It is highly recommended to always use the most recent driver version available. Try to set a system restore point before installing a device driver. This is the driver Windows 7/Vista calls for during detection and will allow the BlackArmor NAS to be detected properly in Windows Device Manager.
Jun 07, 2014 In the case of Network Attached Devices (NAS) servers from Seagate there is the possibility to detect their presence using a software utility from the manufacturer.
Seagate has long been known as a reliable provider of storage products. While these include hard drives and direct-attached devices the company has not previously been a major name in networked storage, which is one reason that the release of the BlackArmor NAS was a big move for them. Additionally Seagate carried over the BlackArmor name from its existing encrypted external hard drive product, so it seems that had high hopes for the release.
The BlackArmor is a four-disk network-attached storage device that is available in capacities ranging from 2TB to 8TB and prices from $799 for the 2TB to $1699 for the 6TB) (the price of the 8TB model has not yet been announced). It is aimed at small office/home office users, with some crossover into the SMB and advanced home user markets.This puts it in a competitive space, but one where Seagate is sure that they can play in, thanks to a robust set of features and some perks that most devices in the price range won’t have. These include an on-board LCD display, dual ethernet connections, NAS-to-NAS backups, encryption (at both the volume and files levels), and an advanced hardware design with tool-less drive removal.
The BlackArmor’s feature list is quite extensive, so anyone with specific concerns should check out the product’s datasheet [PDF]. As for what’s not on the datasheet: the NAS uses Marvell’s Kirkwood processor and with 256MB of RAM to power the box. This marks a capable machine, but right from the start we know that it’s not going to be the most powerful NAS out there. The external connections include dual Gigabit ethernet and four USB ports (three on the back, one on the front). There are both power and hard reset buttons on the outside of the NAS as well as two buttons next to the LCD for controlling it. Noticeably missing is an external SATA (eSATA) connection.
Just to quickly drop in some highlights that people will be looking for, the BlackArmor 440 (and the 420) has: an iTunes server, DLNA compatible media server, RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, and JBOD, Microsoft Windows Server Active Directory, Seagate Global Access remote access service, and support for CIFS, NFS, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, Bonjour, network protocols. And, being a BlackArmor product, there is encryption available.
The BlackArmor itself it a heavy metal box with a glossy plastic front door. The door swings open to reveal four hot-swappable SATA II drives (in this case 1TB Seagate disks) that can be removed by working with the orange tab and then pulling. The front has four LED indicators: one for power, one to indicate each ethernet connection, and then a check mark (which should stay solid). The two-line LCD panel is persistently lit in a neon green. The rest of the hardware is solidly designed and sturdy enough to stack. Users will be happy to see a place for a lock on the back, as well as a user serviceable fan. The power adapter lives outside of the NAS so it too can be replaced. It is about the size of a standard laptop adapter.
The LCD panel is a perk, not a major features, so not much effort seems to have gone into it. For 99% of the time it will just sit there and show Seagate BlackArmor, but when the buttons are pressed it gives basic information, like internal temperature, capacity used, and so on. The UI is clunky thanks to the use of just two lines of text and two buttons (it’s like working with a $200 multifunction printer) so this probably won’t be of much use unless the NAS has no PC nearby and you want to get some basic stats.
The NAS will most often be accessed through the browser to get at the back-end control panel. This is an extensive set of tools that users will have to access for all the administration duties of the NAS. It includes basics, like system status and standard setup functions, and more advanced tools, like the UPS manager, Backup Client licenses, Download Manager, Backup Manager, and so on. The administration panel is efficiently setup and it’s easy to use. The only hurdle people will encounter is that there is so much going on it can take some time to do what you want, but given the BlackArmor’s robust toolset there isn’t really a way around that.
One of the strengths of the BlackArmor is Seagate’s included backup software. This installs on a networked computer and is used for all the backup tasks, scheduling, mirroring disks, etc. The software is based on tools from Acronis, the backup pros, so there is little surprise that it works well. The toolset is a bit intimidating because it can do so much and there are so many options, but the BlackArmor uses wizards for certain tasks, like scheduling a backup, so users with some understanding should be able to get by. It won’t always be clear which method is the best (such as choosing between incremental and differential backup) but it was generally possible to figure things out. Even so, I found myself wanting more information and better explanations often enough that some more in-depth materials would have been appreciated. The important thing is that the user can go setup a custom, automated PC backup without much difficulty. The one-click backup worked well, but unfortunately configuring incremental backups wasn’t as foolproof. The system is functionally sound, but it sometimes gives options that seem to conflict with each other and it throws a lot at the user, even with the wizards. IT pros will have no problem using it, but individual users (home and otherwise) will have questions. Hopefully Seagate will be releasing better documentation as well as scenario-based walkthroughs. Ten software licenses are included, which will be of significant added value to companies that are looking for a solution for multiple computers.
Performance for the BlackArmor was on par with what we expected from a NAS in this price range that skirts the line between an SMB device and a SOHO, or even pro-consumer, one. Real-life sustained speeds of 21MB/s were possible writing to the NAS and transferring from it to a local system typically went at about 11MB/s (for a 2GB file in RAID5). In benchmarking the NAS was even quicker and both metrics were improved, especially the read time, which seemed to lag during some real-life use. The performance was beyond that of the WD ShareSpace, a consumer NAS device, but not on par with higher-end, and performance-focused NAS devices. Applications with many users might feel the slowdown because of the limited transfer speeds, but it will be more than fine for general use and the backing up of a few systems with proper scheduling.
The BlackArmor is a network-attached storage device with its up and downs. The client backup software is especially powerful and we also love to see dual ethernet connections, replaceable components, NAS-to-NAS backup, and a well-designed control panel. There are some issues though, including the lack of eSATA, a client backup could use better documentation, a clunky LCD, no Time Machine support, and a processor that is less than stellar. The BlackArmor proved itself to be a very good NAS available for a reasonable price, but there is still no clear pick in the segment given all the competition. The position in between home devices (like the ShareSpace) and higher-end ones (like the ReadyNAS) isn’t always a comfortable one, but Seagate thoughtfully included enough features to set the BlackArmor apart from options that might look comparable (or even better) on paper, like a Buffalo TeraStation III or Synology DS409. Ultimately the BlackArmor offers a lot of value given its feature set, especially if you factor in the included software licenses.
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