How to setup NAS? Your thoughts in general.

[floepie]

I have 2 computers for which I'd like all settings and data to match and be synced. Therefore, I was thinking of adding networked storage, particularly the networked IDE/SATA enclosure variety so I can use whichever drive I wish.

I realize I can setup a share on one of the machines and map a drive to it on the other, but I'd rather not have both machines up and running if possible. Another setup I've come across is using something like SyncToy (an XP power util from MS, which I read is quite good).

My question is - Is the above scenario workable and reliable or does it seem a bit clunky? I can handle the very occasional reset if necessary in exchange for the convenience. It seems that most people use NAS for backups, but I'd like in essence to use it as the primary working data and back that up with a large partition on one of the machines. I suppose this wouldn't be a problem for the machine with the exact replica of the files, as I could use those to work with and sync back to the NAS so that it could be accessed by the other machine (notebook computer).

Any thoughts on this idea and any experiences with such networked enclosures?

 

[MichaelD]

Hello,

I don't have any experience with any of the stand-alone network storage appliances out there, but there are lots of them.

As opposed to a dedicated server (PC with lots of storage space) a network appliance, something with limited TCP/IP functionality, will fit your bill nicely.

Just off the top of my head, Maxtor, Buffalo, WesternDigital make affordable (I.E. under $500) ones.

Your idea is a good one and there's no reason why it wouldn't work. What it boils down to is:

How much storage space do you want?
Is redundancy (data backup/security) a requirement?
How configurable do you want it to be?

Those three main factors will in part, determine your range of products.

Something with two, big drives, that you could either stripe or mirror, would be ideal.