Advice on Networked Attached Storage (NAS)

[BansiJI]

I am just configuring up a latest research laboratory in before some months. I am waiting for some suggestions on Networked Attached storage devices. I would like something with RAID 0/1 and maybe RAID 5. It is necessary that the device be readily and simply retrieved by Macs and PCs, as the lab will have to be (groan) a complex environment. Storage requires not be so much , 200GB to 1TB would be more than enough. I have considered at some options and so far the Synology and LaCie BlueDisk seems much better. Do you all have any idea that would be greatly appreciated.

[Milton.J]

You can make better configuration with this device. As according to me , I am using a Linux box which is connected to my router and that manages entire data fetched and be exported from my NAS and highly recommended and suggested especial if you are running with so many machine connecting to one location...

[Shen]

I particularly like the Netgear ReadyNAS NV+. I am running with one that provides both Mac and PC in my house. It performs much more than common storage. I don't have any proper idea about Raid 5, but it does have something known as XRaid that provides you to upgrade the individual drives without running to rebuild the set.

It has different services for media sharing and iTunes server, but in a business dependent environment, that is not what your are searching for. It also produces with the EMC backup program and 10 licenses for backing up the PC and Mac both with the NAS.

[Steve123]

I have just configured a computer system installed with the ubuntu, raid 5, with terrabyte drives and as well as system drive. The advantages are its cheap, the raid 5 can be explored by connecting another drive, and its reliable and strength and flexible. Now, It performs my entire downloads overnight and soon will be my tivo and media player using myth tv.

The disadvantages are that it is so much confusing and large . You have hurdles to jump with installing OS, getting it to run headless, raid 5 is technical to configure up (terminal intensive), getting time machine to backup to it is a hack, and so on. I love to use my macs, they perform out of the box, so my suggestions is that if you need a easy and reliable NAS, just get one of those two/four drive cases. Save yourself the hassle.

[Amd Athlon]

If you are not getting so much comfortable with the proper estimation of devices then you need to go for another use and I am sure you can get some interesting thing. In order to this , I am going to introduce about something new. Have you tried to get into drobo before ? they contains an add on that you can purchase to built it a NAS named as (drobo share). They looks much reliable and simply expandable..I think, you need to go ahead for this ...

[Mario2]

I selected to get the D-Link NAS DNS 323. It is wired right into my router, and it is 10/100/1000. It is capable to manage two drives that can be individual/JBOD/RAID 0/RAID

I am running with a server also which is constructed around and I was going to run, but I was a bit intimidated with finding it entire running; one more thing , just somebody else noted, it is big and sucks power.

The DNS 323 has toaster sized, and commonly plug and play. It contains a built-in iTunes and uPNP server also.There is a fairly functional hacker groups for the DNS 323, too (google it, with the term "forum", also, you will get it to work). I am streaming entire iTunes music ( .WAV ) and DVD rips to my network, with 2 iMacs, 2 wireless PC laptops and a Vista Media Center.

[deoWo]

I was just thinking about the NAS for my home network and terminated up purchasing an HP MediaSmart home server. It facilitates with the centralized disk compatibility for data files but also allows to take backup for entire computers in the workgroup (Mac through Time Machine and PC directly). It does not perform RAID directly but facilitate you to choose folder duplication to make sure that you have copies of data in case of a any failure. The speed of a RAID is commonly get down upon your Ethernet LAN ,also with a gigabit network so why you are going to pay more for one?