Server and backup for home network

[NetDufus]

I am probably too ignorant of NAS to ask what I need intelligently, but I'll give it a shot.

I have a home network with 2 windows xp and 3 macs. We are all busting our hard drives at the seams with music and pictures. Here is what I would like to accomplish:

1. Centralize our pictures and music on one HDD we can all access.
2. Backup all our computers on one HDD.
3. Backup the media server on another HDD.

I am not choosey about what NAS I buy but it appears from my research that QNAP, Netgear and Synology have good machines.

My concerns are these:

1. File formats- they all seem to say that they are windows and mac compatable, but is one drive able to work with both systems?
2. How do I backup the computers separately from the server. I dont want all my files on the server for privacy reasons. But I do want to back them up. Can I use the server to back up the computers as well as act as a server?
3. How can I best backup the server(media files)?
4. I want a system I can more or less set up and leave alone. I don't mind telling it to back up every week or so but I dont want to have to do maintence.
5. I have read where some people have issues with speed backing up the NAS via a USB but I wouldnt care about that.

It's hard to say for sure but right now i dont think my space needs are more than 1 TB.

Any ideas would be welcome. Thanks

 

[thiggins]

I am probably too ignorant of NAS to ask what I need intelligently, but I'll give it a shot.

I have a home network with 2 windows xp and 3 macs. We are all busting our hard drives at the seams with music and pictures. Here is what I would like to accomplish:

1. Centralize our pictures and music on one HDD we can all access.
2. Backup all our computers on one HDD.
3. Backup the media server on another HDD.

I am not choosey about what NAS I buy but it appears from my research that QNAP, Netgear and Synology have good machines.

For 1 TB of storage, there are many single-drive NASes to choose from. NETGEAR doesn't make single-drive NASes. But I'd also look at Buffalo, Iomega, Seagate and Western Digital

1. File formats- they all seem to say that they are windows and mac compatable, but is one drive able to work with both systems?

Yes. You don't need to worry about the format used on the drives themselves. NASes support SMB/CIFS, which is a network file system that all modern OSes support. Bottom line, you'll be able to use any NAS with Windows or MacOS machines.

2. How do I backup the computers separately from the server. I dont want all my files on the server for privacy reasons. But I do want to back them up. Can I use the server to back up the computers as well as act as a server?

If you don't want the files backed up to the NAS, where do you want them backed up to?

3. How can I best backup the server(media files)?

Most NASes can do scheduled backup of the internal folders to an attached USB drive. Some will back up to another NAS over the network. NETGEAR's and Iomegas have the most flexibility for network backup. They will back up to /from most anything.

4. I want a system I can more or less set up and leave alone. I don't mind telling it to back up every week or so but I dont want to have to do maintence.

See #3 answer.

 

[NetDufus]

Tim thanks for your help. Great site. It really is a great resource for people of all skill levels.

My question #2 about backups of the 5 computers was missworded. I should have said I didn't want all my files stored on the server for privacy reasons or accessable by other computers through the server's backup of the computers.

What I really want, and worded badly, is to have the server do double duty as a media server/storage and secure computer backup. Is that possible with the single drive machines you mentioned?

 

[thiggins]

Tim thanks for your help. Great site. It really is a great resource for people of all skill levels.

My question #2 about backups of the 5 computers was missworded. I should have said I didn't want all my files stored on the server for privacy reasons or accessable by other computers through the server's backup of the computers.

What I really want, and worded badly, is to have the server do double duty as a media server/storage and secure computer backup. Is that possible with the single drive machines you mentioned?

Sure. You can set up multiple folders and set the permissions separately for each.