When Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) offered us a month to play with its new Cisco NSS 326 6-Bay Smart Storage device, the editorial staff knew it was beyond our technical expertise to put this SMB-focused product properly through its paces.
So instead, we turned it over to IT World Canada’s IT department and let them play with it in our IT shop to see how it performed for our medium-sized business. Since we’re the sort of business the product is aimed at, it was a good test scenario.
Once it was time to send the box back, Nick Massin from IT World Canada’s IT department gave us these notes on their experience.
Ease of use
How easy is it to setup and configure the drives?
* Outside of the unique hatch-like structure of the hard drive bays, physically installing the drives was a snap. You simply slide the unlock clip downward and the door pops open. Slide the drive in and apply pressure on the door to clip it back into place and lock the drive in. It’s a no-brainer.
* Using the discovery software on the CD and then entering the UI and configuring the RAID setup were easy as well. The sections within the web interface are well marked and give you detailed information on the different types of configurations of RAID to guide you to making the best decision for you setup. For the purposes of this exercise we used RAID 6 to allow for multiple hard drive failure. Even having RAID 6 as a feature is nice as well, as not all NAS’ do.
How easy was it to learn and manage?
*As stated above each section (and sub section) was labeled properly with detailed explanations of what to do with the functionality.
*I feel that Cisco struck a nice balance between user friendliness and complexity, offering a very simple easy to use interface with nice icons, diagrams and descriptions while at the same time offering deep advanced options (like iSCSI and AD integration) if you wished to dive into them.
*None of the advanced features impeded getting the unit up and running and ready to start storing data.
*I did feel as though some of the features, like the share folders for the different server types (iTunes server, Web Server etc.) could have been shut off by default and only enabled if and when you wanted them. Basic file sharing is all that needed to be enabled.
Is it easy to add users, set energy efficient power on and off and options and add applications?
*I didn’t get an opportunity to work with the power efficiency or the application additions, but adding users was fairly straight forward. You simply add the user and attach it to a share and set permission level.
*I wasn’t able to get AD integration to work so I was unable to test adding domain users. This is a point of concern as SMB environments with 50+ users would most likely have AD and this integration would be a valuable feature, and possibly even make or break the sale. I tried several times to add the NAS to the domain (using the included instruction with online help) only to get an error message every time stating that my domain wasn’t correct. In the end it would require a call to Cisco support which, based on the setup, shouldn’t have to happen. It’s an indication that the feature doesn’t work correctly.
Performance considerations
*Overall performance was very good and very steady. I only tested basic file copying from my storage server to the NAS and 5-700GB copied overnight without a hitch.
*The performance of ext4 was exceptional and I never experienced any slowdown of transfer or response while browsing or searching files.
*This was the same with encryption enabled; I noticed no appreciable change in performance of the NAS
Value and Flexibility
*I have to admit, initially I felt as though the Smart Storage was too pricey. At US$1825 for just the unit alone, I felt targeting it for SMB was too much. After considering Cisco’s target market (up to 100 users) and the fact that the unit holds six hard drives, I reconsidered my thoughts.
*As long as you’re accommodating at least 50+ users and you get the drives from somewhere other than Cisco (they will charge you US$3000 for six 1TB drives), it seems as though this unit could be had for at or under US$2500.
*Unfortunately, I didn’t get to test out a lot of the different types of servers but the feature set suggests that there are several ways in which you can utilize all of that 6-12GB of brand new storage space you just bought. My concern is that there is possibly too much going on here. Running a NAS for file storage can be taxing all in itself and with that much storage network traffic can become a bottleneck, even with Gb Ethernet. Backing up your NAS will also be an issue, as having even a few TB to backup can be a VERY long process over Gb or USB 2.0. Luckily, there is an eSATA port just begging to be used. The backup utility is also very comprehensive and gives you plenty of options to work with.
*This device can definitely be a multi-purpose device with the speed and strength of its implementation, especially for things like FTP and Web services (Intranet, media download repository).
Personal Evaluation
Positive Feature Set
*Failover NIC feature is very nice, and enabled by default so no complicated setup. Teaming is also available for more speed.
*Video, Keyboard and Mouse ports are a very nice feature for COLO situations with a Rack and a KVM.
*Plenty of USB ports that can work with a multitude of devices including storage and Keyboards and Mice.
*e-SATA is a very nice feature, and it’s almost a necessity with that much storage space needing to be backed up. Unfortunately there is only one port; it could have used at least two.
*It’s Mac compatible with the protocols available.
*Network Recycle Bin is a godsend for file serving and recovering lost files accidentally deleted over a network session.
*The logging features are extremely detailed and useful, and the available Syslog server is a great feature.
Want/Fix List
*Active Directory integration needs to be fixed, or provide better instructions with more details. I shouldn’t have to call Cisco just to add my NAS to the domain. The authentication features of this unit are a major selling feature and should work perfectly out of the box.
*There is no network backup utility or agent for backing up workstations and servers. Having a king’s ransom of features to back up the NAS is nice, but two main features I think are vital to a device like this are file sharing and workstation/server backup. The unit feels incomplete without.
*The unit does an awful lot. I would rather it do a few specific tasks really, really well than do a lot of things half-assed. I personally think the Media and iTunes servers don’t really need to be there.
*Backing up even a few terabytes is going to be a nightmare unless they use very fast e-SATA drives. I think a second e-SATA should have been included to split the load and possibly even consider putting USB3 into the unit (although it’s possible no suitable solution was available at the time)
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