Hi all,
I am looking for a NAS and I would like your help.
I mainly need a NAS that will be able to backup 5-6 computers (3 used on a dialy basis, one of them a Mac) plus put in there the contents of a full 320GB disk that we were using as backup now.
Logging access rights must be for group and individual users and I must be able to have acces from the internet to these data. Bittorrent and FTP are welcomed but not that important. Media related services are also welcomed but not that important.
The NAS will be attached on a WLANg router.
I feel at ease with computers but I cannot setup a NAS from scratch, so setup should be more or less straightforward.
I read the article about choosing a NAS and I would say that I need a NAS with at least RAID1 (since some of the data will be stored only in the NAS).
Since it will be attached to a WLANg I dont think that speed is of importance right now.
I do not know what to choose sizewise. I believe that 1TB is a strict minimum at this point (our combined data sum up to 600GB more or less right now) but I dont know how much higher I should go.
I have tried to find the best solution for me and from yours and others reviews i have singled out these NASs:
1. WD Sharespace
2. Buffalo Linkstation Quad
3. QNAP TS-409
The first 2 are less expensive than QNAP but the proprietary disks must be used and once I buy the NAS it is not upgradable (HDD size). 2TB (1.5TB in RAID5) is affordable but I am having second thoughts about the space, 4TB (3TB in RAID5) will give us more than enough room but it is a bit more expensive.
On the other hand with a bit less money than the 4TB WD and Buffalo solution I can buy the QNAP with 2x1TB drives (1TB in RAID1) and then add space as needed.
My questions to you in order to find the best solution are the following:
1. How would you judge each of these NASs backup programs? And could I possibly connect the NAS directly to the computers in order to do the first backup (higher speed) and then do the next (incremental) ones through the (slower WiFi) network? How would you judge the ease of use and "friendliness" of the administration software.
2. Accessing the NAS over the Internet is safe? WD and Buffalo offer some software if I am not mistaken. Would this be safer to use than manually setting up DDNS my self(QNAP)?
3. How would you judge the support for each of these NASs? And do they keep the data safe in case of failure??
4. QNAP is more expensive than WD and Buffalo (I will get 1TB instead of 3 for the same ammount fo money more or less) but I can choose (and replace) the drives I am putting in, I can expand later and people seem to like QNAP better than WD and Buffalo as far as NASs are concerned. But in my setting is it worth it? (I am not asking for a direct yes or no here but more for info and a discussion that will help me choose better)
5. If later on we pass in WLAN N will the NAS's speed become a limiting factor or network's speed will always be the slowest part?
6. Have you ever tried to use any of those NAS's with Apple's TimeMachine? Is it working? I have read several workarounds in the internet from ppl claiminng that their solution works. Do you have any personal experience?
7. Do you have other suggestions for another product that could be better for my needs?
A long read and a lot of questions!
Any help would be appreciated! Tnx!!
I am looking for a NAS and I would like your help.
I mainly need a NAS that will be able to backup 5-6 computers (3 used on a dialy basis, one of them a Mac) plus put in there the contents of a full 320GB disk that we were using as backup now.
Logging access rights must be for group and individual users and I must be able to have acces from the internet to these data. Bittorrent and FTP are welcomed but not that important. Media related services are also welcomed but not that important.
The NAS will be attached on a WLANg router.
I feel at ease with computers but I cannot setup a NAS from scratch, so setup should be more or less straightforward.
I read the article about choosing a NAS and I would say that I need a NAS with at least RAID1 (since some of the data will be stored only in the NAS).
Since it will be attached to a WLANg I dont think that speed is of importance right now.
I do not know what to choose sizewise. I believe that 1TB is a strict minimum at this point (our combined data sum up to 600GB more or less right now) but I dont know how much higher I should go.
I have tried to find the best solution for me and from yours and others reviews i have singled out these NASs:
1. WD Sharespace
2. Buffalo Linkstation Quad
3. QNAP TS-409
The first 2 are less expensive than QNAP but the proprietary disks must be used and once I buy the NAS it is not upgradable (HDD size). 2TB (1.5TB in RAID5) is affordable but I am having second thoughts about the space, 4TB (3TB in RAID5) will give us more than enough room but it is a bit more expensive.
On the other hand with a bit less money than the 4TB WD and Buffalo solution I can buy the QNAP with 2x1TB drives (1TB in RAID1) and then add space as needed.
My questions to you in order to find the best solution are the following:
1. How would you judge each of these NASs backup programs? And could I possibly connect the NAS directly to the computers in order to do the first backup (higher speed) and then do the next (incremental) ones through the (slower WiFi) network? How would you judge the ease of use and "friendliness" of the administration software.
2. Accessing the NAS over the Internet is safe? WD and Buffalo offer some software if I am not mistaken. Would this be safer to use than manually setting up DDNS my self(QNAP)?
3. How would you judge the support for each of these NASs? And do they keep the data safe in case of failure??
4. QNAP is more expensive than WD and Buffalo (I will get 1TB instead of 3 for the same ammount fo money more or less) but I can choose (and replace) the drives I am putting in, I can expand later and people seem to like QNAP better than WD and Buffalo as far as NASs are concerned. But in my setting is it worth it? (I am not asking for a direct yes or no here but more for info and a discussion that will help me choose better)
5. If later on we pass in WLAN N will the NAS's speed become a limiting factor or network's speed will always be the slowest part?
6. Have you ever tried to use any of those NAS's with Apple's TimeMachine? Is it working? I have read several workarounds in the internet from ppl claiminng that their solution works. Do you have any personal experience?
7. Do you have other suggestions for another product that could be better for my needs?
A long read and a lot of questions!
Any help would be appreciated! Tnx!!
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