Nas server question.

[Bassracerx]

So i have been planing on upgrading my family's technology infrastructure by adding a NAS server for backing up all of our data on our PCs, laptops, and possibly smartphones. Also i can see a use for us to have a family PC that we can use as like a home base where we can use it as sort of a calendar and  scheduling center.

 

My original plan was to get a prebuilt two or four bay NAS from buffalo or seagate or something similar and then purchasing a very cheap intel NUC and strapping it onto the back of a small touchscreen monitor to serve as the family pc. And then it occured to me that i could pettentially just integrate the two into one system and just get a medium sized case that can fit all the drives and just have one machine that does both through windows.

 

However i can't decide wich route i should go because i do not know the pros and cons associated with either setup. So my question is what are the differences of doing this one way or the other? what are some pros and cons of either the one system that does double duty in windows versus two dedicated machines with their own purposes? 

[Seldszar]

I am pretty new to this as well, it is the same path I am trying to go. I realised soon in the search phase that building the computer and adding all the services by myself would take too much time since I know nothing about it and wouldnt cost much less if at all. I already have my gaming computer and a small one for my TV to watch streams and movies I ripped from my collection so I don't need another one.

 

I was looking at a Synology 4 bay NAS at around 450-600$ price range depending on the model with 3x3TB western red to use to a total of roughly 1000$ if the drives are around 139$ each. This kind of NAS already has smartphones apps integration, ftps option and much more. Doing it myself on a computer/server ... it would be fun to learn but it wouldnt be operational anywhere near as fast with work and other stuff I do.

 

Its something you have to decide.

 

I still havenet made the jump because I don't have the 1000$ ready.

[rustikles]

Well, the obvious advantage of buying or building your own separate NAS is the versatility and customization. For instance, I just build a FreeNAS server for my apartment which we use as a central hub for general media and file transferring. Because I was able to choose and build it myself, I saved quite a bit of money (compared to an equivalent prebuild NAS) and was able to fully control access/FTPs/Plex Media Server/etc. It is super low power consumption and expanding storage is just as simple as plugging in another drive. 

 

With a prebuilt NAS, you get the convenience of the company's polished suite of software, which can include "personal cloud" implementation with apps and the like. However, there is a fixed number (usually not large unless you want to speed a LOT of money) of drive bays with a typically low-power set of components.These could be good for a smaller form factor device that sits in a corner and just works, although you sacrifice some of the features you might get with a more custom server build along with paying more for less horsepower (typically).

 

Your last choice was to have one machine that does both. The obvious benefit to this would be saving you money. One machine with extra drives is simply going to be less expensive than two full sets of components plus drives. However, you are sacrificing nearly all the features that people usually desire in a NAS solution. With extra drives in a Windows machine, you could set up Samba (networked drive sharing) to other devices on your network, but that's about it. No polished suite of software, no real ability to tinker and get fully custom features. Also, consider that this machine would have to be on all the time, otherwise you lose the server and a connected device to access it.

 

TL;DR Save money=sacrifice features or ease of use.

[Bassracerx]

yeah thanks for the input ive built many home computers for both gaming and office however ive never done a server before and i am generally unaware as to how good windows is for file sharing and backing up many other machines on a daily basis. it just occured to me i never really clarified what i really wanted to accomplish out of the nas: I want to backup my systems data over the network so i dont have to worry about data loss. i would also like to be able to access some of the data remotely over the internet. I am not planning on streaming movies to my TV at this time so to have that feature would be a bonus but it is not a requirement. 

[rustikles]

yeah thanks for the input ive built many home computers for both gaming and office however ive never done a server before and i am generally unaware as to how good windows is for file sharing and backing up many other machines on a daily basis. it just occured to me i never really clarified what i really wanted to accomplish out of the nas: I want to backup my systems data over the network so i dont have to worry about data loss. i would also like to be able to access some of the data remotely over the internet. I am not planning on streaming movies to my TV at this time so to have that feature would be a bonus but it is not a requirement. 

For that, I'd go with 2 separate machines for sure. Image there's a power surge or a fire in one section of your house. Backups are there to prevent catastrophic data loss, and should be at least somewhat segregated from your other stuff. For something that simple, you might as well buy a cheap prebuild NAS like a Synology, Buffalo, or WD My Cloud and stick some smaller drives in it. Alternatively, if you have an old computer lying around, you could turn that into a NAS.

 

FYI: Windows doesn't allow backups and images to network drives without Professional or above. So, check out AOMEI Backupper for that purpose.

[Bassracerx]

wow so you have to have the professional windows just to SEND the backups?  What a ripoff. two of our machines run win 7 home. and one machine runs win 8 home. 

[wpirobotbuilder]

So i have been planing on upgrading my family's technology infrastructure by adding a NAS server for backing up all of our data on our PCs, laptops, and possibly smartphones. Also i can see a use for us to have a family PC that we can use as like a home base where we can use it as sort of a calendar and  scheduling center.

 

My original plan was to get a prebuilt two or four bay NAS from buffalo or seagate or something similar and then purchasing a very cheap intel NUC and strapping it onto the back of a small touchscreen monitor to serve as the family pc. And then it occured to me that i could pettentially just integrate the two into one system and just get a medium sized case that can fit all the drives and just have one machine that does both through windows.

 

However i can't decide wich route i should go because i do not know the pros and cons associated with either setup. So my question is what are the differences of doing this one way or the other? what are some pros and cons of either the one system that does double duty in windows versus two dedicated machines with their own purposes? 

If you have to restart the family PC, then everyone loses access to the storage.

 

Keep them separate. Build or buy a NAS, and same with a PC. Integration is good on paper, but there are problems in practice.

[rustikles]

wow so you have to have the professional windows just to SEND the backups?  What a ripoff. two of our machines run win 7 home. and one machine runs win 8 home. 

That's why I mentioned it. Thankfully, there are better utilities (like the one I linked) that let you do the same thing plus some.

[Bassracerx]

so the consensus seems to be against using windows as a nas server however i am still not clear on all of the drawbacks or the plusses of doing so (if there are any?) 

[rustikles]

so the consensus seems to be against using windows as a nas server however i am still not clear on all of the drawbacks or the plusses of doing so (if there are any?) 

You won't be able to access your files anywhere other than your local network. Other than having one machine (which isn't necessarily a plus) there isn't any benefit.

[Monty007]

+1 for prebuilt NAS. Just did it myself. Love it! Works with my phone anywhere in the world.