Hi, Guest
I guess after 5 years of making decisions and recommendations for IT-related stuff, I've learned some valuable lessons that really do cross over to my after-work world:
- Pay for what you expect to receive. Just like anything else, if you buy a Daihatsu, you get a Daihatsu. Low-cost alternatives do work and work well, but there are inherent risks to using them. We found that out on 2 older servers with software RAID. If the NAS appliance supports the RAID outside of the actual drives being present (hardware RAID), it's better than any OS-initiated RAID. Drives on a RAID card running any OS makes for a setup somewhere in the middle.
- Appliance? PC-as-appliance? Full-blown PC? Do you want to interact with it constantly or will the odd bit of web-based maintenance suffice (video rendering once source files arrive)? Can you make it a headless server with SSH/RDP access and just administer it like that? Do you have a need for desktop session-interacting applications at all? I have a SNAP Appliance NAS box at the office that does everything for our department except massive file storage. For everything else, a share on a Windows Server 2K3 box is fine with Symantec Backup Exec. Again, it's "enterprise" but it's an important point: how will you back up your data?
- Special considerations? Use a headless Windows / Linux box and backup from you to it to the remote DVD-RW? Data only with RAID redundancy? RAID-0 for massive scratch file storage over 1Gbps LAN?
I'm not trying to sound overblown or cryptic, but that Infrant box is a pretty ideal setup. So long as the box's BIOS recognizes the drives, you could potentially have well over 2TB of RAIDed storage on that box later this year. If it's hit lightly or even fairly lightly, that box is a lasting investment that grows with you. $800 now over 4 years is less than $1/day for what seems to be reliable storage for just about anyone. Hell, maybe I'll talk my boss into one to see how it does.
- Pay for what you expect to receive. Just like anything else, if you buy a Daihatsu, you get a Daihatsu. Low-cost alternatives do work and work well, but there are inherent risks to using them. We found that out on 2 older servers with software RAID. If the NAS appliance supports the RAID outside of the actual drives being present (hardware RAID), it's better than any OS-initiated RAID. Drives on a RAID card running any OS makes for a setup somewhere in the middle.
- Appliance? PC-as-appliance? Full-blown PC? Do you want to interact with it constantly or will the odd bit of web-based maintenance suffice (video rendering once source files arrive)? Can you make it a headless server with SSH/RDP access and just administer it like that? Do you have a need for desktop session-interacting applications at all? I have a SNAP Appliance NAS box at the office that does everything for our department except massive file storage. For everything else, a share on a Windows Server 2K3 box is fine with Symantec Backup Exec. Again, it's "enterprise" but it's an important point: how will you back up your data?
- Special considerations? Use a headless Windows / Linux box and backup from you to it to the remote DVD-RW? Data only with RAID redundancy? RAID-0 for massive scratch file storage over 1Gbps LAN?
I'm not trying to sound overblown or cryptic, but that Infrant box is a pretty ideal setup. So long as the box's BIOS recognizes the drives, you could potentially have well over 2TB of RAIDed storage on that box later this year. If it's hit lightly or even fairly lightly, that box is a lasting investment that grows with you. $800 now over 4 years is less than $1/day for what seems to be reliable storage for just about anyone. Hell, maybe I'll talk my boss into one to see how it does.
Daily driver 1: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport "S"
33" BFG Mud-Terrain KM2s, lots of Rough Country gear - bumper, 2.5" lift, swaybar disconnects, Superwinch 10,000lb winch, Detroit Locker in rear D44 axle, custom exhaust, K+N filtercharger, Superchips-tuned.
Daily driver 2: 2006 Subaru Legacy GT
COBB Stage 1+ package - AccessPort tuner, COBB intake and airbox. Stage 2 coming shortly - COBB 3" AT stainless DP and race cat, custom 3" Magnaflow-based exhaust and Stage 2 COBB tune.
33" BFG Mud-Terrain KM2s, lots of Rough Country gear - bumper, 2.5" lift, swaybar disconnects, Superwinch 10,000lb winch, Detroit Locker in rear D44 axle, custom exhaust, K+N filtercharger, Superchips-tuned.
Daily driver 2: 2006 Subaru Legacy GT
COBB Stage 1+ package - AccessPort tuner, COBB intake and airbox. Stage 2 coming shortly - COBB 3" AT stainless DP and race cat, custom 3" Magnaflow-based exhaust and Stage 2 COBB tune.