Going NAS

[HafMaster]

I'v been a little bored with my project Black MAX lately because I am waiting the release of the Evga Classified MB and with the shortage of the Corsair Dominator GT memory and I am still looking for a good deal on a GTX295 so with all of that, I pulled the trigger on a NAS Box tonight.

Here is what I ordered:

Thecus N4100PRO 4 Bay NAS AMD LX800 CPU RAID JBOD



Bought this for $380 US with free shipping.

I already have 4 of these:

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive



Got all 4 for $195 US ($48.79 ea.) with free shipping.

I was going to use 2 of those in the MAX but decided to use all 4 of them in the NAS box instead.

SO!

I got a deal on this:

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive



$199 US after MIR and free shipping.

I'll use the Raptor in the Black MAX for the main drive.

Now, I need a little help here please. I'm going to need a new Gigabit switch to replace my older 10/100 router. Looking for something either 8 or 16 ports. I'm looking for something relaible and the switch doesn't need to be anything fancy. Suggestions are always welcome and appreciated.

The reason for this is multifold. First, I want to set up a structured wiring box and hard wire the house. Eventually, sooner than later, build a HTPC and I am seroiusly considering getting the 20Mbps connection that my cable company is offering for and extra $25/month.

Any suggestions on the switch?

TIA as always!

[nathan]

I've always sold netgear pro safe to our customers, comes with a lifetime warranty. You just need to look at the backplane speeds although i doubt you'll need something very high for your use.

[themcman1]

Originally Posted by name='HafMaster'

First, I want to set up a structured wiring box and hard wire the house. Eventually, sooner than later, build a HTPC and I am seroiusly considering getting the 20Mbps connection that my cable company is offering for and extra $25/month.

Tell us how it goes.

I have been considering doing this for a while and taking over one of my cupboards to act as a cabinet.

[HafMaster]

It will probably be another long and slow project but I have to start somewhere. I figured that the NAS box was a good start. Looking forward to the speedier connection as well.

Going to look into the Netgear Pro Safe switiches that nathan suggested. Just didn't know where to begin with that part.

[HafMaster]

What are your thoughts on this one?

$39.99 US after MIR



Network Ports

8 auto-sensing UTP ports

Forwarding Mode

Store-and-forward

192 KB on-chip packet buffering

Performance

Bandwidth:

16 Gbps (non-blocking)

Forward rate

10 Mbps port: 14,800 packets/sec

100 Mbps port: 148,000 packets/sec

1000 Mbps port: 1,480,000 packets/sec

MAC address database: 4,000

Mean time between failures (MTBF): >1 million hours (~110 years)

Status LEDs

System power

Link, speed and activity indicators per port built into each RJ-45 port

AC Power

Power adapter: 12W, 12V DC, 1A

Maximum power consumption:

- 4.92 W (if cable length > 10m)

- 4.08 W (if cable length < 10m)

Physical Specifications

Dimensions (w x d x h):

158 x 105 x 27 mm

(6.2 x 4.1 x 1.1 in)

Weight: 0.522 kg (1.15 lb)

Environmental Specifications

Operating temperature: 0º to 50º C (32º to 122º F)

Operating humidity: 10% to 90% non-condensing

Storage temeprature: -20º to 70° C (-4º to 158º F)

Storage humidity: 10% to 95% relative humidity

Standards Compliance

IEEE 802.3i 10BASE-T Ethernet

IEEE 802.3u 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet

IEEE 802.3ab 1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet

IEEE 802.3x Full-duplex flow control

IEEE 802.1p priority tags

Honors IEEE 802.1p and DSCP priority tags

Jumbo frame support (9,720 byte)

Safety Agency Approvals

C-Tick, CE Mark

Emissions

FCC Class B, VCCI Class B, EN 55022 (CISPR 22)

Warranty

Switch: NETGEAR Lifetime Warranty†

Power adapter: NETGEAR 2-year warranty

ProSupport Service Packs Available

OnCall 24x7, Category 1

PMB0331-100 (US)

PMB0331 (non-US)

XPressHW, Category 1

PRR0331

Package Contents

ProSafe 5-port or 8-port Gigabit Ethernet Desktop Switch 10/100/1000 (GS105v3 or GS108v3)

Wall-mount kit

AC adapter

Installation guide

Warranty & support information card