Not sure if this is the right place, but.......
I have a 1tb external drive connected to my PC, is there any way i can turn this into a NAS?
Leading on to my next question...
Can i connect the NAS to my router using homeplugs?
Thanks if anyone can help
Butters, It's the BIG day today
Good luck and let us know how you get on
Hi all
Mind if I jump in and cause a big splash? I'd be really grateful for some URGENT help because I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy a ReadyNAS Duo and if so it has to be today whilst they're still doing their free drive offer! (Can't see anywhere that it's been extended beyond today, 30th Sept.) If you have a ReadyNAS or any other NAS, please read on and chime in...
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1) The whole pre-defined shares of backup, media etc. confuse me, are these basically folders on the ReadyNAS that can be as big as you like up to the drive's capacity?
2) If I set a backup job to backup a folder (say M:\My Pictures), does it intelligently automatically include new subfolders I might later create within My Pictures?
Similar to my response on Q.2, I think the PC pushes as opposed to the NAS monitoring3) Does the NAS monitor the folders or does the PC push files to it through Shadow, and if the latter does Shadow take up many resources running in the background? I hate sofware running in the background and slowing everything else down.
I don't see a problem with sharing a read-only backup. If it it was writeable then I would say no.4) My iTunes library is in a My Music folder and all the music I haven't yet tagged is in another folder. Ditto all the photos I have tagged are separate to the ones I haven't processed yet etc. My idea is to backup everything to the ReadyNAS, and share the folders of tagged music and photos to our laptops, PS3 and (for photos) anyone else I choose externally over the net. So none of the other devices or people will modify anything, just play music or view pics. As I add music to iTunes (when it gets copied to the My Music folder) and tag it, other devices must be able to see and play it. But I'm basically sharing my backup (albeit read only) - is that a good idea?
I don't think this is an issue. The Media folder doesn't have any special properties other than being scanned and the content shared by ReadyDNLA, the media server. As long as your backup software is pointed to teh media folder, it should be able to save the backup there.5) Won't the automatic (Shadow or otherwise) backups go to a different share (/backup) than the one the PS3 will access - isn't that /media?
All DNLA servers scan the target folder. They pick up the files and store their references in a database, like a phone directory. They then make that directory available to the remote devices which you then choose from as a menu.6) Why does the ReadyNAS need to be scanned to pick up changes? Is this true for all client devices or just the PS3, and/or every file change or just some, e.g. deletions/modifications/adding new ones?
Yes the ReadyNAS can do this but the application that does it is not on the Dup from teh factory. You will need to download and install it separately. I haven't done it but it looks easy enough. There is a button to download and set it up in FrontView (the Duo's browser based interface).7) So I can set distant relatives up with read access to see and download photos (or other files), without giving them access to all our other photos and files? I read that there is a way which does this without duplicating the photos that have already been backedup to the ReadyNAS?
Yes, the Duo can do this (lots of free applications available here Add-ons (Community) : NETGEAR ReadyNAS Community)8) I gather I can host a website on it so maybe I could use Adobe Lightroom to make a different photo gallery and host that? Extending this idea, I'd like to put a different site on there and host it so I don't need to pay for hosting space. It wouldn't be big and would get very little traffic. Won't need SQL databasing or shopping facilities, Can it host more than one site (i.e. a photo gallery and something else)? I have no server experience so would like this to be simple to work out of the box (something the Synology DS209j does). Could I use the ReadyNAS to give clients FTP access to download files I've made for them?
Yes, it is SATA II compatible but runs tehm as SATAHardware:
9) Apparently the ReadyNAS Duo can take SATAII drives but runs them at SATA-1 speed?
I haven't tried this but I believe any limitations are not specific to the Duo but to all USB shared printers that are not connected directly to a PC.10) Apparently the USB print functionality isn't "full" and is different to connecting a printer directly to a PC. I have a Canon iP4500, what might be affected? I do graphic design with a colour managed workflow so don't want anything affecting print settings.
Before buying, I read loads of reviews and went on to many forums. As with many things, there are people who have issues and those that do not with all of the products. What I realised is that you need to be sure how you will use it and then assess which product is best. There may be issues with products that you will never encounter because you won't use them in that way. I believe that in general, the Netgear products are very good and come with a great warranty and support (which was a big deciding factor for me). Saying that, as I have pointed out, the Duo's performance is limited but then again the NVX is more than powerful enough having won many awards. The downside is that it is more expensive than the equivalent Synology and Qnap products (but then again, they come with one year warranty and the NVX comes with 5 years). If you want to consider the NVX, you may be interested in this free drive promotion just launched by Netgear FREE Hard Drives PromotionI know it's a lot of asking, any answers to any of it would be more than appreciated! Sounds like you guys Butters and Spy are very pleased with what you've got, I'm still wavering having read lots of complaints on other forums etc.
butters/spy
the deal is done, be here tommorow.
how you both getting on with yours?
can i ask what connections you have made to ps3 and are you running into a receiver or your sb/sonos?
regards
john
Hi DM,
I will try and help.
Firstly, the free drive promotion is extended to 31 December, see here FREE Hard Drive Promotion
Here are some responses to your other questions:
Yes, these are folders that are already setup for you. Like any other folder, you can create sub-folders and fill them with as much data as your hard drive size will allow
I am not sure here, but I suspect it is dependent on the backup program you use. Basically, the NAS is a shared drive on the network which your backup software can access to store the backup. Some NAS drives come with free backup software (I don't think the Duo does though). If not, you can continue using Genie.
Similar to my response on Q.2, I think the PC pushes as opposed to the NAS monitoring
I don't see a problem with sharing a read-only backup. If it it was writeable then I would say no.
I don't think this is an issue. The Media folder doesn't have any special properties other than being scanned and the content shared by ReadyDNLA, the media server. As long as your backup software is pointed to teh media folder, it should be able to save the backup there.
All DNLA servers scan the target folder. They pick up the files and store their references in a database, like a phone directory. They then make that directory available to the remote devices which you then choose from as a menu.
I should say that the ReadyNas Duo automatically picks up newly added media files - you don't need to constantly re-scan. The only time you need to re-scan is if its Database index goes out of sync with the contents and you need to refresh it
Sharing Photos:
Yes the ReadyNAS can do this but the application that does it is not on the Dup from teh factory. You will need to download and install it separately. I haven't done it but it looks easy enough. There is a button to download and set it up in FrontView (the Duo's browser based interface).
A couple of caveats though:
- You will need to mess around with settings on your router (to get it to allow external people access to the NAS) and also ensure you have a fixed IP address so that your family know where to go for the photos.
- You may see a degradation in performance if you have a few family members browsing the photos whilst you are trying to do other things at the same time.
I would consider upgrading teh memory as this may help.
Yes, the Duo can do this (lots of free applications available here Add-ons (Community) : NETGEAR ReadyNAS Community)
In all honesty though, if you are planning on doing all these things, you may find that the Duo is under-powered, I would recommend looking at the ReadyNas NVX range which is much more powerful and fully capable of doing all this without blinking.
Yes, it is SATA II compatible but runs tehm as SATA
I haven't tried this but I believe any limitations are not specific to the Duo but to all USB shared printers that are not connected directly to a PC.
Before buying, I read loads of reviews and went on to many forums. As with many things, there are people who have issues and those that do not with all of the products. What I realised is that you need to be sure how you will use it and then assess which product is best. There may be issues with products that you will never encounter because you won't use them in that way. I believe that in general, the Netgear products are very good and come with a great warranty and support (which was a big deciding factor for me). Saying that, as I have pointed out, the Duo's performance is limited but then again the NVX is more than powerful enough having won many awards. The downside is that it is more expensive than the equivalent Synology and Qnap products (but then again, they come with one year warranty and the NVX comes with 5 years). If you want to consider the NVX, you may be interested in this free drive promotion just launched by Netgear FREE Hard Drives Promotion
Whatever you decide, I am sure it will be much better than what you have today
butters/spy
the deal is done, be here tommorow. I paid 218 which sounds a lot but getting 3x 500 gig drives.
so with a bit of ebaying and assorted sundays at garage sales probably end up with what i wanted. if you know any one who needs a drive point them my way.
dilemma is whether to get up and running on 500 gig raid or of load the lot and get samsungs like yours.
how you both getting on with yours?
can i ask what connections you have made to ps3 and are you running into a receiver or your sb/sonos?
regards
john