in-one FTP/file/print server; backup scheduling
Cons: No built-in Wi-Fi; no RAID or IPP support; no DHCP server


For most businesses the need for larger hard disks is becoming mandatory, especially as an ever-increasing number of applications and files require gigabytes of storage space. Buffalo Technology's white-and-silver LinkStation goes someway to help ease this issue by providing a network hard disk solution that's ideal for small businesses that do not have a file and print server. Even IT managers will find the product useful for eliminating clutter on their main servers.

The LinkStation measures just 60x174x185mm and weighs only 1.6kg, so it's small and light enough to taken to other sites when necessary. It houses an almost silent 120GB hard disk (7200rpm) and cooling fan and supports 10/100Base-TX standards, which it uses to connect to a network or a single computer via a crossover switch. Unfortunately, there's no built-in Wi-Fi functionality, so you'll have to hook the device up to a router in order to access it wirelessly.

The storage device also offers two USB 2.0 ports for connecting external USB hard disks and printers. The drive's other redeeming feature is its low power consumption (17-Watts) and auto-power off mode, allowing you to leave the drive operating without having to worry about turning it off at the end of each working day. We also liked the way Buffalo has integrated the power supply into the LinkStation, so there's no additional power brick dangling from the unit's power cord.

A standard Ethernet cable connects the LinkStation to a router, gateway, or hub, and a cable crossover switch on the back of the drive lets you link the LinkStation directly to a computer using the same standard Ethernet cable. The switch also eliminates the need for a crossover cable and lets you connect the unit to either a computer or a hub, making the LinkStation an excellent choice even as a peripheral hard disk for a single computer.

The LinkStation was extremely easy to setup and configure on our test network. We simply followed the basic install guide, used the IP Setup Utility on the accompanying CD-ROM, and the drive was ready to use within 30 minutes from unpacking it from the box. An HTML interface is provided to configure the drive and whilst the online manual is adequate, most experienced users will not need to read it thanks the device's simplicity.

However, it's worth remembering that this is a network drive, not a plug-and-play device, so you'll need to tell the drive to perform a DHCP lookup and obtain an IP address automatically (or assign a static address). Once you've given it a workgroup name, it should then appear as a shared folder on all of your other networked machines.

Once running on your network the LinkStation provides approximately 110GB of formatted hard disk space. Using the default folder names you can then transfer and share files both to and from the drive - much like you would with Windows Explorer. Apple Mac, Windows and Linux file sharing is supported, which is great if you need to pass files around a mixed network.

For more advanced use you can add additional folders and enable read/write restrictions to prevent unauthorised access to files. The drive can also be configured as an FTP server, allowing you to access your files via a Web browser. The Linkstation can also act as print server - simply connect a USB printer to one of the available USB ports and your local PostScript printer suddenly becomes accessible to anyone on the network.

A couple of neat utilities are also included with the LinkStation. One of these is a backup utility which allows you to backup files from a local computer to the drive, either immediately or within set times. The other utility allows you to view the status of the drive and configure map drives. The LinkStation does have its limitations though: it doesn't offer any RAID, it doesn't support the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), and there's no built-in DHCP server.

The performance of the LinkStation is mediocre for a network-attached storage device, thanks largely to the fact that its 100Mbit/s maximum speed is only a quarter of the raw capability of USB 2.0. You'll see slight differences depending on your current infrastructure, but you probably won't detect a lag when you open files residing on the LinkStation. That said, the LinkStation is slower than an internal hard disk, so if you run drive-intensive database applications, you should consider either an internal drive or a network drive that supports Gigabit Ethernet.

BIOS, Mar 01, 05 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Networking