Small NAS box for father?

[tfboy]

After speaking to my old man who spends a lot of time working with his partner in preparing documentation that they constantly email to each other to work on, I suggested getting some kind of small NAS device so they can use that as a share on their respective PCs.

He's really bought into the idea which is great, but I'm a bit stuck what to go for. I dont' want to spend a fortune, but at the same time, want something that's reasonably reliable (as far as the software / management / OS goes), easy to set up.

There are those cheap Freecom NAS drives, but I did read somewhere that they're not Mac OS compliant which suggests you need some software installed on each PC to use the storage. That doesn't sound too good to me - I'd much rather just have a standard CIFS share that any OS can use (he also has a Mac he doesn't use much at the moment, but I wouldn't want the NAS to not be mac compatible).

So then I thought "what about FreeNAS?" or some other streamlined Linux distro suited for this. But my concern is if ever it goes wrong, I'll have to administer it - I'd like to have something he can manage. But on the plus side, I could recycle some of my old hardware which would minimise the cost of the solution.

I then came across some better dedicated NAS boxes which hold one drive. Things like Synology DS108J. That probably looks like the best thing, but it is over £100 for the box / server alone and I'd have to add a harddrive to that (probably have one lying around I could use).

So what do you think?

[peterb]

Linksys NSLU2?

[circuitmonkey]

I have a synology diskstation 106J (the older version of what you where talking about) and It's absolutely brilliant! It's reliable, the software is easy to use and they are still providing support and updates for what is fast becoming an old NAS.
That said the transfer rate while fast enough for streaming HD video to my xbox (another added advantage) isn't fast enough for me to recommend for a client of mine, so this week I'll be building a machine with Ubuntu Server. Will let you know how it goes if you like.
For what you where needing it for I'd strongly recommend the Synology

[blueball]

Synology 207+ ?

Share Files between Windows and Mac
DS207+ is designed for Windows users and Mac users to share files seamlessly. Windows users can access DS207+ via Samba and FTP, and Mac users via Samba, FTP, and AFP. Unicode support allows sharing files smoothly in different languages. Accessing files stored on a NAS server will no longer be limited to the LAN. Web File Manager allows you to download and upload files on DS207+ using a web browser. Without routing through your desktop, it also reduces your time to move files from a folder to another.

[circuitmonkey]

Synology 207+ ?

that's pretty standard for all their products.
I believe they all run the same software but hardware limitations mean that some will offer faster file access, raid and more ip cameras.

[Maccer101]

How about this. I believe its Windows, Mac and Linux compatible

http://www.scan.co.uk/product.aspx?ProductId=22756

check out their Wiki page for HDD compatibility

[tfboy]

Hmm thanks for the suggestion, guys.

The Icybox one is interesting - it's has a less polished, more geeky interface but essentially does the same stuff. The manual is very comprehensive, written in chinese english and it's a bit cheaper, although you'd have to pay for the twonkymedia licence if you decide to use it.

I have a synology diskstation 106J (the older version of what you where talking about) and It's absolutely brilliant! It's reliable, the software is easy to use and they are still providing support and updates for what is fast becoming an old NAS.
That said the transfer rate while fast enough for streaming HD video to my xbox (another added advantage) isn't fast enough for me to recommend for a client of mine, so this week I'll be building a machine with Ubuntu Server.

He'll be using it mainly for backups so true file read/write performance is more important and obviously will be higher than an HD video stream. If it's, say, less than 2MB/sec, then I might have to look at alternatives. I did see a review say it wasn't the fastest NAS box, but they didn't give any figures, so kind of hard to define

The Icybox is quite clearly a Linux-based driven NAS box. I guess the synology is the same, but they don't say what FS is used on the hard drive and if it's readable connected to a PC...

[tfboy]

Hmm thanks for the suggestion, guys.

The Icybox one is interesting - it's has a less polished, more geeky interface but essentially does the same stuff. The manual is very comprehensive, written in chinese english and it's a bit cheaper, although you'd have to pay for the twonkymedia licence if you decide to use it.


He'll be using it mainly for backups so true file read/write performance is more important and obviously will be higher than an HD video stream. If it's, say, less than 2MB/sec, then I might have to look at alternatives. I did see a review say it wasn't the fastest NAS box, but they didn't give any figures, so kind of hard to define

The Icybox is quite clearly a Linux-based driven NAS box. I guess the synology is the same, but they don't say what FS is used on the hard drive and if it's readable connected to a PC...

How about this. I believe its Windows, Mac and Linux compatible

http://www.scan.co.uk/product.aspx?ProductId=22756

check out their Wiki page for HDD compatibility

Where is their Wiki ??

[mycarsavw]

Linksys NSLU2?

x2.

With a large EHDD on the back of it, these things are brilliant - if you can still find one as they're now discontinued.

[tfboy]

Well, I've bitten the bullet and ordered the icybox from scan, along with a couple of 640gb drives which were on today only.

Will set it up at his place when it arrives on Wednesday.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[Maccer101]

Where is their Wiki ??

I lost the link, maybe this one

http://en.nas-4220.org/index.php/Main_Page