What NAS system to buy ?

[Pauly]

Hi all, as the title suggests im in the market for a new NAS drive and not sure what to go for

I have a couple networked computers at my office and am interested in a backup system for them for system images etc but mainly for backing up invoices and business stuff as one machine is purely for accounts/banking so large capacity is not really required.
Also i would like to be able to access the drive from home because im getting fed having to go to the office over the weekeend to print a document or some other menial task.

Im thinking a twin drive raid unit would be good for data redundancy but not critical as the info would also be on the pc as well

Have looked around a bit and found some reasonably priced units
Buffalo Linkstation Duo
Buffalo Linkstation Mini (2.5" drives)

Would value anybodys input on these units or alternatives anyones had experience with

Also i have a couple of samsung spinpoint F1 1TB drives that are spareish at the moment so could possibly buy an enclosure and put these drives in it but am not sure if there are any pros/cons of doing this other than £££s


All input greatfully received

 

[pparks1]

I don't love the concept of having the backup and the source files in the same location. What type of storage capacity are you talking? Could you create an encrypted container on a remote cloud based site and store the backup files there?

 

[Pauly]

Hi thanks for your reply

Nothing major in size for financial backups but a few GBs for system images of two PCs, one of the two 1TB drives i have is in one of the machines being used for backups at the moment but could have it in the NAS backing up that way with redundancy, also if i do set up a NAS i would probably end up backing up some personal stuff (photos etc) on there as well

 

[pparks1]

You might consider an external USB or eSATA drive. Bring it onsite regularly, run a script to backup the data (robocopy possibly) and then keep the drive offsite.

Anytime a backup is being discussed, I cringe if it's not offiste. If the building burns to the ground, or is robbed, you don't want to lose both the source and the backup at the exact same time.

 

[Pauly]

Yes i can see your point and agree entirely, i have suffered data loss in the past

I do backup to external drive regularly that lives off site but because of the software we use (sage) i can only work off of current software and as im not in office everyday i cant take backups often enough to hold current data/balances so i dont think it totally applies to me, the net connection on the NAS will allow me to backup financials at home as they are relatively small, for fire or theft if i lose the machines i dont care about the system backups as i wouldnt need them anymore and all personal stuff would also be at home.
So im thinking a NAS is a good way forward for me as a big part of it is being able to connect to the office from home without leaving computers running 24/7.

 

[djfourmoney]

I don't love the concept of having the backup and the source files in the same location. What type of storage capacity are you talking? Could you create an encrypted container on a remote cloud based site and store the backup files there?

What do you mean you don't love the concept of having the backup and source files in one place?

Do you live in apart of the country with frequent natural disasters? A crime ridden part of the city/town?

Those are actually Macro issues, not Micro issues

To the OP -

I use Windows Home Server 2011 on a out of lease Dell GX-320. Its idle most of the time so power consumption isn't a big issue but its in the 70-90w range. For the cost of that ($50), WHS 2011 software ($50), Upgraded to 2GB of DDR2 ($30) and a 2TB "Green" drive ($60AR), I spent about what it cost to get an empty case like a Synology and have way more functionality.

I personally like Western Digital My Book Live. A 1TB version goes for $130 on Amazon. All the NAS functions without the cost.... Good support network for the WD as well.

IMHO, spending more for a few files you can put into dropbox and get later or store in MS Skydrive, Mozy, Crash Plan or any of those might be a better solution.