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Help With Buying a NAS

eljanitor

eljanitor

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 10, 2011
411
20
My Mac pro is not working as a reliable server anymore, and I would like to buy a NAS to replace it. It currently acts as a file server, and a Time Machine Back up Server, and I don't want to chuck the Hard drives I have in it.

I understand that not all NAS support Time Machine, and I really like it's ease of use with Mac OSX. So I want to take my SATA HD's out of my Mac Pro 1.1, and put them in a NAS and be able to use time machine across my network without having a server on the network, and not break the bank.
 
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docderwood

macrumors member
Sep 2, 2009
53
11
Fwiw....

I've had a Synology 1511+ for 3 or so years. Rock solid, they have done a fantastic job upgrading its system software since I bought it....

Dj
 
eljanitor

eljanitor

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 10, 2011
411
20
Thanks for the resources. I'm still looking into what to get.
 
MagicBoy

MagicBoy

macrumors 68040
May 28, 2006
3,947
1,025
Manchester, UK
You can always build your own. I used an HP MicroServer and FreeNAS. MicroServers are often on cashback offer here for around £100, so they're a bargain.
 
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ColdCase

macrumors 68040
Feb 10, 2008
3,360
276
NH
There isn't a NAS besides a Time Capsule that is approved by Apple for time machine. I was where you were a year or two ago and in hind sight I should have went to a Mac Mini and set it up as a server with attached storage. Would have been much simpler, better performing, and in the same ball park in cost. Let me emphasize simple and fully compatible with the mac ecosystem.

You will find NAS fans here and they convinced me a synology would be perfect. They certainly have their place, but the shortcomings are hard to overcome. My synology is a solid performer as a NAS, but I can't do much more with it with adequate function/performance.

If you do end up with a NAS I would highly recommend ditching TimeMachine and using something like CCC for backup.
 
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Ifti

Ifti

macrumors 68040
Dec 14, 2010
3,926
2,436
UK
ColdCase said:
There isn't a NAS besides a Time Capsule that is approved by Apple for time machine. I was where you were a year or two ago and in hind sight I should have went to a Mac Mini and set it up as a server with attached storage. Would have been much simpler, better performing, and in the same ball park in cost. Let me emphasize simple and fully compatible with the mac ecosystem.

You will find NAS fans here and they convinced me a synology would be perfect. They certainly have their place, but the shortcomings are hard to overcome. My synology is a solid performer as a NAS, but I can't do much more with it with adequate function/performance.

If you do end up with a NAS I would highly recommend ditching TimeMachine and using something like CCC for backup.
Click to expand...

100% agree. I got rid of my previous Synology NAS and replaced it with a Mac Mini Server - much more flexible and Im much happier with the setup.
Although I do have a Synology NAS at the moment, it was provided to me so I didnt pay for it myself, and it just sits switched off!
A Mac Mini will do everything you need, and tons more.
 
thejadedmonkey

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
May 28, 2005
9,181
3,334
Pennsylvania
I have a Synology 213j and think it's great. Highly recommended.

ColdCase said:
You will find NAS fans here and they convinced me a synology would be perfect. They certainly have their place, but the shortcomings are hard to overcome. My synology is a solid performer as a NAS, but I can't do much more with it with adequate function/performance.
Click to expand...

It runs a full Linux distribution, what can't you do on it?
 
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ColdCase

macrumors 68040
Feb 10, 2008
3,360
276
NH
thejadedmonkey said:
I have a Synology 213j and think it's great. Highly recommended.



It runs a full Linux distribution, what can't you do on it?
Click to expand...

Not approved for time machine backups. Can't run iTunes on it.

Otherwise it is expensive, slow, and one needs to know linux like the back of your hand... a geek can certainly get it to work wonders, but its complicated and a foreign language to most... just saying. If you are into building your own stuff (and there is nothing wrong with that), there are PC motherboards and free NAS distributions that will blow your system out of the water for half the price but twice as much of your spare time... .
 
C

ColdCase

macrumors 68040
Feb 10, 2008
3,360
276
NH
satcomer said:
1. Wrong: How to back up data from Mac to Synology NAS with Time Machine (DSM 4)

2. Wrong: How to use Synology NAS as my iTunes Library
Click to expand...

Wrong times 2... Show me where Apple has approved the device for TM or iTunes.... didn't think so. There are always folks experimenting and synology does seem to try hard but its marketing BS. The net is littered with those that lost their backups as well as a few that claim to have great success. It seems that whenever Aplle updates an OS, the vendors are scrambling for months trying to catch up. Many vendors make these claims just to sell product, dunno what Synology had in mind, but the fact is it doesn't work well for most folks.... especially on their low end products.

The community experience with these band-aid work arounds are abysmal compared to doing it right. Just look at the support forums for those products.

You will certainly find Synology fanboys that believe the marketing hype. NAS made a lot of sense a couple years ago when folks just needed storage, not so much today. I've tried using many of the features synology and others advertise and was so dissatisfied with the performance that I turned a 10 year ole iMac into a server... and it outperforms the synology NAS x2.

Unless you want to build it yourself, one ends up spending just as much money if not more buying a NAS that provides the services a mini server does.

Synology seems to make a solid product for NAS type storage functions... but thats what you get. The OP seems to want more than basic NAS function, and perhaps has not opened the box to possible solutions.
 
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weckart

macrumors 603
Nov 7, 2004
5,835
3,514
MagicBoy said:
You can always build your own. I used an HP MicroServer and FreeNAS. MicroServers are often on cashback offer here for around £100, so they're a bargain.
Click to expand...

Mine is running Mavericks 10.9.4. Makes TM backups a breeze.
 
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phositadc

macrumors 6502
Dec 9, 2012
489
50
Help With Buying a NAS

ColdCase said:
Otherwise it is expensive, slow, and one needs to know linux like the back of your hand... a geek can certainly get it to work wonders, but its complicated and a foreign language to most... just saying. If you are into building your own stuff (and there is nothing wrong with that), there are PC motherboards and free NAS distributions that will blow your system out of the water for half the price but twice as much of your spare time... .
Click to expand...


My synology NAS (ds214) was cheaper than a Mac mini server, is not slow at all, and is extremely easy to use. So your experience does not extend to all other users by any stretch of the imagination.

Compared to time capsule, I get network transfer speeds nearly 300% faster with my synology. 110mB/s on synology vs 42ish on time capsule (both using wired gigE)

I don't use time capsule and I don't need an iTunes server. But I would go so far as to say that, unless those are your primary uses, a synology NAS is a better solution for most users than a time capsule or mini server.

I'm certainly far happier with it than I was with time capsule. Not to mention the networking speeds and wifi of time capsule lag in comparison to other high end routers.
 
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