Which NAS Device are you Using for Network File Storage?
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For years, I used a computer on my home network as a file server. I then used that file server to share files throughout my network. Some of you may be using Windows Home Server to serve up your files, but you may want to think about getting a NAS device. NAS stands for “Network-Attached Storage” devices. They are enclosures with hard drives inside them that could be accessible anywhere on the network. Then as NAS prices started to drop, they became a more feasible option for me. One NAS option for you is the Synology DS207.
DS207 is designed with Windows ADS authentication, USB printer sharing, dynamic website hosting, and data backup. The ultra-high-density file storing capability gives business users the freedom to store twice as much data. With the RAID 1 protection, DS207 can further prevent data loss from inevitable disaster.
When the hard drive on DS207 is full, you can expand more storage simply by attaching an external USB hard drive to the DS207.
DS207 is designed for Windows users and Mac users to share files seamlessly. Windows users can access DS207 via Samba and FTP, and Mac users via Samba, FTP, and AFP. Unicode support allows sharing files smoothly in different languages.
It’s designed to keep the unit cool, and running quietly. There is remote file management within a Web browser. You can even do Website hosting, with support for PhP and MySQL, which is kinda neat.
The front is quite interesting, with all the lights and a USB port. But, it’s not just any USB port. If I plug something into it, it will automatically suck all the data off the device, and copy it onto the NAS. On the back, you have the fan and a couple of USB 2.0 ports where you can plug in a printer or other device.
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14 Comments
Lando’s World
September 13th, 2008
at 4:55am
Chris Pirillo How Do Network Admins Troubleshoot Traffic Problems?Which NAS Device are you Using for Network File Storage?Can Analog to Digital Conversion Happen via FireWire? How Can You Connect SATA Hard Drives without an Enclosure? The Community Speaks out About Google Chrome
anzollo
September 12th, 2008
at 1:42am
I use a a windows home server running the latest beta and also a time capsule. They work great and meet my needs currently.
bryan wetton
September 12th, 2008
at 4:35am
I’m using the QNAP TS 209 Pro with 2 X 500Gb Drives in RAID 1 .
I’m using it as a file server and a web server.
woolf2k
September 12th, 2008
at 5:56am
WD Worldbook 1T RAID 0 or 1. I have it set up as Raid 1 so I only have 500GB available.
It’s been running reliable so far… it’s been almost a year.
It’s OS is Linux with a web interface so the admin abilities are very crude. It does have some fancy software that enables you to share it but it’s extra.
overall I’m happy with it. I think once one spends the pita time to set it up, it’s pretty much hands off.
Wiggsfly
September 12th, 2008
at 4:36pm
I thought hard on getting a NAS drive as I use more than one computer and have a LOT of files to sync. I decided against it however in favor of dropbox as an NAS drive just doesn’t cut it when you’re not at home.
Maxima2k
September 12th, 2008
at 7:12pm
I have a Snapserver 400 that I purchased probably about 10 years ago. I have a Buffalo Linkstation 400 GB that I bought about 2 years ago. To it I have USB WD Mybook 1TB storage.
Bob Bakh
September 12th, 2008
at 9:30pm
I use the QNAP TS-509 with 5×1TB drives in raid 5. I just switched to it because I had built my own with ubuntu first and then freenas from freenas.org, but the server I built was wasteful of power and ran very hot. My office was a steam room. Now the qnap does everything including serving video to my TiVo using pyTiVo
Zune80
September 12th, 2008
at 11:35pm
I have been looking at the Synology DS207+ for a few weeks now. I was thrilled to see it on Chris’s desk one night to get his take on it. It seems to be feature packed at a competitive price. I’m not a big fan of the vendors choice of going to enamel white in the new products, but I would make an exception to that for this product. Great video Chris…as usual!
Ward Miller
September 13th, 2008
at 7:46am
Currently I use a Toshiba Portable drive to back up my Mac Book Pro. Would love to move to a Drobo, but don’t have the cash. :-(
How do you Withstand the Hell we Live In? - Geeks!
September 13th, 2008
at 8:38am
[...] Which NAS Device are you Using for Network File Storage? [...]
bridgerboy
September 13th, 2008
at 9:10am
Actually, If I’m not mistaken, Synology is actually based out of Taiwan with resellers in the U.S. So, they are not really a local Seattle company. Just an fyi…
I still really like this product. For the features and the price I would think this would be a good buy.
d03boy
September 20th, 2008
at 1:22am
I have been using the WD Worldbook 500GB for over a year. I have had a few issues with it. I had to send mine back because it stopped working. I have issues trying to get it to turn off.. it’s really hard to tell what exactly it’s doing. I believe that has caused the issues that I’ve ran into (having to send it back). When it works, it works fairly well. Speed is sort of an issue since it has such a weak processor in it. The blinking blue lights on the front are really annoying at night. I would suggest getting something else but overall it’s not a bad deal for ~$250/500GB when it was newer.
Slackmaster K
September 20th, 2008
at 5:40pm
I keep all my important files on my fileserver, which as 6TB space. The only thing big enough to back that up practically is another file server with 6TB space :)
Gord
September 24th, 2008
at 3:26pm
I am using DLink DNS 323 right now.
It seems to be fine. I have already “hot-swapped” the two 250 Gig. Drives I had been using for two 500 Gig drives. (I repair computers and use the device for storing Client Backups prior to repair.)
My current prime printer has network access, however the DNS 323 also has a USB port for sharing a printer.
The price (without drives) was $139. when I bought it. There is now a four drive version, but I think it is too pricy at this time to consider it.