storage server/nas advice

[Pugsport]

hello people im just after some advice as to if id be better off building a storage server or just getting an off the shelf NAS.

im looking to use it for: -

1: - backing up pc's on the network
2: - sharing files, photos, videos (id like to be able to lose the fair size pile of dvd cases) etc with computers on the network and friends and family via the net. id also like to be able to keep work information on there so if the computer goes down i dont lose it but yet again keep it separated from family photos and videos etc. work information would be wiring diagrams and cad drawings and would not need to be shared with family or friends via the internet.
3: - also maybe setting a little space aside for personal storage for each person
on my local network (that at the moment would be 5 people)

i think at the moment that pretty much covers my needs as to what i want to use it for.

im not sure which option would make more sense in the long run as with every thing i guess once you have it the more you want it to do/want from it.

The down side i can see with using a server at the moment would be i dont have to much experience with servers but i guess until i start using them more and for different things i wont be able to get to grips with them.

The downside with using a NAS at the moment would be that in future it may not be able to do the things i would like to do and also price/storage options seem quite hight for NAS that has the option of running 4+ hard drives.

also unsure if i would be able to build a server from old/new pc parts and make it work for my needs and what sort of spec i would require.

thanks in advance for your help and time people

 

[vorticalbox]

I got a nas just for backign up my files/movies/pictures and the same as you streaming them over a network.

i got a 2 bay nas with a 1 TB HD. the downside is that it's 10/100 lan meaning a max of around 6 MB/s which is fine for streaming but backing up lots of movies like i did took about 12 hours.

Then again the nas was £48 and the HD was £20 refrub.

If you build your self you can have well as many drives as you can fit in a case.

as for the software Freenas is very nice and not that hard to use. You could set it up on a virtual machine so you can give it a go.

 

[Pugsport]

I got a nas just for backign up my files/movies/pictures and the same as you streaming them over a network.

i got a 2 bay nas with a 1 TB HD. the downside is that it's 10/100 lan meaning a max of around 6 MB/s which is fine for streaming but backing up lots of movies like i did took about 12 hours.

Then again the nas was £48 and the HD was £20 refrub.

If you build your self you can have well as many drives as you can fit in a case.

as for the software Freenas is very nice and not that hard to use. You could set it up on a virtual machine so you can give it a go.

hey man thanks for the quick reply

i was looking at nas drives and they all seem to be around the £150+ mark for one with 4 drive bays or more. i was not aware you could make your own nas drive although im not sure what sort of specs are needed for it.

i have how ever download freenas and will be creating a virtual machine to have a play around with it and see how i get on as this could be the way to go

 

[vorticalbox]

hey man thanks for the quick reply

i was looking at nas drives and they all seem to be around the £150+ mark for one with 4 drive bays or more. i was not aware you could make your own nas drive although im not sure what sort of specs are needed for it.

i have how ever download freenas and will be creating a virtual machine to have a play around with it and see how i get on as this could be the way to go

an old pc with a few drives and you can make your own. can even use a raspberry PI if you want a fun little project

 

[Pugsport]

an old pc with a few drives and you can make your own. can even use a raspberry PI if you want a fun little project

ahh thats not to bad then as i have two old intel core 2 duo e8400 sitting around doing nothing, so at least one of them has a use now

i tried to install that freeNAS software on a virtual machine altho i could not get it load

 

[vorticalbox]

ahh thats not to bad then as i have two old intel core 2 duo e8400 sitting around doing nothing, so at least one of them has a use now

i tried to install that freeNAS software on a virtual machine altho i could not get it load

Follow this


for just transferring files and streaming some movies it should be fine.

 

[Pugsport]

Follow this


for just transferring files and streaming some movies it should be fine.

thanks ill give it ago mate

would you recommend something a little newer then?

 

[vorticalbox]

My nas has 114 MB of ram and i have no idea what CPU. MY guess is an 800 MHZ ARM chip of some sort.

that can handle streaming multiple movies to different devices at the same time.

 

[Pugsport]

ahh well i think ill run what i have and see how i like it, i guess thats the better option for now.

ive not got it installed on a virtual machine but so far have not manage to get it to connect to the net to veiw the plugins etc but from having a quick look around it all seems pretty nice