- Apr 7, 2003
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So, i'd like to build a NAS (network attached storage, just in case any fellow-newbs are reading this). I have about 2TB of data that i'd like to archive, and I'd also like something that can do frequent backups of all the devices on my network... everything from Win XP boxes hardwired to the network, to MacBook's connecting via an airport extreme (wifi). The more intuitive the interface, the better. I can deal with command line stuff only if i have my hand held. :/
I'm also not sure if I want something which allows me to easily expand the NAS capabilities/size (i.e. a big case with hot swap bays) or something rather small and purpose-built, like a glorified external HDD (or a Drobo). Any suggestions on which is the better path? I'm leaning towards the big box, but that might be overkill.
Also, I'm unsure of the hardware requirements for a system like this. For several drives, what size power supply am i looking at? How many watts does a 7200 RPM SATA2 drive use, anyway? What sort of performance would I see from a very basic system (external hdd), vs. something closer to a server (i.e. raid controller, gobs of ram, etc). Is relying on RAID 1 (et al) for my backups foolhardy, or acceptable considering i'm not in a "mission-critical" environment?
Finally - software. What would be best for my needs? I've been looking at freeNAS.org and a couple other similar projects, but I'm having trouble finding any real difference between the various solutions. I'm currently leaning towards Solaris with ZFS, but I'm concerned with the interface -- I'm useless when I have to actually remember commands and can't have a GUI lead me along.
I know that OS X Server 10.6 is going to include a pretty robust implementation of ZFS, but it's not out yet. Also, I'm not sure how well full-blown server software would integrate with the smaller, cheaper side of the solution (external hdd). And even if I went with the more expensive system, would such a relatively large OS impact NAS performance? i.e. require a beefier system, basically turning this into a server instead of a NAS box?
Sorry for the scattershot description, but as you can see, I'm not even sure where to begin. Any suggestions, advice, or even just a link to some relevant information would be very much appreciated!
I'm also not sure if I want something which allows me to easily expand the NAS capabilities/size (i.e. a big case with hot swap bays) or something rather small and purpose-built, like a glorified external HDD (or a Drobo). Any suggestions on which is the better path? I'm leaning towards the big box, but that might be overkill.
Also, I'm unsure of the hardware requirements for a system like this. For several drives, what size power supply am i looking at? How many watts does a 7200 RPM SATA2 drive use, anyway? What sort of performance would I see from a very basic system (external hdd), vs. something closer to a server (i.e. raid controller, gobs of ram, etc). Is relying on RAID 1 (et al) for my backups foolhardy, or acceptable considering i'm not in a "mission-critical" environment?
Finally - software. What would be best for my needs? I've been looking at freeNAS.org and a couple other similar projects, but I'm having trouble finding any real difference between the various solutions. I'm currently leaning towards Solaris with ZFS, but I'm concerned with the interface -- I'm useless when I have to actually remember commands and can't have a GUI lead me along.
I know that OS X Server 10.6 is going to include a pretty robust implementation of ZFS, but it's not out yet. Also, I'm not sure how well full-blown server software would integrate with the smaller, cheaper side of the solution (external hdd). And even if I went with the more expensive system, would such a relatively large OS impact NAS performance? i.e. require a beefier system, basically turning this into a server instead of a NAS box?
Sorry for the scattershot description, but as you can see, I'm not even sure where to begin. Any suggestions, advice, or even just a link to some relevant information would be very much appreciated!