DIY Time Capsule wanted!

[PMOO]

I want to make my own Time Capsule, ie a wireless network storage unit that will work with our 2 Macs running OS 10.5. I also want the NAS to be RAID 1 capable, which is not a feature that Time Capsule has. Ideally, the unit will be compatible with Time Machine (HFS+ format).

I've spec'd out the D-Link DNS-323 NAS enclosure, two 1 TB SATA drives, and the D-Link DIR-655 wireless router, all for about $420 Canadian dollars. While the 323 does work with Macs (based on numerous forum postings), it's not clear to me whether it will work wirelessly - no one that posted about it mentioned that they were using the unit wirelessly. I don't think the 323 supports HFS+ format, so it won't be compatible with Time Machine, but I could use other back up software to get around this if I had to. But if anyone knows of a better DIY solution, I'd like to hear about it. The Time Capsule is very expensive for the amount of storage space you get, which is also the case with other NAS RAID 1 capable products I see in Apple Stores. I'm not sure that those products would work wirelessly either.

What started as a simple idea has become more complicated than I expected at first. Can someone shed some light on any of this for me?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jackiecanev2]

I have a Drobo attatched to my Airport Extreme. Works fine for me...

 

[kid rock]

id also recommend a drobo but they are a bit pricey but very versatile

 

[PMOO]

Drobo + Airport Extreme too expensive

The Drobo is quite expensive, and I only have an old, and failing Airport Express unit. Having to buy both an Airport Extreme and Drobo would be far more expensive than building my own system. I know it can be done, but the question is which combination of NAS drive enclosure (with RAID 1) and wireless router will work for Mac. It's the typical Mac/PC gotcha where most products are made for PC. One basic question I have is whether wireless routers are platform agnostic when it comes to attaching hard drives via the ethernet ports. In other words, if a wireless router is functioning with my Macbook, allowing internet access, can I simply attach any drive that my MB can see (when directly wired via e-net) to the router's ethernet port and then be able to see the drive with my Macbook? The NAS enclosures usually have onboard chips and software drivers that are often PC-based. The D-Link DNS-323 that I'm looking at can definitely be used with Macs if they are hard-wired through e-net. The 323 does not support HFS+ drive formatting so that will be a problem for Time Machine, but if a Mac can see the 323 when hooked directly up with e-net, can I assume that the Mac will see the 323 when connected to a wireless router's e-net port?

 

[jackiecanev2]

Ethernet nas with its own address is more likely to be compatible across multiple platforms, moreso than a router that offers inbuilt connectivity for other peripherals.

If you're trying to do it on the cheap, try the Lacie 2big Network Drive. It supports win/lin/osx, and has bonjour support so no need to manually access it via IP on your mac. Plug it into your router of choice, it's DHCP compatible.