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Saturday
Dec302006

network-attached storage

My brother Dan suggested I look into network-attached storage for my file-server needs. Network-attached storage is a big hard drive that can be plugged in to a local area network and accessed from any local computer. (I keep trying to write that sentence in a way that would make sense to non-IT pros; did I succeed?) NAS boxes just barely start at around $250, and ones that are actually RAID's or are high-capacity are lots more than that, and I'd have to replace my router to get a fast enough network to make it worthwhile. Replacing my router is another coupla hundred dollars. Pondering all of this I remembered that I started this off by trading hardware I wasn't using for a new PC. "File server" is not one of the goals on my post-it notes on the window. I just don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a file server right now. I would just like for my macs to stop running out of disk space every three days. Simple solution! I ordered a simple, external USB hard drive. I'll plug it into my mac mini, which will make a just fine file server for the windows box and the other mac. I'll be behind mac os x firewall goodness, I'll have superfast access from my main dev machine, and I won't have to rely on the windows file system. Sound okay?

Reader Comments (1)

Yeah, that works, and handily so - especially since the Mac mini is 1) always on and 2) quite reliable and 3) easy to administer. I forgot you had a mini for some reason....

One point of order - a 1gbit switch shouldn't cost hundreds of dollars. NewEgg is selling the Netgear GS108 (8 port 10/100/1000 ethernet switch) for $68.... Yoikes, they have the Netgear GS605 for $38. (5 port 10/100/1000).

Don't forget OS X 10.5 with "Time Machine" will be coming out soon....

Also, check out the "Take Control of backing up your Mac" ebook from Tidbits. Worth a few bucks.

12.31.2006 at 10:25 AM | Unregistered Commenterdan

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