Home file server

[callumparker666]

so im recycling my gx280 into a home file server and i need some help and advice with a couple of issues and also some advice on upgrades

im having a bit of trouble with the speed which seems far too slow, wired i get 12mbps transfer and 2mbps wireless, i know this is slow and i need help figuring out what on earth could it be, the thing uses OEM parts except for the WLAN card which is 150mbps single band

the second thing i want to ask is for advice on the upgrades, i want a case that can store a good number of HDD for obvious reasons and keep them cool but my budget is £50 max(inc psu), i know the MOBO in the gx280 is proprietary

lastly i want to bring its power usage down so i think an atom cpu with a new board and ram is a good idea, any recommendations for a good atom CPU, ive never even given them a glance until now

 

[JKatwyopc]

Need more info. What are your system specs for the GX280 computer? I tried to look it up but it's a Dell and requires password access to get the specs.

We also need some info on what type of Network you have setup and what hardware you're using on it.

Also, this sounds like a networking problem. You would probably get more responses on the networking forums.

 

[callumparker666]

the gx280 has an OEM dell board which seems to be about the same size as ATX, the mounting holes dont matter because ill drill new ones, that seems to be about the only relevant spec, as for the network, its a WLAN, the router is a technicolour tg582n, the data is wpa2 encrypted and the wlan card is a tenda w311p in the desktop, as for my laptop i dont know what it has

 

[JKatwyopc]

Ok, it looks like both the router and the adapter card are Wireless-N so you should be able to get higher data rates. The next step is to find out what els is going on around you.

How far away from the computer is the router and how many walls are in between?

How many other networks are in your neighborhood? These days, even small towns and rural areas sometimes have several networks nearby. Multiple networks can cause interference with yours if they are close enough.

How many networks appear on your network list when you click the networking icon in the lower right hand corner of your screen? You may be able to greatly improve network performace by assigning a different default channel on the router. That is done through the router configuration screen.

 

[callumparker666]

4, most have a low signal rate, one has a medium strength signal
the router is in the center of the house on the ground floor, so pretty much the floor and maybe one wall, note the test with the Ethernet connection was direct from the desktop to the laptop

 

[thently]

Ok well I looked up the stats

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx280/en/ug/specs02.htm

12 MB is what you get on 100Mb wired connection so that is your limitation. The board says it can do gig so your switch or router must only be 100 and not 1000. Wireless N in the 2.4 ghz range will onlt get you 2 to 4 MB using 1 antenna if you go to 5ghz or 2 chanells (300 N) you will get in the 12 to 14 MB range or the same as 100MB wired connection. So for upgrades gig switch/router with wireless N 5ghz and a wireless card supporting 300 or 450 N in the 5 ghz range.

Thent

 

[callumparker666]

any case or cpu recommendations?

 

[JKatwyopc]

Actually, four nearby networks is not that bad, however you said one shows medium signal strength so that could be an issue. What is the signal strength of the connection that you are actually using? You definitely should change your channel number. Most routers default to channel 6 so try changing yours to channel 9 or 10.

Okay, how about your Internet Providers connection, what type is it? ISDN, Cable, DSL, Modem.

Exactly how are you testing the speed of the network? Are you just reading the numbers from the Wireless Network Connection Status? Or are you actually using a program to run the test over the network or over the Internet? Are you downloading a file and watching the data rate as it downloads? Each of those methods will provide very different results because they report the speed based on different parameters.

Both distance and obstructions have a significant impact on the signal strength and as a result, the data rate that your wireless connection can sustain.

 

[callumparker666]

file transfer speeds ofcourse, the signal strength as reported by windows is near max
i doubt the internet connection matters, this is a WLAN, im not connecting via the internet, ill give changing the channel a go

 

[photonboy]

Wireless network speed:
The weaker the signal, the slower the transfer. This depends on FOUR things:
1) STRENGTH of the transmission
2) SENSITIVITY of the receiver (wireless "N" standard works better than "G")
3) DISTANCE
4) BLOCKING OBJECTS (walls, floors)

Some routers have transmission strength which can be CHANGED in its setup.

Four interesting devices from Western Digital:
1) The "My Book Live" (or MBL DUO) is a networked drive up to 6TB currently

2) The Western Digital TV Live HUB contains a 1TB, 2.5" hard drive. I use it for:
- DVD/BluRay ISO IMAGES (menus work on these legally, ripped images.)
- Other video (even Vorbis audio works now. I can't find a video it won't play)
- Netflix etc.

3) WD TV LIVE (no hard drive)

4) WD Elements drive (you can add a USB drive to the HUB, or non-hard drive version of it. It's great because it turns OFF and ON with the main device.)
Other:
My NAS is mainly for video. I currently have two of the WD TV LIVE HUBS. I can watch video on either one (or from any networked device including the other HUB, PC's, NAS), however you need to be CAREFUL with placement and quality of wi-fi adapters or you won't have enough bandwidth and video will stutter.)

VIDEO BANDWIDTH?
Video Bits/Second VARIES, therefore you can NOT just use the average. You MAY need as high as 3x the average, in my experience:

Movie=7GB @ 2Hrs
- (7x1024)MB/sec /7200seconds = 1MB/second

So for a DVD or compressed BluRay movie you might actually need 3MB/second wi-fi connection for it to work without stutter. This varies based on how COMPRESSED the movie is; an uncompressed BluRay movie can play across the wired Ethernet which is 10.5MB/s roughly.)

 

[callumparker666]

and what about this?

 

[callumparker666]

any case or cpu recommendations?

and as for this?

 

[photonboy]

any case or cpu recommendations?

and as for this?

??
Are you meaning to post links?

The reason I posted all that information about the Western Digital products is because you didn't actually state your REASON for building a Home NAS.

There are lots of pre-built alternatives that would likely work much better than building your own but it really depends on your usage.

I was going to build my own NAS at one point mainly for storing video but I bought the WD TV LIVE HUB (internal 1TB drive) and added a 2TB USB WD Elements drive. It cost me about $300 total for both and I have 3TB of storage. The USB drive automatically turns off when I turn off the HUB.

3TB's of storage will store 400 FULL DVD's (ISO images)!

*If you provide your exact need I can help more, such as:
a) amount of storage
b) purpose
c) redundancy? (i.e. RAID1 striping)