[dba-Tech] Building a network storage device

Gustav and Bryan,

What I am not hearing though is why I would do this over just using Windows
XP?  I already own licenses to XP Professional.  Professional allows me to
remote desktop in to the machine if I need to do "on the spot admin" without
going to the server (It will likely be in another room down in the
basement).  I already know and understand XP whereas I have absolutely zero
experience with Linux.  It is easy to say "it just works" but if anything
ever does go wrong...

So what does Linux buy me over using Windows XP and just building a huge
raid array and sharing the root (or even a directory) on that array?  The
raid controllers I am looking at also have their own web admin for handling
that side of things.  

John W. Colby
Colby Consulting
www.ColbyConsulting.com

-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Gustav Brock
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 9:26 AM
To: dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com
Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Building a network storage device

Hi John

We have also successfully used NASLite - at some clients for storage of
backend JET files.
It really is too simple to set up.
However, if you don't want to fiddle with Linux commands to create a floppy
diskettes, you may need to buy the cd-rom.
A totally free alternative - which might be closer to your liking as it
sports a web based admin system - is FreeNAS:

http://www.freenas.org/

It's still in beta but should fit your few requirements very well.

/gustav


>>> carbonnb at gmail.com 06-02-2007 03:45:20 >>>
On 2/5/07, JWColby <jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com> wrote:
> I have a need for a large, fast, redundant network storage array.  I 
> need a gigabit network link, raid redundancy, and terabyte capacity 
> with the

<snip>

> I have a spare computer with a "3 GHz" Athlon X64 processor, a 
> gigabyte of ram and a built in gigabit NIC.  It certainly seems like a 
> raid 5 (or preferably raid 6) array shared at the root level would serve
admirably.
> Throw a software firewall on it which filters to only allow local 
> 192.xxx address ranges to address it.  My network system is (ATM) WFW 
> based and so I would likely just stay with Windows XP as the OS.

> Any thoughts from you folks on this idea?  Has anyone done this.  
> Words of wisdom?  Unless there is a compelling reason to do this, 
> please leave out the "go Linux" stuff.  I have enough to do without 
> doing the star trek thing.

How about something like NASLite
http://www.serverelements.com/naslite.php 

It's a single floppy, yes floppy, that you boot your computer from and do
some simple config and away you go. No need for an OS, it's on the floppy.
Although it is Linux, you don't need to know linux,. You just need to follow
an install doc to get it up and running.

I have a P90 that I've considered doing this yet, just haven't taken the
plunge.

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