Will NAS improves Networking Access Speed for 10 to 20 User

G

gcbeldar

Adept
Thanks in Advance,

Presently,
a. 12 to 15 Wired Systems connected to Cisco 10/100 - 24port Switch. All connections with static IPs
b. TP-Link 8968 Modem cum router is connected to the switch for Internet, One Printer sharing & 2-3 Wifi[laptop]
c. One Desktop is connected with Wire for Central Storage [Win XP 32 OS].
d. Type of Files / Data shared over network are .xls, .docs and Tally Data Files. Max Space required is 3 to 5 GB ONLY.

Problem;
a. Frequent Lan Access Problem
b. Data getting Corrupted

Waiting for your suggestion;
a. Reason for "Frequent Lan Access Problem"
b. Will NAS improves Speed ? is Yes Which OS is recommended ?
c. All types of suggestion are welcome
 
gcbeldar said:
c. One Desktop is connected with Wire for Central Storage [Win XP 32 OS].
Click to expand...

This is the bottleneck, WinXP is not designed to be a server and cannot handle multiple concurrent data requests over a network.

You need at least a NT-based server OS (Windows Server, ideally 2008 or later) or a dedicated NAS OS. FreeNAS is a good bet if all you do is serve data. Most NAS systems use very ordinary hardware, though AHCI-connected SATA disk is highly recommended. SCSI is even better.
 
cranky said:
This is the bottleneck, WinXP is not designed to be a server and cannot handle multiple concurrent data requests over a network.

You need at least a NT-based server OS (Windows Server, ideally 2008 or later) or a dedicated NAS OS. FreeNAS is a good bet if all you do is serve data. Most NAS systems use very ordinary hardware, though AHCI-connected SATA disk is highly recommended. SCSI is even better.
Click to expand...
Thanks, How about 128gb ssd x 2 in RAID0 [RAID Zero] with Win 7 64 bit ?
 
Please use a server OS. SSDs in RAID0 are fast, but single user operating systems are not built to handle large number of network requests.

A server OS will use data caching and other techniques to speed up access for remote users. Win7 64 bit is a single user OS. There is a reason it is not used as a server, because it is not very good at it.
 
cranky said:
Please use a server OS. SSDs in RAID0 are fast, but single user operating systems are not built to handle large number of network requests.

A server OS will use data caching and other techniques to speed up access for remote users. Win7 64 bit is a single user OS. There is a reason it is not used as a server, because it is not very good at it.
Click to expand...
Then how about FREENAS or NAS4free?
 
The point you need to lay emphasis is that you need anything but a Windows client OS. The Windows client OS is limited to 10 connections.
use normal HDD's if you are on a tight budget but use a server OS or a free NAS alternative.
 
OK, lets look the issue from a broader POV.

I am assuming the data corruption issue that you are facing is mainly with Tally. That's because of multiple people accessing the same company/etc.

Your best bet it to use a seperate machine running FreeNAS or NAS4Free or other alternatives. Plus it should have some extra RAM to cache the data.

This should solve your issue.
 
Since you are working on document files, and dont need over 5 Gb of shared space, try using any machine with Windows 7 for a while as the server. Create a shared folder and add your files there. It may not be worth going for a basic NAS at it may have single drive.

Another issue can be due to the 10/100 Switch as well in case you face issues of speed. You can consider a upgrade to a Gig Switch as well. P.S. Whats your Cisco model number? Are you running the latest ios?
 
axeman said:
Another issue can be due to the 10/100 Switch as well in case you face issues of speed. You can consider a upgrade to a Gig Switch as well. P.S. Whats your Cisco model number? Are you running the latest ios?
Click to expand...

I dont think this is due to 10/100 speed limitations. I have seen people use them with more computers (24 ports) and no issues at all.
 
@cranky
@vivek.krishnan

Thanks a lot; please help for the below mentioned;

1. How good is Win 2003 Server Edition ?
2. Will Dual Onboard Gigabit Lan with QuadCore Xeon Server makes lot difference ?
3. Presently Tplink 8968 Modem/Router is taking care of DHCP[All Computers are in Static IP], any thing can make difference in this area ?
4. Tried with Giga Port 24 port switch No difference found.
 
gcbeldar said:
Thanks a lot; please help for the below mentioned;

1. How good is Win 2003 Server Edition ?
2. Will Dual Onboard Gigabit Lan with QuadCore Xeon Server makes lot difference ?
3. Presently Tplink 8968 Modem/Router is taking care of DHCP[All Computers are in Static IP], any thing can make difference in this area ?
4. Tried with Giga Port 24 port switch No difference found.
Click to expand...

1. Not much - would suggest to stick to 2008 R2 if possible. 2003 should not be an issue for smaller setups like yours.

2. Dual GbE LAN will not make a difference - but the Xeon could.

3. Would not make a difference

4. Already suggested earlier - with such a small setup, GbE or FE speeds wont be an issue.
 
@vivek.krishnan
Finally,
1. I have sourced HP Server with 2gb RAM for Rs. 30K, rack mounting type without HDD's and Only 2gb ECC RAM. is it worth to buy ?
2. The same person is of Server 2003 standard Edition for Rs. 5k along with is worth ?
3. How about Hybrid SSD x 2Nos in RAID0 ?
4. Any chances of get Win 2008 ?
 
gcbeldar said:
@vivek.krishnan
Finally,
1. I have sourced HP Server with 2gb RAM for Rs. 30K, rack mounting type without HDD's and Only 2gb ECC RAM. is it worth to buy ?
2. The same person is of Server 2003 standard Edition for Rs. 5k along with is worth ?
3. How about Hybrid SSD x 2Nos in RAID0 ?
4. Any chances of get Win 2008 ?
Click to expand...

For such a small number of users, there is no need to go with Server grade CPU - secondly, 2GB is too less. Make it 4GB at the very least.

We have never bought HP servers, we have only IBM x-series servers. One of our vendors had issues with motherboard replacement for his HP server. Since then - HP is a no-no.

I think you need to leave SSD's out. Its not needed.

You can install a trial copy of Windows 2008 or 2008 R2. I would suggest to stick with R2 since its reliable.
 
@gcbeldar You can get even a sturdy (read reliable components) PC and install Windows 7 for it. The only downside I see to it is Win 7 being a client OS is limited to 10 simultaneous sharing connections.
Apart from that you do not need any Workstation / Server's for your setup.
 
Back
Top