Low-cost NAS?

[AzBat]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a low-cost NAS to be used for back-up purposes. I think 100gb should be sufficient, but I'm not totally sure since I haven't made a total of how much data we have on our network. We we were wanting something simple and something that wouldn't require buying media(tapes, CD-R or DVD-R). If you know of products that might fit my needs, then let me know. If you suggest something other than NAS then let me know.

Tommy McClain

 

[PC-Engine]

How about external USB 2.0 HDDs?

 

[Saem]

USB isn't a good solution, the CPU depedency sucks, in anycase, IDE is already CPU dependent enough. The backing up would chew up a fair bit of CPU power from the host. That could be a pretty serious issue. Firewire would be better in that regard.

 

[AzBat]

I had considered external USB 2.0 or Firewire hard drives, but after thinking about it I realized that if I'm going to attach a new drive to an existing computer it would be better to install it internally(I have the room). Plus, none of our machines have USB 2.0 or Firewire connections.

The reason for going with a NAS was to attach it directly to the network without the need for installing it in existing computer. Our network does not have a dedicated server. It's just 6 computers connected peer-to-peer. However, I need a backup solution that can backup files from multiple machines, but is simple and easy to setup, automated and works without the need for intervention. Unfortunately, I've found I don't have the budget for that. Looks like even the cheap NAS are too expensive. So I think we're just going with a 100gb internal drive. Better than nothing and definitely better than a tape drive.

Tommy McClain