hunchback

the best way i can explain it is like this. A proxy is like a tunnel. All your traffic requests goes through it and when it reaches the destination or host PC it gets the info and sends it back to you. So to any outsider any web traffic looks like its all coming from the IP of the proxy you are using. Where as a VPN is like a virtual cable, So think of it like running a cable from your computer all the way to where ever the VPN is located. Its more secure in most cases, easier to setup and all your web traffic goes through it. But it can cost money Here is a more in depth explanation at superuser http://superuser.com/questions/257388/what-is-the-difference-between-a-proxy-and-a-vpn But to answer what makes a VPN so special well in the corporate world i could setup a VPN on my network and on the computers that live on my network and then when a computer leaves the business as long as it is connected to the VPN it could access servers and such that are at the business location. So basically with a VPN i can go anywhere yet still have access to the save local network because i have a virtual cable running back to the local network.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Im thinking now to do a software raid because of flexibility and cost. Now i just have to decide which server solution i am going to use.....

Not for me, With my Cisco e4200v2 i get like 8ms or lower pings

I am looking to build a home media file server. I want to run some sort of raid (not sure what yet) But i would want a minimum 8 disks. I am thinking raid 5, 6, 5e, or 5ee. I need some suggestions on a good quality raid card. I would rather not go above $500, and i would really prefer to stay below that. But i do understand that you have to spend a decent amount of money to get a decent raid card. It would be preferable to have something that has the capability to add disks to the array without having to rebuild the WHOLE array!

get WD red drives

I like cystaldiskmark, its simple, it works. http://crystalmark.info/software/CrystalDiskMark/index-e.html

So i just got a roku 2 XS and i have a HUGE DVD collection and would like to rip all those DVDs onto my computer and make a plex server for streaming all my movies to my TV, phone, tablet etcc. Im going to run all this on my old athlon x2 box. So my question is what OS should i run? freenas? Linux? Windows 7 (NOT 8) The OS is not a problem ( i have a technet plus subscription) I want to have the expandability so encase i want to use it as a file server in the future. But i would like something that can run plex, and thats not to terribly hard to setup.

Thank man, i have now made my decision

I tried an n56 and it sucked

I am upgrading my router from a dlink dir 655....it was just getting to old and slow. I only have a couple wireless devices but i want a router with dual band wifi, and one with strong range. I have tried the asus n56u and the wifi speed was just to slow ) : i have been thinking about getting the linksys e4200v2 but the reviews say it has mediocre range and speed on the 2.4ghz band. Which is a problem for me because i have a nexus 7 which i use for a lot of media consumption and it only has the 2.4ghz band in it. So if anyone has any suggestions that would be great.

I would recommend changing your power supply to someone reputable like corsair, Newegg is always having rebate sales on their PSU so if you just wait a little bit you should be able to pickup something cheap. For the CPU cooler if you have the money get like a h80 or something. The case is another problem i see with this build. I have used the V6 case and i personally did not like it because it doesn't not have much room for cable management. The backside has practically no room for routing cables ( i had to sit on my computer to get the motherboard cable to fit. I also dont see a CPU on the list...

newegg/NCIX/Amazon/tigerdirect

Dang Europe has some cheat services i pay twice that for TV Internet (50/25) and phone....i want some of that cheap goodness over here

I pay for 50/25 with verizon fios in the US. I think the high ping might be due to my terrible router.