Labs

From the outside, the Adaptec Snap Server 110 looks like a businesslike device, and this impression is borne out when you plug it in and start setting it up.

You can configure it either with a dedicated Java application, which feels very un-Mac-like and leaves loose files in your home folder, or using the pages on the Nas drive's built-in web server. Whichever way you do it, though, you'll come to the same conclusion: this is a very powerful device, and one that offers a dizzying array of hardcore networking features, but it's not a good choice if your needs are modest or you don't feel confident setting up network storage devices.

The

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setup makes perfect sense if you're used to configuring servers - there's the usual system of users, groups and privileges, along with options to enable or disable web, FTP, SMB/CIFS and other connections - but it's certainly daunting if you're new to all of this.

It's a noisy little box when you first turn it on, but once the system is fully booted and the temperature gauges are operational, it soon settles down to a quiet whine. The status LEDs along the front are bright and easy to see, though the icons depicting their function may prove to be a little cryptic for some users.

The good news is that its up-to-date support for Apple Filing Protocol means that performance is brisk - in fact, it turned in the best results here - and that it got an almost perfect bill of health with our tests designed to check support for Unicode characters, long filenames and so on.

Its bigger brother, the 210, features two hard disks inside a taller unit.

The Adaptec Snap Server 110 is the most expensive Nas device here, and while it's certainly good value for the more ambitious small workforce, it's overkill for the rest of us. The device from Synology offers more features for £200 less.