Thecus announced a 10GbE Ready, 7-Bay Power Storage Server: the Thecus N7700PRO

Inside the seven-bay tower resides an Intel Core 2 Duo and 4GB of DDR2 800 memory, but there’s more – namely a PCIe slot that, when equipped with an optional 10Gb Ethernet adapter, raises the unit’s data transfer speeds to over 300MB/s.

While the original N7700 made its mark by being the world’s first seven-bay NAS device, the N7700PRO raises the stakes with breathtaking performance, unmatched reliability, and maximum flexibility.

With the N7700PRO, blistering performance is the name of the game. At its core is an Intel® Core 2 Duo CPU and a whopping 4GB of high-speed DDR2 800 memory, making it the most powerful NAS unit available. In fact, with its PCI-e slot, the N7700PRO can reach data transfer speeds of over 300MB/s by adding a PCI-e 10Gb Ethernet adapter! All of this raw power easily manipulates large amounts of data – perfect for the N7700PRO’s seven 3.5” SATA drive bays that can accommodate up to 14TB of storage. Need even more storage at your disposal? With its stackable feature, you can connect up to five N7700PROs together and easily manage them all via a master unit. The N7700PRO is even compatible with iSCSI initiators and supports iSCSI thin provisioning for added performance and flexibility.

The raw speed is only part of the story. The N7700PRO is an ideal place to safely secure your data. Multiple RAID modes including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and JBOD allow you to choose the ideal level of data redundancy to suit your needs. Online RAID expansion and migration are there as well for added convenience. For ultimate reliability, the N7700PRO also comes with a unique Dual DOM™ design, which features a secondary DOM that automatically reprograms the primary DOM should a failure occur. To ensure compatibility with as many networks as possible, the N7700PRO supports multiple file systems (Ext3, XFS and ZFS) and multiple operating systems (Windows, Mac, and Linux). With the popularity of VMware, virtualization technology is now widely used in the IT world. Thecus® is now the member of Technology Alliance Partner (TAP), and N7700PRO is undergoing full VMware certification.

Powered by Intel® Core 2 Duo technology, the N7700PRO is one of the most powerful NAS devices in our arsenal

said Florence Shih, Thecus® Technology General Manager.

We are thrilled to bring the N7700PRO to users worldwide, and invite hardware enthusiasts and enterprise users everywhere to experience just what is possible with Thecus® engineering.

The latest review of the N5200 comes from the editors of DnR Hardware, who brought the N5200PRO into their test labs. After subjecting the N5200PRO to a variety of tests, DnR Hardware editors came to the same conclusion – the N5200PRO is “a device which is in the top of its class,” giving it their coveted DnR Hardware Gold Award!

To kick things off, editors began with a short introduction of the N5200PRO: “At first glance the Thecus N5200B PRO is a mature product. First and foremost are 5 indicator LEDs, on / off and reset buttons, status display, 4 control buttons and 1 USB connection. The rear houses the power socket and switch, 3 USB (2 type A and 1 type B) connectors, 1 eSATA, 2 serial and gigabit network port. Included are a power and network cable, the key to the disc trays to open the drive trays themselves and 2 CDs (one with backup software in the form of Drive Clone 3 Pro and a Thecus CD with installation software and manuals.”

The N5200PRO offers some impressive features:

“Several features extracted from the N5200B PRO are nice. A few interesting options such as scheduled power on/off the device at regular intervals or the possibility of the 2 network connections in load balancing (sharing of network traffic) or failover (automatic switching between the other network connection). There is also a wide choice of different RAID types.”

The conclusion?

“The N5200B PRO is a mature and robust product that provides consumers a ‘safe’ central place to store data. For SMEs, this product may be a very interesting alternative to the expensive storage servers from established brands like HP and Dell. Especially because of the performance and redundancy through the network, the N5200B PRO is very suitable.”

N5200PRO Features:

iSCSI Ready
N5200PRO is not only a file server, but it also supports iSCSI initiators. Your server can access N5200PRO as a direct-attached-storage over the LAN or Internet. There is no easier way to expand the capacity of your current application servers. All storage needs can be centrally managed and deployed. This brings ultimate flexibility to users.

Multiple RAID
N5200PRO supports multiple RAID volumes on one system. So, you can create RAID 0 for your non-critical data, and create RAID 5 for your mission-critical data. Create the RAID level protection depending on your needs.

Faster and Fastest
N5200PRO is equipped with a Low Voltage Intel® 1.5GHz Celeron® M Processor and 512MB DDR system memory, which provides even faster response and more concurrent connections. With its built-in Module compatibility, the N5200PRO is able to run more applications at the same time.

Superior Power Management
N5200PRO supports scheduled power on/off. With this feature, users can set what time the system turns on or off. This feature is a big plus for people who want to conserve energy. Wake-On-LAN enables users to remotely turn the system on without leaving their seat.

Complete Network Reliability (N5200B PRO only)
Because businesses depend on being able to retrieve their data, the N5200B PRO comes with both Load Balancing and Failover to optimize and ensure network traffic. With its Failover capability, the N5200PRO automatically switches to an alternate Ethernet connection should the first one be inaccessible. With these two functions, the N5200B PRO provides users with greater network reliability.

Easy Remote Backup
The N5200 is also equipped with Nsync, Thecus’ remote data backup application. With Nsync, users can have the N5200PRO automatically upload files to an external storage device at a designated time. What’s more, if the external device is another N4100, the connection is made via a secure connection. Designed for SMBs for enhanced data protection, Nsync takes the guesswork out of data backup.

For more details and buying, go here.

For years, Thecus Technology has let the world of NAS storage with superior performance and feature sets. Thecus offers a full range of digital storage devices suitable for home and office users alike. CNET put together a list of the Top 10 NAS Units, and not surprisingly, two Thecus units (the N5200PRO and the N7700) made the list.

The N5200PRO is a five-bay unit that offers some incredible features and performance, making it a solid choice for both SOHO and Enterprise users. Here is what CNET said about the N5200PRO:

“The Thecus N5200PRO is definitely a higher end NAS, and will benefit power users and tweakers a lot more than entry-level users.”

The good: Both OS X and Windows software available • Gigabit Ethernet WAN & LAN with load balancing and teaming • Support for eSATA external drives • USB for external drives and printers • Modules offer powerful flexibility

The bad: Data check of hard drives shows no completion meter • Check the hard disk compatibility list before purchasing, does not support all drives • UI needs a usability overhaul

For enthusiasts that need that extra oomph, or businesses that require massive storage but don’t have room for a full rackmount solution, the N7700 is the perfect choice, and recently won CNET’s Editor’s Choice Award. Here’s what CNET had to say about the N7700:

“The N7700 is one heck of a NAS box — although we’d recommend staying away from ZFS due to the FUSE implementation, if you need something to take seven drives and have nowhere to put a rack mount unit, this should fit the bill nicely.”

The good: Seven bays • Plenty of options and features • OS X set-up tool

The bad: ZFS implementation should probably be avoided • Cooling system a little loud

One of the benefits of using Thecus NAS is its unlimited expandability. Thecus® has recently announced the new IP CAM support on its 3 BAY NAS series, N3200PRO and M3800. By utilizing this new IP CAM feature, users can instantly turn NAS into a surveillance centre and monitor your home or office any time and any where, saving you time and money.

The latest IP CAM feature can be acquired through module, which is available on thecus.com without any extra cost. Users can also learn how easy it is to set up the IP CAM using the user guide.

The world’s first rackmount NAS with blistering SAS performance

Constantly innovating, Thecus is proud to announced the N8800SAS – the world’s first rackmount NAS to feature SAS hard disk support for blistering data performance.

Engineered for businesses looking for a high performance yet cost-effective storage platform, the N8800SAS is a 2U rackmount NAS that features a bevy of cutting-edge technologies. Headlining is its ability to accommodate up to eight SATA or SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) hard disks. With the N8800SAS, enterprise users can enjoy the speed and reliability of SAS at a fraction of the cost of competing rackmount solutions. At its core, the N8800SAS features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of DDR2 memory for snappy system response and more concurrent connections. And for even more storage capacity, the N8800SAS is stackable with other N8800SAS units, allowing companies to easy expand their storage at any time.

Of course, performance is just one side of the equation. In a corporate environment, reliability and uptime are paramount. To keep data secure, the N8800SAS offers multiple RAID modes, including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD, and even allows administrators to configure multiple RAID volumes on the same unit for added flexibility. Should changes need to be made, the N8800SAS comes with online RAID migration and expansion, as well as auto-rebuild, hot-swap and hot spare for uninterrupted service. For maximum uptime, the N8800SAS comes with a unique Dual DOM design, a 450W redundant power supply, and dual Gigabit Ethernet ports with 802.3ad link aggregation, load balance, and failover. Data can be backed up via FarStone Drive Clone PRO 5.0 or Thecus proprietary Nsync remote replication, and to ensure total data security, the N8800SAS even features AES 256 bit RAID volume encryption.

Finally, the N8800SAS offers unrivalled flexibility. Multiple selectable file systems, including Ext3, XFS and ZFS, and compatibility with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, make the N8800SAS easy to integrate into virtually any corporate network. What’s more, the N8800SAS comes equipped with a multitude of useful features, including a media server, a download manager, web server functionality, CD/DVD ISO image sharing, and even can be used as an IP cam surveillance server.

“With support for the latest SAS hard disk technology, the N8800SAS once again pushes the envelope for corporate NAS units. Brimming with cutting-edge features, blazing performance, and rock-solid reliability, the N8800SAS is ready for business.”

said Florence Shih, Thecus Technology General Manager

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