Western Digital ShareSpace 4 TB 4-Bay Gigabit Ethernet Network Attached Storage

by Western Digital

• Sharespace network storage
• NAS 4TB 4BAY raid

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 10.9 x 8.9 inches ; 10.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 14.5 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001FAE64K
• Item model number: WDA4NC40000N
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 2008

Product Description

Capacity: 4 TB

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer
Centralized storage with plenty of capacity to go around.

This high-speed network-attached storage system with capacities up to 8 TB and a space-saving footprint gives you all the benefits of a big time data center without the need for a big time IT department. Perfect for centralizing and sharing data or streaming media on a small office or home network.

Features at a glance Gigabit Ethernet RAID 0/1/5 Easy set up and discovery DLNA 1.5, UPnP Certified iTunes server support E-mail alert system Active Directory support Push a button to transfer data from a USB drive Remote access with MioNet 3-year limited warranty

For small workgroups of 5 to 10 this system offers compact, centralized storage, accessible View larger Click here for the 360° view

Big capacity, small footprint.
This high-speed network-attached storage system with capacities up to 8 TB and a space-saving footprint gives you all the benefits of a big time data center without the need for a big time IT department. Perfect for centralizing and sharing data and multimedia files on a small office or home network.

RAID capability
Offers multiple RAID configurations for data protection and speed -- RAID 0 (Striped), RAID 1 (Mirrored) and RAID 5. The RAID 5 mode is the recommended mode to achieve both high-performance and data protection through redundancy. Find out more about RAID

High-speed access, Ethernet connectivity
Provides data transfer rates up to 1000 Mbit/s when used in a GigE network. Gigabit networking and transfer rates are five to six times faster than other network storage systems. This performance is comparable to USB 2.0 direct-attached storage.

Easy setup and discovery
An intuitive set-up wizard and easy-to-use discovery tool makes installation a snap.

E-mail alert system
Monitors drive and system health and sends you an e-mail if a problem is detected.

Stream digital media anywhere in your home
Built-in media server for streaming music, photos and movies to any DLNA certified multimedia device such as Playstation® 3, Xbox 360®, wireless digital picture frames, and connected audio receivers. DLNA 1.5 & UPnP certified.

iTunes® server support
Centralize your music collection and stream to a Mac® or Windows® PC using iTunes software.

Build your collection
Centralize digital media from all your computers into one vast media library.  Now anyone can enjoy your collection from anywhere in your home

Microsoft Active Directory support
Will join an Active Directory domain to utilize AD users and groups.

Push-button transfer
Plug a USB drive into the front-mounted USB 2.0 port and push a button to automatically transfer all the data on the drive to the WD ShareSpace system.

Automatic network backup software
Set up continuous backup for the computers* in your network using the included automatic backup software. Select the files you want to back up, then set it and forget it; every time you save a change it's automatically backed up. *3 software licenses included.

Easy access to the drives inside. View larger

Remote access software
Access your files anywhere, anytime using MioNet® remote access services from WD.

Download manager
Supports scheduled download through FTP and HTTP. Simultaneously manage multiple download tasks.

Built-in FTP server
Set up your own FTP server. Manage the access authority and share your files with your friends or customers easily.

Three USB 2.0 ports
Two USB ports on the back to connect additional USB hard drives for backup or additional network storage. One USB port on the front for push button transfer.

Transfer data from a USB drive to WD ShareSpace with the push of a button. View larger

Cooler, quieter, eco-friendlier
Equipped with WD drives using WD GreenPower™ technology, this system, with its efficient cooling architecture, and power saving mode, consumes up to 33% less power, is reliably cool, and remarkably quiet.
(Tests based on comparison between a 1 TB dual-drive system using 7200 RPM drives and a 1 TB dual-drive system using WD’s GreenPower drives.)

Windows Vista™ ready
Works seamlessly with Windows Vista to provide easy setup and automatic discovery.

Power failure protection
Connect this system to your Universal Power Supply (UPS). If a power failure occurs, the system will shut down gracefully, protecting you from data loss.

Easy maintenance
Add or swap out drives quickly and easily.

High-speed Gigabit Ethernet connection

Network storage manager
Manage your system configuration, create user IDs, passwords, security permissions, and quotas.

Compatibility
Windows

• Windows® Vista/XP/2000
*
• Mac OS X 10.4.11+, 10.5.2+ *

*Compatibility may vary depending on user's hardware configuration and operating system.

What's in the Box
Network storage system with RAID, Ethernet cable, AC adapter, Software CD, Quick Install Guide.

What is RAID?
RAID is an acronym for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. With RAID enabled on a storage system you can connect two or more drives in the system so that they act like one big fast drive or set them up so that one drive in the system is used to automatically and instantaneously duplicate (or mirror) your data for real-time backup.

RAID Mode Comparison

Advantages of RAID
There are three reasons you might want a RAID system of drives.

1. You need tons of storage space and you need it to be fast. (RAID 0)
2. You want to instantaneously and automatically backup your data. (RAID 1)
3. You want both. (RAID 5)

Which RAID mode should I use?

1. Speed (RAID 0)

Set in high-performance mode (also called striped mode or RAID 0) the storage system gives you the power you need when you're:

• Designing huge graphics and you need a lightning-fast Photoshop scratch space.
• Recording large DV files while maintaining clean audio performance.
• Editing DV or HD video and you want a smooth work flow with no dropped frames.
• Rendering complex 3D objects or special effects.
• Performing disk-intensive database operations.
• Driven to be the first geek on your block with a computer so fast it blows your socks off.

Why is RAID 0 so fast? It’s a bit complicated, but suffice it to say that two or more heads, or in this case, drives, are better than one. Picture multiple hoses filling a bucket at the same time or several men bailing a boat and you can understand why two drives striped are faster than one. Data is saved (striped) across both drives and accessed in parallel by all the drives so you get higher data transfer rates on large data accesses and higher input/output rates on small data accesses.

2. Data protection (RAID 1)

Set the system to data protection mode (also known as mirrored mode or RAID 1) and the capacity is divided in half. Half of the capacity is used to store your data and half is used for a duplicate copy.

Why do I want that kind of redundancy? It’s your data, your family pictures, your movie of baby’s first steps, your first novel. Is it important? You decide. If it is, then RAID mirroring is for you.

3. Data protection and speed (RAID 5)

In systems with three or more drives, (like our 4 TB WD ShareSpace Network Storage System) we recommend that you set the system to RAID 5. This gives you the best of both worlds: fast performance by striping data across all drives; data protection by dedicating a quarter of each drive to fault tolerance leaving three quarters of the system capacity is available for data storage.

Product Description

The WD ShareSpace 4-bay Gigabit Ethernet network attached storage system with a space-saving footprint and capacities up to 4 TB gives you the benefits of a big-time data center without the need for a big-time IT department. Perfect for centralizing data on a small office or home network. Features include RAID 0/1/5, MioNet remote access software, an e-mail alert system, Active Directory support and a download manager. Push a button to quickly transfer data from a connected USB drive. Centralize your music collection and stream to a Mac® or Windows® PC with iTunes® software. Set up continuous backup for up to 3 computers in your network using the included automatic backup software.

Big capacity, small footprint â?" Offered in 2 and 4 TB capacities, this small-footprint four-bay system takes up very little space and provides plenty of storage to go around.

High-speed access, Ethernet connectivity â?" Provides data transfer rates up to 1,000 MB/s when used in a GigE network. Gigabit networking and transfer rates are five to six times faster than other network storage systems. This performance is comparable to USB 2.0 direct-attached storage.

RAID capability â?" Offers multiple RAID configurations for data protection and speed â?" RAID 0 (Striped), RAID 1 (Mirrored), and RAID 5. The RAID 5 mode, only available on the fullypopulated 4-drive system, is the recommended mode to achieve both high-performance and data protection through redundancy.

Remote access software â?" Access your files anywhere, anytime using MioNet® remote access services from WD.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 132 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent RAID/NAS With A Few Drawbacks November 15, 2008

By Jeffrey N. Fritz VINE™ VOICE

Size Name:4 TB

(Note: My review is Mac based, but the Western Digital ShareSpace 4TB 4-Bay NAS RAID supports PCs and Linux as well.)

My history with SOHO NAS so far hasn't been all that good. The WD ShareSpace is the third NAS type device I've owned. The previous two (a 1 TB WD MyBook Pro II used as a NAS device through my Apple Airport Extreme and a 2 TB OWC Raidon NAS/RAID) were both returned. The WD MyBook Pro II had a drive sleep issue with the Airport Extreme. (See below.) The OWC Raidon NAS/RAID couldn't set user permissions properly running as a Mac formatted drive. As for the Western Digital ShareSpace 4TB 4-Bay NAS RAID, so far it appears to be the best of the lot.

After completely setting up the drive yesterday evening (in no more than an hour), overnight I did a complete restore of the 60 GB or so I have backed up of our home business data to the WD ShareSpace. It was seamless. When I woke up this morning all the data was there just as it should be. Then I copied my 47 GB iTunes library over from my Mac Pro to the ShareSpace Public:Shared Music folder. (The shared folders are created by WD and ship with the drive.)

So what do I have?

* Effectively in RAID 5 I have 2.68 TB of available storage (my 60 GB barely touches the surface.)

* I have access to my entire iTunes library from every Mac and PC in the house

I can now have an iTunes server without having to have a Mac acting a server or buying another separate device. The ShareSpace can handle multiple audio streams over the 1 GB/s NAS interface without breaking a sweat. (I have read in the WD FAQ that there is an issue with multiple audio streams and simultaneous file downloads, but I haven't run into this issue yet....) The only downside is, while you can access all the music (including MP3s and DRM AAC,) you can only run iTunes in List View, not Grid or Cover Flow. That's a bit of a bummer, but I expect that this is more of a limitation of iTunes than it is of the ShareSpace.

* Access as Administrator to all the drive shares.

At first this might not sound like a big deal. But unlike my Windows 2000 Advanced Server, all the previous NAS drives I've owned to date wouldn't allow me to access shares that I don't "own." My wife's share, for example, was not accessible to me. So why would I want that anyway? Simply because it makes backing up the entire NAS so much easier. What I've had to do in the past to access all shares for backup was to physically disconnect the NAS drive from the network and attach it via the USB port to my Mac Pro. Doing so overrides the read/write privileges of the NAS because now it appears as just another external drive attached to the Mac Pro. I did my backups and then had to eject the drive from the Mac Pro and reconnect it to the network. It was a bit of a pain. The ShareSpace overcomes this by allowing me to apply Admin privileges to my user account. Now when it's the weekly backup time I can simply mount all the shares on line and do the backup in one fell swoop.

* A green device

To save energy, the ShareSpace spins the four drive's speed down when they are not being used. This is a big improvement over the MyBook Pro II. I wound up sending it back because it completely shut down the drives when they weren't in use and the Airport Extreme couldn't wake them up again.

* A very quiet RAID/NAS

The drive runs very quietly. I can barely hear the fan. If the home office is dead quiet and I get right up next to the ShareSpace, I can hear the clicking of the drive heads as they read and write data--but that's completely tolerable. The Mac Pro, no noise generator itself, is louder than the ShareSpace.

I haven't done any file transfer performance testing yet. However, I do find that the device does well delivering streamed audio (and probably streamed video as well.) From what I've read and experienced with very large file transfers, it doesn't appear that WD hasn't put all that much oomph into the network driver and interface. (Yes, the ShareSpace does support Jumbo Frames over Gigabit Ethernet.) For now I don't plan to post-process any of my RAW files in Photoshop or Lightroom 2 on the ShareSpace. I'll leave that task up to the internal SATA drives in my Mac Pro.

The bottom line may be that the WD ShareSpace is a flexible, easy to manage device with tons of storage. But if you are looking for an absolute speed demon RAID/NAS this may not be your first choice.

Pros:

* Great, great management tools via the web interface.
* Pretty decent management security (log in and HTTPS.)
* Tons and tons of on-line storage.
* RAID 5 capability.
* Very easy drive discovery.
* Bonjour spupport means that there is no need to guess what DHCP IP address has been assigned to the drive.
* No need to be an IT expert to manage the drive.
* Flexible and straightforward account and share management.
* Easy, easy, easy to use.
* 4 TB of RAID 5 for a decent price. Are you kidding me?
* Mostly all metal construction (how rare is that these days?)
* Stable drive enclosure that won't slide around on the desk or table easily.
* Design is okay. A bit techy looking, but it won't offend anyone either.

Cons:

* I'd prefer to have an integrated power supply, although the brick power supply is better and more rugged than most I've seen.
* Let's have "real" documentation included. The "Quick Start" documentation is anemic. The on-line documentation is okay, but it has to be printed for a device this expensive and flexible.
* Virtually no software included. They include a backup application and the documentation on a CD. That's about it. But, to tell the truth I'd rather spend my dollars for the hardware and not for software "throw ins."
* Failed (or added) drive must be Western Digital drives. No other vendors are supported. Boo!
* Case opens like a PC. This is not complex matter, but drive access could have been made easier. (How about a door that swings open? Other vendors have done just that.)
* Drives are not hot swappable.
* File transfer speeds may be on the slow side.

Overall so far: Most of the cons are nits or easy to live with. Highly recommended. All-in-all a very excellent way to provide RAID/NAS for a SOHO environment. Read more ›

152 of 166 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars WD Time Bomb August 28, 2009

By D. Lockwald

Size Name:4 TB

This is more a warning based on the total failure of Western Digital in this product then it is a review.

I purchased a WD Sharespace as a nice home server. It worked well streaming video out over my home net using NFS. Then it failed.

Now, I've been using computers for years. So computer failure after one month is not a huge issue. Happens to the best products. Call up and receive an RMA'd system. Things are going well. Now you have to know two things. One, my system was dead wouldn't get on the network. Two, it is a totally headless system so when it won't even take an IP address from your DHCP it is a brick. So I take my new system, plug it in, configure it. Works great, things are still going well. Put my old drives into the new system so I can save all my data. Now the new system acts just like the old system, curious. Put new drives in old system...system works......seems WD DIDN'T make the firmware and system embedded. It's on the drives! The drives die.....no system.......now I'm worried. Call WD support (ah talking to ESL script readers, THE BEST!) They inform me that nothing is supported and for a lovely fee they will be happy to send me to a data recovery company.

So now the parts you need to know. WD doesn't sell parts for this. They do not have anyway to get the data off in case of drive failure. If anything happens you are dead in the water and not even getting a totally new WD will get your data back. I had assumed that this was and imbedded system with 4 raid 5 drives. Failure of a drive just means that I can recover using the embedded OS. This is not the case, Failure of 1 drive means that you can rebuild the RAID using the OS on the drives themselves but if anything happens beyond that your toast....

If I was an owner (which I am) I'd sell the sharespace double quick and just get a raid card and some drives. A little more messy but when your system fails then you have parts and options. Something you don't have with WD. Read more ›

59 of 63 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Goodbye Data April 21, 2010

By Mike Lewis

Size Name:8 TB|Amazon Verified Purchase

Got my new 8TB ShareSpace. Configured it for Raid 5. Setup was somewhat confusing. It's difficult to figure out where to go turn features on/off, but eventually I got used to it. Copied a 500 GB of data to it. It seemed to be working fine. Then one morning, one week after purchase, it was off. When I turned it back on, it reported 2 bad drives. I spent an hour on the phone with the worst tech support ever giving me idiotic suggestions like rebooting my PC to see if the drives somehow come back. Bottom line: WD will replace the bad drives, but my data is gone and they don't care. They have no way to get it back. So now I have to use a third-party company that will charge me between $1000-$3000 to get my data back.

This wouldn't bother me so much if this was just a "normal" hard drive. But this is supposed to be a high-end "safe" place to store lots of data. I would hope that WD would stand behind its product. But they seem to consider this to be just another drive. If it fails, it fails.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Worked great for about 2 months April 8, 2010

By Olpdog

Size Name:8 TB

Initially, I thought this was a great deal. 8TB of data storage for under $1000. I noticed it has a slow transfer rate (11 mb/sec), but it was easy to access from all my home computers. I was satisfied. As a precaution, I kept a backup of all data I put on the drive for the first month I had it. After that month passed, I stopped backing up on an additional drive and put my trust in this Western Digital. After 2 months, I had about 5TB of data on the drive and things were going well. I attempted to transfer some data from a PC on my network to the drive, as I had done many times before, but this time I got an error message saying the drive would not accept new data. I shut down the WD drive, thinking a reboot would solve the problem. When I turned it back on, the drive was no longer recognized on my network. I went through the set up again, and it recognized the WD drive. I went to open the "Public" folder where all my data was stored and I got a message that this folder could not be located. I tried it on all the computers on my network and received the same error from all of them. I contacted WD's tech support and was given some generalized answers that did nothing to solve the problem. They ended up suggesting that I test each drive individually on another PC. If they all pass, I put them back in the drive case and rebuild it, which would take an additional 18 hours and all data would be lost. I am now working on getting it into a place to save all the data they can off the drives before I get rid of the thing. It is going to cost me a lot of money to try to save this data, and of course, that is not covered by the warranty. Stay away from this product. Look around the net and you will see many other people who have had the same problems with this terrible device.