Hello, I read that one could set up a semba connection from a Mac to a PC to gain access to files stored on a Windows PC. What is the different between using this method vs. through a NAS?
Question In terms of reading and writing Windows files on a Mac, what is the different between setting up semba on the Mac vs getting a NAS?
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SMB/samba is just the protocol between two devices for sharing files.
The intricacies between two devices such as the filesystem being used is where differences come into play. A Mac can read a lot of different FS but windows is dumb and only knows how to read 3 fat/exfat/NTFS.
www.techtarget.com
The intricacies between two devices such as the filesystem being used is where differences come into play. A Mac can read a lot of different FS but windows is dumb and only knows how to read 3 fat/exfat/NTFS.
What is the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol? How does it work? | Definition from TechTarget
Learn about the Server Message Block protocol for client-server communications, how it works, SMB protocol dialects, vulnerabilities and protocol safety.
No, the server just needs to run SMB/Samba so all clients can read / write the data.
Windows can't read Apple unless you enable Samba/SMB.
All NAS units run a form of Linux no matter the name of the OS. The key to security is *nix as the OS.
I can take a Linux USB and boot your system and easily obtain the info off your drive in a Windows machine. The opposite is true with some installs of *nix though there are some extra steps at install that would be required to secure your files. Mac's use a core based on *nix as well and employ some other methods for securing your data.
The basis of a "server" though and reliability / uptime / data integrity is not to use a Windows based FS fat/exfat/ntfs because eventually it will corrupt your data being stored on the drives. This is coming from decades of playing with tech and experience of this happening. If you're going to host data then use something other than Windows to do it.
Windows can't read Apple unless you enable Samba/SMB.
All NAS units run a form of Linux no matter the name of the OS. The key to security is *nix as the OS.
I can take a Linux USB and boot your system and easily obtain the info off your drive in a Windows machine. The opposite is true with some installs of *nix though there are some extra steps at install that would be required to secure your files. Mac's use a core based on *nix as well and employ some other methods for securing your data.
The basis of a "server" though and reliability / uptime / data integrity is not to use a Windows based FS fat/exfat/ntfs because eventually it will corrupt your data being stored on the drives. This is coming from decades of playing with tech and experience of this happening. If you're going to host data then use something other than Windows to do it.
- Oct 25, 1999
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Connect to a Windows computer from a Mac
Connect your Mac to Windows computers and servers on your network.
support.apple.com
That said, it is really dependents on your actual needs.
The link here takes few minutes to execute and does Not cost anything.
However, if you are frequently transfer very big files and need to do it fast you should consider NAS.
Connect to a Windows computer from a Mac
Connect your Mac to Windows computers and servers on your network.support.apple.com
That said, it is really dependents on your actual needs.
The link here takes few minutes to execute and does Not cost anything.
However, if you are frequently transfer very big files and need to do it fast you should consider NAS.
Yes, I have read that link. It made me think why I need a NAS.
What is your definition of "big files"?
So, if I don't transfer large files frequently, I can just buy a Mac and attach an external storage to it via Thunderbolt (given that some mentioned that USB is not stable). Then, use the method provided by Apple to connect a Windows PC/Linux PC/iOS device to it and do the backup and file transfer to that external storage?
@tablespoon
If you're wiling to drop money on a mac to turn it into a NAS let's talk budget here.,
If you get a used PC and throw a 3.5" SATA drive into it and install Linux / Samba on the boot drive you basically have a NAS. Most NAS devices start out at $200 and you can pick up a PC for less and just tinker a tad to make it into a NAS w/ better performance and flexibility to expand later or up the NIC speed if you need faster network speed for a lot cheaper than most prebuilt options.
I run a "NAS" inside my "server" w/ 5 drives in Raid 10 with 1 being a hot spare in the array. I've worked with plenty of NAS devices to know the limitations and is why I recommend building one vs buying one. They're fine until you need more options / expandability / faster network access. The other issue is some of them have really bad security issues in their OS that come up from time to time and cause people to lose data from remote wipes.
The drive alone is going to be ~$100 depending on which size you want to go with
The PC can be as cheap as you want to gamble on but, a new SFF PC run s about $150 with somewhat decent parts inside. Upgrades are easy to do and relatively cheap if you want to boost the bandwidth.
The issue is usually the bandwidth bottleneck of a 1gbps port only gets you about 125MB/s whereas the drives these days usually hit 200-225MB/s. In my Raid setup I actually push ~450MB/s which means my network is setup for 5gbps to make sure there's not a choke point for the data being moved. I tend to do most stuff over WIFI though and can get 1.5gbps through my setup as it stands today but, when I want to copy more intensive data I just hook up an Ethernet cable directly to the server and get max speeds.
Moral of the story is you can drop ~$500 on a NAS + drive or you can DIY something better for cheaper or the same price.
PC - $150
NIC 5GE - $100 or less
Drive - 18TB could be $300
Another perk of this setup is you can run things like Plex from the PC with less buffering issues than a NAS if the file isn't natively playable. The CPU will handle the transcoding better than any cheap NAS up to the point of breaking $1000 for the ones that have decent CPU's in them // I3/5/7.
If you're wiling to drop money on a mac to turn it into a NAS let's talk budget here.,
If you get a used PC and throw a 3.5" SATA drive into it and install Linux / Samba on the boot drive you basically have a NAS. Most NAS devices start out at $200 and you can pick up a PC for less and just tinker a tad to make it into a NAS w/ better performance and flexibility to expand later or up the NIC speed if you need faster network speed for a lot cheaper than most prebuilt options.
I run a "NAS" inside my "server" w/ 5 drives in Raid 10 with 1 being a hot spare in the array. I've worked with plenty of NAS devices to know the limitations and is why I recommend building one vs buying one. They're fine until you need more options / expandability / faster network access. The other issue is some of them have really bad security issues in their OS that come up from time to time and cause people to lose data from remote wipes.
The drive alone is going to be ~$100 depending on which size you want to go with
The PC can be as cheap as you want to gamble on but, a new SFF PC run s about $150 with somewhat decent parts inside. Upgrades are easy to do and relatively cheap if you want to boost the bandwidth.
The issue is usually the bandwidth bottleneck of a 1gbps port only gets you about 125MB/s whereas the drives these days usually hit 200-225MB/s. In my Raid setup I actually push ~450MB/s which means my network is setup for 5gbps to make sure there's not a choke point for the data being moved. I tend to do most stuff over WIFI though and can get 1.5gbps through my setup as it stands today but, when I want to copy more intensive data I just hook up an Ethernet cable directly to the server and get max speeds.
Moral of the story is you can drop ~$500 on a NAS + drive or you can DIY something better for cheaper or the same price.
PC - $150
NIC 5GE - $100 or less
Drive - 18TB could be $300
Another perk of this setup is you can run things like Plex from the PC with less buffering issues than a NAS if the file isn't natively playable. The CPU will handle the transcoding better than any cheap NAS up to the point of breaking $1000 for the ones that have decent CPU's in them // I3/5/7.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I have considered building a NAS. Looks like the most recommended NAS OS are TrueNAS, followed by Unraid and OMV. In the TrueNAS community, most senior members recommended building a system with ECC RAM. CPU and motherboards that can take ECC are expensive and difficult to get. I estimated that it will cost about $2K to build one without a drive.
Another option is just not to worry about ECC and build something inexpensive as you mentioned.
I have considered building a NAS. Looks like the most recommended NAS OS are TrueNAS, followed by Unraid and OMV. In the TrueNAS community, most senior members recommended building a system with ECC RAM. CPU and motherboards that can take ECC are expensive and difficult to get. I estimated that it will cost about $2K to build one without a drive.
Another option is just not to worry about ECC and build something inexpensive as you mentioned.
It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive unless you want more functions than network data...
ECC is for the die hards. I just use a simple setup with regular bits and pieces that suite my needs. I started this at least 5 years ago with the intent of collapsing ~6 devices into one. I started off with building a system with an 8700k and 16gb of ram. I built it as a router and media server to begin with with just a single 8tb drive for storage and a small 256gb nvme for the os.
Over time though I rebuilt it for different things to play with. Instead of buying a new NAS for more drives I just swapped the case for something more storage oriented like the Node 804 which held 8 drives for the 5 that I expanded to. When ADL came out I rebuilt again for the upgrade in tech. There are some things I just move from one case to the next like the drives and some other stuff.
There's a lot of flexibility going this route in what you can do without a huge cost of replacing an appliance like a NAS. Putting those funds towards upgrades gets you more bang for the buck. Swapping the nic is cheaper than buying a new NAS. same goes for the case for more room for drives.
As to the NAS os options you listed they're fine if that's all you want the box to do. If you want to do more then a more broad os can be installed later.
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