NAS - anyone using it?

[pmassingham]

I am considering some additional back up solutions and have been looking at NAS. Is anyone using these devices? Any recommendations (1Tb plus)? Any pitfalls? THanks for any help you can offer.

[plexer]

Try searching for network attached storage.

NAS won't show up becuase it's too short.

Ben

[theeldergeek]

I am considering some additional back up solutions and have been looking at NAS. Is anyone using these devices? Any recommendations (1Tb plus)? Any pitfalls? THanks for any help you can offer.

We don't use NAS at work, but I use it at home, having two 250gb Buffalo drives (and a further RAID1 firewire drive).

The Buffalo GUI isn't great when setting things up, but the drives work brilliantly and are well rated.

I was looking to get a Terastation Pro 1Tb with RAID recently, but 'senior management' poo-pood it because she wants to go to Florida again next year!

[mattx]

Freenas:

FreeNAS: The Free NAS Server - Home

[bizzel]

Freenas:

FreeNAS: The Free NAS Server - Home

We use FreeNAS here as a temporary server backup. Seems to work well without ever complaining.

[pmassingham]

Thanks for the replies. I did look at network attached storage but I am looking for something more recent as NAS is changing very quickly. We have mirrored 3 Tb SANs and we offload most critical folders to removable USB 250Gb storage. I want to save locally/on site to ensure access to data and I need AD implementation on the NAS. I am focusssed on NAS as the cost is much lower than SAN for the limited purpose I have in mind, i.e. to gradually replace the USB removable drives as the only external backup.

[conehead]

I didn't set them up so I don't have the full details but in some schools we use a old PC as a Nas box after putting in decent sized hard drives, and memory.

It runs using the fileserver element from Clarkeconnect and we schedule daily incremental and weekly full backups of the local DC with the standard Backup tool.

I prefer it to tapes which it replaced as they got too old, unreliable and expensive to maintain, but we are moving to an Attix off site backup system as well soon.

[SeanVin]

We’re using NAS for backup (2 x Thecus N4100s) for daily differential backups and use the USB ports on the NAS boxes to do weekly full backups to external drives (on a three week cycle) that we store in safes in separate buildings. It works very well, much better than the four different tape drives we had previously, and file recovery is quick and convenient.

I would not recommend the Thecus enclosures though, as they were a nightmare to set up, and we’ve had two drive failures in less than a year.

[EduTech]

I have a NAS Server 1TB... Great use it for Backing-Up everything.. but i also use it to make my files accessable at anytime comes in handy when i need a certain programme or file

Sorry this is for Personal use.. but just thought i would add my input.

But yh very useful.. and worth getting one if you have the xtra bit of cash.. =]

James.

[plexer]

I've just bought SAN/NAS system based on openfiler from one of the edugeek suppliers.

7.5TB I think it is, this can be used either way.

Other than that I didn't think there were any major new developments in the world of nas it is what it is.

Ben

[dave.81]

I was for 3 weeks before the mainboard gave up, sent back for replacement at present. Worked really well, will have 2 running in the end in 2 seperate buildings. Much easier than tape.