Linksys, a manufacturer of broadband, wireless and networking hardware for workgroup, small business and home environments, announced the immediate availability of its EtherFast Instant GigaDrive (EFG80), a network-attached storage (NAS) device that provides file and printer sharing for small office/home office (SOHO) network users.
Priced at $549, the “plug-and-play” appliance offers users 80 billion bytes (GB) of IDE hard drive storage space in a compact, tabletop design. Storage capacity can reach a maximum of 240 GB by adding a 120 GB hard drive to both the initial and second hard drive bays. The Instant GigaDrive also includes Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) which makes for easy setup and communication with other UPnP devices on the network.
The device runs on the Linux operating system and includes a 10/100 Mbps port that is designed to automatically adjust to network speed. It can also connect to wireless network devices or be put in areas where there is no Ethernet connection by using the Linksys Instant Wireless Ethernet Bridge (WET11).
Supporting business continuity and other security functions, the EtherFast Instant GigaDrive’s operating system resides separately on 16MB of flash memory, enabling the device to be accessible should a hard drive failure occur or if a drive needs to be changed.
The device also has capability to allow scheduled back up from first to second drive and can be configured to be password protected. Other advanced features allow for setting up workgroups on the drive as well as giving users or groups certain amount of drive capacity. The feature provides the administrator control over the uses of the hard drive.
The EtherFast Instant GigaDrive is currently available for an estimated street price of $549 through resellers, e-commerce, direct response (catalogs) and major distributors including Ingram Micro, Tech Data and D&H.