Portland, Ore.-based peripheral maker LaCie will introduce during Macworld Conference & Expo this week the Biggest F800 RAID, offering secure storage for up to 2TB of data. LaCie will also update its Ethernet Disk and offer a mini version of the Ethernet Disk.
The four-bay Biggest F800 RAID supports RAID levels 0, 0+1, 5 and RAID 5+hot spare in an aluminum enclosure with FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 interfaces for use on PCs or Macs.
According to LaCie, if a drive in the array fails the Biggest F800’s smart alarm will notify an administrator via an audible sound or e-mail and automatically begin rebuilding a faulty drive for those using RAID 5. Other features include hot swappable drives; hot swappable fan; no drivers required; and an LCD panel for operation status display.
The LaCie Biggest F800 will ship in spring 2005 with all necessary cables. The 1TB model (US$1,499) includes four 250GB ATA drives, the 1.6TB model ($2,299) includes four 400GB ATA drives, and the 2TB model ($2,699) includes four 500GB ATA drives.
Ethernet Disk updated and goes mini
In addition to the Biggest F800 RAID, LaCie will announce an upgrade to its Ethernet Disk, bringing the capacity up to 1TB. Up to 25 people can instantly store and backup data across a network simultaneously, according to LaCie. The Ethernet Disk can be mounted in a standard rack — additional space can be added to LaCie Ethernet Disk by daisy-chaining hard drives via the USB or FireWire port.
LaCie Ethernet Disks are available immediately in capacities of 160-800GB for $549-$1,299. The 1TB disk will be available early 2005 for $1,599.
The LaCie Ethernet Disk mini will offer up to 400GB of shared storage space for small office and home environments. A web-based interface allows the user to control access to files via share settings, which includes attributing read and/or write access rights to authorized users.
The LaCie Ethernet Disk mini will ship early 2005 and will cost $299 for a 250GB model and $499 for a 400GB model.
Updated 1/10/05 7:50 AM: LaCie has changed the prices on the 1TB and 1.6TB Biggest F800 RAID from $1,799 and $2,499 to $1,499 and $2,299 respectively.