Does what I want exist? (NAS related)

[Hatman88]

Hello,

I'm interested in a NAS system, but I don't want to spend too much. These are the features that I'd like to have:

- Remote access from an outside network
- Media Streaming to a PS3 (or 360)
- USB ports for an external hard drive
- Bittorrent capability
- Affordable!

I already have a router (Linksys WRT54G), so connecting it shouldn't be a hassle. I plan to use a WD Passport external for storage since I have one lying around.

I saw this while browsing around: http://www.shopaddonics.com/itemdesc.asp…

It looks interesting, but I'm not sure if it'll do what I want properly. I tend to hear negative reviews on these things, so I'm a little wary. Can anyone help me out?

Thanks in advance.

 

[JackMDS]

Welcome to AnandTech Forums.

Most of the inexpensive staff are basically toys, N matter what thier Network rating is they are slow,and some time can have compatibility problem with Windows NTFS format.

The least expensive countable NAS' would be an old computer with Windows Home Server.

Or a sub $1000 professional NAS.

 

[splat_ed]

Linksys and many other big names do small NAS boxes. Slap in a hard drive or two and you're ready to go. Also, some can be modded (usual warning: Will invalidate warrenties) to add more functionality with various linux-based firmwares. Most of these are quite cheap....
e.g. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822155009 which is $117.99. You then buy the hard-drives you need.
I personally had a D-Link DNS-323 which worked perfectly.
Only issue with this is they don't always have a USB port for external storage. Usually it is for printers only. However, that's where the modifications come in. You'd have to search for which ever one you opted for.

Second alternative is as JackMDS said. Use an old PC if you have one lying around. Or you can build a cheap one. Use can use Windows Home Server or, if you want to experiment, linux/FreeBSD. There is a distro called FreeNAS which will do most, if not all, of what you want.

So the questions are: How much room do you want/need? How much are you willing to spend? Do you have any old PCs lying around gathering dust?

Michael

 

[alyarb]

a NAS is just a means of connecting a drive to your network, like that USB-server you linked. it does not have an operating system and cannot transcode/stream media, run bittorrent, etc. you will basically need a PC for that.

 

[pcgeek11]

alyarb, your statement isn't quite true:

From Microsoft Definition: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/storage/storgloss.mspx

NAS (Network Attached Storage)
A NAS device is a server that runs an operating system specifically designed for handling files (rather than block data). Network-attached storage is accessible directly on the local area network (LAN) through LAN protocols such as TCP/IP. Compare to DAS and SAN.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Look up the NS-349S NAS. It does most of the things that you want, and is moddable. Also, cheap.

 

[piasabird]

Any old computer with an integrated motherboard can be a NAS. The only hard part is the Server Software. Linux usually comes with server software.

 

[pcgeek11]

Any old computer with an integrated motherboard can be a NAS. The only hard part is the Server Software. Linux usually comes with server software.

Windows Home Server $99.00 OEM at Newegg, Tigerdirect and many others.

 

[Fayd]

Windows Home Server $99.00 OEM at Newegg, Tigerdirect and many others.

freenas can be downloaded, free.

 

[pcgeek11]

freenas can be downloaded, free.

OK.

So can Amahi Home Server.

IMO I have used them all and Windows Home Server has them both beat. and is worth every penny of the $ 99.00.

 

[beginner99]

Most of the consumer NAS have a integrated bittorrent client and web access. it's pretty much the basic features. But I don't own one so i can't tell if the client is actually usable.
Some offer also raid support for the internal drives.

I know there is a very simple device that works a s a nas. it has a few usb port to connect harddrives to. But it's slow. So fine for simple files, not so good for like hd movies.

You could also get the cheapest atom-nettop you find and install the appropriate OS and software on it. Will be more configurable and won't cost much more. Downside is it won't work out of the box and might be slower due to the fact that all drives are attached via usb and not SATA/RAID.

 

[Fayd]

OK.

So can Amahi Home Server.

IMO I have used them all and Windows Home Server has them both beat. and is worth every penny of the $ 99.00.

i would think that would depend on your usage and what you expect out of your nas.

freenas can do raidz. whs can't.

the only thing whs is reputedly better on is media serving. at least, that's from what i've heard. i've used neither.

since xbox360 can't play mkv's, i have no need of media serving.

 

[Leros]

i would think that would depend on your usage and what you expect out of your nas.

freenas can do raidz. whs can't.

the only thing whs is reputedly better on is media serving. at least, that's from what i've heard. i've used neither.

since xbox360 can't play mkv's, i have no need of media serving.

There is some software which does an on-the-fly re-encoding of videos for xbox. I forget how it works, but I think it looks like another media extender. I used it to stream something to my sister's xbox 360 a while back.

 

[pcgeek11]

i would think that would depend on your usage and what you expect out of your nas.

freenas can do raidz. whs can't.

the only thing whs is reputedly better on is media serving. at least, that's from what i've heard. i've used neither.

since xbox360 can't play mkv's, i have no need of media serving.

"raidz" isn't what it is cracked up to be.... WHS you can add drives of any size and it adds it to the storage pool. It can do file duplication across disks and allows you to select what gets duplicated or not. Automatically backs up PCs daily first is full and then incremental... Bare metal restores over the network and lots more. Format is NTFS so if it goes south you can still get the data as long as the drive is functional....

This is the key phrase in your post:

at least, that's from what i've heard. i've used neither.

 

[Fayd]

"raidz" isn't what it is cracked up to be.... WHS you can add drives of any size and it adds it to the storage pool. It can do file duplication across disks and allows you to select what gets duplicated or not. Automatically backs up PCs daily first is full and then incremental... Bare metal restores over the network and lots more. Format is NTFS so if it goes south you can still get the data as long as the drive is functional....

This is the key phrase in your post: [/b]

i've seen what whs can do, and what freenas can do. functionally, i prefer freenas because raidz is more interesting to me than WHS's drive scheme.

i dont really care about drives of any size, because if i'm building from scratch, i will have all uniform, internal drives to begin with. and the idea of sticking usb drives into a raid pool just seems retarded to me.

 

[Fayd]

There is some software which does an on-the-fly re-encoding of videos for xbox. I forget how it works, but I think it looks like another media extender. I used it to stream something to my sister's xbox 360 a while back.

tversity was one i had used, but i never managed to get subtitles to work.

recently i had heard about project remoulade, a beta version of the next divx.. it claimed to push mkv's with subtitles to xbox360 and ps3. i tried it, couldnt make it work. in fact, it fucked up a lot of other stuff.

so i killed it.

found another piece of software that had been put out while i wasnt looking... ps3 media server. tried it last, and lo and behold, i have working, streaming subtitles to the xbox360.

best of all, it's based on java and works on any OS you could want. including both freenas (freebsd) and whs.

http://sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/freenas/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1605

 

[rudder]

Windows Home Server $99.00 OEM at Newegg, Tigerdirect and many others.

And spend $89 for an intel mobo with an intel atom 330 cpu. Get a 2 gb stick, a couple of harddrives, a cheap case, and you are set.

 

[Modelworks]

Linksys and many other big names do small NAS boxes. Slap in a hard drive or two and you're ready to go. Also, some can be modded (usual warning: Will invalidate warrenties) to add more functionality with various linux-based firmwares. Most of these are quite cheap....
e.g. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822155009 which is $117.99. You then buy the hard-drives you need.

This is the way to go if you are on a budget. They consume very little power too.
These NAS run can have anywhere from a 3-600Mhz ARM cpu that sits there doing nothing most of the time and can more than handle bit torrent, web server for home, streaming, etc.