Large Data, Meet Big Storage: LaCie 30TB 5big NAS Pro Hybrid Cloud RAID

Data archiving and protection is one of the biggest concerns among IT professionals and consumers these days. Whatever storage capacity your desktop, notebook, or tablet comes equipped with is quickly vanquished, sometimes in a matter of minutes, thanks to large files and copious amounts of data. I recently purchased a tablet with 32GB of onboard storage, a microSD card slot, and a USB 3.0 port. I put a 64GB card in the microSD, another 64GB mini-flash drive transceiver in the USB 3.0, and twenty movies, three full hi-res seasons of The Walking Dead and The Simpsons, 2,500 songs, 1,500 photographs, and 50 programs and apps later, I’m at capacity. Since I’m not one to easily part with my digital collections, I need storage, and I need a lot of it.

Not only will you require more storage, and plenty of it, you want a way to access that storage from anywhere. Imagine the limitless amounts of data and digital files you could view when on vacation, business trips or simply at the office. LaCie now offers a 30TB 5big NAS Pro Hybrid Cloud Server that allows you to store up to 30TB of data safely and securely, and access that data from the cloud so you’ll never have to be away from precious or productive digital files again.

The hybrid-cloud moniker comes from the fact that LaCie has seamlessly integrated its Wuala cloud service into this large-capacity 30TB network attached storage unit. Since LaCie owns and operates Wuala, the company has complete dominion over the control and administration of the service, which leads to tighter security protocols and a more involved level of service. Simply connect your 30TB 5big NAS and install Wuala. You’ll notice that both the physical drive and your Wuala account are mounted as two separate drives, so you can drag and drop your files to either. This also makes it easier to share large files within your network or shared group of clients. There are even mobile apps for iOS and Android devices that let you access your data from anywhere.

But accessing data can only be useful if the data exists―in other words, the main function of this server will most likely be for data backup. You can attack your backup in three ways: use an externally attached USB 3.0/2.0 drive and create automatic backup scripts for peace of mind; use another NAS to back up this NAS, either remotely or on a local network; or add offsite backup through Wuala. It includes three client licenses for Genie Backup Manager Pro for Windows, and three for Intego Backup Manager Pro for Mac. It’s also Time Machine and Windows Backup compatible.

When you want to make sure that all of your associates are working together in the most updated way possible, you can use the sync feature, which helps you set up and sync files between connected computers, your NAS and Wuala, so that everyone is on the same digital page. You can even do away with using FTP or email to share files―just give your network contacts access to the LaCie 5big browser-based file explorer. This allows them access (which you control) to files on your server, or through your network.

A host of features for small business scenarios is also included with this 5big. The first product to feature the new Rescue utility, this 5big hybrid cloud server now lets IT professionals install or repair the NAS OS from a browser-based tool, instead of using traditional DVD-recovery methods. If you find yourself faced with a complete system failure, the LaCie Rescue launches automatically and can enable file recovery via FTP, repair the OS, or completely restore the unit to factory settings. LaCie also includes some of the most advanced system and hardware monitoring that can alert you through email of problems with the fan, CPU and RAM, along with SMART hard drive diagnostics.

There are even more advanced network management features including iSCSI target/initiator protocols (iSCSI is just another way to share storage over a high-speed network, but works at the block level, unlike NFS). This will allow you to set up thin-provisioning, where you can assign a secure block of storage to someone on the network. In a small business scenario, your marketing department may need storage, and your sales department also needs storage, but you don’t necessarily want each team seeing the same files. Thin-provisioning allows you to set aside a small amount of storage at a time.

And while there are many file servers and RAID arrays to be found, the LaCie offers something no one else does: an easy, scalable, and worry-free RAID configurator, called SimplyRAID. SimplyRAID opens up RAID management for novices; you can set the traditional RAID modes such as RAID 5, RAID 1, and RAID 0, or activate SimplyRAID and let the RAID controller handle it. With SimplyRAID, you can optimize your workflow for the perfect match of both speed and hardware-level protection. You’ll see up to 210 MB/s read speeds in RAID 0 and 194 MB/s in RAID 5, and 150 MB/s RAID 0 write speeds with 110 MB/s in RAID 5. SimplyRAID also supports mixed-capacity drives, so if you decide to swap out drives for the sake of expansion, you can put any size drive in without worrying about compatibility between capacities. You can also hot-swap drives, so that if a disk fails, you simply swap in a healthy drive―even while the machine is running.

On top of that, LaCie offers cloud security as well. Files stored on its cloud service are encrypted before they leave your server, which is a sigh of relief for small businesses and individuals who rely on cloud confidentiality. Not even LaCie employees can access the data on their Wuala cloud service, and it employs bank-level security to give you peace of mind.

Revving the engine on this unit is a dual-core 2.13GHz Intel® 64-bit Atom™ processor and 4GB of DDR3 RAM. It uses dual USB 3.0 and dual USB 2.0 ports for transfer, along with two Intel Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-TX terminals. As for the design of the system, it’s a Neil Poulton joint, which means it has been designed and crafted with form and functionality in mind. The Paris-based, Scottish-born designer is responsible for most of LaCie’s products, including the signature rugged external hard drives encased in orange rubber bumpers. Speaking of functionality, the cooling system on this drive attacks heat on two fronts: the solid aluminum case moves and dissipates heat toward the Noctua fan, which is eerily silent, and the fan only activates and uses a spinning speed appropriate to the level of heat produced.

Regardless of your uses―personal cloud storage, small business backup, or office file sharing―the 30TB 5big NAS Pro Hybrid Cloud Server will definitely suit your needs. Storage, speed, outstanding professional features, and security all come together in a beautifully designed package.

 

Capacity	30TB
Interface	2 x Intel® Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-TX Dual link aggregation IEEE 802.3ad
Operating System	LaCie NAS OS 3.x
Processor/RAM	Dual-core 2.13GHz Intel® 64-bit Atom™ processor 4GB DDR III RAM
File Access	Local/cloud hybrid storage
	Wuala Secure Cloud Storage  Manage cloud, remote, and local storage from a single interface; secure remote access through standard web browser or iOS™/Android™ mobile app Wuala file system integration (W / network drive)  Compatible with PC, Mac®, Linux, iOS, and Android
Network Protocols	File Server  SMB, AFP, FTP, SFTP, NFS† Web access  HTTP, HTTPS Others  Apple® Bonjour™, BitTorrent™, NTP, 802.3ad for link aggregation and failover, iSCSI, DHCP, APIPA
Expansion Ports	2 x USB 2 x USB 2.0 1 x Standard VGA-compatible 15-pin
Burst Transfer Rate	Read  up to 210MB/s (RAID 0); 194MB/s (RAID 5)**  Write  up to 150MB/s (RAID 0); 110MB/s (RAID 5)
RAID Modes	Standard RAID modes  0***, 1▴, 5, 5+Spare, 6 SimplyRAID for automatic RAID migration, expansion, and support for mixed capacities
Backup Solutions	PC to NAS  using client software (Time Machine™, Windows® Backup, etc.)  NAS to DAS  scheduled, automatic, and restore NAS to NAS  scheduled, encrypted, compressed, and automatic to local or remote NAS††
Special Features	Print server††† Download (torrent) machine Time Machine compatibility Encryption for cloud storage Active Directory™ support Kensington™ lock compatible
Administration	Rescue utility for NAS OS setup and repair Direct access to NAS using Wuala and LaCie Network Assistant (Windows and Mac OS X)  User-friendly management interface (Dashboard)
Multimedia	UPnP A/V media adapter compatible
	Photo browser and audio streaming through Web interface iTunes™ (DAAP) server
Power Supply	100-240Vca; 47-63Hz
Power Consumption	Off  1.9W; Idle  56.5W; Full Load  71W; Disk Hibernation  1.9W
Environment & Power	Energy-efficient process with Level V power supply Recyclable Aluminum, ROHS compliant Automatic standby mode; scheduled On/Off; Wake on LAN Low noise emission (25dB)▴▴  Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) support▴▴▴
Dimensions	173 x 220 x 196 mm / 6.8 x 8.6 x 7.7 in.
Weight	Without disks  4.7 kg / 10.4 lb  With five disks  7.6 kg / 16.8 lb
Recommend Number of Simultaneous Users	50
Cooling	Solid aluminum casing for superior heat dissipation High-performance Noctua® magnetic levitation fan
Supported Languages	English, Danska, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, 日本, Nederlands, Svenska, Português, 中文
Software	LaCie Network Assistant Backup software   PC  Genie Backup Manager Pro (3 licenses)  Mac  Intego Backup Manager Pro (3 licenses)
System Requirements	Latest version of Windows XP, Windows Vista®, Windows 7, Windows 8 / Mac OS X 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, and 10.8 Web browsers  Internet Explorer™ 8/9/10, or the latest version of Firefox™ Safari™, or Chrome Computer with an Ethernet network adapter Ethernet switch or router 10/100/1GB
Box Content	LaCie 5big NAS Pro Ethernet cable External power supply USB key for install and recovery Utilities CD-ROM with software Quick Install Guide Drawer key Cable-management clip