What NAS to buy?

[Thorin]

I'll be looking to buy a NAS soon.  I need one with the following:

- data redundancy
- media streaming to an Xbox 360
- decent speed

Also nice to have:

- iTunes server (I don't know how iTunes works, so I don't know how this would work)
- print server USB port

You guys have any suggestions, given these needs and wants?

And if you're a heavy iTunes user, can you give me any suggestions on how to set up iTunes to handle multiple devices with multiple accounts through one computer?

[Melbosa]

I'd have to say Synology, but streaming HD to XBox 360 will require a pc in between for almost any NAS device if your video isn't a native format for it (talking transcoding here).  But if 480p I know the synology will transcode fine for you.

[Thorin]

How does that work - does the PC have to read the file from the NAS and then transcode it?  Seems like it would be extremely slow...

[Lazybones]

Synology or Qnap.

There are some "media" NAS out there as well that will transcode.
Personally I just stick to xvid and it plays without transcoding.

[Mr. Analog]

How does that work - does the PC have to read the file from the NAS and then transcode it?  Seems like it would be extremely slow...

I think we're getting confused over semantics, if you have an open share with files that the 360 can already handle then you can just navigate to the share and play the video. If you have to stream the file (because the 360 doesn't support format perhaps) you have to do it from a PC with WMP11 installed and media sharing enabled. In this case your computer is decoding the video and sending the stream to the 360.

As long as the file is in the Media Library it doesn't matter where it is on the network, and yes, there might be lag when you select the video to play.

For the record I don't really like the media sharing interface on the 360, the controls are different from the regular video library and it drives me nuts.

[Lazybones]

The xbox 360 can directly access DLNA sources or media via a windows media player pc.

Most consumer NAS offer DLNA however when using DLNA format is a bit more of an issue.

[Mr. Analog]

DLNA can be finicky, that's for sure.

For the inquiring Thorin, here's a list of DLNA compliant devices:
http://www.dlna.org/products/

[Thorin]

Hmm, never tried browsing open shares - I've had TVersity running to stream to th Xbox.

Interestingly, Xbox (and Microsoft) are not listed as certified products on the dlna.org product search.

Back to NAS devices, I've looked at prices and common complaints for these systems, and it makes more sense to me to just buy some parts and build a file/print/web/ftp server.  I've got the drives and OS, I just need the case, PSU, mobo, processor, and RAM.  Doing some comparing, it's over $400 for a halfway-speedy NAS and under $500 for a case/PSU/mobo/processor/RAM.

[Lazybones]

The NAS has lower maintenance issues due to combined upgrade releases, uses less power are smaller and in general are more quiet.

That is the benefit of a NAS. Yes you can build your own for less. I did then switched to a NAS due to space and sound issues.

[Thorin]

Did you notice a speed difference?  Was your built-your-own solution only a file server, or did it serve other purposes too?

I have an old, loud computer sitting here as a web/ftp server that I would be replacing with a new web/ftp/file/print/streaming server.  From the things I've read, the NASes with these servers built in slow down on file access due to lack of processor power / lack of RAM.

As far as noise, I think an i5-based headless (and thus graphics-card-less) would be quieter than the fans-nearly-seizing noise polluter I'm using now

[Tom]

If you do have other uses for it, you may want to consider building your own. But it can be more maintenance. I personally expect more performance out of my file shares than most consumer NASs can possibly offer, so my home server does quadruple-duty. 6x1TB drives in RAID5 for my file share (I can expand that to at least 2 more, possibly 4 more), it runs several VMs for various duties (my firewall, asterisk for voip, used to run a wiki, my backup mail server, and some other random junk), and runs ktorrent in NX for my file downloading.

If you get the new sandybridge based cpu you get a gpu built in, so you won't have to buy one. And it'll be fanless.

[Thorin]

Yeah, I'm looking at the i5-2400, which is a SandyBridge-based Intel CPU, on an ASUS P8H67 motherboard.  There's basically three types of motherboards - the H61 (basic), the H67 (adds a couple of SATA3 ports), and the P67 (allows overclocking).  I'm not an overclocker, but I can see the value in a bit of future-proofing by getting SATA3 ports on the board for five bucks more than the basic board.

The funny thing is, what I find hardest to decide on is what case to get.  Do I want to buy an Antec 900, with all its fans and all the openings for kids to drop stuff in?  Or do I want a cheaper, closed-off case with smaller fans that make more noise?  Choices, choices!

[Tom]

if you're worried about kids spilling stuff on top, I'd avoid the Antec 900 and its relatives. Get something with an enclosed top (like a normal case), and room for 120mm fans in back and in front. Then you won't get too much noise.

[Lazybones]

You can get a cheaper NAS that will have poor throughput or get a Synology or Qnap and performance should be fine.

I have a VERY cheap Buffalo NAS and it is only during large transfers (backups / bulk moves) that I notice that it is slow. It streams files and runs torrents for me just fine. I also have an irc bouncer running on it.

[Tom]

Yeah, if you're a light user, a cheap nas will work fine. However I absolutely hate it when video chops out because a backup is running while a bunch of torrents are going at the same time.

Locally on my server, the raid array is capable of doing 200-500MB/s, and over the lan: 30-90MB/s. Which means several streams and backups can be going on, and should affect any of it very much.