Specification
Brace yourselves. Hefty spec table inbound...
| Feature | Implementation |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Celeron M |
| HDDs | 5 x 3.5" SATA II HDD, Hot-swappable |
| eSATA port | 1 x eSATA connector for capacity expansion |
| USB ports | 2 x USB A type (Host mode) 1 x USB B type (Client mode) |
| Ethernet ports | N5200 : 2 x Gigabit RJ-45 Connector N5200 RouStorTM : 1 x Gigabit RJ-45 Connector & 4 port Gigabit switch |
| LCD Control Panel | For basic configurations and status display |
| Network File Protocols | Microsoft Networks (CIFS/SMB) Apple Filing Protocol (AFP 3) Network File System (NFS v3) File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Secure Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTPs) |
| Authentication | Microsoft NT Domain Controller (PDC) Microsoft Active Directory Authentication (AD) |
| Network Client Type | Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 Unix/Linux/BSD MAC OS X, OS 9, OS 8.6 |
| Network Configuration | Fixed IP Address Dynamic IP Address |
| Disk Management | Power Management (Disk idle spin-down) Disk Status Monitoring (S.M.A.R.T.) |
| RAID | RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and JBOD Auto Rebuild Hot Swappable Hot Spare Disk Roaming RAID Level Migration RAID Expansion |
| Disk Capacity Supported | 80/120/160/200/250/300/400/500 GB |
| Folder Management | Share Folder Level Permission File Level Permission Public Folder |
| Quota Management | Share Folder Quota Control |
| Backup | Snapshot Thecus Backup Utility (Microsoft Windows XP/2000 /MAC OS X) Thecus Nsync |
| System Management | Web GUI Multilingual Support (English, French, German, Italian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish) |
| Event Notification | Email Notification Buzzer Notification LCD |
| Supported USB Devices | USB Printer External HDD/Flash disk USB IEEE 802.11 b/g dongle w/ AP mode support |
| Setup Utility | Windows 2000 / XP / 2003 MAC OS X |
| Safety and Environment | CE, FCC, BSMI, C-Tick, RoHS Compliant |
| Dimension | 230 x 190 x 230 mm (H x W x D) |
| Physical security | Kensington Lock Security Hole Lockable Disk Tray |
| Operating Environment | 0ºC - 40ºC 20 – 85% Relative Humidity (non-condensing) |
| Power Supply | Server-rated AC Power Supply 100/220VAC, 50/60 Hz, Auto detect |
...and breathe.
So, before we dive in and take a look at the N5200 for real, some quick specification musings. The processor is an unspecified clock rate, but it's a Celeron M; more will be revealed when we have a poke inside. Still, that makes it much more powerful than an XScale that we're used to seeing in the kind of NAS kit we've reviewed in the past. It must be good for costs to be able to use this x86 hardware, given that they don't have to engineer anything radically new with it, although the motherboard will be bespoke to some degree.
The software feature list appears similar to the N4100, with the same array of services available and Active Directory support. RAID-6 has been added to the list of supported storage methods.
The specs say drives up to 500GB are supported, but we used five 750GB drives without any issues. We're sure Thecus will add official support once they've done the necessary tests to confirm all is well.
We're testing the 'RouStor' version of the N5200, which takes one of the N5200's two Gigabit PHYs and replaces it with a 4-port Gigabit switch. One version acts as a router, while the other has network performance enhancements: 802.3ab trunking is supported, whereby capable devices can be linked together by more than a single ethernet cable, increasing bandwidth (NVIDIA's DualNet - providing it adheres to the 802.3ab standard - is another example of this).
A little less conversation and a little more action, as a royal person once said...
