| Article Index |
|---|
| LaCie 2big network Review |
| Specifications |
| External Appearance |
| Basic Functionality |
| Advanced Functionality |
| Performance |
| Is The LaCie 2big for me? |
| Conclusion |
| All Pages |
The LaCie bigDisk has a very clean, uncluttered look to it, a characteristic of most of the LaCie product range. Prominent at the front is the large bright blue LCD panel, shown unlit in most of the promotional photos. This is the status display for the NAS – when it glows blue, the NAS is running optimally. If a problem occurs, the display turns bright red or flashes red and/or blue; very visible no matter how bright the lights.
At the rear is all the messy stuff; the disk trays, power, network and USB connections, and a strange little white dial with an embossed arrow on it. We’ll get to the white dial in a moment.
The disk trays are somewhat unique. Most hot swappable disk trays employ a lever mechanism that has a twofold purpose. Firstly, it ensures that the connection and disconnection of the disk with the backplane is gentle and controlled; secondly, it provides extra force for the user in connecting and disconnecting a drive.
The LaCie unit on the other hand uses a fixed handle, sculpted into a U shape; the operator simply inserts one finger into the gap and pulls the tray straight out. While undoubtedly quite pleasing from an aesthetic perspective, from a functional perspective it falls short. The removal and insertion of the disks is quite difficult when compared to other enclosures, and the nature of the gap for the operator’s finger is such that small scrapes are a reasonably likely risk. The addition of the locking mechanism is welcome - vertical for remove and insert, horizontal for locked. It won't stop a determined attacker but it does make pulling a disk more of a thought provoker.
The power, network and USB connections all live at the rear of the NAS. There's nothing fancy about them; what is strange is the little dial. The arrow is used as one part of a two part mechanism for configuring the RAID level of the NAS. Turn it to "safe100" and the LaCie is configured for RAID 1 or mirroring, protecting the data from a disk failure. Turn it to "big" instead and it switches to RAID 0 mode which should be both larger and faster. Once the dial is configured, it's onto the web-based management tool to reformat the disks to the desired configuration.
Happily, LaCie's attention to detail means that a small plastic screwdriver is provided in the box to adjust the RAID dial as well as lock and unlock the disk trays.
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