Network Storage Solutions

[dakotaspurs]

Hi everyone,

I can't seem to find anywhere any advice on Network Stroage Solutions so was wondering if anyone on here could help.

I run a small business working off of 3 Macs, at the moment, and I need to upgrade to a network storage solution. My wish list for the solution is:
• Share files between 3+ Macs.
• Be able to add printers to the network so that they are available to all users.
• Ability to access the files externally ... when off-site.
• I want to be able to partition the drive to be able to use the partitions as Time Machine backups for the 3 macs (or a different solution other than partitioning to achieve this).
• Ability to add a password protected FTP folder to the storage that can be accessed by external clients.

Can anyone suggest any solutions for me at all?

Thanks in advance.

 

[r0k]

Hi everyone,

I can't seem to find anywhere any advice on Network Stroage Solutions so was wondering if anyone on here could help.

I run a small business working off of 3 Macs, at the moment, and I need to upgrade to a network storage solution. My wish list for the solution is:
• Share files between 3+ Macs.
• Be able to add printers to the network so that they are available to all users.
• Ability to access the files externally ... when off-site.
• I want to be able to partition the drive to be able to use the partitions as Time Machine backups for the 3 macs (or a different solution other than partitioning to achieve this).
• Ability to add a password protected FTP folder to the storage that can be accessed by external clients.

Can anyone suggest any solutions for me at all?

Thanks in advance.

We use the LaCie Network Space 2. It does well and supports ftp. If you are looking for something more robust (and many times more expensive) there is always drobo and synology. Both of these companies produce high end network storage solutions which work well with Mac.

How are you planning to do those TM backups? Wirelessly? If so, I suggest you use 802.11n as Time Machine doesn't work so well over anything slower. If you use wired ethernet, I suggest gigabit ethernet for the same reason.

LaCie supports TM backups but I haven't used that feature. Another option is an Apple Time Capsule but it doesn't support ftp.

hope this helps...

 

[MaxBeagleton]

I have a two-bay Synology (I run RAID 1 for the redundancy) that will do all that you ask. If you go with Synology, be sure to install the beta software if you use Lion. AFP on their latest official release won't work with Lion. I assume your business has a domain and a static IP from your internet service provider. Otherwise you will have to subscribe to a translating service that will connect your dynamic IP address from the WAN to your domain, but Synology can help with that.

Accessible printers is just a matter of connecting network-ready printers (hardwired or WIFI) on your LAN that have mac drivers. OSX is good at finding compatible network printers and self-installing drivers. You can also find Widgets that will show ink levels and such on each of your networked printers.