Review of D-Link DNS-321 Diskless System 2-Bay Network Storage Enclosure

After a while, many photographers need additional storage space. Many add internal disks to their systems. This is OK, but I wanted something more. I wanted RAID 0 capability and I wanted the drives to be available to other people on my network. I ended up purchasing the D-Link DNS-321. The unit comes empty, with no drives. It has two drive bays. I loaded mine with Hitachi OA380 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" drives. The two drives operating as RAID 0 gives 1Tb of protected data.

The initial unit I received through NewEgg was DOA. I had to send it back and get another. Perhaps if I hadn't already purchased the drives I would have gone with something else. Anyways, the new unit performed flawlessly. It has a built in web page for setup. Once it is attached to the network you type in the default IP address and up comes the configuration page. You format the drives and set up the RAID level. If I had chose not to use a RAID setup, I would have a 2Tb storage space.

I do not leave my unit powered on all the time. I do a weekly backup of my photo folders and Lightroom catalogs. I only power it up to do these backups. So far it has performed flawlessly. The unit is compact, as shown below.



NewEgg has a rebate on the DNS-321 currently. Today, I would probably go with 1.5Tb or 2.0Tb drives (Can you believe it?). To learn more about RAID levels click here.

Dropbox Convenience

I have found a new app which is very useful. I have always had a USB thumb drive to store file for carrying between work and home. Well now there is an application that does away with the need for a thumb drive to transfer file. It's called Dropbox The service/application comes with 2 Gb of storage in the basic account. It allows you to upload files from your computer at work and download these files on your home computer. You can also share files. You can also upload photos for backup or sharing. It has its' own photo viewer. So you can upload photos and then send a link via email to a friend who can then use this link to view the photos. Any type of file can be shared. It comes with a desktop app that provides a dropbox icon in your taskbar. By double clicking the icon, the dropbox opens in an explorer window and you can add or delete file.

Dropbox is a good way to sync files between computers. All you need is a dropbox account and browser. Pretty cool stuff.

Digital photo blues

I am currently struggling with what to do with all my digital photo files. I am certain that if I was shooting film I would not have near the number of photos, hence the title: Digital Photo Blues. My backup procedure has been as follows: 1) backup to internal HD, 2) backup to external HD for home, and 3) backup to portable drive for offsite storage.The problem now is that only my internal HD is capable of backing up my entire photo library. The external HD's that I was using are now too small.Do I upgrade to 1T drives for the external drives? Both external drive boxes have the IDE interface. So instead of just upgrading the HD's I need to get new SATA enclosures. This increases my overall costs and renders the existing boxes pretty much useless. And how long will the 1T drives last? At the rate I am going, maybe for 3 yrs. Then I will have to upgrade again. I've looked at storage devices like the Drobo, which would allow me to continue using some of my existing drives, but it doesn't solve the offsite storage dillema. If all my existing HD's were SATA drives, then Drobo would probably make the most sense. A Drobo loaded with four 1T drives would cost around $1000. That's a lot of money indeed. So for now, I have 1 backup onsite and no offsite backup. I don't feel good about it. What would you do?