Hands-On: VIA Artigo A2000 Barebones Storage Server

At CES last month, VIA Technologies announced a big push into the home server world, with the arrival of three new systems offering a wide variety of choice in both storage size and form factor.

The Artigo A1000 Pico-ITX is a single drive system that redefines the meaning of the word “small”. Donavon West over at Home Server Hacks has a great overview of that device.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the forthcoming NSD-7800 is an 8 bay server, offering up to 16 TB of storage (using 2Tb drives) which should be enough for even the biggest movie buff.

Which leaves us with the Artigo A2000, a 2 bay home server which is currently available in barebones form, but will be released later this year fully built with Windows Home Server on board.

VIA kindly sent us the barebones version of the server to see what it can do.

What’s In the Box?

The A2000 is attractively packaged in a branded box which contains the following components:

• Artigo A2000 Barebones Storage System
• Setup CD
• Hard drive screws
• Power Cord
• ACDC Power adaptor
• Installation Guide

As this is a barebones system, you’ll need to purchase 1 or 2 hard drives (depending on what you need) and a stick of DDR2 SO-DIMM memory separately. The fully assembled, Windows Home Server-based model will have everything you need out of the box, however.

The first thing you notice about the A2000 when unboxing is how small it is. Square at the front and smaller than a shoe-box, the Artigo will fit easily on a small shelf without taking up a lot of room at all, but still has room for two 3.5″ hard disks. So you get plenty of storage and folder duplication in case of a problem with one of the drives without the server taking up a lot of room.

Aesthetically, the A2000 also looks great – a minimalist, clean design with a piano black finish means that you’ll be happy having this guy out on show anywhere in the home. Just beware of finger marks showing up over time!

Up Front

The front of the A2000 is a simple affair. A single, front mounted USB port offers easy expansion access for an external USB hard drive or USB Key for external file backup. Indicator lights on the front illuminate for network access, network speed, wireless network access (if you have the optional wireless module installed), hard drive access and power.

A recessed (paperclip push) reset button and power button complete the line up for the A2000′s front panel.

Around the Back

The back panel is drilled to allow plenty of warm air to flow out of the unit. In terms of ports, you’ll find a VGA port (which will be removed for the full Windows Home Server release), 3.5mm audio in/out jacks, a gigabit Ethernet port, 2 USB ports and the power socket.

So three USB sockets in total plus gigabit LAN provides great storage expansion opportunities if you need them, and a fast network connection. There’s no eSATA port, which may reduce your expansion options a little, but for a home server of this size, there’s plenty of opportunity to increase storage in the future.

Tale of the Tape

The Artigo A2000 is well specified for today’s home server needs, but offers limited expansion for tomorrow.

The hardware specification is fine for today’s needs – indeed the VIA C7-D processor has been utilised in a number of home servers from Tranquil PC and others – it’ll do a great job of handling basic home server tasks, video and music streaming and more, especially if you spec up 1-2 Gb of RAM with it.

As mentioned earlier, 2 drive bays are fine for a good, solid home server, offering a decent amount of storage and importantly, the option to switch on Windows Home Server’s folder duplication system to protect your data. 3 USBs and Gigabit LAN all check out to position the A2000 as strong home server candidate.

There’s one big headache, though, and it’s that VIA C7-D processor which is getting a little long in the tooth and lacks 64-bit compatibility. The Windows Home Server team have announced that the next version of Windows Home Server (codenamed “Vail”) in 2010 will be based on Windows Server 2008 R2, which is 64-bit only. That means you won’t be able to upgrade the A2000 to the next version of WHS – if platform upgradability is an important consideration for you, then do beware.

VIA do have a new 64-bit compatible processor, the Nano, which is said to be pin compatible with the C7-D for easy upgrade. However, as the A2000′s processor is embedded firmly in the motherboard, that’s not going to be an option. But if you’re happy to use the current 32-bit version of Windows Home Server, or another OS entirely, the A2000′s specification will fit your needs well.

VIA tell me that developing a version of the A2000 with the Nano on board is currently “under review” – I’d urge them to consider this option seriously.

Building the A2000

So, if you’re new to the world of building barebones kits, you may be thinking it’s tricky to do or takes a lot of hard work.

Not this one.

For a start, the system is pretty much built – you only have to drop in the memory and your hard drives, and you’re good to go.

Secondly, VIA’s included installation guide is really fun, friendly and easy to follow – don’t take my word for it, just ask Mr. Green!

VIA include an A3 sized fold-out poster which offers step by step guidance on how to install the hardware, and use their on board. If you’re a seasoned pro, you probably won’t need it, but for those who need support, it’s well written and illustrated and provides a great guide to get you up and running. I love it.

So, installing your hardware is really easy. Simply unscrew the securing screws at the rear of the unit, and slide off the Artigo’s cover.

It’s at this point you can see just how tiny the A2000′s motherboard actually is!

First thing to do, grab your SO-DIMM memory module and slide it into the memory slot at a 45 degree angle, then gently press down until it clicks in.

Then, simply ease the front cover off the Artigo, by releasing four clips at the front of the unit.

The cover will be held by the cables connecting the front lights and switches. Now slide your drives through the front of the unit until they plug into the SATA connection at the rear of the unit.

Remember to use the fixing screws or else you’ll have a very noisy, vibrating home server indeed!

That’s it! Click in the front cover, replace the chassis cover and secure it at the rear with the three screws you undid earlier. Job’s done!

Installing Your Operating System

The Artigo A2000 is well equipped to run a client operating system like Windows Vista/Windows 7 or our favourite home server platform. As the system does not come with a CD/DVD drive, you’ll have to either try a USB drive-based install, or plug in an external drive.

The onboard VGA port really helps with installation from the base hardware – but remember this won’t be required with the fully pre-built model, and WHS being WHS and therefore headless, that VGA will be removed on the forthcoming Microsoft approved model.

Installation of Windows Home Server did take some time, using an external DVD drive but it works very well when installed. If you’re going to be using a lot of add-ins, I’d advise you to go for at least 1Gb of memory, with 2Gb preferred.

Thanks to a relatively large rear fan, the Artigo can’t be classed as a silent unit – there’s a faint hum from the hardware which is noticeable, but not bothersome. If you have the hardware positioned a room with a desktop PC, you won’t hear it.

Summary
The Artigo A2000 is a great little home home server which offers a good balance between performance, size and cost. At $299/£249 excl memory and storage it’s not the cheapest chassis around, but you’ll struggle to find such a neat form factor elsewhere.

Two bay systems may on the one hand seem limited compared to the 4+ drive systems we’ve seen elsewhere – but, in those homes with 1-2 PCs and a small, but growing library of digital content, a 2 bay system like the Artigo is the perfect starting point, and storage can be easily expanded thanks to a generous number of USB ports.

VIA have done a great job packaging the server – the installations instructions make barebones installation a cinch, and great fun to follow -  even for the beginner. Other home server manufacturers take note of what can be achieved with a piece of A3 paper, some artwork and a little imagination!

I really like this home server, and would love to give it my full recommendation, but the lack of 64-bit compatibility in the C7-D processor is a limiting factor, preventing you from further OS upgrades in the future. Let’s hope we see VIA Nano based Artigo systems soon, at which point, the A2000 would jump straight to the top of my list for entry level home servers.

Until then, the VIA Artigo A2000 is a cracking little home server which will serve you well for the next two years, but the current specification does come with a limited shelf life.