NAS experience?

[austro]

I'm looking at NAS options to try to centralize the backup story for various home computers. Requirements:

1. Relatively cheap.
2. DLNA capable, so I can stream stuff from it.
3. Time Machine capable, so that we can use it to back up Macs (all running Lion now).
4. Also need to back up Windows (Win7 and XP Pro) machines.

The Synology DS211j seems like a good candidate, but like everything else in the universe it has its share of both 5-star and 1-star reviews. I can probably fill it with a pair of 2T drives for a total in the $600 range, which is acceptable.

Anybody have experience with this rig or similar ones? Should I stick with Western Digital drives?

[Bench]

Is this about the movie The Fast and the Furious?

[VirtualBob]

no reply. just want to remind myself to check when there is a reply.

[NeilT]

I'm looking at NAS options to try to centralize the backup story for various home computers.

I might be looking for them too and don't know it.

[Noe]

I'm looking at NAS options to try to centralize the backup story for various home computers. Requirements:

1. Relatively cheap.
2. DLNA capable, so I can stream stuff from it.
3. Time Machine capable, so that we can use it to back up Macs (all running Lion now).
4. Also need to back up Windows (Win7 and XP Pro) machines.

The Synology DS211j seems like a good candidate, but like everything else in the universe it has its share of both 5-star and 1-star reviews. I can probably fill it with a pair of 2T drives for a total in the $600 range, which is acceptable.

Anybody have experience with this rig or similar ones? Should I stick with Western Digital drives?

Wow, you must be generating some serious data output to have to search for a NAS for archival of said data.  Wife and you work from home?

[Gizzmonic]

Wow, you must be generating some serious data output to have to search for a NAS for archival of said data.  Wife and you work from home?

...editing 1080p raw video?

[Waldo]

Instead of buying an expensive NAS, why not just put those drives into one of your Windows boxes and run everything from there?  There's also software out there (such as Twonky) that supports multiple platforms and is DLNA compatible, although I've never used it.

As for backup, you could go with something like CrashPlan which is free and supports both PC and Mac.

[HudsonHawk]

As for backup, you could go with something like CrashPlan which is free and supports both PC and Mac.

I have no idea what any of this thread means, but I'm positive Limey would tell you that if you had a Mac, you wouldn't have this problem.

[GreatBagwellsBeard]

Is this about the movie The Fast and the Furious?

I think he's asking about Illmatic.

[Fredia]

how can you lose all of that

[austro]

Wow, you must be generating some serious data output to have to search for a NAS for archival of said data.  Wife and you work from home?

No, not really, although she has some creative activities that produce largish files. We've got photos and music, and I'm trying to future-proof for those things and movies. It's possible this is a bridge too far.

[Noe]

...editing 1080p raw video?

Touche! Well invested then!

[Noe]

Instead of buying an expensive NAS, why not just put those drives into one of your Windows boxes and run everything from there?

This is the setup I put up at home for me, wife, two sons. I have three laptops, work from home a majority of the time and do extra curricular activities like filmmaking and media development. Wife does very little in terms of generating massive files, more home administration stuff. Two sons... well, that is another thing altogether. So I bought each their own 500 Gig external harddrives and threatened asked them to backup their own media stuff and stay away from the main server desktop.

So far so good, but I have to admit oldest son scares me with the media he's accumulating. I don't wanna know, per se.

[Noe]

No, not really, although she has some creative activities that produce largish files. We've got photos and music, and I'm trying to future-proof for those things and movies. It's possible this is a bridge too far.

I have five years worth of digital photo storage and some fair amount of home movies from many sources (trips, friends, family). My biggest scare? One day having it all disappear because I did something wrong in my setup. When my wife leads a conversation with "Honey, do you remember that picture of the boys when they were little and sitting in that pumpkin patch? Do we have that in the backup machine?" I quickly say "yes" and when she leaves the room, I go check if it is true or not.

[Guinness]

I have five years worth of digital photo storage and some fair amount of home movies from many sources (trips, friends, family). My biggest scare? One day having it all disappear because I did something wrong in my setup. When my wife leads a conversation with "Honey, do you remember that picture of the boys when they were little and sitting in that pumpkin patch? Do we have that in the backup machine?" I quickly say "yes" and when she leaves the room, I go check if it is true or not.

Alas, we had an issue where a hard drive and my backup went out.  10 years of digital pics gone, along with a fairly extensive Beatles bootleg collection (which is the worst of the two events....).