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reccomendations for Network attached storage


dmcgphoto

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My apologies in advance if this is a often repeated query, my client query is being rejected by the server, so I

can't search.

 

BUT, I want to use an NAS, not with RAID, I want 2TB to be 2TB and for one of those 1TB drives to be hotswappable

without having to mirror the other drive.

That being said, I would like to know which drives you guys/gals like,

Looking to stay under $300 for at least 2 bays.

advice?

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Daniel: If you want 2TB volume made up from two 1TB drives... you HAVE to stripe them. And there's no way to make that hot-swappable. Or do you mean that you want two 1TB volumes, each on their own 1TB drive, and you just want to put them in a single enclosure, and be able to dismount/mount them at will?
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Actually there is a device called a DROBO, Kelby loves it, but it appears a bit flimsy to me, what I want is to not have to back up on the TB drive it's own information, or have a second drive for that other drive, which stinks because the 2nd drive is useless if the first drive fails.

I want to be able to hot swap my drives in a single enclosure, they are the backup to my 3 TB on my desktop and what I'm using to archive weddings up to 3 seasons back. (DVD's are the physical backup but who knows how long they last really!)

So, if I read your response correctly, I want the latter. No RAID, NTFS (I think) where my drives can be put it and plucked out without having to have a compsci degree in programming to figure out where my data is.

Thanks for the response!

Daniel

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Hi, i use this (http://www.buffalotech.com/products/network-storage/linkstation/linkstation-pro/) This is in my opinion the best bang for your buck: it can support up to 1TB ...This unit is comptible with both Mac & PC on a same network, you can attach two drives to it, perform backups etc... I have a gigbit network at home and just using wireless is fast enough.

 

Thanks

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At that price point, I would avoid NAS all-together. If you must, buy a wireless router that has USB ports and attach external drives to that.

 

In my professional experience, unless you must have your data available to multiple computers simultaneously, there is little advantage to a NAS, and direct connect external drives are much faster. You can always plug them into other computers as needed. If you are doing it for security, I.E. to hide the devices from burglars, you can just unplug the drives when not in use and hide them.

 

I've tried Buffalo's products, and I found them to be glitchy and slow at best.

 

External drives are faster, more reliable (if redundant), cheaper, and easier to "archive" in the closet.

 

I'm currently rotating multiple redundant Western Digital 2TB enclosures, each mirrored. I'm using these enclosures in pairs, so my data is on at least 4 disks at any given moment. Call me paranoid, but... OK, I am paranoid. I'm using them with a a firewire 2 port, and they are as fast as my internals. I have the computer science degree, but I don't need it to manage external USB drives! :)

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I would recommend Drobo with 4x 1Tb drives - which is the solution that I've gone with based upon extensive experience with RAID (overrated and flaky) and upon recommendations from people that work with this stuff day in day out. It's simple and effective. The other alternative is just external drives either on a router or unraid - http://lime-technology.com/ - personally I prefer something that manages itself without having to waste time building or troubleshooting it.

 

PS I have all my vital data on the Drobo backed up to additional 1Tb drives.

 

PSS backing up to DVD is fine but you should transfer your data to new optical media every 10-15 years. Nothing lasts forever.

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