How many NAS's can you have?

Magic_x_uk · 23 Jun 2011 at 10:43

Hi, thinking of adding a NAS to my house. Would add it to a 'switch' and then connect things directly to the switch and a cable from switch to router.

if in the future I need more storage than the present NAS can offer. Can I add another NAS to the switch ?

hope this makes sense.

23JMZ07 · 23 Jun 2011 at 10:45

Have as many as you like

Magic_x_uk · 23 Jun 2011 at 10:48

Thank you 23JMZ07

I just didn't know the best way to start in the world of NAS.
So thought I would get a 2 bay NAS and put 2x2TB HD in it and run it as raid 1?

So all my data is exactly the same on BOTH, in case one HD fails yes?

and in the future if I need more storage I can just add another NAS into the system/switch?

23JMZ07 · 23 Jun 2011 at 11:01

Yes if you RAID1 2 2TB HDDs it will mirror your data. If one fails then the data is still left on the other drive

In the future if you need more space just buy another NAS.

One thing to watch though. Some NAS boxes cannot handle 2TB drives so watch out when buying. HDD compatibility is always stated by the manufacturer.

Magic_x_uk · 23 Jun 2011 at 11:07

23JMZ07 said:
Yes if you RAID1 2 2TB HDDs it will mirror your data. If one fails then the data is still left on the other drive

In the future if you need more space just buy another NAS.

One thing to watch though. Some NAS boxes cannot handle 2TB drives so watch out when buying. HDD compatibility is always stated by the manufacturer.

Oh righto, thank you. Need to do some research about NAS anyway as want one that will run squeezebox server and maybe even XBMC if that is at all possible.

23JMZ07 · 23 Jun 2011 at 11:11

Any of the Synology range would be a good choice

DIABLO · 23 Jun 2011 at 12:32

If you don't want something which just plug and play the Proliant Microserver is a great buy at £140 with the £100 rebate and a lot more powerful and flexable then any NAS, there is a massive thread in the server section.

GaryH-21 · 23 Jun 2011 at 12:38

DIABLO said:
If you don't want something which just plug and play the Proliant Microserver is a great buy at £140 with the £100 rebate and a lot more powerful and flexable then any NAS, there is a massive thread in the server section.

How loud is the Microserver?

matthab · 23 Jun 2011 at 12:41

You can have as many as the subnet allows.

AbsenceJam · 23 Jun 2011 at 12:44

I second the Microserver, it's very quiet and low powered and gives you so much flexibility. Steal.

mraerosmith1981 · 23 Jun 2011 at 20:38

You can keep adding until you run out of ip's on the subnet

Magic_x_uk · 23 Jun 2011 at 20:53

Whoa..........hold on sugar...

what be this Subnet you speak of?

mraerosmith1981 · 23 Jun 2011 at 20:59

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subnetwork

Phemo · 23 Jun 2011 at 21:36

To keep things simple, when you're using a home router without changing any IP settings you're likely to be up and running with a standard /24 subnet which will allow for 254 usable addresses on your network. In other words you can have a total of 254 addresses without having to do anything. If you need more you can look into expanding the subnet mask and going for something wider, but I imagine a /24 is plenty for most home users

23JMZ07 · 23 Jun 2011 at 22:18

Magic_x_uk said:
Whoa..........hold on sugar...

what be this Subnet you speak of?

Don't worry he was just trying to confuse you with something irrelevant.

RoyMi6 · 24 Jun 2011 at 10:51

Magic_x_uk - just saw your post on the HP Proliant Thread (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=19440296&postcount=1732)

You might want to clear up exactly what you're trying to do as you've started mentioning running XBMC on the Proliant or your NAS.

Sorry if this is pointing out the obvious but NAS stands for network accessible storage. To answer your first question there is no real limit on how many NAS's you can put on your network. That's like asking how many PC's you can have on your network.

(obviously there is a limit and technically mraerosmith1981 is right but consider it unreachable)

Most NAS boxes are just simple PC's that usually run some custom OS of the Linux variety. However they will not have any sound card or video card and will usually only have an Ethernet port to connect it directly to your network. Configuration will be done via a web based interface that will be pre-installed and run by the tiny OS.

It is sometimes possible to replace the OS on these NASes with something like FreeNAS which is an open source OS that provides some cool extra functionality.

People are recommending the HP Proliant Server as it actually works out as a very cost effective NAS when repurposed that way. It's RAM, CPU and four HDD slots make it comparable to some top of the range NASs.

It's a server so it comes with on board video, space for a CD ROM and expandable RAM. All this for £140 (when you get the £100 cash back).

If you choose to just install FreeNAS on a Proliant server you will have a very good NAS.

If you choose to install Windows Home Server on your Proliant you will have a very nice server with some nice NAS functionality as well - but you will need to spend another £100 to buy the OS of course.

You will not be able to run XMBC "on" a NAS but XMBC can connect to a NAS to access it's files. If you want to connect your Proliant server to a PC then yes, it could "handle" XBMC but has no built in sound card so you would have no sound. You would have to buy one to go into one of the free PCI slots.

Sqeezebox can run on a number of NAS drives (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeezebox_Server#Server_Hardware_and_Plugins) and the HP Proliant server would also be able to cope with this.