Network Attached Storage (NAS) is not just for large-scale office. Technology has made compact, cheap, easy-to-use hard drives with automatic backup and shared storage for home networks.
Whether it's a network hard drive or a NAS, there's an integrated processor, operating system, and (many) hard drives, and there are compartments or ports to upgrade them so they're good for the job. file storage and sharing. Directly connected to the network via ethernet cable, not through a PC, network hard disk and NAS device, avoids security restrictions. On the other hand, the NAS does not need a host or a PC, so it does not depend on the processor's ability.
At the moment, small offices are the main consumers of NAS products because they like their usability, ease of use and affordability. According to IDC's analysis, the majority of small offices use NAS as a backup device and contain remote access to the workgroup, although the product is designed for sharing only. file.
However, the NAS also has limitations. Network drive speed is not equal to local hard disk: Network transmission speed (in the range of 11 to 100 Mb / sec.) Is much slower than the transfer rate of internal and external hard drives (480 Mb per second with USB 2.0 interface, unless your network is gigabit (1,000 Mb / s). However, most NAS devices are fast enough for backing up and sharing of printers in small groups. Most NAS devices can support Windows and Mac computers, but Linux is limited.
The home entertainment NAS is designed for 5 to 10 users and has enough storage space for music, photo and video collections. Some products have wireless capabilities and are compatible with existing wireless networks. In addition, NAS family also has the function of backup and data sharing so users do not need to share files in Windows and set up a computer running permanently.
Small office NAS devices have an important feature that the product family does not have is password protected folders. Therefore, almost everyone in the home has the right to read all content on the home NAS. However, if the home user has "child restraint" data, then password protection is required.
Snap Appliance's Buffalo Appliance called Buffalo is expensive but has large storage capacities and allows for password-protected folders. The 200 GB Tritton Wireless NAS product is rated poor because it allows for sharing up to 6 folders, assigning password protection to each folder, but users can not delete them.
NAS devices for home storage also have many levels. The basic level of Ximeta NetDisk and NetDisk Office is high performance but lack printing, port expansion and password protection. Ximeta uses its own file transfer technology, requiring users to install the utility on each PC that accesses the drive. Users can not mount regular hard drives to Ximeta devices, but they can pair many Ximeta devices over the network and display them as large disks. These two devices connect directly to a PC via USB 2.0. In Multi-OS mode, they allow only one user to access the drive at a time, so it is only suitable for home networks with two machines. Multi-Write mode requires that all users run Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 and install the same Ximeta driver version.
Iomega offers Network Hard Drive and NAS 100d products for both home and office use. The NAS 100d has a bigger box than the Network Hard Drive and comes with a Wi-Fi access kit and two USB 2.0 ports to add a hard drive. Network Hard Drive provides two modes of operation: directly attaching the device to the computer via an ethernet port or network router.
In general, installing a NAS device on Windows is easier since there is an installation utility that supports initialization and connection. To customize the shared folder, user, group, and password, you need to use the embedded utility in your device to configure it through your browser, similar to how to set up a router. If a user has ever set up a complete network router, installing a network hard drive and NAS device is not difficult.
If the installation utility is missing, it will be difficult to initialize the connection, especially if the network does not use a DHCP server or assign a different IP address to the standard 192.168.1.x syntax (some routers and corporate networks do not use it. value 1 in the 1.x cluster at the end).
After the connection is complete, things become simpler. User can set all NAS from any PC or Mac via browser. Ximeta NetDisk and NetDisk Office devices that do not use TCP / IP require the installation of separate software on the client (Windows and Mac).
The more equipment you have, the more complex the operation and maintenance. Setting up user accounts, group accounts, permissions, scheduling, backup checking, FTP and HTTP server settings (for remote file retrieval through a web browser) requires understanding the concept. Networking in Windows.
If the NAS or network drive supports it, users should set a password to protect the shared folder and assign it to each user or group. Typically, the company creates a public folder NAS and owns a password for each employee or password-protected folder for the project team. Users can also configure to back up documents from employee hard disk to a private folder on the NAS device.
The security of data in the office also includes the prevention of the removal or theft of the drive. Some products, such as the Buffalo LinkStation, the Iomega Network Hard Drive, the Linksys EtherFast NAS have a solid Kensington lock. Linksys EtherFast NAS also includes a lock for the two expansion bays.
If your home network does not need password or keylogger functionality, then opt to purchase basic, low-cost devices such as the Iomega Network Hard Drive. But remember, everyone has the right to read all the content on the disk, because only some directories can be banned.
The wireless connection on your NAS device is simple, just plug it into your Wi-Fi router. The Iomega NAS 100d integrates 802.11g wireless networking, but due to lack of WPA encryption and enhanced G-speed it should run slower than wired ethernet.
The Iomega NAS 100d has a helpful wireless feature that acts as a Wi-Fi client and access point. Users can leave the device in the coverage area of the Wi-Fi router and enable wireless connectivity. But this should not be set up because 802.11g is slower than wired ethernet and will slow down all access to the device. In addition, this connection may break unexpectedly due to interference and the consequences will be unpredictable if the connection fails while backing up data.
Backups for networked PCs are one of the main goals when investing in network storage so most devices come with built-in backup utility or software. In addition, it is important to find a backup solution for the NAS device itself if it is storing the only data or the company's data base is of critical importance.
The best way to back up a NAS or network drive is to connect directly to another hard drive. In addition to the design of additional hard drive bay bundles such as the Linksys EtherFast NAS, there are some additional hard disk drives that support additional USB 2.0 ports. Most browser-based configuration tools allow you to schedule backups at the time of creating a user account, password. Another way to back up your NAS is by using a different network hard drive. Snap Server 1100 and Ximeta NetDisk have the ability to synchronize all content with other Snap Server and NetDisk devices over the network. To back up files on your computer to NAS requires software that comes with the device. Quality is also colorful, like.
If you are setting up all your backup clients over the network on a NAS device, you should schedule the backups to deviate and at times when the NAS device is under load (like in the middle of the night).
Finally, print serving is the biggest benefit for workgroup and home network but is not integrated by default in all devices. This feature is very useful when you want to deploy all add-ons to the network. However, if the device does not support, users can still choose to buy print server is quite rich type and price is not expensive.
The steps for setting up the same print server are set on the print server. First, attach the printer to the NAS and set up the NAS to serve it and then install the printer on each client in the network. After completing the installation steps, the use of this printer is as simple as using a direct-attached printer.
