Build a file server? OR Buy a HDD w/ethernet?

[superspiffy]

I need a way to access my many files, pics and movies when I'm on the go (or anywhere that has internet access) with my MBP. I'm thinking of several solutions:

Build a file server with 500gigs of hdd space

OR

Buy the WD My Book World II
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16822136083

The latter is basically a 1TB external hdd with RAID 1 and an ethernet port so you don't need a PC to access it anywhere.

Which is the better option in terms of price? capability? etc...?

Note that I'm a college student who can drop a few hundreds on this project but my resources are by far not limitless. I also do not have experience with linux, so making a linux box would probably be a venture for me. I don't have experience creating a server or anything and I don't know how to set it up on a PC or a Mac. The My Book World option looks quick and easy, and I'm leaning on that option for the moment, but is there any reason why building a file server could be a better option?

 

[epochblue]

I need a way to access my many files, pics and movies when I'm on the go (or anywhere that has internet access) with my MBP. I'm thinking of several solutions:

Build a file server with 500gigs of hdd space

OR

Buy the WD My Book World II
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16822136083

The latter is basically a 1TB external hdd with RAID 1 and an ethernet port so you don't need a PC to access it anywhere.

Which is the better option in terms of price? capability? etc...?

Note that I'm a college student who can drop a few hundreds on this project but my resources are by far not limitless. I also do not have experience with linux, so making a linux box would probably be a venture for me. I don't have experience creating a server or anything and I don't know how to set it up on a PC or a Mac. The My Book World option looks quick and easy, and I'm leaning on that option for the moment, but is there any reason why building a file server could be a better option?

Given that your not particularly comfortable with Linux or setting up servers, I think your best option is just to buy the NAS (Network Attached Storage) rather than the server. How that works, availability wise, remotely, I'm not sure...but I bet someone at WD does

 

[shecky]

i just did this and i have a newly built 1.2TB server running FreeNAS on my gigabit network and its great (i added a 4th 500GB drive from what is posted there). much better (and faster) than FW400 external drives and has the redundancy of RAID5. FreeNAS was very easy to setup (like 15 minutes or so)

i chose to build with new product that is probably higher end than i needed but i wanted reliability and scaleability; all told the entire thing including shipping, cables, etc.. came to just under $1000. but you could do it for a LOT less than that if you got used/older equipment and went for less space; the 4 seagate drives in my box ran $600 of the cost of it.

i spent WAY WAY WAY more time researching it than actually building it; building a PC is quite simple and FreeNAS is even simpler.

 

[superspiffy]

FreeNAS was very easy to setup (like 15 minutes or so)

There was way too many acronyms on that thread. I think I'm gonna need a much more dumb down version

 

[shecky]

hah.

FreeNAS is a free, light operating system that turns any PC into a network storage device using a web interface to administer it, so the box sits in a corner with a power cable and an ethernet cable attached to it and nothing else. you administer it, set permissions, add and partition disks, etc... via your web browser. its REALLY easy.


freenas.org

 

[superspiffy]

hah.

FreeNAS is a free, light operating system that turns any PC into a network storage device using a web interface to administer it, so the box sits in a corner with a power cable and an ethernet cable attached to it and nothing else. you administer it, set permissions, add and partition disks, etc... via your web browser. its REALLY easy.


freenas.org

looks like FreeNAS is still beta. this kinda worries me cuz now i have to think about stability issues. Does it work for PCs and Macs?