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Using the integrated download manager, files can be downloaded to the hard drive via http, ftp and even bittorrent. However, our test-run with bittorrent was unsuccessful, as the device failed to write any data. To ensure that this wasn't due to broken links we downloaded the same files using the standalone bittorrent client BitComet. After only 20 minutes, the two packages (3DMark06 and OpenOffice) resided on our drive - not bad for a 690 MB download. Although we initially suspected a bad port-forwarding rule, the error message led us to conclude a problem with the name resolution instead.

Bittorrent-Downloads can be configured here. Sadly, they did not work in our test.

Good thinking: Downloads can be scheduled to take place during times when you don't need your internet connection. This is especially useful for P2P downloads, which bombard your router with dozens of even hundreds of connections and requests, resulting in diminished performance.

Backup Utility

Thecus bundles a simple and compact backup utility with the N1200 that can be used to set up basic backup tasks. However, only one directory can be backed up per task. The tasks can be scheduled as well, albeit only at weekly and monthly intervals. All in all, the tool's feature set is nowhere near that of modern backup utilities and should be understood as a well-meant bonus.

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Test Run with Glitches

When the N1200 is accessed through the Windows explorer, users are given several shares through which they can access the hard drive or the attached storage devices.

We encountered a minor setback when we attached an NTFS-formatted external HDD. While the N1200 had no trouble reading from it, it was unable to write to the device. This issue disappeared when the drive used the FAT32 file system and finds its root (no pun intended) in the N1200's Linux heritage.

Another problem that we'd already encountered with Intel's SS4000E cropped up with files that were larger than 700 MB. It occurs because the N1200 creates the physical files and only then writes the actual data to them. If the file creation takes longer than the Windows timeout, the transfer is simply canceled.

When a new eSATA drive is connected, it first needs to be formatted before it can be used. The N1200 creates three partitions, one of which is the data partition, and then formats them with the ReiserFS file system. That's all good and well until you try to connect the eSATA drive directly to any Windows machine. The trouble is that Windows can neither read ReiserFS nor write to it. That makes eSATA drives a lot less flexible to use.

Finally, it seems that assigning access rights and privileges to storage devices attached to the N1200, regardless of whether it uses USB 2.0 or eSATA, doesn't work. Whether we set them manually or used ACLs (Access Control Lists), we were unable to limit user access to such devices.

Test Results

Read Performance