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Suggest a solid NAS that isn't time capsule.

kfergiez

kfergiez

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 5, 2010
276
1
I'm looking for a good, solid NAS that has DLNA capability and will work well with time machine.

I'm not really interested in time capsule because I have a few DLNA devices, and I'm not so keen on appleTV because I have a ton of .avi and .mkv files, and I don't want another set top box.

I've found a couple on amazon, they both got mediocre reviews wih many people complaining about reliability. Sooooo, any suggestions?
 
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There is an app that will allow you to stream .mkv and .avi files to your Apple TV. It transcodes them in real time. I for get what it is called though...
 
I have, and strongly recommend, the NetGear ReadyNAS NV+.

I've had mine for several years with zero issues. There might be better solutions out there now, but I can definitely state that the ReadyNAS is a great product, at least as far as my experience goes.

Edit: sorry, didn't read everything. I've never used mine with Time Machine, but this suggests that you can do so.
 
Synology is probably the most popular NAS here at MR, given the number of people that recommend it. I use QNAP which is been rock solid and fast. From my research those are about the best you can get in terms of price, performance, support.
 
I'm leaning more towards the synology route here. When formatting a new disk for the it (I think I'll go with a diskless model and put my own in), what format would accommodate both the requirements of the unit and Time Machine?
 
According to Synology's site for the DS212j (just one product I chose to look at), the supported format for the internal disks is EXT4. Although it isn't a format natively supported by either Apple or Windows OSes, it's the networking protocol the NAS uses that allows both systems to use it regardless of the file format of the disk. In the case of Mac OS X, it uses AFP.
 
kfergiez said:
I'm leaning more towards the synology route here. When formatting a new disk for the it (I think I'll go with a diskless model and put my own in), what format would accommodate both the requirements of the unit and Time Machine?
Click to expand...

I don't remember ever having to pick a format. I picked Synology Hybrid Raid, partitioned about half of 1 TB for Time Machine, and let it do whatever it had to do. I then turned on TM in Disk Station preferences and it just worked. That said, I think it defaults to the ext4 format. I never broke a sweat setting it up.
 
On the cheaper/smaller end of life.... I picked up a 2TB WD My Book Live for my Time Machine backups works great. Has DLNA support, but I don't use it.

B
 
Well what I plan on doing is shove my old 500gb usb hard drive disk into the DS110J, and when I wipe the disk, what format should I choose before I install it?

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balamw said:
On the cheaper/smaller end of life.... I picked up a 2TB WD My Book Live for my Time Machine backups works great. Has DLNA support, but I don't use it.

B
Click to expand...

I looked at that one on amazon, but the reviews don't look pretty... The synology reviews are excellent.
 
It doesn't matter. Once you install it in the Synology, you'll need to reformat it again with the Synology to make it compatible. Synology can only use EXT4 format disks internally, and AFAIK there is no easy way to format a drive as such using Disk Utility. Just format it as HFS+ if you really want to but it'll be formatted again anyway.
 
Awesome. That's just too simple isn't it. I've been raking through synology's webinars and whatnot. I'm glad to see that there is a ton of support and even a lot of apps for iPhone and iPad. I think this is the route I'll go with
 
I have the Synology DS411+ and love it. I put one HDD in it for Time machine and use the other 3 for storing my video files. I put mine in the closet.

I love it and have no problems recommending it. You can also use IP cameras with the Synology for security
 
ReadyNAS range from Netgear. Works fine with Time Machine.
Has a dedicated Mac section and Time Machine section to the forums
See : http://www.readynas.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=28&sid=513d9ab533e0a2b0b3a74f4f941390b4
Lots of help from users and Netgear developers (the original Infrant people that Netgear bought in 200X)
Has a 2 drive, 4 drive and 6 drive version with easy upgrade and solid firmware.

I've had 2 4 and 6 drive versions over the years as my content has grown
 
Synology.
I have a DS1511+ and have no problems streaming to any of my iDevices, as well as consoles, and so on.
Take a look at my YouTube channel (link in sig) for videos in regards to nth the hardware and software side of the unit.
 
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