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Today we are dusting off the SmartStor NS4600 from Promise Technology for a round of benchmarks. This new NAS device is designed to replace the older NS4300N by significantly boosting performance. While the hardware specifications look promising, we were once again reminded of the importance that software plays... There are a few names that spring to mind when thinking of NAS (Network Attached Storage) and if we are honest Promise Technology really is not one of them. In fact, if we are completely honest, until a few weeks ago we were not even aware that Promise was producing NAS devices. Still, Promise is a company that we are very familiar with, but for other reasons.  Over the years we have used numerous Promise RAID controllers, as we have found them to be both excellent value and reliable. So then we have high hopes for a Promise NAS device given their past track record with storage related products. Still, while there are similarities in developing storage controller cards and network attached storage devices, the latter requires more than just well designed hardware. See, there is a key ingredient that can quite simply make or break a NAS device, and we often find this is where it tends to go wrong. Products such as the new Promise Technology SmartStor NS4600 rely heavily on software, as this is how the user not only sets up and customizes the NAS device, but it is primarily how they use it. For example, you only have to look at software applications designed by various motherboard manufacturers with the intention of doing wiz bang things, to understand that not just anyone can program software that actually works and more importantly works well. For this reason, when we began testing NAS devices a few years ago, things did not exactly go smoothly. Back then products from companies such as Thecus and Qnap looked very promising on paper, but when it came time to set them up, walking on glass with bare feet turned out to be more enjoyable. Then along came Synology, and to our amazement they got it right the first time, and have continued to improve since then. Now we have the SmartStor NS4600, which is designed to deliver 4-bay NAS technology to the masses. Still, the remnants of the early days continue to haunt us, and we fear that while the sleek and shiny SmartStor NS4600 looks the goods, it could be let down by poor software. Nevertheless, this is our first experience with a Promise NAS device, and we are hoping for a smooth glitch free experience... |
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