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Storage

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

By Mark W. Kaelin August 6, 2007, 6:44 AM PDT

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Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

D-Link DNS-323 teardown

D-Link DNS-323 teardown

ntStorage continues to be a hot topic this year. With the availability of simple NAS devices and inexpensive hard drives, it is very likely that you will be buying some form of mass backup storage in the near future. The DNS-323 from D-Link is an excellent example of a small NAS device that you can attach to your current network without a lot of fuss. In this TechRepublic Cracking Open we take a look at what is inside the DNS-323.
nt
ntSpecifications

n

    nt

  • nttTwo 3.5 inch SATA hard drive bays
  • nt

  • nttBuilt-in FTP server
  • nt

  • nttGigabit Ethernet
  • nt

  • nttBackup software
  • nt

  • nttRAID 1
  • nt

  • nttPrice Range: $171.25 – $260.09 from 35 Sellers (according to PriceGrabber.com)
  • n

n

ntSystem requirements

n

    nt

  • ntt1GHz processor
  • nt

  • ntt256MB RAM
  • nt

  • ntt200MB hard drive space
  • nt

  • nttCD drive
  • nt

  • nttWeb browser
  • nt

  • nttWindows XP SP2 or Windows 200 SP6
  • n

n

ntnn

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Box - Side 1

Box - Side 1

High-speed storage in a package smaller than a breadbox.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Box - Side 2

Box - Side 2

For such a small package, the D-Link DNS-323 has many features found in more expensive storage devices.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Box - Side 3

Box - Side 3

One thing you can say about D-Link, they let you know exactly what you are going to get.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Box - Side 4

Box - Side 4

The inside documentation recommends at least 256MB RAM, but the box says 512MB. I think the box is closer to the truth.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Toast anyone?

Toast anyone?

The D-Link DNS-323 looks like a kitchen toaster and is about the size of a short-loaf of bread.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Compact

Compact

The depth of the device is just about the length of a typical 3.5 inch hard drive. The desktop footprint is so small as to not really be a factor.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Gigabit and USB

Gigabit and USB

The ports on the back are for a Gigabit Ethernet connection and USB device.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Locking mechanism

Locking mechanism

The locking mechanism for the two hard drive bays is just a simple lever system.

operation.jpg
operation.jpg
Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Operation

Image: Lenovo

Operation

After removing the front face plate where the sliding door attaches, it was obvious that to get to the components the back panel would have to be opened. I found four screws hiding under rubber pads on the back panel.

Image: Lenovo
Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Silver screws

Silver screws

Removing the back panel revealed four silver screws which held the internal component rack in place.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Slide it out easy

Slide it out easy

Once the four silver screws were removed, the internal housing for the circuit boards slide out the back without any problem.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

Single board

Single board

All of the chips necessary to manage the D-Link DNS-323 are located on one circuit board.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

SATA connections

SATA connections

Two standard SATA drives connect to the device at this point.

Cracking open the D-Link DNS-323 NAS device

All of the pieces

All of the pieces

Here are all of the pieces laid out together. As you can see, the D-Link DNS-323 is a designed to be efficient and compact. There aren’t many moving parts and everything fits together like a glove.

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By Mark W. Kaelin
Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the information technology industry, software, hardware, gaming, finance, accounting, and technology geekdom for more than 30 years.
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