The application and use of a NAS in a small business or home environment is priceless: “You’re only as good as your last backup”. In the past, NAS’s have been aimed purely at backups and data storage but recently there has been a shift to media storage and serving,. LaCie has recently released the update to their NAS Line. Lets take a look at some quick details about them.
| Model | RAID Support | NIC Cards | Versions and size | Operating System |
| 2Big Network 2 | RAID 0, 1 (hot-swappable) | 1 network interface | 2tb and 4tb | NAS 2.0 by LaCie |
| 5Big Network 2 | RAID 5,6 (hot-swappable) | 2 Network interfaces with load balancing | 5tb, 10tb and 15tb | NAS 2.0 by LaCie |
Today we will be looking at the 2Big Network 2 NAS 2tb version from LaCie. Here’s their vision behind this NAS:
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One of the main upgrades LaCie has done with version 2 is implement their new OS called NAS 2.0. So how will NAS 2.0 stack up and what tech level have they set their sights on?
Specifications
| Interfaces for connection | 1x Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/10001x USB 2.0 (type B) |
| Expansion Ports | 1x eSATA1x USB 2.0 (type A) |
| Burst Transfer Rate (ethernet) |
OS with 64KB I/O – Read up to 50MB/s; Write up to 35MB/sOS with 1MB I/O – Read up to 60MB/s; Write up to 40MB/s |
| RAID Modes |
Raid 0, Raid 1 (hot-swappable) |
| Network Protocols | SMB, AFP, FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, DHCP, Apipa, Bonjour, BitTorrent, NTP |
| Remote Access |
FTP or HTTP. Dynamic DNS Optional |
| Administration |
Direct Access to NAS using LaCie Network Assistant; Customizable “wiget-based” interface |
| Backup Solutions |
PC to NAS: Encrypted, compressed, scheduled, remote (FTP)NAS to DAS: Incremental using rsync |
| Special Features |
Hard Disk quota management; Time machine compatible; Print Server; Torrent ClientNTFS Write Support |
| Security Access |
Users, groups, and shares management. Private and Public Access.Active Directory support |
| Multimedia |
UPnP A/V and DLNA certified; Remote Photo Thumbnails; MP3 File Streaming; iTunes (DAAP) Server |
| Bundled Software |
LaCie Network Assistant for Windows, Mac, and LinuxGenie Backup Manager Pro software for Windows; Intego Backup Manager Pro software for Mac |
| Environment and Power |
Automatic Standby mode; Scheduled On/OffWOL (Wake on Lan)UPS Support |
| Cooling System |
Heat Sink aluminum body; Thermoregulated fan |
| Weight |
2.63kg, 5.9lbs. |
| Dimensions (WxDxH)mm |
91 x 200 x 172 |
| What’s Included |
LaCie 2big Network 21x 3m CAT5e Shielded Ethernet Cable1x USB 2.0 Cable (for USB administration)1x External Power Supply1x Drive Stand; Utilities CD and Documentation; Drive Key; 3 Year Warranty Documentation |
UPDATE (as of 3/20/12):
From the posting of this review LaCie has now released this update:
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Deboxing
Lets take a look at how LaCie has shipped the 2Big Network 2 and what accessories they have included.
The included packaging and protection is stellar. Foam on each side and a box for all accessories that keeps everything from moving. It’s awesome to see such secure packaging for a high-importance such as this one. I have no doubt that this package could withstand shipping without a problem.
Getting our first look at the product I’m amazed by the weight of it (almost 6 lbs). The all aluminum casing and “Heat-sink” style design make for a really cool look and feel. The front has only the power orb which looks nice a sleek but is annoyingly bright. Lets just say this can double as a flashlight if needed.
Moving around to the back we see how versitile LaCie has made this NAS. Starting at the top we see the fan exhaust, power switch, LAN port, eSATA port, USB Type B, USB Type A, and finally power. This is quite the vast amount of connection options for a NAS. The eSATA and USB type B ports allow you to allocate part of the drive capacity to an external drive. The USB type B port also allows for wired administration of the NAS via included software. Our USB type A port can be use for another external drive (which can be shared via software but not included in RAID) or setup the NAS to also offer a print server. Whew, that’s alot of options.
We also see our drive bays here and their locks which can be toggled with a fingernail or coin. The actual PCB stays between the drives. We’ll get a closer look at that in our “Under the Hood” Section.
Under the Hood
Lets look at what parts LaCie has chosen to makeup the 2Big Network 2.
Hard Drives
LaCie has chosen the Samsung Spinpoint HD103SI as their drive of choice. These 1tb (2x 500MB platters) drives have a 32MB cache, SATA II interface and run at a power-friendly 5400 rpm. These drives are known for their extremely low power consumption which is perfect in the NAS environment (drawing just 5.6w on read/write according to Samsung). Even though these are 5400 rpm “Green” drives, they are not the fastest we’ve seen (averaging 50MB/s). Like any other drive, we do question the length of life of these drives
Something that we can’t quite get our head around: There are stickers on the screws for each hard drive/tray saying “Warranty Void if removed”. So replacing the HD in a RAID system voids the warranty? Seems almost like they expect you to RMA the drive and tray in order to keep the warranty.
RAM
For our RAM, LaCie has included 2GB of Hynix DDR2 RAM @ 400Mhz which is plenty of RAM for a simple file server and NAS.
CPU/Chipset
Our Chipset is a Marvell Kirkwood 88F6281 with a Sheeva CPU running up to 1.5GHz with 256KB L2 cache. There is no cooler on the CPU keeping it silent. The Chipset supports DDR2 up to 400Mhz and SATA II. This is just the right balance of power and efficiency.
Cooling
Removing the back plate we find our single fan. This Thermo-regulated fan is silent and helps ventilation throughout the case (in the front, out the back). Also, the external design is designed to help dissipate heat. Overkill? Maybe, but it still looks sexy.
Web UI
One of the big upgrades to LaCie’s Version 2 of their NAS line is their new OS (dubbed NAS 2.0). It boasts a widget-based interface which is very easy to navigate and use. It’s quite obvious LaCie has aimed this at the “Simple” tech user. The Web-UI has 1 main menu and 12 sub menus. For being a NAS, thats very user friendly and simple. Each “Sub Menu” can occupy a Widget area where it can be easily monitored. Lets take a look at some of the major ones.
External Ports
Here is where we can view drives connected via USB to the NAS. This connectivity gives you the option to expand on the share without upgrading the RAID. We also have our print server options and administration in this widget.
Shares
In the Shares section we can delegate who has access to which folders, a max space, and what protocals can be used 
to access them. This is handy when attempting to keep groups seperated. No one wants the interns to have access to the accounting information…
RAID
LaCie has given us a graphical representation of our RAID, what mode it is in, if the RAID has been compromised. We have the option of changing between RAID 0 and RAID 1 here on the fly. It will take some time for the board to rebuild the RAID but this is a much easier option than argueing with a bios.
Network
The 2Big Network 2 can be configured to email a user or admin after completion of a job, download, or if the RAID has been compromised. Another great feature supported is the “Automatic Port Forward.”
The software can program the Router to forward ALL incoming ports to it. Quite the handy tool if you’re not too savvy around a network or router.
Users and Groups
LaCie has aimed this at networks of “up to 20 users.” When creating users you can also create groups to easily administrate access to folders. Each user can be associated with an e-mail address to notify of finished downloads/backups. One thing I see as a flaw here is the lack of options in terms of what non-admins can do with administration. General Users do not have access to any of the widgets described via the Web-UI. While I agree with most of that, the Download Manager can be quite a handy tool. More options is all I ask…
Download Manager
As described in the Specifications our NAS can double as a download client. Whether it be a Torrent or a download URL 
this submenu shows download location, Percent Complete, and download speed. This funcationality is awesome for large files that needed to be downloaded without keeping a desktop on.
Eco
Something that LaCie seems to really be pushing with version 2 of their NAS line is the Eco options and they’ve come through. Here we can setup UPS support, automatic on/off cycles and hard drive downspin timers. We can also turn off the annoyingly bright front status light orb here.
Included backup software
Lacie has included enough backup software to outfit a business. Genie Pro (windows) can backup and image a computer to the NAS 
like any other standard backup software. Where it sets it self apart is automatic syncing of a file on the server to a node. So lets say you want to take home a folder of your project every day. At a set time Genie will download that folder from the server to your USB drive or whatever path you decide. Very nice automated options for people who work at home and are forgetful of syncing files.
File Browser
The file browser is the only thing general users have access to in the web interface. Viewing/editing files can either be done via smb share or via the file browser. Here we have options to create, delete, upload and download files to the file system. The browser is java based so running it off of any flavor OS isn’t a problem.
Media Sharing
NAS 2.0 automatically finds and indexs all multimedia content on both the file system and any USB drive connected to it. This is an awesome feature because it shares music/movies/photos via DLNA and DAAP (iTunes) protocals. This means that any media on the system can be played on any DLNA certified system or iTunes client on the same network.
Conclusion
After looking at the LaCie 2big Network 2 NAS with NAS 2.0 I’m convinced it could easily be integrated into any small business or home environment by a person with any tech level. LaCie has aimed this at a user who doesn’t need the functionality of a Synaology: However it does have enough functionality to exist in a small business where files need to be shared throughout users and groups easily. The NAS 2.0 is extremely user friendly and visually appealing. A couple upgrades to their user/admin software would be nice a nice addon in future versions to further define what an Admin is. LaCie has also supported all flavors of operating systems with both included software and web interface. With all of this in mind, I’m giving the LaCie 2Big Network 2 our Approved Hardware Award.
