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Originally published at Internet.comWD's NetCenter drive is a simplified external hard drive (containing the vendor's Caviar SE Drives) that attaches directly to a network port (10/100BaseT) and provides storage access capabilities to everyone on the network. The drive ships in capacities of 160, 250, 320, and now 500 GB and is targeted primarily to home or small office implementations.
With support for CIFS file access, the drive allows for connectivity from both Mac and Windows based client PCs. A wizard-based EasyLink utility is provided that allows users to access the drive as they would a local hard drive on their machines. Dual, hot-pluggable USB ports on the drive enclosure allow for printer sharing through the network or the attachment of external drives, as well.
The drives allow users to create private, password protected folders for storage or file backup. An included utility-NetCenter Manager-allows an administrator to view system status, create and resize volumes, and setup shared folders and printers. The drive enclosure includes a DHCP client for the automatic assignment of IP address, automated power management features, and a Kensington security slot.
Inside the drive enclosure, the WD Caviar SE drive is featured; a 7,200 RPM drive that ships with an 8 or 16 MB cache, and an 8.9 ms average read seek time.
New to the NetCenter offerings (besides the expanded capacity) is an included copy of EMC Retrospect Express 7.5 for backing up local computer data to the NetCenter drive. Backup features include support for scheduled or manual backups in both full and progressive formats. WD includes a wizard driven interface to the software that provides for three-step backups. Backup features include support for open files and data encryption; and a disaster recovery feature allows for the creation of bootable media from a backup set for the restoration of all files and system settings. All NetCenters now include the backup software, and existing customers can download the software free (for a limited time and drive registration required) from WD's Web site.
The NetCenters are available now; the 500 GB ships with a suggested retail price of $399. Contact Western Digital for further information.Author: EITPlanet Staff
Read article at Internet.com site