Network Attached Storage

[hackalive]

Hi guys,

I was reading this article on c|net and it prompted me to think ... what is the best brand NAS for my situation.

I am after a NAS that will let me:

• Windows / Apple Authentication;
• File Sharing;
• Sever Message Block (SMB);
• Apple File Protocol (AFP);
• Webb-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV); and
• Network File System (NFS)

And can act as:

• File server;
• Backup server;
• MySQL server (optional); and
• Web server (optional).

Any advice guys?


Been looking at QNAP, Buffalo and Synology so far.


Feel free to just tell me if any of these brands are not so good or are good.

 

[Fez]

Highly Recommend Synology gear, used in pretty much all the companies ive worked in (most being installed by myself) and they are a breeze you can do everything you need it to do and more. You can install addons to the NAS boxes to do pretty much anything from security cameras to hosting your own wordpress sites from them.

I suggest going to their website and trying out on of their live demos online (speed of the demo is terrible compared to the real thing, they are so snappy and if you get on that you can upgrade the memory on i suggest putting more in and there a good bit of kit

Just for reference if you see the case study pages heres the one I Wrote for my boss in my last job(his name on the case study not mine unfortunately
Synology Case Study

 

[Fruity]

Take a look at the HP Microservers. They sometimes have offers on and cashback and people really rave over them. You can set it up exactly how you like then.

 

[Vicey]

Synology provide some great NAS's and the software on them is killer. The best thing about them compared to building your own server is it's a turn key solution. Just buy it, shove the drives in and setup the RAID mode you want. It's very convenient.

But if you're looking for value then definitely take a look at the HP Microservers that Fruity suggested because they are very very affordable and give you flexibility. If you don't mind spending time (instead of money with Synology) you can turn a HP Microserver in to anything you want, it will run Windows Server for example so you can run all the normal software you're used to on it like uTorrent or a Game server and use it for more than just storage and at a lower price than a comparatively expandable Synology system.

For me personally I'd go with the HP Microserver because I like to tinker and save money in the process but if that's not what you're after and you just want something quick, reliable and supported for use as a NAS Appliance then go with Synology for sure.

 

[son of spanner]

hi all

sorry to hijack the thread but has anyone used a hp micro server just im buying one very cheap what are thay like to use anything to look out for ?