Thinking of setting up a NAS. Need some inputs. **Network Noob Alert**

Before you make a big jump to a NAS, would suggest to try the GoFlex Home with a 3.5" HDD. Get it from varkey. I am using it and its great. However, OOTB, no RAID. But using an enclosure, you can add RAID support.

The cost of the item from varkey is 3.6k. I have been using it, and wired speeds are pretty good with a 2.5" HDD.
 
dinjo said:
Yes it would gives you access provided you go ahead and configure the IP with dns
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Even that is not needed. It has inbuilt DDNS - seagateshare.com[DOUBLEPOST=1371010632][/DOUBLEPOST]
Vasishta.Sushant said:
Can you please confirm that by testing it out on your device?
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I have tested it - on Windows Phone, you cannot access the SMB shares directly, the workaround was to do it via the phone browser - IE.
 
vivek.krishnan said:
Before you make a big jump to a NAS, would suggest to try the GoFlex Home with a 3.5" HDD. Get it from varkey. I am using it and its great. However, OOTB, no RAID. But using an enclosure, you can add RAID support.

The cost of the item from varkey is 3.6k. I have been using it, and wired speeds are pretty good with a 2.5" HDD.
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I would like to see a debate of why go for a NAS rather than go flex series. The difficulty here is in knowing what your data requirements are and are likely to need in the future.

OP said he wanted more than a 'make do' setup. So now OP should say what he means by the possibilities the NAS opens up. Convenience & ease of use with a gentler learning curve is a factor. But does that justify paying 5x more for a NAS over go flex.

About speed, if there are say at least 5 users accessing the data then a NAS can handle the load better than go flex. So number of users would be a decisive factor in going for a NAS as it makes it easier to manage user accounts etc. Primary advantage of NAS is hardware, faster throughput.

How much data needs to be available. If it fits on one HDD, well and good. What if two HDDs are needed. Can you chain go flex so both are available. What about more than two. How scalable is go flex.

Power consumption is lower with go flex upto a point.

Anything else.

At some point the advantage of NAS outweighs go flex and that is what i want to identify.
 
The GoFlex should handle 2~3 users with ease, but with more, it would slow down. It all depends on the content being streamed and the speeds of the SATA drive attached. It wont have RAID support with the stock firmware. This could be cleared with varkeys help.

The DIY NAS is surely superior, but pricier too. It will kick ass in all except power consumption. The GoFlex uses just 10W with a HDD attached.

Adding more than one GoFlex is possible but with some caveats. More specifically, the DLNA streaming of one of them will need to be shut off.
 
Really appreciate all of you guys doing the discussion.

I am getting totally confused though. I somehow see that my requirements are getting little widened. Its no more the data backup/streaming, I am getting inclined towards a development home server. As I am moving higher in the performance/expandability ladder, the pricing is going out of hand. Really spending all this money, just for a central storage wouldn't be a good thing to do.

The current though process is, develop a low power machine with as small size as possible. Like the Zotac zbox but even then expandability is a concern since I won't be able to increase the number of discs. Looked through all the various types of processors/plug computers for the performance vs power consumption features and looks like I need to stick to the x86 based system. Then started the sempron, celeron, i3, i5 discussion and everything goes for a toss.

Coming back to the requirement, I need a central storage, data security as well as development server running 24/7, without missing out the future expandability. And I am still confused about what to get :P

Space is a constraint as well and I can't have multiple machines running all around the home so another thought I am having is to use my current core i5 3550s based desktop for all this purpose. The major power hogs in my rig is probably the 660Ti. Have only one WD Green as a hard disk (the OS stays on Intel 330 SSD). No Optical Disc drive. The expandability potential is huge in this since I can add another 6 drives. Create multiple virtual machines and get everything going. Only trouble is the power consumption, which kills the deal in the end. Currently looking at the Virtu MVP thing which can possibly run be the answer since it claims that it can put the external GFX card in nearly zero power mode, until a 3D app invokes it. Also I'll have to check the current power draw from my system and assess the feasibility of running the machine 24x7.

I am still evaluating my options but as a fallback plan, I'll be selling the WD green, buy two 3TB WD Reds and setup Windows 8 based RAID 1 and get that thing going till I get some other solution.
 
Make a list of what you have to have and another of what you would like to have.

If your requirements are getting widened then sticking to a NAS isn't a good idea because at some point its utility is limited. NAS is for people who are very clear about their requirements and scope. Its a specialised device that does a few tasks very well.
 
I am currently arriving at a point which tells me that except for the minimal running cost, PC based NAS would be better any day. And yes I am open to fiddling and don't care about the support.

The reason is, I am interested in Synology DS413 which costs 500USD. Another 300USD for the 2 Red Drives. Making it 800USD for a 3TB storage (in RAID 1). Which is like too much, even for niceties on offer. Also I'd anyway require home server and possibly the power to run multiple virtual machines soon, I guess I'll have to skip the ready NAS idea even when the power consumption and size factors are favoring hugely.

I guess I need to focus on making my current system less of a power hog somehow. (Darn..this thing is so confusing :()
 
Make a list of your must have requirements.

Also distinguish between data repository & server. These two don't necessarily have to live in the same box.

I prefer designs that can parcel off work to specialised units. This allows you to seperate out functionality and architect things easier. If everything lives in one box then you basically are unable to do so. You're getting one big compromise of sorts in this case.

You've not mentioned how many individual users will be accessing the system. For all we know its just you.
 
Seems like you are back at square one. And for what you want, an off the shelf device is not going to give you the best solution. You will need to build one yourself.

You also wanted to use as a developmental server. Would you be needing to run this 24x7? If not, then dont merge lines. An AIO looks great, but its a jack of all trades and you are sacrificing something somewhere. In this case, power consumption.

Stick to using an Atom or Brazos or low power CPU for the NAS. Keep the developmental server only ON when needed.
 
ev1lb0ygen1us said:
^^^ Dude that's rude. He has given every bit of information he has on our threads. Its us who are lazy looking for straight solutions without any effort from our side. AFAIK this guy never holds back on helping.
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Whereas he knows what I am talking about .................

hence Agents, Managers, Middle Men & People wearing Red Panties, please excuse ............

no offense please
 
malhotraraul said:
Whereas he knows what I am talking about .................

hence Agents, Managers, Middle Men & People wearing Red Panties, please excuse ............

no offense please
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Do I? What exactly are you talking about? I don't see any thread started by you which is related to NAS.
I don't think I have withheld information to you or anyone else ever.

If I did not respond to a PM, its probably cause I genuinely missed the message, you could have just sent a reminder instead of ranting on threads about an instance that I don't even recall.
 
Seems like I am buying the DS413. And just the enclosure. Would be out of money, if I buy the REDs as well. I can't seem to be arriving at one decision so thinking that the 413 would be best solution, considering the upgrade-ability/performance/price.
 
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