[ale] NAS enclosure recommendations?

[Doug Hall]

This is a pro-sumer application. She has written a book, and has a blog for
promoting that and other pursuits. She's got thousands of high res photos,
and is getting into video too, for her blog. Add to this, backup space for
her computers - some of which can be alleviated, if she's not moving files
between computers all the time. So, she does need a fair amount of
storage. Their Apple Time Capsule is full, and quite frankly - inadequate.

This NAS won't be directly connected to a computer, but I was thinking that
it would be a good idea to have that option. They've got an iMac and a
MacBook Pro, so Firewire or Thunderbolt would actually be better than
eSata. The NAS will probably be situated in a closet, provided there's
enough ventilation. I was hoping to use FreeNAS and ZFS, for worry-free
storage.

While I'm thinking about it, how are upgrades handled? Is it a matter of
pulling in updates, like with Ubuntu, or do you download a package and
replace the whole OS? I'm not that familiar with FreeBSD. Is there a
learning curve I should be concerned about?

Thanks guys!


On Sat, May 11, 2013 at 9:55 AM, Ron Frazier (ALE) <
atllinuxenthinfo at techstarship.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> This sounds like a consumer application so the following security issues
> may not be too pressing.  However, depending on the situation, physical
> security may be an issue; from kids (ie teenagers that want to play
> everything or toddlers that want to touch everything), pets, visitors,
> contractors, etc.
>
> You may want a case where access to the physical ports and drives is
> lockable.  A closet or cabinet would also work with proper ventilation.
>
> Also, while I haven't had experience with the high speed port options
> myself, I heard an interesting tidbit on the Security Now podcast.
>  Apparently both firewire and thunderbolt are dma access systems.  That
> means that anything plugged into one of those ports may be able to directly
> access and alter system memory, with the potential of inserting malware or
> reading critical data.  USB of any type does not have that problem.  I
> don't know about sata / esata.
>
> Also, I've heard that esata connectors are notorious for being finicky and
> getting unplugged.
>
> Just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Ron
>
>
>
> JD <jdp at algoloma.com> wrote:
>
> >I use an external array from these guys: http://www.addonics.com/
> >attached to a normal Core i5 PC, but mine is only 4 bay. 6+ yrs, ever
> >any issues
> >besides a loose SATA cable that was my fault.
> >
> >I'd avoid USB3 as the primary connector. IME, it has queuing issues. Of
> >course,
> >those could be due to the USB3 card or driver used. I've never had that
> >issue
> >with eSATA-MP.
> >
> >For a business, things get harder due to all the choices.
> >
> >
> >On 05/11/2013 01:50 AM, Doug Hall wrote:
> >> I want to build a NAS for a friend. I need a five-bay enclosure. It
> >must have a
> >> 64-bit CPU and allow me to add up to 16GB of memory. It'll be using
> >ZFS, which
> >> performs better with lots of memory. I'll probably need USB3, eSata
> >and dual
> >> ethernet ports. A low power unit would be nice.
> >>
> >> Anyone know of and can recommend any such enclosures? The ones I'm
> >seeing appear
> >> to already be set up to run some proprietary system, but don't even
> >mention
> >> memory capacities or CPU specs. I want to use FreeNAS, of course.
> >Thanks for any
> >> suggestions.
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> --
>
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>
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>
> Ron Frazier
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