Intel launches Entry Storage System hub

Marking one of the few instances where the company has released its own fully packaged system, Intel today introduced the Entry Storage System SS4200. The miniature computer is built to offer network-attached storage in homes or small businesses where having a common pool of data is increasingly important; the typical home may have as much as 1TB of information by 2009, Intel claims. To that end, the ESS is breadbox-sized but includes four Serial ATA drive bays that can each hold as much as 1TB, which is shared across a building through gigabit Ethernet; a Celeron M 420 processor and 512MB of RAM are onboard to manage data and optionally turn the system into a Windows Home Server, though both Macs and Windows PCs can use the device without the specialized Microsoft OS.

Should storage run low, the new hub brings four USB ports to attach normal external hard disks and an external SATA port for quicker drives. Intel plans to ship two versions in December: a basic, hardware-only version known as the SS4200-EHW will sell for $500 and lets the user pick what software to load, while the SS4200-E will bundle EMC's software for an undetermined price. Both versions require hard drives supplied by the user.