What can you do with a mapped network drive

[nadthomas]

Ok here is what I am up to. I'm in the process of building a new system to use as a digital VCR, out of mostly spare parts. I plan on using an ATI all in wonder card for this. My questions is that I plan on purchasing an 80GB hard drive, and I can't decide which of my 3 systems to put it in. Here's my problem my main rig is getting a bit dated, and it has only a 20GB HD in it. For the most part that's enough because between school and 2 jobs all I have time for is school work on it anymore. In my girlfriends system she has a 6GB and a 3GB, but she hardly uses her computer so there is much problem there until she starts downloading MP3s and such. So, basically what I would like to know is if I put the 80GB into my main rig and the 20GB into my TIVO rig and I map a network drive to the my main mahine is the performance of a mapped drive fast enough to have the TIVO unit directly read and write video to the mapped drive, without out problems.

Also, for the sake of saving space on all of my computers can you install programs to a network drive, such as MS Office XP, or even maybe games.

I suppose I should tell you a little more about some of the hardware. They are all running WinXP Pro. I am using a D-link 10/100 router(not sure of the model at the moment since I am at work, I think it is a "603") Various 10/100 NICs. The systems specs: Main rig 1100 cellly @1266, 394ram, gf2 mx400; g/f rig Duron 950, 256ran gfmx 400, and TIVO rig PIII 700, 512 ram, ATI AIW VE.

 

[nadthomas]

somebody, anybody! or am I just going to have to try it out on my own

 

[JackMDS]

Might help:

Building a Media Network.

 

[nadthomas]

Thanks for the reply jack, but unfortunatly that article nor any of the related articles answer my question. They are about wireless network technowledgy performance. Although from reading that article I was able to determine that a 10/100 connect should be fast enough to stream the video. Anybody else.

 

[Spawndude]

Are you trying to record on the TIVO unit and then watch the recording on your main rig?

A mapped drive will be a little slower than a local one but should work unless something happens to the network.

No matter what advice/opinions you get I think you answered your own question in your second post.

Just try it !!!

 

[nadthomas]

I will be watching the recodings on the TIVO rig which will be connected to the TV in my living room. I guess my real question was 1.) if the ethernet was fast enough to stream the video smoothly, which it appears, and 2.) Can apps be installed to a network drive and then run it on a client (such as MS Office or possible software apps) and how does one go about doing that. I would just try it but i don't have all the parts for the TIVO machine yet, and I don't want to have to set it all up and then discover it would have been better to put the large HD in a different machine. But thanks for the reply

 

[dougtran]

1. 10/100 should be fast enough. Stick with a wired network for reliability and speed.

2. Yes. Do a network/admin install for your application support it. Otherwise, most software don't really care where you install it as long as the drive mapping stays the same and you don't have concurrent access.

Doug