The BlackArmor supports multiple Global Access accounts, one for each user account on the NAS. For example, User1 can create a Global Access account, then log into the NAS server via its Web interface to associate his Global Access account with the user account on the NAS. Then, User1 can go to the Global Access Web site and access his private folder as well as public folders on the BlackArmor from anywhere in the world. User2, User3, and so on and all do this simultaneously. Seagate suggests that the BlackArmor can support up to 50 users.
If logged into the NAS from a remote location, you can transfer files back and forth between the remote computer and the NAS server. While this vendor-assist method of remote access is nothing new and can be found in other NAS servers such as the WD My Book World Edition, Seagate's Global Access allows for easily copying of entire folders from the NAS server to the remote computer, which is not available on the My Book. You won't be able to simply drag and drop the folder; however, instead, once you've selected a folder to download, the NAS server will compress that folder into a ZIP file and you'll need to decompress it once it's downloaded. This helps the file download faster and since Windows (and Mac OS X) support ZIP file natively, we didn't see this as a big hassle.
Backup and dual-Gigabit Ethernet: The BlackArmor by far offers the best backup solutions we've seen in a NAS server. The wizard-based backup software allows for a long list of backup options including incremental and differential backups. You can restore data by running a restore wizard, by booting using the included CD, or by mounting the backups into a virtual hard drive and copying data using Windows Explorer.
Other than being the destination to store the backups of network computers, the NAS also comes with many options to back up itself including: NAS to USB and NAS to NAS. The first one allows for backing itself up to USB external hard drives and the latter means you can back up one BlackArmor NAS to another. Either of these options can be used without a computer, at any time--manually or automatically.
The server supports external hard drives formatted using FAT32 and NTFS file systems, allowing you to simply plug any existing USB drive into the NAS and immediately share its files. The NAS can also format external hard drives using the FAT32 file system, regardless of the drive's capacity. This is really useful as Windows only allows you to format a hard drive that's smaller than 32GB using FAT32.
The BlackArmor 440/420 NAS server comes with two Gigabit Ethernet ports. These ports, apart from allowing for the linking of multiple units together for NAS to NAS backup, can also be used for aggregation. Currently, the NAS only works well with the Fail Over Aggregation option, where if one port stops working, the other will kick in immediately to prevent interruption; however, going forward Seagate suggested it would release a firmware update to allow the two ports to work together, increasing the throughput speed.
Performance
CNET Labs tested the BlackArmor 440/420 in all three of its supported RAID configurations and were pleased with its scores. While its write speed was consistently much lower than its read speed, its overall performance trumped most NAS servers we've reviewed and trailed only behind our Editors' Choice, Synology DS209+.
In RAID 0--which is optimized for performance--its write speed was a fast 179.7Mbps, while the write speed achieved a very fast 334.0Mbps. At these speeds, you could copy 500MBs from your computer to the NAS in 22 seconds and copy it back in another 12 seconds.
In RAID 5, which is the recommended configuration to be used with the BlackArmor, as it balances between data safety and the amount of storage available, the NAS's write performance was slightly lower, as expected, with the scores of 145Mbps, but the read speed was slightly faster at 336.6Mbps, which was unexpected.
In its RAID 10 configuration, which is the combination of RAID 0 and RAID 1, the BlackArmor offered 160.2Mbps on the write test and 310.6Mbps on the read test.
Overall, the BlackArmor 440/420 posted excellent data transfer rates; however, we wish the gap between its write and read scores wasn't as huge. The Synology DS209+, for example, had a RAID 0 write speed of 256.3Mbps, significantly closer to its read speed, of 375Mbps. It's very normal, however, for a storage device to offer a higher read speed than write speed.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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The BlackArmor 440/420 worked quietly in our test. However, we happened to run into a very unusual situation where the NAS didn't work well at all. It was when we used it with one of our test routers, the D-Link DIR-825. In this case, the BlackArmor's Web interface was very sluggish and its throughput performance was extremely slow, especially in RAID 0 configuration. The reason for this strange behavior was inconclusive and was the first time we've experienced this. Also, we don't know if it will happen to another DIR-825. Nonetheless, we hope Seagate will figure this out and have it fixed with the next firmware update. We tested the BlackArmor 440/420 NAS server with its initial firmware, version 4000.0181.
Service and support
Seagate supports the BlackArmor 440/420 NAS server with a decent three-year warranty, which is much more than the one-year warranties many other NAS servers have. Toll-free phone service is available weekdays from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT, or you can e-mail technical support via a Web form. Seagate's support Web site offers installation and troubleshooting assistance, a download library, a knowledgebase, and a drive troubleshooter.
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