NAS recommendations

**eek** · 27 August 2011, 21:40

Originally posted by Mr.Whippy View Post

Looking to replace an ageing fileserver with some sort of NAS so I'm after some recommendations...

Need about 2TB and looking for something that works well with a squeezebox and also does rsync. Price not really an issue.

get one of these

633724-421 HP ProLiant MicroServer - Athlon II Neo N36L 1.3 GHz (HP do £100 cashback see http://h41112.www4.hp.com/promo/prol...antmicroserver)

get unraid Home on a usb key

and buy 3 2tb hard disks. That will give you 4tb of backed up data and everything you want provided 2 disks don't fail at the same time.

Its what I use apart from the fact I have an bigger server that provides 10tb of storage that is rapidly about to become 20tb.

**PAH** · 28 August 2011, 08:58

I also have a HP Microserver. Unbeatable for the price, but it's just a bare box so needs setting up with operating system and any software you want to use.

If getting one make sure it's the one supplied with the 250gb hard drive as the older 160gb is not included in the offer, yet some sites are still selling them.

If you're after something more plug and play then the D-Link Share Center is a good cheap alternative. Also a lot quieter than the HP if you want it located nearby and not in a room or cupboard elsewhere.

D-Link ShareCenter Pulse DNS-320 NAS server

I have both. The D-Link is what I use on a daily basis as my main NAS, as it's very quiet, goes to sleep when not in use, and automatically wakes up when I access it. Can take 2 x 2TB hard drives, so not as capacious as the HP which can take a minimum of 4 x 2TB, and some have converted the top bay intended for optical drive to accommodate one or more additional hard drives.

I use the HP Microserver as a main backup of my D-Link, so it's usually powered down as I don't need daily access.

For me that's the ideal setup as it allows me not to bother with raid on either device (giving more storage space) yet still have a proper backup of my main NAS.

**Mr.Whippy** · 29 August 2011, 08:39

Cheers for the replies. I am going to locate it fairly nearby to the TV so the microserver isn't the best thing for me. Looks like a great bit of kit for the price though.

I'll take a look at the D-Link.

**SimonMac** · 29 August 2011, 12:18

I have a Netgear ReadyNAS Duo, and apart from the fact is gone tits up due to me installing Lion its a great bit of kit.

**PAH** · 29 August 2011, 13:10

Yeah, the ReadyNas Duo was the reigning king as a reasonably cheap dual bay NAS. Still over a ton though without hard drives, so cheaper options available if all the features are not required.

Bear in mind, if locating near a TV, that none of these are totally silent as they have at least one fan to cool the hard drives.

Even the D-Link I mention can gets noticeably loud when in use for long periods, due to heat soak from the hard drives causing the fan to ramp up in speed and noise.

One of the major benefits of a NAS is that it can be hidden away at the end of an ethernet cable (or homeplug), as they usually offer a browser accessible front end for remote access and tweaking. So makes no sense having them near the TV.

If using for streaming then a silent (i.e. no internal hard drive) media streamer is the ideal middleware between NAS and TV.

**Sysman** · 29 August 2011, 13:31

Originally posted by SimonMac View Post

I have a Netgear ReadyNAS Duo, and apart from the fact is gone tits up due to me installing Lion its a great bit of kit.

Yep. There's a warning to everyone out there. If you have a NAS device and use OS X, check with the NAS manufacturer that Lion is supported for that device before trying to upgrade to Lion.

**Sysman** · 29 August 2011, 13:36

Originally posted by PAH View Post

If using for streaming then a silent (i.e. no internal hard drive) media streamer is the ideal middleware between NAS and TV.

If you do need something near the TV what about one of these - Marvell SheevaPlug: $99 Linux PC hidden in a wall-wart?

**Pondlife** · 30 August 2011, 07:38

Originally posted by SimonMac View Post

I have a Netgear ReadyNAS Duo, and apart from the fact is gone tits up due to me installing Lion its a great bit of kit.

WHS apart from mine being Iomega Storecenter.

**eek** · 30 August 2011, 07:55

Originally posted by Pondlife View Post

WHS apart from mine being Iomega Storecenter.

Hasn't lion messed up all NAS systems due to changes made to AFP. In theory netatalk 2 has all the fixes but I'm not sure who is testing it let alone planning to rapdily implement it.

I think if your using Apple the current sensible choice would be a time machine.

NAS recommendations