NAS to run on local network

[tdunlap0001]

Hello All,
I am need of some advice. I dont know much about NAS setups so i was overwhelmed when i was looking around at different options.

I want to setup a NAS on a local network (wont be on the internet). Its purpose is to host all the files that are produced from various avenues and make them available to those who have access to the local network. It would need to keep backups of the data through im assuming a raid setup. A few terabytes should be plenty.

Separate logins would also be required as there are several people whom would access the files. Is it possible to generate a log of what each user does?

Since its for a small educational based lab our budget is not massive.


I was looking at some from Buffalo, any comments on their product quality?

Thank you.

 

[RealBeast]

First and foremost -- RAID is not backup and should not be relied upon for backup. It is a fault tolerant storage form -- your backup should be done periodically to either drives not usually attached to the network or to a cloud solution, the frequency depends on how fast you produce new data and how important it is to your functioning.

Now, NAS is a great way to have shared storage. The cheapest solution for your small storage needs would be an additional HDD in a computer on the network that you set up as a shared drive and map it as a drive on all the other computers. A real NAS would also work fine if you want to go that way and a Buffalo product may be adequate for your needs, although a few terabytes would not make me consider a RAID NAS box. The real key to quality is the quality of the HDD inside the device, that is the most likely failure point.

If you want to get into logging user activity, you are definitely talking a more complex and expensive solution.

 

[tdunlap0001]

First and foremost -- RAID is not backup and should not be relied upon for backup. It is a fault tolerant storage form -- your backup should be done periodically to either drives not usually attached to the network or to a cloud solution, the frequency depends on how fast you produce new data and how important it is to your functioning.

Now, NAS is a great way to have shared storage. The cheapest solution for your small storage needs would be an additional HDD in a computer on the network that you set up as a shared drive and map it as a drive on all the other computers. A real NAS would also work fine if you want to go that way and a Buffalo product may be adequate for your needs, although a few terabytes would not make me consider a RAID NAS box. The real key to quality is the quality of the HDD inside the device, that is the most likely failure point.

If you want to get into logging user activity, you are definitely talking a more complex and expensive solution.

Thank you for responding to my post.

What options are you referencing for logging user activity? and what is the cost of such options?

 

[RealBeast]

One NAS brand that I am quite familiar with, QNAP, has extensive system logging capability, including user access logging. Take a look under system administration, logs: http://docs.qnap.com/nas/en/index.html?home.htm

It comes as a part of their product, and I would expect that other higher end products would also have a similar feature. I've not used any software add on products like ServerAssist.

 

[tdunlap0001]

Best answer selected by tdunlap0001.