We Got Served

Earlier today I had the opportunity to meet with the guys from VIA who showed me their two forthcoming Windows Home Server releases. The good news is that both of these systems will be released as fully built systems and barebones systems for those of you who want to build your own.

VIA Artigo A2000 Home Server

The Artigo A2000 is a 2 drive system powered by a VIA C7-D processor running at 1.5Ghz. 3 USBs (1 front, 2 rear) are included for external storage and you’ll enjoy a gigabit LAN connection. Pricing is being finalised for the full Windows Home Server system, but the barebones (without memory and storage) is available now for an MSRP of $299 (expect to pay around $239 online).

VIA NSD-7800 Home Server

This is a very cool chassis for digital media enthusiasts, boasting (count ‘em) 8 hard drive bays in a compact form factor measuring 13.4″ x 13.4″ x 5.9″ (34cm x 34cm x 15cm.

Once again, the NSD-7800 runs off a C7-D processor with 4 rear USB ports and Gigabit LAN. 1 Gig of memory is on board. As with the A2000, pricing is still being finalised (but should be available soon), but the barebones is $499 MSRP. One neat aspect that VIA mentioned was the power consumption of this unit – fully loaded it only pulls around 20W, so both this and the Artigo won’t cost you an arms and a leg in electricity.

Both of these units are pretty cool and the NSD in particular is unlike anything else available in the WHS market today. The 1 Gb of RAM in both units should be sufficient, but the C7-D is a 32-bit only processor which is going to block a future upgrade path to a Windows 2008 R2 platform. VIA tell me that a 64-bit capable processor (most likely the VIA Nano)  is being considered for future models.

Here’s the lowdown on the NSD-7800:

VIA Serves Up Next Generation Data Storage for the Home

The compact 8-drive VIA NSD7800 server supports Windows® Home Server to provide a secure, manageable storage system for the family or home office

 

Taipei, Taiwan, January 9 2009 – VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA NSD7800 home server, supporting up to 8 full sized hard drives with a fraction of the hassle associated with larger servers, enabling system integrators to offer the ideal solution for SOHO and family storage needs.

Measuring only 13.4″ x 13.4″ x 5.9″ (34cm x 34cm x 15cm) and powered by an energy-efficient 1.5GHz VIA C7-D processor, the VIA NSD7800 offers substantial storage space through its eight easy access 3.5″ drive bays. The VIA NSD7800 server is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows Home Server so that users can now securely store their personal data and enjoy peace of mind with automatic data mirroring, as well as easy access to documents while away from home.

Modern households frequently have more than one PC with family members each storing personal data without the means to safely back up data in a simple, user-friendly manner. The VIA NSD7800 works in harmony with Windows Home Server to offer a compelling alternative. Small business and home office users will also appreciate having a rational, easy to administer storage infrastructure while also saving space and reducing power bills.

Offering a unique blend of size, capacity and power efficiency, the VIA NSD7800 uses Gigabit LAN networking to provide optimal file transfer speeds, a compact flash socket for stable OS installation and individual status LEDs for each of its eight drive bays as well as LEDs indicators for network activity and power.

“VIA is confident that the VIA NSD7800 server accurately addresses the needs of today’s consumers. Used in combination with Microsoft Windows Home Server, it provides a simple, safe and effective way to manage increasingly large personal data collections,” said Daniel Wu, Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. “The home server market continues to grow in importance and VIA is determined, as ever, to set the pace.”

“The new VIA Home Servers are great example of how Windows Home Server provides an all-in-one solution for families to access, organize, and safeguard their digital content,” said Charlie Kindel, general manager of Windows Server Solutions at Microsoft. “We are excited to partner with an industry leader, VIA, as an OEM of Windows Home Server, to bring a multitude of features and benefits to consumers with this new offering.”

About the VIA NSD7800

The VIA NSD7800 is powered by a 1.5GHz VIA C7-D processor and supports up to 1GB of DDR2 system memory. The front panel reveals eight 3.5″ drive bays for installation of up to eight S-ATA II hard disk drives which can be installed in moments through a unique back panel mounting system reducing cluttered cabling.

The VIA NSD7800 supports a type-1 compact flash slot for embedded OS installations and uses PCI-Express-based Gigabit networking to handle file transfers quickly and easily while an array of activity LEDs keep the user updated on progress. LEDs include individual S-ATA port activity, overall hard drive activity, network activity and power. There is also the option of custom LED control and push button backup and recovery. An optional Mini-PCI port is also available for additional security related add-in cards such as hardware VPN or anti-virus modules.

The VIA NSD7800 supports Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2007, Windows Home Server and Linux. System monitoring and management includes Wake-on-LAN, Wake-on-Alarm and Watch Dog Timer.

For more details about the VIA NSD7800 please visit: http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/embedded/nsd7800/

Specifications

Model Number

NSD7800-15S00-A0

Processor

1.5 GHz VIA C7®-D

Chipset

VIA CN700 North Bridge
VIA VT8251 South Bridge

System Memory

1 x DDR2 400/533/667 DIMM socket
Up to 1 GB memory size

On Board Storage Interface

1 x Bootable CF type-I slot (Master/Slave selectable)
8 x SATA (3Gbps) connectors

LAN

1 x VIA VT6130 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet controller

Front System I/O Outlet

1 x Front door
8 x 3.5” SATA HDD trays
1 x Power button
1 x Recovery button

Rear System I/O Outlet

1 x RJ-45 LAN port
4 x USB 2.0 ports

System Indicator

1 x Amber LED for system power-on indicator
1 x Green LED for LAN active indicator
1 x Blue LED for overall HDD active indicator on front panel
1 x Blue LED for HDD active indicator on each tray
1 x Green/red LED for HDD health/fail status indicator on each tray

Power Supply

300W ATX PSU

Operating System

Windows Server 2003/2007, Windows Home Server, Linux

System Monitoring & Management

Wake-on LAN, Wake-on Alarm
Watch Dog Timer
System power management, AC power failure recovery

Operating Temperature

0°C ~ 45°C

Storage Temperature

-20°C ~ 70°C (90% relative humidity)

Operating Humidity

0% ~ 90% (relative humidity; non-condensing)

Safety Certificate

CE, FCC

System Dimensions

34 cm (L) x 34 cm (H) x 15 cm (W)

System Weight

6.5 Kg

As with the Shuttle systems I saw today, keep an eye on WGS for a full hands-on review of both systems.

More Info: VIA