D-Link's DNS-323 and DNS-343 are network storage enclosures that can include up to 2/4 internal SATA drives (drives sold separately). The enclosures attach to the network via Ethernet connections (10/100/1000) and are targeted primarily to small businesses or SOHO deployments.

With the DNS-323, to connect to and access the drive Windows (2000/XP) end users can make use of the vendor's "Easy Search Utility," which is included on a separate CD that comes with the drive. It locates the enclosure anywhere on the network and includes a utility to map the drive so that it appears in the "My Computer" list of drives on the user's PC.

Both models include backup software, allowing for manual, scheduled, and real-time data backups, on an included CD. The vendor notes that the drive can additionally be accessed by Linux and Mac OS X machines; however the included software CD is supported only on Windows machines.

In addition to local access, the enclosures also feature a built-in FTP server, allowing them to be accessed from remote locations over the Internet.

As aforementioned, up to 2 or 4 SATA drives (3.5 inch internal) can be loaded into the enclosures; a process that, according to the vendor, requires no tools or cable attachments. Once installed, the drives can be configured in one of five usage modes: Standard mode allows both disks to be accessed separately and independently; JBOD mode allows both disks to be seen as a single, linear storage space; RAID 0 exposes the space from both drives in a single striped configuration; while RAID 1 allows for automatic disk mirroring between the two drives such that if one fails the other can continue to provide the user's data while the failed disk is replaced (and once the failed disk is replaced the drives will once again start mirroring). The new DNS-343, with its support for up to 4 drives, additionally supports RAID 5 deployments. The vendor states that any size SATA drive is supported; but of course total available capacity depends on the RAID level configured.

Other features of the enclosures include a USB port allowing the enclosures to also serve as network printer servers; and drive management tools including Scandisk, and E-mail alerting. Management of the appliance is via a Java-enabled Web browser. The DNS-343 additionally features an on-device OLED display that provides such information as the device's IP address, hard drive statistics, temperature, RAID status, and server status (FTP and UpnP).

Both models are available now, with MSRPs of $209.99 and $509.99, respectively. Contact D-Link for further information.