Add a terabyte of network attached storage with the SMC TigerStore

Unboxing

SMC provides the Ethernet cable you'll need to attach the unit to your network. The other end of the Ethernet cable should connect to a port on your router, switch, or network hub.

Besides the device

You also get the power cord, a CD-ROM with the configuration software, and pamphlet-sized quick start instruction document.

The device

The SMC TigerStore (Model

Ports

In keeping with the "keep-it-simple" theme, the back of the SMC TigerStore has four Ethernet ports and two USB ports. There is also a USB port on the side not pictured.

Drive bays

The front door locks with a simple plastic lock. It is not a lock that will prevent anyone from gaining access, but it is enough to deter a casual "hey I wonder what happens if I pull this" accident.

Drive one

Each drive slides out with a flip of a switch and a slight tug.

Out she comes

And out she slides.

Hard drive particulars

The review unit I am working with came equipped with four 250GB Hitachi Deskstar hard drives. You could opt for hard drives with capacities up to 750GB, for a total of 3.0TB.

All you get

A lot of hard drive capacity contained in a small space.

You need hard drives for RAID

The lever-slide mechanism attaches to a standard hard drive using standard screws.

Cables and software

Besides the box itself and the hard drives, there is really not much to the SMC TigerStore. Once again, SMC seems to be keeping to the mantra of keep it simple.

Quick start

The Quick Guide that came with the SMC TigerStore was very quick indeed. Each instruction was on average one paragraph long and perhaps two sentences. The rest of the text is there to cover 10 different languages.

Start configuration

Configuring the SMC TigerStore is accomplished with a JavaScript applet run your favorite Web browser. The first step is to configure the RAID profile.

Make a choice

You have four choices for RAID configuration:

• RAID 0
• RAID 1
• RAID 4
• RAID 5

Watch progress

After you make your choice of RAID configuration, you let the SMC TigerStore run the configuration procedure.

Specifications

When the RAID configuration is complete, you will get a summary of your SMC TigerStore's current settings.

Changes?

Depending on your network configuration, you may have to do some tweaking of certain settings, but in most cases the default values will do just fine. Note, I did have to adjust the time zone. Oh, and one thing not mentioned prominently in the Quick Guide – you need to reboot the device to get all of the configuration changes fully installed.

IP address

Similar to a router or other network device, an NAS needs to have an IP address. It is DCHP aware so the automatic settings should work for most installations.

Servers and services

The SMC TigerStore has several canned servers and services available, including an iTunes server, print server, and media server. Note the reference to Samba, apparently that is what the box is running to make all of these servers and services available.

Final thoughts
The SMC TigerStore is a wonderful example of simple design and function. As the need for large amounts of storage migrates from the enterprise to the small office and even to the consumer, the NAS is quickly becoming a common part of every computer network. The simplicity of the SMC design and configuration utility only reinforce this trend. The SMCNAS24 TigerStore (with four hard drives) is selling for $795. That is a little steep, but it has come down from a suggested retail of $999.