Patent ID: 7302537

Claim:
An apparatus contained within a housing, comprising: a controller; a connector mounted on the housing coupling the controller to a detachable communications link; an internal storage device in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is configured for communication with a plurality of external devices that employ different access protocols and different disk configurations via the detachable communications link; a network switch coupling the controller to the connector; a manual control panel mounted on the housing comprising; a visual storage device capacity gauge in communication with the controller; a backup progress visual display in communication with the controller; a backup activity light in communication with the controller; and a user input device in communication with the controller, whereby the user instructs the apparatus to request information from a first external device employing first protocol and store the information in a second external device employing a second protocol; and an internal power source coupled to the controller to provide power to the controller, the internal storage device and the control panel.