Quick help on drobo FS vs Synology DS209+II vs qnap TS-210

[zizzybaluba]

I'm hoping some kind soul will read this one-of-millions noob post and offer some advice.

My choice between these three basically boils down to picking the best one that can also host a Perforce server and act as a multimedia host (iTunes, Xbox, PS3, etc). I've browsed and read (to be fair, the drobo is very new so there's not a lot out there) and while I've read that the drobo will allow 'custom apps' and Synology (and maybe qnap) host iTunes ... I haven't seen any comparison between any of them regarding quality of service, or which hosts the most/best services.

Any help on this?

 

[thiggins]

Generally, the "apps" that NASes support must be written with the API of the particular model's module /add-in system or be web apps that can run in a browser or as PHP server-side. If you're handy with Linux, you could also compile /install something, if the NAS provides root access.

 

[zizzybaluba]

Thanks for the replies. While I was considering these options a friend recommended an alternative - the Acer Aspire easyStore:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00307EL8M/?tag=snbforums-20

This may be the best bet for me, as it seems to present all (or at least most) of the things I need with a minimum of effort.

I read the SNB thread on this machine and although the thread is kind of old I don't see any major issues. I realize you don't endorse any specific products, but unless anyone can warn me of some major flaw with the Acer solution I think that's probably the direction I'll go.

Thanks!

 

[thiggins]

That product runs Windows Home Server. Make sure that whatever app you want to run can be installed / run on it.

 

[zizzybaluba]

Yeah from what I've seen, WHS can run Perforce (and SVN if I feel like going back to command lines), iTunes server, XBMC/PS3 streaming, etc.

My only minor concern is that it seems WHS doesn't handle RAID (or is it that the Acer isn't setup for hardware RAID?) but I don't know if I even need it ... of course catastrophic drive failure is always a concern, but really I just want to see the NAS as one big drive and apparently WHS has its own software to allow for that.

 

[thiggins]

Some people run RAID on WHS. But it's not really design for that. Read up on Windows Home Server Drive Extender.