Buying advice: NAS or Mac Pro?
I need some buying advice from AI please!
We are doing some future plannign for our studio network. Some of our kit is getting a bit old so we want to start gradually updating things, plus we have add two new designers in the last 12 months. So what worked for my partner and I doesn't really scale to four people!
We need to replace our file server (currently a BW G3 tower with some extra hard disks stuffed inside) which is really slow and almost full. It is just used for serving files. We cannot afford an Xserve (well we could at a push if that was what everyone recommended) so want to explore other options. So far we have come up with:
* NAS plugged into our ethernet network
* A Mac Pro as a file server (just like we had our BW G3), perhaps running OSX server
I'm sure we should have RAID but I get lost over which (0,1 or 5) we should be using.
The NAS option looks cheaper -- there seem some amazing deals on 1TB NAS boxes. But I am worried that they will be fast enough and Mac compatiable?
The Mac Pro seems overkill, though if we downgrade the graphics card and put extra drives in it would be great I'm sure.
Anyone any thoughts/ideas?
We are doing some future plannign for our studio network. Some of our kit is getting a bit old so we want to start gradually updating things, plus we have add two new designers in the last 12 months. So what worked for my partner and I doesn't really scale to four people!
We need to replace our file server (currently a BW G3 tower with some extra hard disks stuffed inside) which is really slow and almost full. It is just used for serving files. We cannot afford an Xserve (well we could at a push if that was what everyone recommended) so want to explore other options. So far we have come up with:
* NAS plugged into our ethernet network
* A Mac Pro as a file server (just like we had our BW G3), perhaps running OSX server
I'm sure we should have RAID but I get lost over which (0,1 or 5) we should be using.
The NAS option looks cheaper -- there seem some amazing deals on 1TB NAS boxes. But I am worried that they will be fast enough and Mac compatiable?
The Mac Pro seems overkill, though if we downgrade the graphics card and put extra drives in it would be great I'm sure.
Anyone any thoughts/ideas?
Comments
Or get a LaCie Biggest F800 1TB RAID-5 box (external, via FireWire) to connect to your exisiting fileserver. But you probably want more network speed, too. So the NAS option is indeed a better one.
A Mac Pro just for filesharing is a bit overkill, I guess.
i don't know much about RAID and the differences between the types. i will google it but it would be great to hear what the differences are from people that know!
RAID 5 means multiple redundant disks right? so the data is written to all disks at the same time?
Mac Pro:
2499 (Base Config & OS X Client)
499? (OS X Server 10 User or 999 for Unlimited)
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2998 (or 3498 unlimited)
xServe:
2999 (Base Config & OS X Server Unlimited)
0000 (OS X Server Unlimited Included)
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2999
Edit: This is assuming you've already made an investment in a rack... If you haven't then the Pro may be a good way to go so long as you don't see needing more rack based hardware in the future.
Dave
i like the NAS ideas as i can just stick it in a corner without a monitor. been doing a bit more digging and have heard stories of slow speeds if you go too cheap (cheap components to bring the price down)
had good advice and reports from people, and in terms of cost and features it seems excellent
I have a similar predicament EXCEPT, I ALREADY own the MacPro. I have a TON of data that I need to backup in an archive-like fashion (meaning stuff that I just need to have in at least 2 places, but am not likely to mess with often) and then ongoing backup of data that is currently being worked on. It's an older Mac Pro (Woodcrest) but it has 4 drive bays, and I kind of want to hold on to it as a backup Pro Tools HD3 Rig (in case I have trouble opening / mixing older sessions that were created on it).
So considering that I ALREADY own the MacPro (Woodcrest), would that lead any of you to say that using it as a Pseudo NAS would be a good way to go? In my case, would you recommend using my MacPro as a NAS as a good option? Would I need to run any particular software on it? RAID card?
Thanks!
I have the same questions except I already own the MacPro (Woodcrest) and am thinking of retiring it into a NAS. In my case, would you recommend using my MacPro as a NAS as a good option? Would I need to run any particular software on it? RAID card?