Best NAS Solution

[Cyrax3]

I'm trying to create a setup where all my media and other files are backed up in a RAID configuration, but also accessible remotely. I've done some research and these devices will allow me to do this, but the cost is quite high.

Synology DS211J Diskless System DiskStation 2-bay NAS Server with two 2tb drives is $410 total, and that's only 2tb total storage with RAID 1.

Synology DS410 Diskless System DiskStation 4-bay All-in-1 NAS Server with 4 1tb drives is 3tb total with RAID 5, but the price even with these smaller/cheaper drives is $740 total. 2tb drives would bring it up to 6tb total but that would be $900...totally out of the question.

Is there any cheaper solution to this problem? I've even contemplated building a pc solely for this purpose, but it would still cost a good chunk and take more power than a NAS.

The three things I'm looking for are:

º Easy Remote access
º 4 tb+ of storage
º Less than $500

 

[MindoverMaster]

You can build your own computer. I have an Atom board, 1GB DDR2 RAM, case, psu, drives and controller cards; that I use as my server. I have FreeNAS, an open-source Linux (BSD) distro that has a lot of server options, on a USB Flash drive. I run my 2 x 640GB in RAID 1, along with my 1.5TB. You wouldn't believe how cheap you can make your own. You don't need anything expensive.

This is the transformation of my server: http://www.techist.com/forums/f10/my-server-transformation-241906/

 

[Cyrax3]

Yes I've thought of that, but to get 4tb + storage would be expensive when you factor in the other parts of the computer. I've never worked with Linux or built a server, I've only built normal computers with non-server OS's. How do you go about accessing your info remotely on your server?

 

[Apokalipse]

With Windows, you just open an explorer window, and type
\\pcname
into the address bar

You have to have shared folders or drives, and appropriate permissions (eg username and password required to allow write access)

 

[MindoverMaster]

With Linux, you use Samba to share drives. Building a home server is no different than building a computer. You do not need a $1,000 server. You could even run simple Windows OS, XP, Vista, or 7. I had 7 on my server about a year ago, you just have to set up the share.

 

[Cyrax3]

Yeah when I said remotely I meant from outside of the network, not internally. I'd like to be able to show clients and others my work by accessing information on my computer from outside my home, say from my laptop at a wifi spot. Those NAS devices have that ability through ftp. Is there something like this you could set up with a home server, specifying a shared folder that could be accessed via ftp, like with ddns?

 

[MindoverMaster]

Yes, you can do that, easily. You just need to project it out to the net somehow.

 

[Cyrax3]

Hey MindoverMaster, I just researched FreeNAS a bit. I could just buy 8tb of hard drive and stuff them into an old XP desktop and use FreeNAS on a flash drive to create a NAS, couldn't I? How does remote access work on FreeNAS, and is it easy to set up?