Network Attached Storage, who has what?

Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
I am looking at NAS but this time regarding storage, my HDD's connected via USB just aren't cutting it.

I have trawled the net and have come across this bad boy. Synology DiskStation DS1815+ 8-Bay Scalable NAS - Hard Disk Drive and Enclosure - Landmark Computers

Any input regarding this would be good, I also have just had a HDD crash but luckily all it had on it were movies and TV shows.

Synology DiskStation DS1815+ 8-Bay Scalable NAS
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Product Attributes

Product Code
:
586581

Category
:
Hard Disk Drive and Enclosure

Sub Category
:
Network Attached Storage

Brand
:
Synology

Stock
:
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Dispatch 2-3 working days

Our Price
:
$ 1299.00





Product Description
[h=1]Synology DiskStation DS1815+ 8-Bay Scalable NAS[/h]Featuring a quad-core processor, hardware encryption engine, and flawless software integration, DS1815+ is a powerful, expandable 8-bay NAS server that delivers outstanding speed and accelerated data encryption. Easily scalable, the DS1815+ can be equipped with up to 6GB of DDR3 RAM and host up to 108TB of raw capacity with two Synology DX513 units.

  • Model: Synology DiskStation DS1815+
  • Classification: Small to Medium Business
  • Form Factor: Tower
  • Scalable: Yes
  • HDD Pre-Installed: Diskless
  • Drive Bays: 8
  • Drive Bay Configuration (#): 3.5" (8), 2.5" supported by optional adapter
  • Storage Capacity (Installed): None
  • Hot Swap Bays: Yes
  • Processor: Intel Atom C2538
  • CPU Clock Speed: 2.4GHz
  • Memory DRAM (Installed/Max): 2GB/6GB
  • Memory Type: DDR3
  • USB Port: Yes
  • eSATA Port: Yes
  • External Port Configuration: USB 3.0 (4), eSATA (2)
  • LAN: Gigabit x4
  • Wireless: Optional USB Dongle
  • AV Output: None
  • LCD Display Panel: No
  • Cooling Fan: 120mm x 2
  • Power Supply (W): 250
  • Software: Synology DSM
  • Other Features: Optional expansion units available
  • Package Contents: Main Unit (1), Accessory Pack (1), AC Power Cord (1), RJ-45 LAN Cable (2)
  • Packaging: Retail
  • Unit Dimensions (W x H x D mm): 157 x 340 x 233
  • Weight (Kg): 5.290
  • Warranty: 3 YEARS


 
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Daz

Senior Member
Ive heard Positive Things on the Synology, Ive been looking at a Western Digital 3TB to do the same thing, I currently use a 3TB External but I want to have the NAS as my go to and then the External just as a back up drive
 
Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
Daz said:
Ive heard Positive Things on the Synology, Ive been looking at a Western Digital 3TB to do the same thing, I currently use a 3TB External but I want to have the NAS as my go to and then the External just as a back up drive
Click to expand...
Yes I have various externals and find that the iMac struggles especially if they are full of NEF files, so am looking at going full NAS to speed things up and give some redundancy.
 
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Daz

Senior Member
I dont think Full NAS is the way to go IMO, I think there is always a need to have your best of the best stuff backed up somewhere else, be that in the Cloud or on an External that only gets used when you are transferring your stuff for safe keeping

I have been a bit slack in my storage and organising, I have to go through my folders and get rid of the out of focus images that I wont be able to pull back and delete them
 
Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
Daz said:
I dont think Full NAS is the way to go IMO, I think there is always a need to have your best of the best stuff backed up somewhere else, be that in the Cloud or on an External that only gets used when you are transferring your stuff for safe keeping

I have been a bit slack in my storage and organising, I have to go through my folders and get rid of the out of focus images that I wont be able to pull back and delete them
Click to expand...
Oh I will still be using maybe cloud or uploading my keepers to my website in a hidden folder. I can access them anytime I like. Plus I will also be backing up the NAS, which I think has a cloud feature and takes a copy of your storage over a period of time.
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
I've setup a Synology NAS for a buddy last year and I was impressed with the UI and features. Synology has a plugin that you can connect to Crashplan (Crashplan does not support it BUT they will direct you to pages that show how it "can" be done). I worked on it for my friend but ran out of time. The instructions are fairly clear but just needed more time to troubleshoot to get it up and running.

That being said, I've always used FreeNAS. I built my own FreeNAS server with Four 3TB drives giving me 7.77TB of usable drive space after the RAID overhead. It's worked like a charm and I've recently found it has its own plugin for Crashplan as well. Haven't had time to work on that part.

I forget the prices but I think if you have the time and know how you can build a FreeNAS system for cheaper than Synology. But have to say both systems are pretty stout. I haven't even delved into all the capabilities of either system. I've just used them for storing data.
 
Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
PapaST said:
I've setup a Synology NAS for a buddy last year and I was impressed with the UI and features. Synology has a plugin that you can connect to Crashplan (Crashplan does not support it BUT they will direct you to pages that show how it "can" be done). I worked on it for my friend but ran out of time. The instructions are fairly clear but just needed more time to troubleshoot to get it up and running.

That being said, I've always used FreeNAS. I built my own FreeNAS server with Four 3TB drives giving me 7.77TB of usable drive space after the RAID overhead. It's worked like a charm and I've recently found it has its own plugin for Crashplan as well. Haven't had time to work on that part.

I forget the prices but I think if you have the time and know how you can build a FreeNAS system for cheaper than Synology. But have to say both systems are pretty stout. I haven't even delved into all the capabilities of either system. I've just used them for storing data.
Click to expand...
Looking into FreeNAS now

So if I have an old PC (which I do) and if it works I can install FreeNAS OS onto it?
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
That's correct. The FreeNAS OS runs very light so older spec computers work like a champ. But there are some things to consider like how many drives can your old computer hold. I bought a mini Tower case that can hold up to 5 drives and threw the guts of the old computer into it.

The actual OS will run on a USB flash drive so you'll need one of those too. Just about any size will work. I have a 4GB usb jump drive running that box.
 
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Daz

Senior Member
PapaST said:
That's correct. The FreeNAS OS runs very light so older spec computers work like a champ. But there are some things to consider like how many drives can your old computer hold. I bought a mini Tower case that can hold up to 5 drives and threw the guts of the old computer into it.
Click to expand...

I have one lying around ! Thanks Papa I have some research to do !!
 
Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
PapaST said:
That's correct. The FreeNAS OS runs very light so older spec computers work like a champ. But there are some things to consider like how many drives can your old computer hold. I bought a mini Tower case that can hold up to 5 drives and threw the guts of the old computer into it.

The actual OS will run on a USB flash drive so you'll need one of those too. Just about any size will work. I have a 4GB usb jump drive running that box.
Click to expand...
Ok cool I think mine can handle 4 to 5. And will have no problems running if it still runs lol used to be a gaming pc I built.
 
S

Slipperman

Senior Member
other options..
WD
Buffalo

my WD MyBook Duo 8TB (4x4 w/RAID) has worked well for what i need it for but it is non-NAS and only offers up to 12TB. there is also the NAS version MyBook Live Duo but same constraints - only offers up to 12TB.
 
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paul04

Senior Member
I have a Seagate 3TB nas drive, which automatically back's up all my pictures imported to lightroom,
I can also add a usb drive to it as well as extra backup and to use a removable drive.
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
I think manufacturers have picked up on using "desktop drive" or "NAS drive" to designate 7200rpm vs 5400rpm. I built mine with 7200rpm Seagate (these - Amazon.com: Seagate 3TB Desktop HDD SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive (ST3000DM001): Electronics). But with a RAID I'm willing to bet 5400rpm HD would work fine with little to no noticable performance hits.

I've read that SSDs might not be a good choice but there's some controversy over that. I just haven't read too much into it. It goes into the finite amount of writes that SSDs have. HDD are larger and cheaper so that's why I went with those.
 
Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
PapaST said:
I think manufacturers have picked up on using "desktop drive" or "NAS drive" to designate 7200rpm vs 5400rpm. I built mine with 7200rpm Seagate (these - Amazon.com: Seagate 3TB Desktop HDD SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive (ST3000DM001): Electronics). But with a RAID I'm willing to bet 5400rpm HD would work fine with little to no noticable performance hits.

I've read that SSDs might not be a good choice but there's some controversy over that. I just haven't read too much into it. It goes into the finite amount of writes that SSDs have. HDD are larger and cheaper so that's why I went with those.
Click to expand...
Cheers, I will look at my options and have a play maybe later this morning when I get home. Need to make sure my old PC will fire up and work though first.
 
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