Patriot Corza Network Attached Storage

There is no question that the home network is expanding.  Fifteen years ago, a home network was practically unheard of, but now, a network is a staple of the modern household.  Not only is the amount of computers per household increasing, but also the amount of network capable devices.  TiVos, game consoles, HTPCs, laptops and netbooks are now commonplace in even the most plebian of households.  As such, the centralization of data in the home network has become paramount.  In many cases, this responsibility is taken on by either a PC, or a fileserver built from an old PC.  However, it may be desirable to keep this data sequestered.  This is where the NAS comes in.  The NAS, or Network Attached Storage, is essentially a small computer whose only purpose is to serve data to the rest of the network.  In most cases, it connects directly through the network, and is configured through a webpage. 

So what are the advantages of the NAS compared to using a spare hard drive on your main PC?  The biggest advantages are always-on accessibility, and data redundancy.  You see, a NAS unit is not subject to the same vulnerabilities and downtimes that a PC is.  Since a PC may be down for upgrades, software installations or repairs, or even just be busy performing other tasks such as gaming or rendering, other users may be inconvenienced by the lack of access to the data.  On top of that, since NAS units run their own special operating system (usually Linux based), they are not as vulnerable to malware or virus attacks.  Additionally, NAS units provide another layer of data redundancy.  Most two-bay NAS units are capable of RAID 0, RAID 1, or JBOD configurations. 

Historically, some of the roadblocks to adoption of NAS units has been ease of use and price.  Typically a decent unit would cost in excess of $250, and that would not even include the cost of the hard drives.  Compatibility and configuration has historically been less than stellar, with my last unit having a dickens of a time playing well with Windows Vista, much less Windows 7. 

So today, we are taking look at a device that I hope will change all of that, and finally bring the NAS unit into the mainstream: the Corza NAS unit from Patriot.  How well does it stack up?  Read on and find out!

Features:

Dual 3.5" Hotswappable Bays
SATA I/II 1.5Gb/s - 3Gb/s
USB2.0 Backwards Compatible to USB 1.1
10/100/1000M LAN
Raid Support: 0, 1, Linear
Up to 4TB (2x2TB) Drive Support
Automatic Temperature Control
Precious Aluminum design
User Management Support
FTP, File Server
Print Server
Torrent Download Management
iTunes music Server
FCC, CE, RoHS Certified
Compatible with Windows XP®, Vista®, 7, Mac OSX® 10.2 and better, Linux
100% Tested
2 Year Warranty

It is great to see specific support for not only Windows Vista, but Windows 7 and Mac OSX 10.2.