I can hear the words echoing through my high school Macintosh lab...

"Make sure you save!"

Echoing, echoing, echoing... more like beaten into my head! This reminder was thrown out multiple times over the course of each class, whether we were being allowed to browse the Internet (which was a phenominal experience back then, being that it was so "new"), writing a paper, or creating our HyperCard stacks for our class project. I think I still have a floppy disk from back then lying around somewhere.

So, this mantra has stayed with me my entire life. I've always saved documents, projects, presentations... even my SimCities multiple times and in multiple locations. Up until now, though, I haven't needed a full-scale, industrial strength backup solution. I had been backing things up to CD and DVD and only recently acquired a small (120 GB) external drive, which I currently use with Time Machine on my Mac. My music also resides there.

But, that just won't cut the mustard. For all practical purposes, it's almost maxed out on space. And frankly, it seems a little unreliable at times, and needs rebooting once in a while. It hasn't failed yet, which is fantastic, but I get worried sometimes.

So, I had been longing, desperately, for a unique, easy to use, and stable solution to my backup woes. Before you know it, I welcomed the ReadyNAS Duo into my life with open arms, and she's been good to me. Being that this is my first experience with a "real" piece of backup hardware, I'd like to share with you what it was like to get this baby up and running!

[Editor's Note: This article is being written from the perspective of a Mac user. The functionality of the ReadyNAS Duo is designed to be accessible from Windows, Mac, and Linux alike - one of the reasons I love it - but be aware that some procedures/screenshots will be different if you are on a different OS. If you'd like to submit an article on your experience with the ReadyNAS Duo on Windows or Linux, we'd love to see it. You can also talk about it on our forums. -Pete]

Unboxing the NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo

A first look at the shiny, glossy new box reveals some of the features the ReadyNAS Duo supports - BitTorrent, ReadyNAS Photos, and more.

(Click on the photos for the larger version in the image gallery.)

So, by now I'm very excited. I couldn't wait to see what this thing had in store. The unit is well-packaged in foam and feels very secure in its box. Here's what's inside:

You'll find the power adapter, the unit itself, a "goodie bag" which contains an Ethernet cable, the installation CD and quick start guide, and some hard drive screws.

When I removed the unit itself from the box, I was immediately surprised at its size and weight. It feels solid and is reasonably heavy, but is also very small and compact. Somehow, I had imagined it to be much, much bigger. However, it slid into my setup like a stealthy Geo Metro into an already-half-taken parking spot, and is actually shorter than my other external drive. Of course, it's wider (it holds two hard drives and a fan) but still fits quite nicely. It's metal, which I love. The appearance is spartan and austere, but also solid and promising, much like the interior of a BMW M3 I once drove briefly. It's black... very black... the only colors being the blue power light and the access light. The grille on the front of the unit with the shiny NETGEAR logo definitely adds something to the design. Overall, the look of the ReadyNAS Duo really talks to me. I'm not a big fan of flashy looks - I like simple, clean, and powerful.

The NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo: Up Close & Personal

Here, you see the activity light, drive lights, backup button, USB port, and power button.

Take a look at the size comparison between my iPod and the Duo. Again, you can see why I was surprised to see it at first, as given what it can do, it has a very managable footprint!

The front panel of the Duo opens easily, and craftily enough, held closed by a magnet. I think this is a great feature - no latch to wear down or break, and it's just cool. You can see the two hard drive bays in the front, which are easily removable with the press of a button. Click on the thumbnails to see some more photos of the removed drive bays. It's easy to screw in a new hard drive (must be the same size or bigger) and install into the ReadyNAS Duo, which will allow you to keep redundant backups in the event of a hard drive failure. Your storage limit will be limited by the smallest drive in the group (i.e., if you have a 500GB and a 1TB drive, your storage limit will be 500GB) I haven't installed a new disk yet, so I'd like to hear experiences from folks on how this process goes, but the procedure is super easy and should detect the new drive automatically.

Well, now that we have the unit unboxed, let's move on to the installation, shall we?

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Plugging In and Setting Up the ReadyNAS Duo - Piece of Cake!

Once I had the Duo plugged in and placed into my setup, I connected it via Ethernet to my network. The Quick Start guide instructs you to install the RAIDar (clever) software to detect and begin setting up the ReadyNAS Duo. I followed this recommendation, and installation of the software was easy.

The RAIDar program eventually detected my NAS (although it didn't do so on the first try, a reboot of the computer and NAS solved this problem.) Once it did this, clicking on the "Setup" button brought me to my default browser, where I was prompted to type in the default admin username and password, which is provided to you in the Quick Start guide. After that, I was behind the curtain, so to speak, and inside the inner workings of this fabulous storage dream.

The ReadyNAS Duo will then guide you through the setup of your NAS, and you'll be able to perform a variety of functions on this first pass, including changing the network name of your NAS, modifying the "shares" (directories) on the drive, managing permissions for users, and enabling the various add-ins and features of the unit.

The ReadyNAS Duo Setup Process

Click here to get a rundown of the setup screens and features of the ReadyNAS Duo, or click on one of the images below. You can follow along in the image gallery.

This will help you understand what each setup screen can do, and the basic modifications and things you can change. The setup is very intuitive, but for novice users, a description of each step could prove very helpful.

Note: Remember that you can get to this screen either through the RAIDar program, the ReadyNAS widget, or by typing in the IP address manually. You may want to give the NAS a static IP address to make it easier to discover, but that's up to you, of course!

Starting a Backup on the ReadyNAS Duo

Now, the moment you all may very well have been waiting for... the answer to the eternal question... so how do I back up my stuff?

First, there's the super easy way - just drag and drop files to the NAS. Depending on how you set up the NAS in the initial stages, you may have just the standard "backup" and "media" directories, or others. All you need to do is open up your "Network Neighborhood" on PC's, the Finder in Mac, or whatever file explorer you choose in Linux, and browse to the device. (Make sure that the NAS is discoverable by the file system your OS supports.) Then, it should be as simple as drag and drop. If it doesn't work, make sure that either (A) you have the folders set to "public access" or (B) are logged in as the correct user.

Note: It's important that you address the security features that the ReadyNAS Duo has to offer, but that is out of scope for this article. Basically, make sure that anything you don't want users on your network to discover is set to password access. You can change this easily in the FrontView panel.

Of course, you don't want to be dragging and dropping your files over all the time... that would be a hassle, right? Now, you can feel free to make fun of me all you want... but even being the huge geek that I am, up until now I had been dragging and dropping files between multiple drives as a makeshift redundant storage array. Pathetic, right? With this little beauty, I don't have to mess around with that anymore.

But how, you ask? Packaged with the ReadyNAS is a neat software package called NTI Shadow, which you can use to set up backups to your liking. You'll find NTI Shadow on the installation disk, and it appears that versions for Mac, Linux, and PC are all included - sweet!

Continue forward to learn how to set up your first backups with NTI Shadow, and to learn some of the other cool things that the ReadyNAS Duo can do.

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NTI Shadow for ReadyNAS Duo Quick Start

When you first run the NTI Shadow program, you'll be guided through your backup. You'll be asked what locations you'd like to backup, and a directory tree will be displayed listing showing all available directories and files.

Once you select what you want to back up, you'll be able to select where you want the files to be backed up - this is where you'll select a share on your NAS. I created separate, dedicated shares just for the NTI Shadow backups, to avoid confusing them with my other folders.

In my opinion, the most important setting here is to select how and when NTI Shadow will perform backups. If you're looking for an exact, up to date, carbon copy that follows everything you do "live," then select the first option. Any time a file is changed, it will be mirrored on the ReadyNAS Duo. The second option lets you perform backups by time, and the third allows you to have them saved by day, which is the option I'm using. I haven't yet tried the "shadow" option, as I am concerned it could slow down my system. If you've had experience using the "shadow" feature, post it on our forums and let us know how it works!

Overall, NTI Shadow is very nice for an included software package, and the fact that versions for all three major OS versions is... awesome. The backup worked perfectly the first time and I anticipate that it will continue to work well. One last tip for NTI Shadow is that you have to select the option to view a progress window, otherwise it will just run in the background. Personally, I like to see a progress window... it makes me feel better :)

Conclusion: ReadyNAS Duo is a Great Backup Solution for Mac, PC, and Linux Users Alike

Overall, I love the ReadyNAS Duo so far. I've said it multiple times throughout this review, and I'll say it again... I love that it is multiple OS friendly. That's a huge benefit to me. It's built solidly, looks great, and has a compact footprint. Also, it makes a very amount of noise compared to other computer systems/peripherals I have used. My laptop fan gets louder.

Replacing the hard drives couldn't be easier, and I look forward to the day when I can add another and get redundant storage. For now, though, I love it the way it is.

Here's some other features that the ReadyNAS Duo has to offer:

• Direct streaming to capable devices, including the Digital Entertainer HD (EVA 8000), with no need for a connection over the network
• iTunes integration
• ReadyNAS Photos application, which allows you to share your photos over the web through your ReadyNAS
• BitTorrent built-in client and file manager
• Compatible with Mac, Linux, and Windows
• Can connect and share USB hard drives
• Can share a USB connected printer

Stay tuned for more exciting news and how-tos regarding the ReadyNAS Duo and how it will integrate with your other NETGEAR devices. It's available in 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB models.

So, enjoy your new ReadyNAS - I know I will!

Quick Links:

Data Sheet on ReadyNAS Duo | ReadyNAS Duo Official Webpage | Buy a ReadyNAS Duo