The idiot’s guide to setting up a home media network
By Adrian Weckler
Despite a lot of dumbing down lately, ‘media servers ‘ and ‘home networks’ still intimidate the hell out of people. Just mention the word ‘server’ and a nightmare emerges: fiddling with IP addresses, searching for ethernet connections and bumbling through multiple configuration screens.
What most people don’t know is that very little of this ordeal applies any more. The modern home media server simply comes out of the box, plugs into a broadband router and works.
Once switched on, it acts as a giant hard drive that you can store things on and access through an internet connection, from any computer, anywhere in the world.
Yes, there is still a small amount of fiddling involved, but nothing that extends beyond a single page of instruct ions. Certainly nothing compared to putting together a small desk from Ikea, an ordeal that can take up to six hours (and four tool boxes from Woodies).
This mix of simplicity and power is the main idea behind Iomega’s range of Storcenter home servers. Setting up takes about ten minutes. (That’s real minutes, as opposed to promotional brochure minutes.)
In a nutshell, the ix4 is a powerful storage and backup device that can act as a server or a hub for a busy (meaning lots of downloading music and movies) home computing network or small business set-up.
By a hub, we mean that it can act as the single reference point from which other computers can leave things, access things or store things.
Because it is a server, it is accessible from any internet-connected computer anywhere in the world. That means that you can log on from any web machine and access or browse content that you have stored on the ix4 (so long as both the machine and your internet connection are left on).
It also has a nice backup feature on it called Retrospect (from EMC).This can be used to recall or save entire work flows. For Mac users, the ix4 works with Apple’s Time Machine, which is a sophisticated back-up service that comes with OSX.
The ix4 has several features which are useful for those in business or for advanced home users with plans for more than a simple home networking setup.
For example, it has dual gigabit ethernet ports, which increases its connectivity options and internet performance. For small business owners, the ix4 is iSCSI-qualified, which means (among other things) you can run Microsoft Windows Server on it.
It even allows the use of network attached video or security cameras – a quirky extra. For home users, there are a few plug-and-play advantages. One is the ability to stick in a USB memory key and copy whatever’s on it onto the ix4. Another is the power to connect with an Xbox 360 to stream content.
Even for the entry-level version, storage space is scarcely a problem for the ix4.While the version I have has two terabytes (2TB), it comes in versions of up to 8TB (using the same size box).
If you really need more space than that, you can hook up any amount of additional external hard drives (of any make), and these will be incorporated into the home server network controlled by the ix4. One of the great practical advantages of the ix4 is its silence.
Most bulky computer boxes struggle with balancing the need for chilled working parts with acceptably low levels of noise. The ix4 excels on this front, emitting a low whirr as opposed to a droning hum.
This kind of device is not for everyone. But if you’re ready to take the next step into setting up your own home network, with oodles of space and options to expand, this is the perfect box to do it.
Price: €725 from Harvey Norman, Peats, Soundstore or www.iomega-europe.com
