D-Link Forums
The Graveyard - Products No Longer Supported => D-Link Storage => DNS-321 => Topic started by: akg4y on July 29, 2009, 10:48:41 AM
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I am looking to buy a low cost 2 drive NAS to supplement my Netgear NV+ and was going to jump on the DNS-321 for $90 because of the spectacular price, but based on these forums and what I have read on the reviews on various shopping sites (newegg, amazon, etc) I am very hesitant. I would appreciate if any users *with the beta firmware* could chime in on whether or not they would recommend this product at this point for $90, the DNS-323 for $130, or the DNS-343 for around $275 (all after rebate)? Or should I look at another brand?
Edit to add: I will be using this NAS solely for a media server of music and video streaming to a macmini/plex or pc/xbmc, ranging from DIVX files to 1080p h.264 encoded mkvs. I will at most be using RAID-0 as I need all 3 TB of space on my two 1.5gb drives.
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Seems to me you need to identify what service you are going to use to connect
your media client to your media server, then choose the product which can support
that service and any features that you require.
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Seems to me you need to identify what service you are going to use to connect
your media client to your media server, then choose the product which can support
that service and any features that you require.
I dont really understand your point. As I mentioned I will be using either a PC with XBMC or MacMini with Plex (offshoot of XBMC) which should both be able to connect to any NAS without difficulty.
My question is given all of the reported problems that the DNS-321 have had based on the various threads on this forum would those users have preferred to buy a DNS-323, DNS-343 or a completely different brand given their experience with both the product and support.
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I dont really understand your point. As I mentioned I will be using either a PC with XBMC or MacMini with Plex (offshoot of XBMC) which should both be able to connect to any NAS without difficulty.
What I was trying to say is how (what network files service technologies) are you going to use
to connect your media clients to the media server?
Samba? FTP? UpNP? Bonjour? AFP? NFS? CIF? Active Directory? HTTP? Rsync?
Once you can determine the services you need then choose the device which supports them
the best. The ReadyNAS NV+ is a very capable NAS, which file services are you currently
using?
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In general I think this enclosure is worth the money still. Even though I am developing a problem with the firmware releases, or lack of them. I'd still recommend this NAS enclosure on a general basis. Cost vs What you get is not bad.
However, w/o knowing exact details my recommendation is still a general one.
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To be honest although I do know a reasonable amount about computers I dont know much about networking, hence this post. I basically just installed the NV+ and copied files to the media share on it, Im not sure what the default sharing protocol is nor what the benefits of one would be over another.
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I basically just installed the NV+ and copied files to the media share on it, Im not sure what the default sharing protocol is nor what the benefits of one would be over another.
There is a lot to be said for sticking with something that works.
You need a NAS that works well with PC (SMB) file sharing and Mac (AFP) file sharing.
I don't know (you'll have to search the forums) how many Mac users are really
happy with the D-Link DNS products in their Mac network. (I believe the DNS products
use SMB/CIF to connect to the Mac and not Apple's native AFP)
I know buying another NV+ (or NVX) is expensive, but it is a proven solution in your environment.
And in my book (especially given your limited networking experience), that is money well spent.
Perhaps you could "grow" the capacity of your existing NV+?
EDIT: The (less expensive) ReadyNAS Duo seems to have the same network file services as the NV+.
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I would recommend against this product and, in fact, have basically stopped using mine. I plan to move the drives from it to an eSATA enclosure, attach that directly to a system, and share that drive.
What has turned me off about the product is D-Link's non-response to the numerous problems it has. I started fighting with D-Link, but lost patience. Eventually, I may file a complaint with the FTC. This is a piece of hardware and it has to perform as advertised and implied. That it incorporates firmware is irrelevant. So do microwave ovens, stereo receivers, televisions, cars, lasers used for eye surgery, etc. Putting a micro-controller in a product is not a get-out-of-jail-free card when a defect is uncovered.
I bought the DNS-321, and mirrored the data across two drives, because reliability is very important to me. I have seen this drive appear and disappear from the "shared" list on my Mac. PCs have been similarly unhappy retaining a connection to it. I put a new drive into it and it failed to recognize the new drive as new and to rebuild the array.
For a NAS connected to gigabit ethernet, the performance is lethargic. The fan sounds like a vacuum cleaner on the table beside me and there is no way to adjust the setpoints so that it runs more often for less time.
All in all, a promising product let down by a total failure of the manufacturer to fix flaws in a timely manner.
Out of this entire post I can only identify one thing that could be considered an issue and even then it is related to YOUR experience.
1. This is a consumer product, the gigabit port is a SINGLE port gigabit and I apologize that it does not meet your expectations but it is doing gigabit speed.
2. I am not sure what you are doing with your nas but mine doesn't sound like a vacuum cleaner.
3. We never stated on the box or in the packaging that the fan was controllable. If you bought it for that you bought it because you assumed it had that option. This is something that has been added in the next release.
It is unfortunate that you are no longer using your device and maybe you will change your mind when 1.03 is released officially.
Just another 'non-response'.
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Thanks for the responses thusfar, particularly mig. Ive been checking various sites, Anandtech etc, where people are saying the D-link is connecting to macs no problem, but I dont know about the speed.
Ill probably get this anyhow for $90 AR, as long as I can get it to stream movies itll do what I need... if not I can probably sell it for most of what I paid or just use it as another backup.
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DLink support, field engineers and related personnel really need to take a course in customer relations. (fordem is that you hiding behind the DLM alias?)
There will always be some % of antagonistic customers, some rightfully so, some not. Attacking a customer who is dissatisfied does nothing to help the situation. Insulting them for expecting too much or being "stupid" is counter-productive. In fact it makes DLM look even worse, manned by a bunch of insecure geeks who take everything personally.
This will surely fall on deaf ears. It's too bad because not only do customers suffer, DLM as a company will continue to suffer from bad PR. I'm just the messenger...
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D-Link's management, good or bad, doesn't excuse the DLM representatives here. One of the few DLM associates here who is even-handed and understanding is Fatman. Why are the others so quick to attack and berate their customers?
I agree that the fan noise is too loud. My room is probably 80F ambient in the summer and the fan runs full speed. In the winter it rarely ever came on. The DLM tech who doesn't believe the noise level is either hard of hearing, keeps his home/work AC at freezer temperatures, or both. We shouldn't have to "prove" that this is an annoyance. We've reported it, DLM should record it and investigate. I've been fortunate to experience both the company support side and the customer side (maybe that's not so fortunate :)). It's never acceptable for customer-facing representatives to behave as some DLM people have here. I guess the faceless/nameless nature of this forum is more conducive to socially reprehensible behavior. After all, the "D-Link Multimedia Technical Engineer" doesn't have to put his name on the line.
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Please do NOT waste your money on this piece of junk.
I have bought one and have pulled out all of my hair with this crapola. I inserted two 1TB WD10EADS Green drives into it and CANNOT get it to format both drives. One drive formats successfully but when I insert the other one it always fails at ~ 14% and returns Format Failure: Error 114, whatever that means. I removed the drive that failed to format and connected it to my PC to delete the partition and then reinserted it into the DNS-321 and tried again to no avail. I also deleted the partitions of both drives and swapped slots in every combination and still it fails. I also tried all versions of the firmware (1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and several 1.3 BETA loads) and none work. I then scanned the internet and so many people are having problems with this box that it should be declared a lemon.
Until D-Link evenually gets out a working firmware load RUN FORREST RUN away from this junk.
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One drive formats successfully but when I insert the other one it always fails at ~ 14% and returns Format Failure: Error 114, whatever that means.
Try running WD disk diagnostics utility on the stubborn drive,
you might be seeing a hardware problem with the hard drive.
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Been there, done that... on both drives I have successfully performed WD diagnostics, successfully formatted both drives on a separate PC, successfully performed full surface scans, and even successfully ran SpinRite on both drives. The drives are perfect.
The DNS-321 is junk, with garbage firmware, and is poorly supported and documented, and D-Link KNOWS IT judging by the tons of complaints regarding this dead weight all over the Internet. No more D-Link hardware for me and I am now a committed vocal advocate to my colleagues/friends to stay away from D-Link, especially after reading the sarcastic/rude responses from D-Link employees on these forums. I've also escalated their sarcasm higher up in the company and will see what effect that has, if any. J-U-N-K.
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This thread is showing up highly on google searches so I figure I should follow up... bought this NAS and installed the beta firmware immediately in order to not have the whole 94% hangup with 1.5TB drives. Im not very impressed, and might actually just sell this on craigslist or something because it does not seem to be able to stream 1080p video without stuttering. I have it on gigabit network along with a Netgear NV+ and the same 1080p files stream flawlessly from the Netgear but are unwatchable from the D-link. Seems like a lot of others are having the same problems and there are no responses from anyone at D-link thusfar.
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2. I am not sure what you are doing with your nas but mine doesn't sound like a vacuum cleaner.
While it might rise to the level of a vacuum cleaner, it's MUCH louder than the DNS-323 fan, probably because the DNS-323 has a fan speed control that appears to be much more tuned to what's actually happening in the box. My DNS-321 fan is loud all the time, however it's now in the basement next to the power panel, so I don't hear it. My quad-core machine's five fans make less noise than that one little fan in the DNS-321, that's simply not reasonable!
The DNS-323 fan is much quieter, even after the unit has been running for some time. If you simply transplant the code from that box for the fan control, I suspect that would please most of the folks complaining about the fan noise.
I'm just glad the one with the print server is the quiet one, since that one is across the room from me.
It's not a bad little box for the money, but it does have room for improvement, and I'd also suggest dumping on your customers is not doing your company image any good. Many folks come here because they're experiencing issues, that's not a good time to slap them around. :)
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Well....the unit is not perfect. But it is well priced and d-link is finally starting to solidify the next firmware release.
But d-link support can be frustrating. Their systems are quite rigid and can't handle anything that deviates from the script.
Actually, I will go further. I truly dislike dealing with d-link support and customer service. The only help I have received from them that got me somewhere was from the high level techs that hang out in the beta forum.
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For the 90 ar spent on this device I should have just kept it in my pocket. This device is horribly unreliable. I have tried three different hard disk pairs in this. All of which work fine on my linux, mac, pc, and Intel NAS. This thing is unbelievable. It randomly disconnects. It will slow to a crawl. It is not good. I do not know about the the dns-323 since I have never owned one however after my experience with the dns-321 it is doubtful I ever will. I have a dir-655 router and several dlink switches. I love them all. I was horribly disappointed with this dns-321.
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That's odd, the first set of disks I stuck in the DNS-321 worked fine, and are still working. They are the Seagate 1.5TB ones running RAID-1. My DNS-323 is running a pair of Samsung 1.5TB drives, also in RAID-1.
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I have tried three different hard disk pairs in this. All of which work fine on my linux, mac, pc, and Intel NAS.
Drive compatibility can be an issue with a 'bring your own drive' NAS. Could you post the
make / model of the bad drives do others may learn from your experiences.
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I'm confused by all the negative comments. First, for the price, I expect a no frills backup device, not a high end box to stream 1080P video flawlessly or some of the other advanced functionality I have seen in these posts. Second, the 321 seems silent to me. It is in a quiet office space in my home, and I still don't hear a thing. Third, I have twice needed to call for support, and both times a skilled technician answered the phone in about a minute and quickly resolved my issue. The first time it was the need for a firmware upgrade to support the 1.5 TB drives, and the second time a power surge caused my box to get a little confused. Both times the issue was resolved quickly on the first call.
I really appreciate a company that actually responds to issues raised in their forums. I think this is rare these days. I also really appreciate getting excellent customer service even well after I purchased the device without waiting forever on hold.
Yes, my Mac sometimes drops the connection, and if this is an issue, you should look for something else, but you will also pay a lot more for it. We use this box to store videos that we don't access every day anyway and to do manual backup of very large files. In both cases, our work requires human intervention anyway, so one extra click to reconnect is no big deal. For $99, there is no competition.
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First, not all the DNS-321 boxes are silent, mine has a noisy fan as well. The other complaint I have is never firmware removed functionality from account handling, which made absolutely no sense to me. If it never had it in the first place, I could understand...
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Here's my experience - bought it about 6 months ago with 2 seagate 1.5TB drives. One drive would not format and someone on this forum (not sure if it was official dlink or not) said to check the firmware. For me, that's usually a cop out, but I did and sure enough - one was seriously out of date. Updated it and drive formatted fine.
It's fine for a big drive NAS for storing stuff - though I haven't had or simulated a drive problem.
However, for a UPnP server it's a piece of junk. It's connected to a Netgear router that shows gigabit, but when it does actually serve media it's slow and stutters a lot. That is when I can even get it to connect to a media device. I've actually hadn't tried it in ages and just tried it now after reading these forums. I set my WMPC to scan both the NAS drive for videos and my 3rd floor PC (connected via wireless). It's been 1 hour now and the 3rd floor PC shows up fine in my wired WMPC Media Center. The NAS? Who knows. There's only 2 videos on the folder I told it to scan - you'd think after an hour they'd show up....Or not...
Support is pretty much "you're on your own" or use this forum, FWIW.
Firmware is so slow - I think Microsoft could do a new version of Windows before DLink releases 1.03, which is rumored to have may fixes for the litany of problems posted here. But then again, I've been reading about 1.03 for 6+ months now (or so it seams).
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I have actually simulated a drive failure, and it was able to recover. I'll admit, it took it forever to sync, but it did get done. :)
I don't use the media functions, I bought it as a backup, and it does that function fine.
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Bought this unit for network backup and to share thunderbird email profile. Has worked excellent for that. The only issue that I have had that was not caused by windows is that my son's xbox 360 cannot recognize all of the music files that are shared via the av server. Haven't looked into that issue yet and I am not sure if it is even a DNS-321 problem. Otherwise, it has performed perfectly for what is was purchased for.
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Yes, I would recommend the 321. This is the first NAS I've ever used and my experience has been very good so far. I purchased it primarily as a backup solution for a very full laptop and had no problems formatting 2 WD Caviar Green 1TB drives at different times and slowly porting all my files to the 321. From what I read hear, I seem lucky in that video streams, even over a wireless connection, have been no problem. This forum has been very helpful in sorting out any small problems I've encountered, so I've been fairly happy since I first started using the 321 a few months back.
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I personally wish I'd gotten another 323, it's a bit faster on gigabit networks with jumbo frames. However, the 321 does the job, and I haven't had any major issues with it's operation.
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I've had my DNS-321 for about a year. When I first got it I updated the firmware and installed and formatted two 500GB WD Caviar drives with no problems. I subsequently utilized the Easy Search software with no problems to map the drives (standard) to my two laptops. I used the DNS-321 as back-up for the laptops and to stream video to one of the laptops connected to my TV. Initially loading the drives over the wireless was slow but it was much faster when I plugged the laptop directly into the router. I then utilized the DDNS and set up the DNS-321 FTP Server and had no problems hitting the machine (once I opened ports in my router) from anywhere on the net (very handy!). Since then I've added a third laptop with no problem. I have also started using the UPnP server and I-Tunes server with great success. I have my video on one drive which I serve to a PS3 with the UPnP. I have the music on another drive (MP3's) which I stream to ITunes using the ITunes server. I've added a couple of friends laptops and PS3s who live in my house to my network and it works great for sharing stuff with them. I've removed and re-inserted drives with no problems to test other drive functionallity.
Bottom Line: I've been extremely happy with the DNS 321 and I'm going to buy another one and equip with 2 WD Caviar 1TB drives and add to the network. I've recommended the device to two friends already.
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I've only had my DNS-321 for a few months and I started by using the Beta code that has become the 1.03 release. I use the device as a file server/backup and that is all I care about. I was able to install 2 1TB drvies and run them as a RAID 1 configuration. Speed isn't blinding but is OK for my use. I'm able to connect from Windows 7, Vista and XP.
I'd like to see the ftp server support ftps implicit mode so it can work securely with firewalls. Not all firewalls support the explicit mode. My need for ftp access comes when I am not in secure locations and can't count on no one running a sniffer at those sites, like my son's colege dorm. ssh support would also be a nice to have.
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For those options, you'll have to consider add-on packages like fun_plug and compatible applications.