X2 NAS backup over a network - new to this!

[photofiend]

Hi everyone

I've got to create a network to link several machines together that will allow for swapping folders of data between machines - anything up to 100GB of data at one time.

It will mainly used be used for business work so it has to be reliable, quick and easy to make double backups of everything.

For my needs I think it might be a good idea to have two NAS boxes with two 2TB drives in each in RAID 1 - so 4TB of backup storage which is mirrored.

A NAS is completely new to me so I haven't a clue what to go for, I'd rather not spend a bundle though, especially with buying two of them!

I do want them to be simple however, I've been looking at cheaper Netgear systems and they seem to need to connect via a website (which seems madness) and don't use a standard Windows filing system so I can't take the drive out and plug it into Windows if necessary, so that's no good.

The setup I am looking at the moment is:

Obviously each OS is an individual machine that needs to be on the network and able to share potentially huge files.


That gives me a couple of questions:
Will two 8 port gigabit switches operate normally and at full speed if they are connected to two ports on a router? I can't see a reason why not but I'm not familiar with them.

How are NAS systems protected? Do they have built in firewalls to protect themselves when they are connected to a internet enabled network?

Is there anyway to password protect/encrypt folders on a NAS? I will be dealing with customer data so some of it needs to be kept very secure.

Speed...I've done a test tonight between two machines on the gigabit network and they only transferred data between themselves at around 20MB...taking 1000/8, I was expecting transfer speeds to be around 80MB/90MB...is there any reason why this would be so slow?


Finally - and most importantly...based on what I have written what would you recommend NAS wise? I should point out I'm in the UK so whatever is recommended obviously has to be available in the UK.


Thanks very much.

 

[Snipergod87]

That gives me a couple of questions:
Will two 8 port gigabit switches operate normally and at full speed if they are connected to two ports on a router? I can't see a reason why not but I'm not familiar with them.

How are NAS systems protected? Do they have built in firewalls to protect themselves when they are connected to a internet enabled network?

Is there anyway to password protect/encrypt folders on a NAS? I will be dealing with customer data so some of it needs to be kept very secure.

Speed...I've done a test tonight between two machines on the gigabit network and they only transferred data between themselves at around 20MB...taking 1000/8, I was expecting transfer speeds to be around 80MB/90MB...is there any reason why this would be so slow?


Finally - and most importantly...based on what I have written what would you recommend NAS wise? I should point out I'm in the UK so whatever is recommended obviously has to be available in the UK.


Thanks very much.[/quotemsg]

1) Yes it will work at full speed however if you have 2 devices using a GigE link on the 8port switches and it is connecting to a device not on that switch (IE plugged into the router or going through the router) and both of those computers are trying to send a file to the machine not on that switch the bandwidth will be throttled to in theory 50% for each computer (only if both are transfering). For transfers within the switch itself it will operate at GigE.

2) You can usually set NTFS permissions but it depends on the NAS and file system.

3) The 80-90MB/s is pretty good, it may not go any faster because the detintation disk may not be able to write any faster, it could also be the source disk cannot read any faster.

4) That I dont know

 

[photofiend]

Thanks for your reply.

That's good to hear that they will work at full speed, yep that's fine with the bandwidth limitation.

80-90MB/s would be good, I would be happy with that - that's what I was expecting...the problem I have is that it's going at 20-25MB/s...that I can't understand.

I've been doing lots of research today and I think that the Synology DS211 however in researching I've realised how unfamiliar I am with the technology.

It's main function is to backup and store data that has been worked and finished with - edited video and photos etc.

I was thinking it would be a Windows like drag and drop affair but it's done through a Firefox window which has thrown me a bit...how easy would it be for me to move items onto the NAS and back again...or access them from another machine.

Would it just appear as another drive on the network?

 

[Snipergod87]

Thanks for your reply.

That's good to hear that they will work at full speed, yep that's fine with the bandwidth limitation.

80-90MB/s would be good, I would be happy with that - that's what I was expecting...the problem I have is that it's going at 20-25MB/s...that I can't understand.

I've been doing lots of research today and I think that the Synology DS211 however in researching I've realised how unfamiliar I am with the technology.

It's main function is to backup and store data that has been worked and finished with - edited video and photos etc.

I was thinking it would be a Windows like drag and drop affair but it's done through a Firefox window which has thrown me a bit...how easy would it be for me to move items onto the NAS and back again...or access them from another machine.

Would it just appear as another drive on the network?

Well 20-25MB/s is more than 100Mbit so it is using GigE. What you can try (what I did) is download DataRAM RAM Disk (Free) make a small RAM drive (few hundred megs) and transfer files over the network from one RAM disk share to another to verify GigE speeds.

I imagine you manage the NAS through the web page but you connect to it via \\server\share and can map the drives that way.

It looks like you can do full backups through a webpage for the Synology DS211. However looking at further specs seeing how it can act as a media server for a PS3 and Xbox360 leads me to believe that you can access it via network shares (as that the the only way a 360 can access a network resource).

It may be a good idea to email them to verify that is can be accessed in such a way.

If someone els ehas some knowledge about this they could share that would be great.