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Introduction
Updated 7/17/2008: BitTorrent and Jumbo frame support added
| At a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Product | D-Link 2 Bay Network Storage Enclosure (DNS-323) |
| Summary | High-performance BYOD dual drive SATA NAS with gigabit Ethernet and many serving options |
| Pros | • High performance
• Gigabit Ethernet • Supports separate drives, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1 • Print, FTP, iTunes, UPnP AV servers • Quiet |
| Cons | • Clunky interface for user, group and network access mgmt.
• No FTP server logging • Buggy UPnP AV media server |
One of the latest NASes to hit the market is D-Link's DNS-323 2 Bay Network Storage Enclosure (323). The DNS-323 includes a number of features and turns in performance numbers that make it a strong candidate for any home network needing shared storage.
D-Link departed from its traditional case designs and came up with an attractively styled black case measuring 7 7/8"x 4" x 5" with silver accents. On the front panel, there's a large square power switch and three blue LED status indicators for network and drive activity.
Unlike some B.Y.O.D. (Bring Your Own Drive) NAS devices, the 323 is designed to accommodate SATA drives. Installation of the SATA drives is even simpler than installation of IDE drives in other devices because no tools are required and you don't have to connect any cables. To install the drives, you just slide the faceplate up and off, insert SATA drives into the two bays and gently push each drive to mate the drive and 323 connectors.
Figure 1: D-Link DNS-323 with faceplate removed
The rear panel (Figure 2) has a power connector, 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet port, and a single USB port for sharing a printer via the 323's built-in print server. There are also two levers to help you eject the drives, and a vent for the ultra-quiet temperature-controlled fan. D-Link joined the growing list of NAS providers who include a gigabit Ethernet port. As you'll see in the performance tests shortly, the 323 is fast enough to make good use of the gigabit port, even without jumbo frame support.
Figure 2: Rear panel
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User reviews
Average user rating from: 4 user(s)
No problems for this n00b
This is my first and only attempt at using such a device. My knowledge level is beginner.
I got this NAS set up and working in under an hour. It works prefectly with no down time. I did have one problem with the drives being dropped but found out from the computer store technician that it was a problem with my very old Rogers (Canada) modem and my outdated Linksys router. I upgraded the router and have not had any problem with the NAS since. The new D-Link router even found the 'missing' NAS drives on its own!
Even while the drives were unaccessible I was still receiving the dail email notifications that I had set up.
Disappointed with the itunes server because it thinks my 20,000 music collection is 60% drm'd where in reality 99% of my music is from my personal cd collection (the rest being itunes purchases and some old Napster-collected songs). More an Apple problem than the NAS problem I assume.
I do agree that slowness is a problem but I accept it when I am transferring 20,000 songs and 20,000+ photos. It will finish the job overnight though with no supervision needed.
Stay away from this device
Agree with the user above. The device brought me nothing but trouble. A serious bug in the firmware makes it format wrong disk when a new disk is inserted! All my data was lost in a minute. The bug is confirmed by other users.
Inability to make automated backup between the disks and extreme slowness in copying fies doesn't make the things better.
DNS-323
I have had this NAS for several years. I have encountered no issues what so ever.
No Support
This product has lots of bugs in the firmware and D-Link does not want to fix them. I have had mine for a year and have nothing but trouble. Do not expect the listed features to work and D-Link has not issued a firmware upgrade in almost a year. If you want to keep your data safe do not buy this unit.
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