Review: WD Sentinel DS6100

Conclusion

Building on the foundations of the DX4000, WD has taken its Sentinel NAS and transformed it into a storage-plus-server that offers businesses a wide range of functionality in a small, convenient and powerful form factor.

There are improvements in virtually every aspect of the box. The Intel Atom processor has been swapped out for a more capable Intel Xeon, the memory has been bumped up to a full 16GB, the hard disks have been upgraded to enterprise-class 4TB WD Se, and it now runs Microsoft's latest Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials operating system.

This, clearly, is a solution designed for larger workgroups with greater storage-plus-server demands. Though, that does introduce one other caveat: the onboard software is limited to 50 computers / 25 users, and deployments needing greater flexibility will need to upgrade to Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard - which, we should add, requires Client Access Licenses (CALs) for every device using the server.

There are software considerations to ponder, and we still feel as though further performance optimisations are needed, but WD has built a solid product designed for a specific purpose. Cheaper alternatives may fit the bill for less-demanding SMBs, but if you need a well-built Windows server armed with powerful hardware, reliable drives and a range of extended support packages, the compact DS6100 has the tools required for the job.

The Good

Small footprint, compared to a rack
Tight integration with Windows environments
Dual power supplies included as standard
High-quality WD Se hard disks
Can double as an app server
Dedicated OS boot drives
Relatively quiet during use
Solid build quality

The Bad

Not entirely novice-friendly
25 user limit in out-the-box state
Performance optimisations still required

HEXUS.awards

WD Sentinel DS6100

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The WD Sentinel DS6100 storage server is available to purchase in a choice of capacities from Scan Computers*.

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