Ubuntu/W7U & Mac Lion: Best storage solution?

[kenhikage]

I recently lost my external hard drive, so I'm ready to replace it, but with what?

I want something that I can share between my wife's Mac, my dual booting Ubuntu-Windows 7u machine, and the TV. I have plenty of space in my tower, so I was thinking that building a RAID10 would be my cheapest, safest solution. But, while I'm willing to learn, I don't know the first thing about building or networking such a solution.

Would it be better to just buy a "media" HDD instead?

Is there a third solution, such as ZFS, that would work better?

Sorry for my naïveté.

 

[FireWire2]

It sounds the network storage will fit your bill...

1st - DIY NAS, with a door stop computer (old computer)
2nd get a Media Home Server like mine - eBOX-N it will have iTUNE server, streams BD.iSO to HD media player like, DUNE, TVIX, also share date with Linux, MAC, Windows, FreeBSD systems


Edit for clarity

 

[pnorman]

Faced with similar storage needs I found the best option was building a server to act as a NAS. Building a RAID10 is what I did, but it won't work well with a dual booting machine. I ended up building a cheap server (~$200 before drives) and running ubuntu server on it. I found this option was cheaper than buying a NAS.

You could also stick a HD on the Mac and share it from there.

If you build a server, I'd go with RAID5 if you're mainly serving media from it.

If you use an old computer, make sure it has SATA ports. Finding large capacity pre-SATA drives is hard and expensive.

 

[kenhikage]

2nd get a Media Home Server like mine - eBOX-N it will have iTUNE server, streams BD.iSO work with Linux, MAC, Windows, FreeBSD

I'm sorry, what exactly does that mean?
[EDIT] Does this mean that I could add software to my current machine to make it act as a media server?

Faced with similar storage needs I found the best option was building a server to act as a NAS. Building a RAID10 is what I did, but it won't work well with a dual booting machine. I ended up building a cheap server (~$200 before drives) and running ubuntu server on it. I found this option was cheaper than buying a NAS.

So, does that mean that I can't build a RAID internal to my computer and connect that to my current hard drive & Mac?

 

[kenhikage]

Can anyone clarify this? Does a raid array have to be external?

 

[pnorman]

I'm sorry, what exactly does that mean?
[EDIT] Does this mean that I could add software to my current machine to make it act as a media server?

Faced with similar storage needs I found the best option was building a server to act as a NAS. Building a RAID10 is what I did, but it won't work well with a dual booting machine. I ended up building a cheap server (~$200 before drives) and running ubuntu server on it. I found this option was cheaper than buying a NAS.

So, does that mean that I can't build a RAID internal to my computer and connect that to my current hard drive & Mac?

Setting up a RAID array is separate from setting up a NAS. You can do one without the other.

Any of your computers could function as a NAS. The problem with using your current machine is that it is dual booting.

 

[FireWire2]

Sorry! I was a little busy with work.

I'm sorry, what exactly does that mean?
[EDIT] Does this mean that I could add software to my current machine to make it act as a media server?

Yes, that is what I meant. Use FreeNAS you can have a Media Server, but I highly recommend to use drivers-less hardware raid like SPM394/SPM393. You transfer speed would be lots more optimum.

Faced with similar storage needs I found the best option was building a server to act as a NAS. Building a RAID10 is what I did, but it won't work well with a dual booting machine. I ended up building a cheap server (~$200 before drives) and running ubuntu server on it. I found this option was cheaper than buying a NAS.

So, does that mean that I can't build a RAID internal to my computer and connect that to my current hard drive & Mac?[/quotemsg]

You can connect directly SPM394/SPM393 hardware raid volume directly to your Windows/MAC/Ubuntu/Linux/Unix/FreeNAS/Openfiler/SAMBA... and it will works as long as there is an eSATA or SATA port

 

[FireWire2]

Can anyone clarify this? Does a raid array have to be external?

It can be external/internal depend on your configuration and controllers

 

[kenhikage]

Best answer selected by kenhikage.

 

[kenhikage]

I ended up losing all my data before I could set up anything. So, when reformatting I removed Ubuntu to reduce future complications.