Network Attached Storage

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Ivan_63

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Feb 17, 2017
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Sorry if this has been repeated many times. I want to setup a shared hard drive at my home because we have many computers and we need to share the files between computers. I know of NAS (Network Attached Storage) but I'm not sure if i should put a WD NAS My Cloud hard drive, Lacie 2big thunderbolt 2 or something like a build your own. I would prefer something not too complicated because i have never done this before.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. For NAS, we connect the hard drive to the router so all the computer that is on the network can access the hard drive.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
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There's a bunch of pretty accessible guides which explain what NASes are and suggest a few. Here's a basic example from CNET: https://www.cnet.com/au/news/top-five-affordable-nas-servers-home-backup-made-easy/

One fairly easy option, particularly if all the computers use Windows, is to just pick one computer to use as the file server and configure it such that all the other computers have access. Here's a guide on that: http://www.geeksquad.co.uk/articles/how-to-set-up-file-sharing-on-windows-10
The option above does mean that this primary computer will need to be left on and configured NOT to go to sleep/hibernate whenever other devices need to access the files. But this may not use all that much more power than a dedicated NAS...
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rhysiam

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Mar 24, 2013
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There's a bunch of pretty accessible guides which explain what NASes are and suggest a few. Here's a basic example from CNET: https://www.cnet.com/au/news/top-five-affordable-nas-servers-home-backup-made-easy/

One fairly easy option, particularly if all the computers use Windows, is to just pick one computer to use as the file server and configure it such that all the other computers have access. Here's a guide on that: http://www.geeksquad.co.uk/articles/how-to-set-up-file-sharing-on-windows-10
The option above does mean that this primary computer will need to be left on and configured NOT to go to sleep/hibernate whenever other devices need to access the files. But this may not use all that much more power than a dedicated NAS, particularly if the primary computer would be on a lot of the time anyway.
 
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Ivan_63

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Feb 17, 2017
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Thank you for the advice. We have Macs and Windows so that won't work. Also i don't feel comfortable leaving the computer on all day. Ill check out the first link.
 
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rhysiam

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Mar 24, 2013
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While it's a little more complicated cross-platform, it still can be done. Here's a basic guide: https://www.howtogeek.com/191116/how-to-share-files-between-windows-mac-and-linux-pcs-on-a-network/

Just FYI, a NAS is basically a low-powered computer anyway, so you'll be effectively running an extra computer on your network.

Still, if you'd prefer a dedicated device that's fine. I haven't used the WD My Cloud stuff personally, but it certainly should do what you want it to.

I have some experience with Synology devices and have to say I've been extremely impressed with their ease of use. They manage IMHO to offer a broad array of features and functions while remaining (generally speaking) very straightfoward to use. They do tend to be more expensive though. Certainly more than a WD My Cloud drive.
 
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