The Basics - more

The rear panel (Figure 3) also has a male DB-9 connector for UPS connection. The manual, without specifying which brands/models, says that the TeraStation Pro II also supports a "number" of USB UPSs. Interestingly, the rear of the TeraStation Pro II lacks a slot for a security cable found on the back of the LinkStation Live NAS.

Figure 3: Rear panel of the TeraStation Pro II. Though the fan is large, it makes almost no noise.

The drives for the TeraStation Pro II mount in trays for easy replacement. But I was surprised to find that the drives are not hot-swappable like those in the LaCie EDR and many other RAID 5 NASes. Instead, the drives are what Buffalo terms "quick swappable".

It was also a surprise that rather than having the trays mate into a connector built into the back of the drive cage, a standard SATA data cable and a power connector attach to the drive (Figure 4).

So to replace a drive, you have to shut down the NAS, pull the tray out, disconnect the cables, and reconnect them to a new drive. You then reboot the TeraStation.

This "quick swappable" design is definitely a step back from the bar that has been set by other vendors of RAID 5 NASes. The hot-swappable capability found on the LaCie EDR and many other RAID 5 NASes is better, as you never have to shut down the NAS to replace a drive and you never lose access to your data.

Figure 4: TeraStation Pro II showing Samsung drive and data/power connectors

What’s New?

If you’re like me, you’re probably asking, "What’s the difference between the Pro and the Pro II?" There are a few main differences:

• Capacity – The Pro II is available in 1, 2, 3, and soon, 4 TB models. The Pro is only available in 1 and 2 TB models.
• RAID – The PRO II supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10. The Pro supports RAID 0, 1, 5 and JBOD.
• DFS – The Pro II supports Distributed File System when used in conjunction with other TeraStation Pro IIs or other DFS-capable devices. The original Pro does not support DFS.