Total Computer

2005/11/20

The Synology network disk can be useful for a mixed PC and Mac network too.

Synology DS-101G+ DISK STATION NETWORK DISK WITH ADVANCED FUNCTIONS

The all purposes disk.

Once we find how useful can a LAN be, we often face tiny difficulties but very annoying. If we use our colleague's disk as a shared space or if we want to print with an ink-jet plugged to a computer, we need the PC to be always on. We could have a dedicated pc for these functions, but we would waste a machine, or we would compel our colleague to be the first to come to work and the last to leave.

A most effective and inexpensive solution would be a network disk with advanced functions as the Synology Disk Station is. We're talking about a unit we can plug directly to a router (it takes an IP address) which doesn't need a PC to run and that can manage other external disks and USB printers. It supports very fast internal disk (SATA) with very large capacity (different sizes are available form 160 to 400 GB.) and can manage further disks plugged to one of its 3 USB 2.0 ports or via external SATA (eSATA) connection. These ports let us use it as a backup disk, as a shared disk, as an internal FTP server and to make a local Internet website.

This data station can be used also for the data exchange between PC and Mac; it allows using remote applications using a 1,000 Mbps connection and it works flawlessly when connected to a wireless router. Setup and management are very simple: disks are seen as simple network resources.