Re: NAS recommendations requested

On Sat, 10 Mar 2007 13:00:47 +0000, GB wrote:


"Steve Bilton" <steve.bilton@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1173381801.515612.14070@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'd been considering something like that as I have a few old boxes around
the place. I've got to have something I can hide away as SWMBO will kill
me if we end up with yet another box in the sitting room..

Mines in the loft... nice & quite and out of the way - potentially
burglar proof but not fire proof!


I'm trying to work out the economics of using FreeNas. I have an old PC,
which I could stuff a few hard disks into. Cost to build is nil, except for
my time. Assuming it uses say 300 watts of power, cost to run it is 50p to
75p per day, assuming it is on 24/7. So, it's going to cost around 200
Pounds a year in electricity. If it is in the loft, that power is wasted
completely. If it is somewhere in the house, it at least provides some
useful heating during the winter.

Compare that to a Buffalo Linkstation, which has a claimed power use of 17
watts. http://www.buffalo-technology.com/documents/pdf/HD-HLAN%20DS.pdf
That's going to cost 15 Pounds a year, say.

Taking into account the running costs, is a FreeNas box Penny-wise, but
Pound-foolish?


If you are going to use a random old box then possibly yes. However it is
unlikely that the computer is actually using 300W.

What am I missing? BTW the machine I was thinking of using as a NAS (before
I did the sums) is a Compaq EXD C600, which I imagine is fairly typical of
the sort of box people will use. I may be being wildly pessimistic about its
power consumption, taking it at 300 watts. The PSU is rated at an input
current of 2.5 amps at 240 volts, but of course it may use a lot less than
that in practice as a NAS is idle most of the time in home use.

Two issues for me with the Linkstation are that it has a fan, and is
only 100Mbps capable.

Personally I would go for a Laice Etherdisk mini because at least it is
Gbps capable. Still has a fan however, which I see a fan as a point of
failure.

I am thinking for myself of procuring a LAN bridge board, and doing my own
sealed wall mounting metal box with internal PSU and being entirely
passively cooled.

If you want something more than a NAS box, then a new build mini-ITX
system is the way to go, as they are so much more energy efficient.


JAB.

--
Jonathan A. Buzzard Email: jonathan (at) buzzard.me.uk
Northumberland, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 1661-832195

.

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