boffin KwikRAID - Hardware Review - Evaluation

Emedia Professional, Sept, 1999 by David Doering

boffin's new KwikRAID network-attached storage [NAS) device delivers in its first starring role. And although Boffin is better known for its popular CD-ROM towers and is competing against the likes of Network Appliance and Procom, we think the KwikRAID is a competent, solid system which should prove attractive to both UNIX and Windows NT sites.

Based on pricing alone, Boffin is more competitive with Procom than with Network Appliance. Moreover, the Boffin KwikRAID unit is strikingly different from the Procom offering. While the latter is almost elegant in its diminutive cabinet and charcoal grey coloring, the Boffin, on the other hand, reminds me of the old Checker Marathon taxi cabs--functional, built to last forever, but ugly as a squat off-white refrigerator.

The main criteria in choosing one NAS RAID system over another are ease of installation, performance, features, flexibility, and cost. Each of these will be dissected here.

kwik and easy

Nothing could be easier than the NAS approach used by KwikRAID. We wheeled it into the lab, plugged in the four redundant power supplies and the RJ-45 cable to the hub, and turned it on. The unit has a wonderfully satisfying hum both as it mounts up and while running. Indeed, it sounds like it means business.

The unit came preconfigured with RAID Level 5 and our IP address, so we then only had to run a 4.0 or above browser to log in and manage the unit. We tested changing the IP address, as might happen either in moving the unit or if it weren't preset. This proved a little tricky using the tiny key pad and display on the thin server. Indeed, both could have been larger.

The KwikRAID incorporates 10/100 Ethernet support with Ultra-Wide SCSI drives and RAID levels 0, 1, and 5. Our test system had an available 140GB of storage in a single volume, which we maintained. (The system also offers the option to reconfigure multiple volumes using the existing space.)

The KwikRAID uses a separate RAID controller with 128MB of RAM. It also provides its own LCD screen for accessing the controller's menuing system onboard. The controller does not, however, have its own Web administration tool--which is probably the unit's biggest drawback. We created a drive failure by removing one of the drives. The RAID controller correctly noted the failure, giving both a visual and audible warning.

Unfortunately, there's no such indication from the browser-based administration tool. It continued to indicate all systems normal. This isn't necessarily a major problem, since the purpose of RAID is to overcome the loss of a drive. But if the administrator is off-site, say on the weekend, then the loss might not be known. It would be nice to have that level of integration in the KwikRAID.

We did a few quick reads and writes to the system to measure performance over our 100BaseT system, and found that the combination of RAM cache in the RAID controller and thin server made it difficult to say where the performance boost came from. Still, the system delivered data about 25 to 30 percent faster than our test NT server.

fab features found here

The KwikRAID provides support for 10/100 Ethernet to a variety of clients. It also has redundant fans on each of the hot swappable drives and four redundant power supplies, eliminating the most common points of failure in these units. The system incorporates its own security schema, as well as providing support for domain services security.

The KwikRAID supports both Windows and UNIX clients via TCP/IP. All versions of Windows are supported, including Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Win95/98, and Windows NT. Microsoft's continued support of SMB with Windows 2000 suggests that those systems will handle the KwikRAID fine, but we weren't able to directly test that support.

UNIX clients need to handle NFS v2 and above, which covers all the contemporary versions including Linux. NetWare clients will need to load the Microsoft Client for File and Print Services in order to access the unit. (The Novell Client v3.0.0 will run fine with the Microsoft Client loaded as well. Earlier versions of the Novell Client had difficulties coexisting with this alternative client, but not anymore.)

Macintosh users, however, are out of luck for native support with KwikRAID. This may prove a drawback to the pre-press or the education markets, areas where the Mac still has a strong hold.

Of course, any system which runs a browser can access the KwikRAID via HTTP. (Administrators will need a 4.0 browser to run the Java-based admin console.) While this promotes the KwikRAID as a competent intranet server, it will not suffice for regular file system access.

Boffin might do well to locate or develop a more versatile NAS thin server technology, such as Axis, StorLogic, or the TenXpert Technologies devices. These provide broader protocol and client support than Boffin's current offering. Likewise, Boffin might want to incorporate a failover function into the unit, which would allow another KwikRAID unit to take over for one that suffers a catastrophic failure in its Ethernet connection or RAID controller.