NAS or WHS?

[Bonjour43MA]

So... looking to setup a network-based file sharing / file backup system for home use. Been looking at some NAS units but the WHS units seem to be easier to use/maintain. Any recommendations/suggestions/experiences ?

These are features/things that I want to do with the setup:

- Centralized file storage that is accessible by any client PC on the network
- Data redundancy (if one HDD fails, no data loss occurs)
- BitTorrent-friendly so I can save the files directly to the storage device
- FTP-friendly, but not a must
- DLNA compliant so the PS3 can see the files
- Runs software that will transcode media files to stream to the PS3
- External HDD backup, basically backup of my backup lol
- Cost effective, my budget for a complete setup with at least 1TB of storage is around $400

From what I can gather, these are pros and cons of each:

NAS
Pros:
- cheaper
- RAID capable
- no OS involved
- low power consumption

Cons:
- limited functionality (compared to a server)
- if it's a pre-built NAS box you can't upgrade the parts if needed
- Data read/write speed is slower on entry level NAS boxes

WHS
Pros:
- easier to use, basically a stripped down version of Windows Server
- some WHS boxes let you upgrade RAM or CPU
- DLNA compliant on most boxes
- Daily backup of your client PCs file systems, kinda like Norton Ghost

Cons:
- more expensive
- data storage space is less if folder backup option is set to on
- higher power consumption than NAS, but most boxes seem to run on Intel Atoms so they should be better than straight-up PC towers?


Right now I can buy the D-link DNS323 2-bay NAS from NCIX, plus 2x500GB WD Green HDDs for just under $300. Add a 1~1.5TB external HDD for about $100 and it'll add up to $400

If I go with a WHS unit, the Acer H340 unit seems like a decent deal at $400, with 1TB drive included and 4 bays in total. Same 1~1.5TB external HDD and it'll add up to $500. Basically $100 more than the NAS option.


Any feedback would be great, and please correct me if any of my points were wrong. Thanks guys!

[Hehe]

Get the WHS. It would be more useful and able to expand down the road.

The Acer you mentioned is basically a little PC rocking on 2GB of ram. You could stream your entire library around the house and run torrent just fine.

Raid1 is recommended only if these files are critical. But for that specific reason, I would setup a dropbox or some remote sync'd storage. (For dropbox, 2GB is available for free)

What I have is the Acer H340 you mentioned with 2 1TB in it. I would say it's worth it and the Windows Server that came with it is awesome! So many stuff you can do with this lil box.

[Bonjour43MA]

Cool! Questions about the WHS:

- Can you schedule auto-backup of all files on the WHS to an attached external USB HDD?
- How loud/hot does the unit get after prolong use, since it's on 24/7?
- Let's say I put another 1TB drive in the WHS (so 2x1TB), how does the folder duplication process work? Can you specify where to duplicate the files to (in this case, the 2nd 1TB drive).
- When using RDP to connect to the WHS box, does it look like regular Windows Desktop (with the Start button, My computer, etc) so you and run commands on it?
- Have you tried the daily backup feature where you can essentially take a snapshot of your PC's file system, so that when needed you can re-image your PC directly from the WHS? That's one feature I"m really interested in.
- Does it support FTP connection?

Thanks!

[!MiKrofT]

I'm pretty sure you can schedule an auto backup. You can't control the duplication process it's managed by the OS. What I'd recommend is getting a 3drive WHS. Because this way WHS will reside on it's on drive while the data is stored on the 2 secondary drives. The only problem is OS drive failure. It's a bit difficult to reload since most of these WHS do not have vga out. So you'll need to swap the OS drive which can be a pain. I've been thinking of building my own Atom NAS using a small OS drive and 2x 2TB drives with duplication on.

[ericthehalfbee]

I built my own WHS box. The only expensive part was actually buying the OS itself, but I'm extremely happy with it. Performance is outstanding and it's almost as fast as a direct-attached drive. In fact, I store everything on my server now and my PC's only have Windows and my programs. Very rarely will I keep data on my PC to work with (usually when editing HD video or other disk-intensive tasks).

I back up 4 Windows 7 PC's and the backups go very fast since WHS won't duplicate files. So backing the 1st PC took awhile, but the others went very quickly since they had a lot of the same content. Subsequent backups also go much quicker. You can have WHS do automatic backups, but I just do manual ones whenever I've made major changes to my PC. I've had one machine go down, and restoring it was as easy as booting with a WHS boot CD and restoring my machine.

The biggest thing with WHS is how many add-ons there are available. You can find a software package for just about anything, with an emphasis on things like media management (one of the more popular uses of WHS).

WHS has remote access, but I haven't tried this yet (though I'll be setting it up so I can access files from work if I need them).

As mentioned, you can't specify where files are stored. You specify which folders are to be duplicated and WHS takes care of the rest. There's some long discussions online about how WHS stores files vs using RAID and I think WHS is better. Some die-hards may not like the idea of not knowing where your files are or being able to specifically mirror a drive, but I think it's just because WHS is a different paradigm from what people are used to. WHS is far more efficient as it only duplicates folders you want, whereas RAID (mirroring, for example) duplicates the entire drive. I do make sure to backup my WHS data to an external drive so I essentially have 3 copies.

[Bonjour43MA]

Sounds like WHS is the way to go!

I was talking to this guy at work and he said that there was a big problem with transferring large files (at a certain GB) on the WHS, where the files would get corrupted beyond recoverable. Have you guys heard of that "problem"?

[Hehe]

Originally Posted by Bonjour43MA

Cool! Questions about the WHS:

- Can you schedule auto-backup of all files on the WHS to an attached external USB HDD?
Haven't tried to an external HDD, because for peace of mind reason, do not keep all your storage at one place! If you would only backup your WHS while having the USB connected, you can always manual it.
- How loud/hot does the unit get after prolong use, since it's on 24/7?
it's not on 24/7. I still have it going into sleep after x amount of time of inactivity. Only downside is that when trying to wake it up, you have to wait about 20sec. No biggie for me. Plus, my WHS is storage in the closet with the network equipments, I hardly notice it even it's fully loaded with running app
- Let's say I put another 1TB drive in the WHS (so 2x1TB), how does the folder duplication process work? Can you specify where to duplicate the files to (in this case, the 2nd 1TB drive).
You have the option of duplicate specific folders. I have all my folders separated into "backup" and "storage". The WHS would only copy the "Backup" ones. I believe you can setup your own rules
- When using RDP to connect to the WHS box, does it look like regular Windows Desktop (with the Start button, My computer, etc) so you and run commands on it?
yes
- Have you tried the daily backup feature where you can essentially take a snapshot of your PC's file system, so that when needed you can re-image your PC directly from the WHS? That's one feature I"m really interested in.
You are talking similar to the function of Time Machine on Mac? I haven't gotten my way around it on Windows machine+WHS, although my macs with Time Capsule works wonder. If you got any info on this, do share
- Does it support FTP connection?
yes
Thanks!

Originally Posted by Bonjour43MA

Sounds like WHS is the way to go!

I was talking to this guy at work and he said that there was a big problem with transferring large files (at a certain GB) on the WHS, where the files would get corrupted beyond recoverable. Have you guys heard of that "problem"?

Never heard of this. Just remember that your WHS is basically another little PC for a very specific job. Maintenance should still carry on as any other PC. Thus, regular disk cleaning, checking, antivirus... etc are recommended.

[ericthehalfbee]

Originally Posted by Bonjour43MA

Sounds like WHS is the way to go!

I was talking to this guy at work and he said that there was a big problem with transferring large files (at a certain GB) on the WHS, where the files would get corrupted beyond recoverable. Have you guys heard of that "problem"?

Don't know what you call "large" files, but I've regualy transferred multi-GB HD video files without any trouble at all.

[!MiKrofT]

Just make sure you have the latest WHS service packs and you shouldn't have any problems. There was file corruption issue in the past but that was like when WHS first came out.

[Bonjour43MA]

Thanks guys! I'll be keeping my eye out for a deal on the Acer WHS that I mentioned above. Pretty sure it was on sale awhile back for less than $350.