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What is the best nas enclosure?

Explain some of your wants, expectations, and requirements, you're sure to get some good answers.



A question mark does not provide much seed for discussion.
 
I have a home network with a wired desktop and 2 laptops. I just want to be abnle to have an easy way to access files and a place to store stuff.
 
While you are looking, take a look at Microsoft's Windows Home Server.

It's having some teething problems when multiple hard drives are used (a bug), but it provides data storage, backup, data access, and remote access features that, in my opinion, make it miles ahead of NAS for most home users.
 
Originally posted by: Sawyer
Is that software? And if it's what is pictured, it looks expensive. Edit: I read the faq, starting at 599?!
Click to expand...
The software is also available in OEM version, for about $160. If you have an older PC laying around, you can easily build your own. HP's pre-built server retails for about $600 and sells for $500 to $600. includes 500 GB of drive space, and is easily expandable.

I'm not saying it's dirt cheap. But I fix people's computer problems for a living, and if everybody used WHS, I'd have almost no house calls.

Anyway, no matter what storage server solution you decide on, be sure to institute some sort of ongoing backup for it. Hard drives, whether in desktops, laptops, servers, or NAS, ALL fail eventually. There's no way to get around it, hence the backups.
 
Staples (or is it OfficeMax) currently has the HP solution for $569 or so - WITH an extra 500GB hard drive!

Windows Home Server is by far the best solution I've seen.
 
Entry Level NAS issue is a Murky one.

You are asking which one is the Best, while these devices are actually competing on which one is the worse.

Price is starting at about $100 and you have to add a Hard Drive.

None of them really support NTFS in full, and they are very slow (the inexpensive one are rated 100Mb/sec. but really provide a rate that is similar to old 10M/sec. Network card.

To get a more decent unit you have to escalate the price to few hundred $$$.

On the other hand if you have, or can get, or build yourself, an humble computer that is about the level of P-III-1GHz, and add to it Windows Home server OS.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116395

You might spend about the same and get a better NAS with many features that are Not in existence in any of the Entry Level stand alone NAS'.

So Best? No best, just few variables that would help you to think and hopefully reach to a conclusion that suits you.

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Windows Home Server can do a lot more than simple NAS.

If you have few Drives, (any kind any size can be mixed) it automatically make them appear as one cohesivedrive called WHS.

It can do auto mirroring and back up too.

Ready for HTTP and FTP servers with certificate for SSL connection (the certificate is provided with the trial version).

Provides Dynamic DNS, your_name.homeserver.com that registered when you set up the server. It is free service from Microsoft.

I.e. No need for Hamachi, Go to my PC, LogMeIn, DyDNS, or any other service that does you a favor and can shift from free to pay or partial pay when they want to.

Windows Home Server 120 days trial can be obtained from Microsoft for $5.99 shipping.

http://www.microsoft.com/windo...wshomeserver/eval.mspx
 
Thanks for the advice, I am thinking of using my old pc to run Windows Server. could you give me an idea about how this would be connected and setup on my network? Would I have a monitor hooked up? I would like to be able to stash the tower out of the way.
 
Load WHS, connect the PC to anywhere on your network (it has to be a wired connection to your network), and then put it anywhere you want. Pretty much anything you need to do to it after that will be through a remote connection from another PC on your network. No real need for a monitor, keyboard, or mouse.
 
Just try to run it with a single hard drive until around June or so. That's when the fix for the data corruption bug is slated for release. The bug doesn't affect single drive systems.

Aside from that issue, I'm in love with my WHS. This is the first time in 10 years that I've ever had any sort of consistent backup!
 
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