HP intros 500 GB Media Vault with remote access capability for $299
HP has a new, middle-of-the-road option if you don't want to go with a full-blown Windows Home Server solution. The new mv2150 Media Vault starts at $299 and provides 500 GB of storage space to backup Windows devices on your network. The vault houses the 7200 RPM 500 GB drive and offers an open bay to add more storage later. Connectivity is provides with 2 USB ports and a Gigabit Ethernet jack; with that, you can hang the mv2150 off a wired or wireless router.
Remote access is provided via TZO Dynamic DNS, which was around $25 a year at last check. The mv2150 is Linux-based and comes with 128 MB of RAM; interesting that it competes with the higher-priced Windows-powered home server solutions from HP.
If I recall correctly from posts at other blogs, this is Linux based and differs in functionality from the their Windows Home Server offerings. Depending on your needs, this may still fit the bill. Also, this device is limited to 2 drives, while their others have 4 bays (at least on some of them).
D.
Posted by: David | March 31, 2008 at 09:37 AM
While nice and inexpensive, I think the next such item I buy is going to be the Drobo. It has some of the same features (hot-swappable/addable HDDs) in a very easy RAID-like package. Yeah, it's quite a bit more expensive, especially with the network add-on, but I definitely feel it's the product to beat.
Posted by: Mike Whalen | March 31, 2008 at 11:51 AM
As David alluded to, you don't get the simple, centrally -adminstrated backup abilities. It can still handle backups from multiple PCs, but you'll have to deal with it client-side. Then again, with all the trouble that WHS has had...
Also, FreeDNS offers free dynamic DNS service. DynDNS does too, as long as you're not picky about your host name.
Posted by: bluemonq | March 31, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Mike, so far I haven't been able to get a straight answer about what happens to the hard drives if the *Drobo hardware* fails. I know that if I build a hardware RAID array and the RAID controller fails, I'm screwed unless I have spare controller, and sometimes even that won't help. Do you have any further information on that? Would I pretty much be out of luck until I get another Drobo? It's questions like that that make me stick to a software RAID, even if the performance isn't quite as great.
Posted by: bluemonq | March 31, 2008 at 12:07 PM
@David - both versions of HP's WHS come with four drive bays.
@bluemonq - Although the corruption bug is a bit of a problem it doesn't effect system backups, only files that you edit in place on the server when you have two or more drives and duplication turned on.
Posted by: Jake | March 31, 2008 at 02:36 PM
Giz did a hands onthe other day. Looks decent, though I didn't catch if it'll stream video to my Xbox?
Posted by: Dave Zatz | March 31, 2008 at 06:51 PM
TZO has a special with HP, the service cost 9.95 a year after the first year.
Posted by: Mike | April 11, 2008 at 11:15 AM
TZO has a special with HP, the service cost 9.95 a year after the first year.
Posted by: Mike | April 11, 2008 at 11:17 AM