From a performance perspective even a single drive of the four drives mounted was able to saturate the 100-Mbit network interface. So when running all four drives in a striped RAID 0 configuration you simply won't be any faster than a single drive, as the network interface simply becomes the main bottleneck.

We've had the SnapServer in our office for about two weeks and have been using it for a variety of tasks, ranging from a high speed backup medium to a web server and it never faltered. Using it with a number of different disk configurations, RAID 0, 1 or 5 didn't affect its stability at all.

The build quality is what you'd expect of a 19" rack mounted device. The components used and the hard drives mounted are of premium quality and are clearly designed for heavy use and if needed 24/7 operation. The 19" 1U rack case is made from sturdy sheet metal and comes with a 200-watts power supply.

The SnapServer has an impressive array of features, and is compatible with just about any commonly used network network protocol. Setting it up is a Snap and the most appealing feature of all is the ability to configure it from anywhere on the network using a web browser and logging onto the SnapServer's IP address.

Documentation is what you'd expect from such a device, hardware installation manual, a software installation manual and the usual warranty cards and list of service numbers and addresses. Software and untilities are supplied on a CD which can be used with Windows 9X/Windows NT or Windows 2000.

Although the price of this particular model has recently been cut by $300, the $2699 pricetag is still a bit high, considering that a normal fileserver can be built for that amount. Although that will not be able to fit into a 19" 1U rack case or have 160GB of storage capacity. The SnapServer offers a very compact, yet affordable package.

Overall the SnapServer proved to be able to hold its own, both as a file-server but also as a web server. It is a very user friendly device, even someone who has never worked with a file-server before will be able to set it up and access it in a matter of minutes, it is that simple. In most office environments the SnapServer will prove to be a great file server, taking some of the load off of the main server as well as providing speedy access to files, folders and needed data.