LaCie isn't joking with the name "Big Disk": Though it looks like a standard 3.5-inch enclosure in photos, the unit actually houses two full-sized desktop drives and stands around seven inches tall with almost eleven inches in length.

A single power button on the front lights up when the power is on, but ours powered itself on when we plugged it in. We didn't have as much luck powering it off from the button, but LaCie also includes a power-off function in the Big Disk Web interface.

The Ethernet Big Disk can also be placed horizontally, without the foot. (Multiple units also can be stacked.)

Around back we find a power connector, two USB ports, and a gigabit network port. The Type A USB port can be used to add another external drive to the Ethernet Big Disk's capacity, while the Type B port can be addressed as a USB network device by a PC. LaCie even includes the drivers for the unusual later configuration.

The Big Disk includes a manual, warranty card, registration reminder, driver and utility CD, power "brick", AC cable, USB type A-to-B cable, Cat5e network cable, four self-adhesive soft feet for laying the unit horizontally, a vertical positioning stand, and an Allen wrench for securing the stand.