Network Storage Machine

[Markleshark]

Ok, so here is the crack, the low-down, the story, the word on the street... You get what I mean...

With a Mac Mini almost on its way, I can not afford the stupid prices of the 2.5inch HDDs, sooooo, I have only got a 80gig one internal. So what I want to do is, either buy a low-end PowerMac G4, or a high-end G3 to turn into a Network Storage Server, basically, what would I need? After Ive got me PowerMac and me HDDs what else hardware wise would I need? Also, what software would I need? Is it possible to do with either OS X or OS X Server... Linux I'd be willing to have a go with, but I must say I'm hopeless with it. And finally, is it going to be a pain in the arse to setup?

Sorry, bit long-winded I know, but all help greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[tristan]

Why don't you just get an external HD? Why do you need a whole 'nother computer?

 

[Markleshark]

Upgrade reasons in the long run (I go through disk space like you wouldn't believe), a lack of firewire/usb ports, it'll be faster, and basically, its prettier...

 

[tristan]

Don't understand your assumptions then. USB2.0 is plenty fast, and you have lots of enclosure options so you could find one with decent aesthetics. Is there more to the story? Are you trying to set up a webserver or fileserver? Or are you trying to locate your hard drives somewhere else?

 

[Markleshark]

Nah, I basically just want a storage device, but really, I also want something to play with, a bit of a project if you will

 

[risc]

Personally I'd just buy network attached storage, you can buy drives with GB LAN now pretty cheap, but I understand the need for projects so if you want to do it the cheapest way possible forget the Mac and get yourself a nice cheap PC with a NIC. Chuck a Linux on the PC that you feel comfortable with I like CentOS 4 (it's a clone of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, I use this at work so I feel at home with it). All you need to do is get Samba working on the Linux box, and once it is up and running correctly it will show up as a Windows share.

If you decide to go for the over priced using a Mac option all you need to do if you are running OS X is go to Sharing under System Preferences and click Personal File Sharing if your network is all OS X, or Windows Sharing if you have OS X/Windows (and even Linux) on your network.

Like I said I'd go for Linux on a PC it's cheaper, and Linux gives you more of the project vibe than just another OS X box.

HTH

 

[tristan]

Go check out the http://www.lowendmac.com site to see some of the older mac specs. Keep in mind that some of the older macs may not support large HDs too.

 

[twoodcc]

i'm kinda doing the same thing. i've played with Mac OS X Server before, and i've watched some videos on how to use it, and i'd say if you can get ahold of this software, go for it. if not, try the others i guess.*

 

[Markleshark]

Cheers. Thinkin about the PC/Linux route... Makes more sence really

 

[twoodcc]

Cheers. Thinkin about the PC/Linux route... Makes more sence really

yeah, it depends on what the user likes

 

[risc]

i'm kinda doing the same thing. i've played with Mac OS X Server before, and i've watched some videos on how to use it, and i'd say if you can get ahold of this software, go for it. if not, try the others i guess.*

Cheers. Thinkin about the PC/Linux route... Makes more sence really

yeah, it depends on what the user likes

OS X Server is USD$999 for an unlimited license. Sounds like a waste of money for a file server. Also considering the performance issues it has compared to any other UNIX like OS well ...