"NAS" type devices are rarely worth it. Their nothing but linux file servers that try to disguise their front end so "anyone" can configure them. This works ~ok~ in a home environment where your average user doesn't know enough to properly configure a file server, but they cost so much money relative to what they offer that an "average" user wouldn't buy one. Business's would be better served by actually building a real file server and tailoring it to their needs. A NAS's security can not be integrated into an enterprise's security architecture, not without heavy rebuilding and modification which defeats the concept of a NAS to begin with. Go ahead, try to get a basic linux installation to work with AD security principles and use those permissions to apply access control of the files. Its possible, just not with the build your going to get on a COTS NAS device. And the moment you want to talk file encryption *boom* your performance on an Intel platform goes out the window.
Ohh and network trunking of multiple ethernet ports requires an expensive (relatively speaking) managed switch. On the switch you must set the two (or four in my case) ports into bonded mode (not fcking trunk), then set the bonding on the host. Otherwise you only get port failover for when once cable gets unplugged.
My suggestion if you want a network accessible linux based file server.
MiniITX Via Nano / C7 + 2GB DDR2 memory. I suggest one of the Jetway boards coupled with a 3x1Gb daughter board, you can then bond the three ports together for 3Gbps data access and use the onboard port as a network management port. Appropriate expandable case, might have to acquire an external enclosure and use eSATA for access depending on how crazy you want to get.
Then install CentOS 5 (Community ENTerprise OS) onto the system, CENTOS is the Open Source Red Hat Enterprise Linux distro without the propriety tools. It comes with just about everything you possible need for an Enterprise server including tools to integrate it into AD and read / write NTFS partitions. Also comes with clustering support if your into that kind of thing.
After you build it, configure the device to use the padlock (Via integrated AES encryption) engine for cryptofs and suddenly you got full file system encryption without any performance penalty. The Via C7 / Nano can encrypt AES data in the Tbps range, easily enough to saturate any reasonable drive architecture. You can do all this for under the cost of the above four drive NAS, get much better performance, better security control, better integration tools, and more flexibility.
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