tegwin
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| posted on 16/12/09 at 07:03 PM |
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NAS enclosure? Can it be simple?
Can anyone suggest a NAS enclosure...
It needs to take 2 SATA disks (1tb each) and support raid1(mirror) in FAT32 or NTFS...and also allow access via mapped network share or UNC path over
my home network... I basically want my family to be able to store their photos etc in the same way they access their "my documents"....
so using the windows file system, not some weird interface!
I also want to be able to schedule backups from some of the workstations in the house... I presume I can do this by pointing the backup at a UNC
share?
I tried the ICYbox 2 disk NAS, but it wont let you do raid 1 with fat32.. it has to be EXT2 which is not much help if I want windows to access it!
Can anyone help?
Its a minefield of products out there and I dont know what to look at!
I didnt really want to spend more than £150..lol
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Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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scudderfish
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| posted on 16/12/09 at 07:12 PM |
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If it is network attached, the underlying filesystem doesn't matter as you are not accessing the disks directly, but via a network protocol
(SMB, CIFS, NFS) instead.
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iank
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| posted on 16/12/09 at 07:22 PM |
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The filesystem running on the NAS make no difference to windows as it's attached using ethernet and SMB/CIFS*
(linky) which is the microsoft protocol for network attached storage. The PC
never gets to see FAT or NTFS internals.
"My Documents" is just a directory and nothing to do with the file system's underlying format.
* (or NFS, AFP if you are using unix or MacOS)
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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bodger
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| posted on 16/12/09 at 07:42 PM |
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As scudderfish says. It doesn't matter what file system the NAS box uses unless you want to also access them directly through say an esata
interface. Ext2 means the box is using Linux & Samba to provide a SMB network interface. As far as your Windows machines are concerned the drives
will just appear as another share.
For £150 you should be able to get something that'll sort you out. I'd look at Netgear or maybe Linksys.
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britishtrident
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| posted on 16/12/09 at 09:02 PM |
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The NAS box is actually a network computer running in nearly all cases a cut down version of Windows NT running from firmware.
When you connect it you access it by it own intranet web server, which has screens for formating, setting up users passwords and directories and
permission.
Access to directories and files can either be by windows (smb) networking or by FTP using a client such as Filezilla.
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 16/12/09 at 10:20 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
The NAS box is actually a network computer running in nearly all cases a cut down version of Windows NT running from firmware.
Really NT? I'm very surprised they don't use Linux like a lot of the routers etc. do.
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iank
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| posted on 16/12/09 at 10:29 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
The NAS box is actually a network computer running in nearly all cases a cut down version of Windows NT running from firmware.
Really NT? I'm very surprised they don't use Linux like a lot of the routers etc. do.
I agree, the Buffalo ones run Linux (ref).
They are mostly ARM based to save on BOM afaik so it would be WinCE if they were Microsoft based.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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yellow melos
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| posted on 16/12/09 at 10:44 PM |
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Well the simple answer... amungs all this nt/linux/smb IT bollox is...
with most nas boxes you should be able to map a network drive to a share on the nas.
if you want the my documents to be sited on the nas.. you might have a bit more trouble..
( you can try right clicking on My Documents from the start menu and select properties, you can then cahnge the location of you my documents folder..
put in \\NasBoxIP\ShareName\UserFolderName\My Documents
if you want somthing a bit more customisable.... could go down the MS Home Server route... basically a small pc with a cutdown version of windows..
all driven from a web browser... can setup user permissions with read/write on a per user basis and tell the machines on your network to backup from
the same web console.
but a bit more cost involved
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britishtrident
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| posted on 16/12/09 at 10:51 PM |
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These days plug in NAS drives are so cheap converting an old PC is less attractive particularly for home use.
Building a NAS using a redundant PC is OK if you are using it for serious stuff and in any event no point in going down the Windows Home Server
Route when FreeNas is free, dead simple and secure.
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tegwin
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| posted on 16/12/09 at 10:55 PM |
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hmm.. Might see if I can change my generic german thing for a linksys device... atleast the support looks a little better....
The other alternative I guess is to pop my two disks inside a very basic minipc running some flavour of windows... and run that as a file server type
affair....perhaps more suceptable to viruses... but easier to configure
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Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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iank
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 12:29 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
The other alternative I guess is to pop my two disks inside a very basic minipc running some flavour of windows... and run that as a file server type
affair....perhaps more suceptable to viruses... but easier to configure
How will it be easier to configure? My Buffalo linkstation NAS took 5mins with a web browser to set up. If it supports raid that will just be a
clicky box to activate I suspect.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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Davey D
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 08:15 AM |
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i just built up an ITX pc for my home nas
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rgrs
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 08:27 AM |
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Your icy box should do the job, provided that the samba server is enabled and the share permissions are set up the you should be able to map the share
to the users login so all they have to do is click on the folder.
However you might want to consider longer term something like this
:linky
This type of unit gives you better raid system and more cost effective storage but also the ability to schedule automated backups of remote machines.
Now these units are a few years old the secondhand prices are comming down to an affordable level.
Roger
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britishtrident
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 09:30 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by iank
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
The other alternative I guess is to pop my two disks inside a very basic minipc running some flavour of windows... and run that as a file server type
affair....perhaps more suceptable to viruses... but easier to configure
How will it be easier to configure? My Buffalo linkstation NAS took 5mins with a web browser to set up. If it supports raid that will just be a
clicky box to activate I suspect.
Setting uo FreeNAS is very much like setiing up an off the peg NAS drive all done using a web page interface.
FreeNAS is good and free but cheap off the peg NAS boxes are probably more suited to home use than a PC boxes running FreeNAS.
We have been using a pair of cheap NAS boxes for a few years now for backups and archives with zero problems. The NAS box used for automated backups
has been running 24/7 for 3 years.
Be aware that not all of the cheaper NAS boxes have built in cooling fans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeNAS
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