Back-up Solution Required

Greenlizard0 · 4 Aug 2006 at 03:04

I really should have a back up solution, I know it's naughty that I don't.

I want it external, and very easy to use. I don't mind getting a USB or Firewire or a network one. Does anybody here have any recommendations?

How good are the network ones? I have a free ethernet slot, and there's a wireless network running through the house.

Should I get Network Attached Storage, or just buy an external hard drive or buy a normal harddrive and put a case around it?

Hades · 4 Aug 2006 at 19:20

If you only have a single PC then a USB one is probably best because it is cheaper. It's also easier to take round a friends and plugin. But if you have more than one PC then a NAS would offer more functionality at a higher cost.

For example I've just gone through the same process. I have a spare 120gb drive and was originally going to put it in a cheap USB caddy. Then I thought about it a bit more. My PC is dual boot (Linux / Windows), I have a laptop and my wife a Powermac. So I started looking at simple NAS devices. They start at around £45 (no drive included - more with a drive of course). The only downside is a NAS will often have a fan because they expect it to be on for 24/7.

Then I realised the better ones can offer extra features and in the end I settled for a Synology 101J. It's a fanless device which offers not only a networked hard drive but also an FTP server, web server (including PHP), runs MySQL and you can attach a printer and other external USB drives to extend the storage. It's a little marvel. Using it I should be able to access data from any of the machines, have an FTP server over the net and also run a dynamic website (PHP/MySQL). My Vigor 2800VG router supports DynDNS which means I don't even need any PC to be on. The only problem is I'm now considering a larger drive

. The 101J should arrive on Monday so I'll have a play with it then.

The 101 (IDE and fanless) has just been replaced with the 106 (SATA and with a fan) so I found it for a fairly low price: £117 not including the hard drive which I already have.

Greenlizard0 · 18 Aug 2006 at 01:02

That's wicked mate, does anybody have any other suggestions/tips etc?

SiriusB · 18 Aug 2006 at 02:26

If you have a bit of cash burning a hole in your pocket you could build yourself a small file server. Wouldn't have to be a high spec machine at all and all you need do is wack in a big HDD

The server itself can be run on Linux to get the best performance and you can have it act as a print and email server if you so wish. Only thing is it probably isn't the best solution if you only have the one PC.

NAS devices are great if you can afford one. I believe Western Digital do a range of NAS devices that are also fanless.

SiriusB

brakeinup · 18 Aug 2006 at 10:50

I use a Buffalo LinkStation and although it does have a fan it has an internal power supply. It also shuts down the drive when not in use. Its a great performer.

Slackworth · 18 Aug 2006 at 12:46

We've now got the Synology 106e in stock.

Hades · 18 Aug 2006 at 22:44

Slackworth said:
We've now got the Synology 106e in stock.

Nice one. I'm loving my older 101j and the 106e is even better. I can't see it on the NAS page though. Just thought I'd mention it in case something is broken.

Greenlizard0 · 18 Aug 2006 at 23:15

Hades said:
Nice one. I'm loving my older 101j and the 106e is even better. I can't see it on the NAS page though. Just thought I'd mention it in case something is broken.

I'm struggling to find it too..

edit found it

Hades · 19 Aug 2006 at 00:25

greenlizard0 said:
I'm struggling to find it too..

edit found it

That link doens't work anymore (session timeout). But I found it using the search option. All I've got to say is... what numpty put it under "hard drive accessories" rather than "network attached storage" lol :confused:

Nice price though.