USB Hard Drive vs. NAS

Discussion in 'Mac Accessories' started by rodrigoluizb, Dec 27, 2013.

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  1. rodrigoluizb, Dec 27, 2013

    rodrigoluizb macrumors member

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2013
    Location:
    Campinas, SP, Brazil
    #1
    Hi everyone

    In a few months i going to get my brand new rMBP. Today i also have and a iMac.

    I have connected on my iMac a USB3 (the iMac mid2011, so connected via USB2) seagate backup plus, 3TB, which has all my stuff (music, videos, photos and important files). I also have a 1TB HD in a random enclosure which is for Time Machine.

    As soon as i get my rMBP, i'm thinking to centralize all my stuff, like the iTunes library and Time Machine, so i would have the same drive for the both macs. Therefore i start to think about a NAS.

    But, at the same time i need to centralize my files as i said, i don't wanna put aside my drive. So, searching for Synology NAS enclosures, i found the DS213j, which has 2 USB ports. Does anybody knows if i can connect my Seagate HD in this USB, so i can build my RAID system with it?
     
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  2. priitv8, Dec 28, 2013

    priitv8 macrumors 68040

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    Location:
    Estonia
    #2
    AFAIK you can't use external USB drive in the RAID set.
    But you can share it on your network as additional network share.
    PS I also suggest you search this forum for keywords iTunes Library and NAS to see the discussion of complexities arising from such setup. The executive summary: iTunes Library can not be used concurrently by several computers.
     
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  3. maflynn, Dec 28, 2013

    maflynn Moderator

    maflynn

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    Location:
    Boston
    #3
    NAS units won't allow the USB drive to be part of the RAID. Performance will be pretty bad and the risk of breaking the RAID is high.

    I use the USB drive on my QNAP to back up my NAS. So while you want to centralize your data which is good, I'd also consider the need to backup your data as well. Finally I'm not sure its a wise move to put a used drive in a NAS enclosure. I'd go with a some new WD RED drives for longevity and performance.
     
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  4. zhenya, Dec 28, 2013

    zhenya macrumors 603

    zhenya

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    #4
    I ran a NAS for years, but have in the last couple of years moved back the other way, and now my 'NAS' is a 3GB drive connected to my iMac which acts as the houses' server these days. Having the main server be a computer that can run iTunes and install any other server software (Air Video, Plex, etc) easily has a lot of advantages.
     
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  5. maflynn, Dec 28, 2013

    maflynn Moderator

    maflynn

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    Joined:
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    Location:
    Boston
    #5
    That's me as well. I got a NAS to centralize my data but in the end, I found a DAS fits my needs better. I like the performance of connecting a drive via Thunderbolt over accessing stuff via the ethernet. My Time Machine backups end in minutes instead of hours.

    I still have the NAS running and I'm trying to figure out how best to incorporate that in my workflow so its used but my Drobo Mini works so well that I go to that unit first.
     
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