How's to setup a wireless server for DVD rip/author and maybe even served ?

[SingSing]

laptop and desktop now come with minimum of 40GB drive, IF we only keep program and Tax return on it, then it usage hardly top 50%, until...

WE found the joy of digital Video.

A rip video is 4.3GB or 8 GB in size. A miniDV cam to DVD transcode/authoring can be 20 GB per job ( Damn those miniDV avi files ).

We use to have to have a large 160 GB drive on the video editing PC, now's my spouse said she want to do her own ( because she said I edit out the best part of the vacation ! ). plus her better camera can put up a better slide show ( by Memories on TV ).

I would like to turn to wireless network to share files/central storage. wirelss G is spec at 54 Mbit/s, which is about half of 100 base T. This seems fast enough. But the server also need to consider the performance of harddisk, and CPU.

So is there a wireless server that support maybe couple of 160GB drives, that one can leave it on all the time for remote vary large files ( 4 to 10 GB) access, at maybe 30% speed impact ?

[Treebeard]

If your looking to just have a file server in your home you could build your own really cheap. could us XP Pro as your O.S. put a couple 250gb hard drives in the machine. wont need a monitor for it, just use Remote Desktop to log into the box and manage it. You wont need high powered CPU(for ripping and storing) for this either so go cheap.. Could probably get a decent setup for $500-$600

[SingSing]

I have a Celeron Box, and a few IDE drive kicking around. I can start that to 100 base T into a wireless modem to serve. But other then ping, is there tools that I can measured the traffic performance ?

[Treebeard]

Why not just transfer some files and watch your time. I have 1 machine on my network that rips the dvd to a shared folder. I shrink it with another computer and burn it. Doesnt take any longer than if the files were on a local drive. I also stream music from 1 machine to others and never been problems.

[ROF]

If you already have a wireless network(router) in place you could just add a NAS(Network Attached Storage) device and put your hard drives inside there.

I use a Buffalo HD NAS at home with 4 hard drives inside. Any computer on your network can access these files and they can also be relayed to any stand alone wireless media player.

[Treebeard]

If he has an old box sitting around already would only cost couple hundred to add 500gb of networked storage, that would be cheaper than buying pre-built NAS

[SingSing]

What you guys think about the performance different between using a CPU box vs a NAS box ?

[ROF]

I'd recommend buying an empty NAS and adding your own hard drives. If you have a dedicated machine that you don't plan on ever using you could use this as a NAS but I wouldn't recommend using just any machine on your network to operate as a NAS especially one that is used by others. You will find that a dedicated machine is much more cumbersome but if it's all you have it will work just fine.

[SingSing]

You will find that a dedicated machine is much more cumbersome .

Can you explain this point a bit ?

[ROF]

A dedicated machine is subject to lock ups, errors, and other such trappings which a NAS doesn't incur. A NAS is just a bunch of hard drives inside a box with an ethernet port in the back. Advantages of this are that the NAS is assigned it's own IP on the network and files are served without going through an internediary(another PC). You can also serve multiple OS from a NAS and also find that files load faster when accessed through a NAS since they are separate from the requesting server.

[SingSing]

Where to look for a NAS box for four drives ?

Compusa ? Newegg ? Tigerdirect ? or .. ?

[ROF]

All them will have NAS boxes.

[Treebeard]

http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?in_dim_search=1&N=2050240124&descrip...ubCategory=124

[smearbrick1]

As exciting as the whole NAS thing sounds, the cost for an empty case is ridiculous. Unless I was looking at the wrong thing. Several of the empty (appear to be empty) cases are over $250.00. I can get older PCs and build a similar item for way less than that. I realize the pc will have some tendancies toward OS failure or errors, but to pay that much for an empty box?

[ROF]

http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?in_dim_search=1&N=2050240124&descr iption=NAS&SubCategory=124

Nice to see my Buffalo box has dropped a full $100 since I purchased it.

[Treebeard]

I like the idea of NAS, but dont think I would move to it for home solutions because of the cost involved. I can throw a 1tb solution in an Cel D box on my network for $700. Now if I only had $700 to spend, lol.

[SingSing]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822156006

This one costs $219, with one 200GB drive ( a $90.00 value I think ), so the investment can be as low as $130.00.

A lot of these HD servers have RJ45 conection. Is that for UPS or what ?

[Treebeard]

rj45 is network connector.

And yes for a small NAS (200gb) fee is not huge.

But If I was going to build a dedicated network storage space I would want at least 1Tb or more space, but thats just me.

[ROF]

Quite a few home users(myself included) start out with a dedicated machine as a file server and then graduate to a NAS. It's an investment in your network.

[ROF]

A lot of these HD servers have RJ45 conection. Is that for UPS or what ?

The RJ45 is so you can directly integrate the NAS with your network. RJ45 is the standard ethernet wired connection. You attach the NAS to a Hub/Switch/Router and that's it. Every machine connected to your network has access to the NAS. Quite a few NAS boxes include a USB connection so you can directly link the NAS to a single machine. If you use this approach you can use file sharing to setup the NAS across your network.

[SingSing]

If a CPU Box is used as D server thru a wireless hub, I will assigned the network ID, and etc.. and shared all HDs in the CPU box.

With NAS box, do I have to map it as a remote drive as a user from each laptop and PC ?

Also, how can I stop other people accessing this NAS box ?

[ROF]

Once you connect the NAS and set it up it becomes available to everyone. You can limit NAS access in the same way you limit shared access for folders or files in your current network setup.

[Treebeard]

Here is the kind of storage I want to get.

http://lime-technology.com/md1200ide.htm