are there any cheap network storage devices yet?

[dpopiz]

I was hearing a while ago about how NAS-like devices for home users was the next big thing and a bunch of companies would be coming out with products soon.

what's the latest?
are the devices out?
how much do they cost?
is anybody selling just an enclosure w/ ethernet-ide bridge, like they do with usb/firewire enclosures?

 

[Evadman]

Make one. 4 x 200 gb drives + 1600 XP + Mem + Board + Case + Linux = < $1000. 200GB for < $250 if you try.

 

[dpopiz]

yeah I know that would be easy, just pick up an free crap comp from the university and put samba on it.

but! I want something small and quiet. not a big deal, but it would be nice

 

[loup garou]

http://www.ximeta.com/products/netdisk.html

 

[dpopiz]

hm nice, but too expensive

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: dpopiz
hm nice, but too expensive

LMAO, are you serious? Do you know how much real NAS devices cost? That's a steal in comparison.

 

[AFB]

What price are you looking for ?

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: dpopiz
yeah I know that would be easy, just pick up an free crap comp from the university and put samba on it.

but! I want something small and quiet. not a big deal, but it would be nice

I vote for make it yourself as well. If noise bothers you, get an ultra quiet power supply(Enermax makes a good one) and underclock your cpu so you can just slap a heat sink with no fan on it.

What capacity and how much were you looking to spend?

If you really want to get cheap just buy external hard drives

 

[xizor]

sounds like the Ximeta one has problems with multiple users writing simultaneously and requires drivers on each computer. Is there any other NAS that require absolutely no setup and are indepent of the computer?

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: werk

Originally posted by: dpopiz
hm nice, but too expensive

LMAO, are you serious? Do you know how much real NAS devices cost? That's a steal in comparison.

No kidding! That's like half to 1/3 the price of a snap server and close to 1/10 the price of a "real" NAS.

 

[ElFenix]

dell
yeah, that other thing is a bargain in comparison

 

[dpopiz]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: werk

Originally posted by: dpopiz
hm nice, but too expensive

LMAO, are you serious? Do you know how much real NAS devices cost? That's a steal in comparison.

No kidding! That's like half to 1/3 the price of a snap server and close to 1/10 the price of a "real" NAS.

thank you, I'm aware of what nas costs and that's not my concern. my concern is if it's possible to get an ethernet-connected hd for a reasonable price (about the price it would cost me to set up a samba server). apparently I cannot, so I'll just set up a samba server. case closed.

 

[vi edit]

I dunno. $350 for a 250 gig ethernet capable storage device is a damn decent deal in my eyes. By building your own server you are just adding complexity to the puzzle. You just plug the thing in, run a quick utility and be done with it.

 

[Goosemaster]

You haven't said how much storage you want and how you want that data to be automaatically manipulated. that makes all teh difference in the world.


A shuttle XPC with two 250GB will provide you with a small, compact and capable filerver.

WIth the 5 1/2 bay you can add as ystem drive so the other 2 can be simply for the NAS and don't have to deal with the OS.

In addition, a RAID card acan either give you 500GB in a RAID 0 Configuration, or 250GB of redundant and physically secure data in a RAID 1 configuration.

Of course, we are talking 250GB realistically if you will have importatnt documents on there.


A nice fileserver with LOADS of RAM, caching software, and and quite discrete components is another option, but most likely for another, more demanding audience.

 

[Goosemaster]

DP

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
I dunno. $350 for a 250 gig ethernet capable storage device is a damn decent deal in my eyes. By building your own server you are just adding complexity to the puzzle. You just plug the thing in, run a quick utility and be done with it.

YEs, and many people underestimate the freedom that you get, and yet the limitation of your home-built NAS.

Of course you get an awesome FIleserver for the cheap, but seemingly inane things such as the TCP/IP stack in previous windows versions compared to those in windows 2003 and linux/unix distributions make a difference in certain apllications.

SOFTWARE gives you options, but these "rules" need processing power. When you start shelling out a lot of $$ for NAS devices or SAN equipment, you start getting these options in hardware, or in specifically tailored software.

It's like tackling a jucy sirloin with a spork. Of course it will work, but a fork provides greater results.


Obviously derivatives emerging as "NAS" devices originated largely in a SAN enviroment, or as a result. Because of this, many people assume that NAS offers the features usually present in SAN's.

I must admit my knowledge is quite limited in this arena, but it is quite obvious when you compare a Compaq Fiber channel Array and a Quantum NAS box. the NAS is merely a tool of convenience, while the SAN is usually reserved for SERIOUS and NECESSARY aplication. SANs, at least from my understanding, are implemented for many more reasons than just "convenience." Reliability and soeed amoung other things are NOT the basis of NAS from what I have seen. THis is not to say that NAS is not used in critical and necessary applications. Sure devices come with reliabiltiy and speed qutoas, but they are not based on them.