LaCie Revamps Biggest FW800 RAID; Adds USB To 1TB External SATA RAID

LaCie today announced increased performance of its Biggest FW800 RAID subsystem with hardware RAID controller. In addition, it has added USB 2.0 to its 2-disk external SATA RAID solution.

LaCie today announced increased performance of its Biggest FW800 RAID subsystem with hardware RAID controller. The FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 dual interface RAID now comes with internal SATA drives for faster performance, and a sleek new silver design with lockable hard disk drawers to prevent accidental removal or damage. LaCie Biggest FW800 for Windows/Mac OS X is also equipped with the same great features as before including choice of four RAID levels (0, 0+1, 5, 5+spare), the ability to hot-swap drives, automatic drive rebuilding, and a bright LCD panel to monitor operation status. It’s available in 1TB or 2TB capacities.

“LaCie believes RAID technology is the best way to safely back up large amounts of data,” said Emanuela Boila, LaCie Product Manager. “Our goal is to simplify this complex technology so anyone can reap the benefits without hassle. The improved Biggest FW800 is at the higher-end of that scale, with the target market being IT managers who need to back up email, web servers or imaging systems, whereas solutions like the LaCie Two Big are intended for the mass consumer market.”

LaCie Biggest FW800 offers optimal processing potential by harnessing the power of four disks in one compact tower without the need to install drivers. LaCie Biggest FW800 comes with four SATA disks at 250GB each for the 1TB model, or 500GB each for the 2TB model. LaCie makes it simple to adjust the RAID level setting via switches located on the back. A hardware controller is built in, whereby freeing up the computer’s CPU and memory for other use. Spare drawers can be purchased from LaCie for easy disk replacement.

For additional protection, LaCie Biggest FW800 will automatically react to a drive, fan or power failure and even shut down above a temperature of 55 °C to preserve itself and the data. For those using RAID 0+1, 5 or 5+spare, LaCie Biggest FW800 allows for online hot swapping should a drive fail, with automatic data rebuilding to a new drive without downtime. The bright LCD panel shows operation status at all times.

Availability
LaCie Biggest FW800 is available immediately from LaCie direct and widely available via LaCie’s specialized dealer network later this month. Suggested retail price is $1299 for the 1TB model, and $1699 for the 2TB model. Disks ship with two keys for the lockable hard disk drawers, and all cables needed for immediate use (FireWire 800, FireWire 400-to-800, USB 2.0).

Today LaCie announced it has added USB 2.0 to its 2-disk external SATA RAID solution. The new LaCie Two Big eSATA & USB offers the same eSATA 3Gbits/s interface throughput as before, and is now equipped with USB for universal access. It’s an ideal all-in-one solution for digital content creators who want to edit with eSATA, and transport files anywhere with USB. A simple RAID selection switch allows users to format for ultimate protection or maximum speed. This model replaces the previous eSATA-only version.

“LaCie has always been a pioneer of new technology,” said Emanuela Boila, LaCie Product Manager. “We introduced our first external SATA solution in 2004 because we believe it’s the most promising next-gen interface for video editing and high-end backup. For those looking to migrate, our new Two Big solution makes it easier to test eSATA’s speed while retaining the universal accessibility over USB.”

LaCie Two Big eSATA & USB comes in a sturdy metal case with a quiet fan and vents for heat dissipation. Disks are hot-swappable for instant expandability and the unit is hot-pluggable so can be removed without having to power down the computer.

LaCie Two Big eSATA & USB comes pre-formatted in Fast mode (RAID 0) in which the disks are striped together for maximum throughput of 115MB/s over eSATA or 30MB/s over USB. It can also be configured to Safe mode (RAID 1) in which data is mirrored for redundancy and will automatically rebuild in case of disk failure once the defective drive is replaced. Big mode (concatenation) spans data over both disks so full capacity can be achieved whereby the disk appears as one large volume, or alternatively JBOD mode will show each disk as an independent volume.

Availability
LaCie Two Big eSATA & USB is available for pre-order today via LaCie websites and widely available through LaCie’s specialized dealer network in December at the suggested retail prices below. LaCie Two Big eSATA & USB ships with all necessary cables. One of the following LaCie PCI cards is required for use: LaCie SATA II 3Gbits/s PCI-X Card 4E, LaCie SATA II 3Gbits/s PCI-Express Card 4E, or LaCie SATA II 3Gbits/s PCI-Express Card 2E.

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